BENJAMONSTER AWARDS 2026: Outstanding Directing of a Comedy Series

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

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

This year's nominees are...












LUCIA ANIELLO, Hacks "Hacks" (HBO Max)
REBECCA ASHER, Shrinking "The Field" (Apple TV)
ANDREW DEYOUNG, Widow's Bay "Your Baggage" (Apple TV)
SAM DONOVAN, Widow's Bay "Beach Reads" (Apple TV)
JOHN HOFFMAN, Only Murders in the Building "After You" (Hulu)
JONATHAN KRISEL, English Teacher "Covid in America" (FX)
DEARBHLA WALSH, Margo's Got Money Troubles "The Hungry Ghost" (Apple TV)

And the Winner Is...
ANDREW DEYOUNG
Widow's Bay "Your Baggage" (Apple TV)
Widow's Bay was the surprise hit of the spring and it worked best for me when it wasn't dabbling in the overarching lore of the series but instead doing a sort of "monster of the week." "Your Baggage" was a take off of Halloween, a movie I just saw for the first time this past Halloween season. It brilliantly mixed the thrills of that movie with the comedy that is part of Widow's Bay and I credit that a lot to the direction. In particular, the shots of Patricia (Kate O'Flynn) holding the rifle through a long sequence of the Boogeyman getting killed and eventually cremated was comedic gold. The tone blending the comedy and horror only works well with a skilled director and Andrew DeYoung was more than up to the task.

Thoughts on the Rest of the Nominees:
"Your Baggage" was one of two Widow's Bay contenders on the list. "Beach Reads" was the best episode of the season but not quite as many directorial flourishes as "Your Baggage." "After You" on Only Murders in the Building had years to cover and used some creative staging choices. The finale of Hacks had some great flourishes especially the final sequence from Paris back to Las Vegas. The first episode of Margo's Got Money Troubles set a nice tone for the series. "The Field" episode of Shrinking did the unthinkable and made a drug trip actually fun (I never like those types of episodes). Finally, the "Covid in America" premiere of English Teacher had to stage a whole fake high school theater production and did a great job with that.

Tomorrow: Outstanding Supporting Actor of a Limited/Anthology Series!

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