ENSEMBLE IN A COMEDY SERIES
Only Murders in the Building
The show more than doubled its main cast. Not only did producers bring in Zach Galifianakis, Eugene Levy and Eva Longoria as actors playing our trio in a movie about the Arconia, they also added heretofore unseen residents of the building’s second tour. These included the always reliable Richard Kind, Kumail Nanjiani and Griffin Dunne. On paper, this could be a classic “too many cooks in the kitchen” scenario. But these consummate professionals made it look easy, even when they were playing decidedly unprofessional folks.
ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Larry David, Curb Your Enthusiasm
It can be easy to forget just how good Larry David is as at what he does. Only he could have stolen shoes from a Holocaust museum. Only he could have reunited the Seinfeld cast. Only he could have turned a death threat into a career opportunity. Only a man this funny could make selfishness an art form. In his final season, he was hailed as a hero, then spent the entire time showing exactly why that wasn’t true.
ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary
Brunson is sometimes forced to be the “straight man” in her own show. But while her performance as Janine has always been solid, she took it to another level in Season 3, as her character gained confidence by taking on a challenging new job with the school district. Proving she could make a difference on a bigger stage gave her the self-esteem boost she needed to return to Abbott with a newfound swagger.
SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Sean Patton, English Teacher
While creator/star Brian Jordan Alvarez and his pal Stephanie Koenig announced themselves as stars, Patton immediately stole every scene he was in as doofy but surprisingly progressive coach and P.E. teacher Markie. Hopefully this is just the start of bigger things for him.
SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Paula Pell, Girls5eva
While the entire ensemble was magnificent, I have to shine a light on Pell, who was just a tiny bit higher than her castmates this season. Gloria sets off to have a late-in-life ho phase, hoping to take advantage of the group’s tour to sleep her way through every lesbian stereotype possible, of which there are 178(!), but learns perhaps too late that anonymous fun is only fun for so long.
ENSEMBLE IN A DRAMA SERIES
Evil
This just gives me another chance to talk about how this cancellation was bullshit. Yes, Paramount gave them four episodes to wrap up some storylines, but we deserved another four seasons of this terrific trio investigating – and being affected by – their bizarre cases. This was not a case where any of them did anything new or special, though Christine Lahti certainly had more to do, but simply them being reliable week in and week out.
ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Clive Owen, Monsieur Spade
This Sam Spade – just as stubborn, just as terse, but now 20 years older – fit Owen like a glove. No matter how many futuristic thrillers he pops up in, Owen’s features and voice are built for playing a gruff private detective.
ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Jodie Foster, True Detective: Night Country
Sometimes, the MVP of a show reveals himself or herself over the course of a series. And sometimes it’s obvious from the jump. While Kali Reis was a formidable sparring partner, Foster was brilliant in every single frame, even if her character was not.
SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Jeffrey Wright, The Agency
While I had not seen enough of the season to determine if this would make my top 10, I had seen enough to know that Wright was unsurprisingly terrific in it. As the second-in-command at London Station, he always looks one piece of bad news away from crying or going on a drinking binge. That’s to be suspected when you’ve got loose-cannon operative, a missing double agent, and you’re lying to your wife about the safety of a mission that involves .
SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Susan Heyward, The Boys
You could write an entire master’s thesis on this character, and Heyward’s brilliant performance. As (Sister) Sage, Heyward perfectly plays the role of a super-intelligent Black woman, one who’s so smart she could easily defeat Homelander and any of his violent plans. But like too many people on this show (and in real life), she hitches her wagon to a fascist who promises power, realizing only too late that he’s never going to share it. To deal with the pain and shame, she regularly lobotomizes herself, desperate to enjoy simple pleasures like DoorDash, dating shows, and sex with the Deep. If only the terrific writing for her character could have extended to the rest of this season.