ENSEMBLE IN A COMEDY SERIES
English Teacher
This was already a tight ensemble, but promoting Carmen Christopher to series regular took their rhythm to another level. At any moment, one of them could say the most absurd, outlandish thing you’ve ever heard. At the next, they’re giving genuine advice and occasionally showing real affection for their co-workers. Gonna miss these crazy kids.
ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Nathan Fielder, The Rehearsal
As brilliant as the show is, it doesn’t work if Fielder isn’t equally committed as a performer. While “Pilot’s Code” features an insane recreation of Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger’s life from birth to heroic landing, it’s Fielder’s “regular” persona that keeps the show compelling every episode. He walks an extremely fine line between playing a role and just being himself, and it’s often hard to tell which is which.
ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Rose Byrne, Platonic
Byrne is finally an Oscar nominee, and she’s almost as good week-to-week on AppleTV’s unheralded Platonic. She plays another put-upon mom dealing with life mostly on her own – though here her husband is home a lot more, which is not exactly helpful – but her indefatigability and “up for anything” nature make her one of the more compelling characters on television.
SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Walton Goggins, The Righteous Gemstones
I could wax rhapsodic about Walton Goggins’s incredible performance and how it’s evolved over four seasons. Or I could just point you to this highlight reel.
SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Lisa Ann Walter, Abbott Elementary
If the Emmys won’t celebrate her, I will. She’s the only woman in the main cast not to be nominated, even after four and a half seasons. But as the school’s biggest chaos agent (a title once held by Ava), she can always make me laugh with a casual reference to “knowing a guy” or a family member in prison. Go Birds!
ENSEMBLE IN A DRAMA SERIES
The Pitt
When the show began, it was just Noah Wyle and a dozen actors I’d never seen before. It didn’t even take half a season for me to feel connected to each of them, admiring the way they work together and understanding what causes them to hesitate or leap into action. By the end, they’d all brought complex emotions out of me.
ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Ethan Hawke, The Lowdown
The power of Ethan Hawke: Lee is charming, clever, caring… but also kind of an asshole. His determination and ability to take a beating make you root for him. His selfishness and negligence make you hate him. But his desire for justice and love of his friends (which include his ex-wife) make you love him.
ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Bella Ramsey, The Last of Us
I try not to repeat selections for these awards, but Ramsey once again blew me away. Yes, Ellie can still be an impulsive, stupid kid (or young woman, as this takes place a few years after the first season). But Ramsey’s performance is so blisteringly effective that the rage and pain is thoroughly felt.
SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Tom Pelphrey, Task
Robbie may be a thief and inadvertent kidnapper with a revenge mission and a death wish. But he’s also a deeply wounded soul who’s still a protector of the weak. Pelphrey brings an incredible sense of humanity to a world populated with hardened criminals, with one of the most astonishing arcs on TV this year. (Equaled only by his co-star Mark Ruffalo.)
SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Genevieve O’Reilly, Andor
She may be fictional, but Mon Mothma gives me a reason to hope. Living in obscene wealth, her conscience gets pricked ever so slightly by the rebellion. She starts by quietly funneling money to their cause, eventually risking her life to deliver a powerful, relevant speech on the Senate floor. Few actors ever get the chance to have such a highlight, let alone two in the same show.