BENJAMONSTER AWARDS 2026: Outstanding Comedy Series

It's time for the final award - Outstanding Comedy Series!

Past Awards in This Category: 2025   2024   2023   2022   2021   2020

This year's nominees are...















ABBOTT ELEMENTARY (ABC)
ENGLISH TEACHER (FX)
THE FOUR SEASONS (Netflix)
HACKS (Max)
MARGO'S GOT MONEY TROUBLES (Apple TV)
ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING (Hulu)
SHRINKING (Apple TV+)

And the Winner Is...
SHRINKING
Apple TV
This was an interesting year for comedies and it took awhile for me to determine a winner but I ultimately went with a repeat of Shrinking. I don't know if I liked the third season of Shrinking quite as much as the second season but it was real close. This ensemble is second to none on TV (yes, that even includes The Pitt). Every single cast member on Shrinking is capable of carrying a meaty major storyline or just making wisecracks throughout the episode. They seem like a group of friends who have been in each other's lives for a very long time. I'll be interested to see where Shrinking goes in the future because they told the three season story they want to tell but as far as I'm concerned, this could be a ten season show because I just want to hang out with this ensemble for years to come.

Thoughts on the Rest of the Nominees:
The nominee list includes two previous winners. Abbott Elementary rebounded from a more inconsistent season with a stronger fifth season that included the especially inspired mall storyline in the middle of the season. Hacks didn't have a great final season as far as I was concerned but a down year for Hacks is still one of my favorite TV comedies on the air and I will really miss that show. The second and final season of English Teacher was even funnier than the first. It's too bad that star and creator Brian Jordan Alvarez's behind the scenes choices and troubles led to this show not reaching its full potential as the next great comedy. The Four Seasons is one of my favorite "vibes" shows that is just very breezy and fun to watch. I thought Only Murders in the Building had its best season since the first season. And finally, the only new show entry is Margo's Got Money Troubles which had a strong first season that defined the show and its characters well.

Tomorrow: A recap of my month of awards!

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