BENJAMONSTER AWARDS 2026: Outstanding Writing of a Comedy Series

Today's award is Outstanding Writing of a Comedy Series!

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

This year's nominees are...














LUCIA ANIELLO & PAUL W. DOWNS & JEN STATSKY, Hacks "Hacks" (HBO Max)
LANG FISHER, The Four Seasons "Maratona" (Netflix)
BRETT GOLDSTEIN, Shrinking "Happiness Mission" (Apple TV)
STEPHANIE KOENING, English Teacher "Grant's Dinner Party" (FX)
CHAD MORTON, Abbott Elementary "Mall" (ABC)
BEN SMITH & ELLA ROBINSON BROOKS, Only Murders in the Building "After You" (Hulu)
SANAZ TOOSSI, Adults "Roast Chicken" (FX)

And the Winner Is...
BRETT GOLDSTEIN
Shrinking "Happiness Mission" (Apple TV)
I debated quite a bit on this award because the Shrinking episode "Happiness Mission" is far from the funniest script for a comedy category. But it did have my favorite scene in the entire TV season when Jessica Williams' Gaby told Brett Goldstein's Louis how she really felt. Williams deserves a lot of credit for performing that scene but it was also expertly written. I wasn't a huge fan of Goldstein's presence on the show but his contribution as a writer and then being the recipient of a great monologue in this scene makes it worth it. Shrinking has always done a great job of mixing humor and heart so while every episode has tearjerker moments, it is still easily able to make me laugh and there was plenty of great laugh lines throughout the episode as there always is.

Thoughts on the Rest of the Nominees:
If this was solely based on the funniest scripts, it would be a close call between English Teacher and Adults with both episodes focused on hilarious dinner parties - a sitcom staple for comedy. I thought the decision to put the Abbott Elementary teachers in a mall for a few episodes was a brilliant arc so the first episode of that great (but too short) arc made it into the nominations field. Among more sentimental episodes like the winner, the series finale of Hacks didn't work from start to finish for me but had enough great moments for me to feel like it went out on a strong note. The departure episode of the season of Only Murders in the Building was a sweet and wistful look at the life of a doorman. Finally, the "Maratona" episode of The Four Seasons had some interesting ruminations on life and marriage.

Tomorrow: Outstanding Directing of a Limited/Anthology Series!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

TOP 10 TUESDAY: Top 10 Modern Family Characters

Image
This week for my Top 10 Tuesday, I am counting down the Top 10 characters from the Emmy winning hit Modern Family ! 10. FRANK DUNPHY It was inspired casting to bring the late, great Fred Willard on board as Phil Dunphy's father, Frank. Ty Burrell's dopiness as Phil really seemed like it could have been inspired by Willard's brand of comedy. Frank wasn't in a ton of episodes but he makes the list over some actual series regulars because he never stopped being funny and always elevated any scene he was in. It was one of Willard's final recurring roles and he was the most memorable of the many Modern Family characters who turned up once in awhile. 9. LUKE DUNPHY I struggled with what to do about Luke, Manny and Alex for this list. All three became so insufferable by the end of the series, I was left with a really bad taste in my mouth. But Luke ultimately made the list because he was the best as a young child and then the "least bad" among the three I mention...
Read more

DECADE IN REVIEW: The Best Comedies of the 2010s

Image
During the month of December, I will be looking back at the decade that was the 2010s on TV. I will be sharing my favorite sitcoms, dramas, the best episodes, the best performances and the worst shows of the decade. To be eligible for this list, a show had to air the majority of its episodes in the 2010s. However, for the rankings and determination, all episodes were taken into account, including ones that may have aired before 2010. I will also preface that there are comedies that have aired this decade that I haven't watched yet so this is the best of what I have watched. To be fair, that preface is more true for dramas. There's not a ton of unwatched comedies sitting in my Netflix or Amazon watchlist. So here are my Top 10 comedies of the 2010s! Close Calls:  Master of None (Netflix) - An inconsistent but occasionally fascinating commentary on many life issues done so with innovative storytelling. The Good Place (NBC) - A show that aims high with a fascinating premis...
Read more

EPISODE GUIDES: That 70s Show Season Three

Image
THAT 70s SHOW: SEASON THREE 2000-2001 25 episodes Season 3 of  That 70s Show  graded out almost as strong as Season 2. Like every season, there are some duds but there are also some of my favorite episodes of the entire series. One thing this show does better than the previous season is they don't twiddle their thumbs as long with some of the major arcs of the series. On the other side, there are just a few episodes that feel completely like throwaway episodes. Still, this season is prime  That 70s Show. Starring Topher Grace as Eric Forman  (25 episodes) Mila Kunis as Jackie Burkhart  (25 episodes) Ashton Kutcher as Michael Kelso  (25 episodes) Danny Masterson as Steven Hyde  (25 episodes) Laura Prepon as Donna Pinciotti  (25 episodes) Wilmer Valderrama as Fez  (25 episodes) Debra Jo Rupp as Kitty Forman  (25 episodes) Kurtwood Smith as Red Forman  (25 episodes) Don Stark as Bob Pinciotti  (14 episodes) Tanya Roberts as Midge ...
Read more