Welcome back to round two of the 2nd Annual Marco Awards. If you read last week’s blog, you’ve seen the big winners in the Movies category. (If not, go check them out here.) Sincere thanks to those of you who already let me know my recommendations have intrigued you enough to watch and enjoy some of films we discussed. Today, more of the same as we move on to the honors for covid era Television (and it was a lot!), sadly on the one year anniversary of the day New York became the first state to close down, followed by the rest of the country a year ago tomorrow
Covid made the 2nd awards a little odd because most shows either had a season under wraps to be released last year and are in production this year, or sat lockdown out and produced a season as soon as Hollywood opened back up for release this season. Thus, there are only 2 shows, BBC Russian pseudo-historical comedy The Great and Netflix’s hillbilly mob drama Ozark, which dropped a new season the week of deadline, which were eligible for nomination in both seasons. This should get more regular as we get into next season.
The rules for TV are a little more complicated because, unlike movies, it’s not a one-time event, but an recurring series over a time period. I am still the nominating committee and voting body, and have declared that a TV series will be eligible if it aired a new season on in-home streaming between February 1st, 2021 and January 31st 2022, and I watched it. There is a twist here. If I have previously watched the series up til this season, only the current season and cast members are eligible for nomination. However if I have never watched it, all previous seasons and cast members are eligible as my first viewing. Also, like in the Movies category, but with a slight modification, anyone who won an Emmy for a role in 2021 is ineligible, just to keep things from being repetitive, but anyone who has won for a current role from 2020 prior is included. “Best Guest Actor/Actress” will be defined as an actor who is featured from a single episode but no more than one entire season in a role outside the regular core cast, usually a character who drives a new plot for a season. I have also for this category taken a cue from the Emmys and increased the number of nominees in each category from 6 to the maximum of 7, since there are so many more platforms to draw TV from, and I have seen them all. Again, I’m just making this up as I go, like the 31st is a purely arbitrary date set by the nominating committee (me) giving the voting body (me) enough time to catch up and tabulate the results for release sometime around the anniversary of Covid shutdowns (now).
So, with that, Welcome to the 2nd Annual Marco Awards for Excellence in Television that appeared all day every day in your living room. I’d like to think that these awards are a replacement for the absolute garbage ceremony the Emmys threw together, or at the least funnier (which is a low bar because that was literally the worst awards show ever). Again, I’m your host, Mark Briner, and may the best shows win. And strap yourself in, this is the one with all the categories. The nominees are:
The 2nd Annual MARCO AWARDS 2020: TELEVISION
BEST DRAMA
American Crime Story: Impeachment—Ryan Murphy’s latest entry in his gold-standard series, following superlative Emmy winners The Trial of OJ Simpson and The Assassination of Versace, his dissection of the Clinton impeachment scandal from Paula Jones’ accusations to the final results, smartly told from the viewpoint of ultimate Washington wannabe Linda Tripp, is great satire of what a shitshow the dissolution of our sad, media-driven government has become.
Dexter: New Blood—It took eight years for Showtime to reverse the lame finale they tacked onto their biggest hit ever, but the time and the cop-out decision to leave Dexter alive “just in case” paid off in a jackpot. A total 180⁰ from the feel of the original, this one trades the heat and bright lights of Miami for the cold and blue-grays of upstate New York, the big bureaucracy of Miami Metro for the 3 person police of Iron Lake, the flash of the salsa clubs for the intimacy of one bar, kill of the week for a guy who hasn’t killed since he’s been there. But the bonus is the answer to the biggest question of the original. Reuniting Dexter with his now grown son who, like Dexter, saw his mother get murdered sitting in a pool of blood at the age of 2, plays out poetically to give the show the closure its original run didn’t.
Dopesick—An all-star cast led by Michael Keaton drives this intense exposé of the origin of today’s opiate crisis, when the big pharmaceutical companies targeted small time Appalachian doctors in the 90s with a new miracle “non-addictive” pain reliever, Oxyconton. The devastating results are still playing out today, especially in the hotbed home of West Virginia, Virginia, and Maryland.
Ozark—The mob driven drama moves organized crime out of the gritty cities and exotic locales and into the backwoods of Appalachian America, where they now compete with the local hillbilly mafia and both battle the DEA as the Byrd family tries to complete their contract to money launder and go back home legit. The first half of the final season picks up right where the insanity of the last leaves off and the stakes get higher than ever.
Mare From Easttown—Eligible on a technicality, because Emmy placed this top quality series in a “limited mini-series/TV movie” category, which it swept, I have no such category, a season of a good drama is a season regardless of how many there are. Kate Winslet as a small town Pennsylvania cop trying to balance a disturbing murder case and her out-of-control personal life is competitive in any category.
Perry Mason—Matthew Rhys (The Americans) stars as the iconic Earl Stanley Gardner lawyer in this reboot prequel to the classic TV series. A pre-law school, down-and-out private investigator in 1930s LA, Mason attempts to solve a disturbing child murder case amidst a cast of shady noir characters including dirty cops, mob bosses, and a charismatic lady evangelist.
You—Best known as the show that filled the sociopathic serial killer void left by Dexter, Penn Badgely is equally as mesmerizing with just as darkly funny an inner monologue, and this season doubles the fun as we continue to explore that his wife Love has killer tendencies possibly even more depraved than his.
WINNER: Dopesick. From what sounds like a description of a boring pharmaceutical CE class, compelling writing and a great cast flesh out this fascinating dramatization of how a lethal combination of corrupt drug corporations, greedy immoral field reps, misled doctors, and horribly addicted patients led us to the major opiate crisis we face today. The lesson: never trust the lies of big pharma.
BEST COMEDY
The Great—A bawdy re-imagining of the rise of Catherine the Great, stars Nicholas Hoult and Elle Fanning and company are more than game for the ribald humor and historical shenanigans as we follow her from German nobility to consort to reigning queen of Russia, and her ever evolving relationship with temperamental husband Peter (son of the Great).
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia—It is mind numbing that the longest-running TV comedy in history (which I describe as Seinfeld on crack), now starting its unheard of 15th season with the entire cast intact, has never received one Emmy nomination for Best Comedy, writing, or any of the side-splitting performances, just three nominations for stunt work. The ensemble is tight and concise in their comic delivery and have a once in a Neillson-generation chemistry. Is it the dark humor or free-wheeling use of adlibs that penalize it? Doesn’t matter. This series holds a dark mirror up to reflect what we experience as a society with insanely scathing results. And while most lingering series go stale, this season gets off to a brilliant start, finding hilarity in such unlikely subjects as PPP Loans, the 2020 Election, super woke America, and Covid.
Mythic Quest—The creators of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Community join forces to bring us a series that is the love child of the duo’s senses of humor. Featuring many alumni of both, it takes a minute to reconcile new characters with the best former characters the actors have ever played, but adapt quickly for the fast-paced character-driven humor and office politics at a reigning popular Warcraft inspired video game design company. Payoff every season is the lone backstory episode with complete separate casts that gives us unique insights to the contemporary story.
Nora From Queens—Awkwafina’s quirky sense of humor sets the tone for this hilarious tale of a 30-something Asian slacker living back home with her widowed dad and hip grandmother. Creative kudos for not being a reboot of All American Girl and the typical generational clash between traditional old world culture and new generational desire to be a typical American millennial. Grandma and Dad are more new age than daughter, who is content to smoke weed, play video games, and live under the safety blanket of her hoarder-like room. Bonus points for the inspired lift-out episode where Grandma relates the story of how she came to America from Mao-ist China, told in the format of one of her Korean soap operas featuring a cast of characters aptly named “Young Grandma”, love interests “Garbage Boy” and “Hot Doc”, and still best friend Shu Shu.
The Righteous Gemstones—Danny McBride strikes pledge week gold with this high octane comedy centered around a televangelist family and all the external and internal sabotages they encounter in daily business to stay at the top. A flawless cast headed by John Goodman as the Oral Roberts-like patriarch, and McBride, Adam Devine, and Edi Patterson as his insanely self-centered, worthless offspring inject a unique comic energy to the piece which plays like a cross of the PTL Club if it were inhabited by Mama’s Family.
Sex Education—This British import about an awkward high school student embarrassed by his mother who is a free-spirited sex therapist, it turns out that even though he’s never had sex, just absorbing what he has learned living with his mother makes him the teen who has all the answers for all his clueless classmates’ sexual and relationship problems. Teaming up with a streetwise classmate, the two turn his inadvertent expertise into a successful underground campus sex therapy business while negotiating their own possible chemistry.
WandaVision—The best feature of this Marvel Universe inspired Disney comedy is the brilliant concept, explained in a later episode, that every episode plays out as a stereotypical sitcom of every decade from the 60s to the present. Brilliant writing gives us such gems as a 60s Vision, who can pass through physical matter, walking through the Dick Van Dyke Show’s ottoman instead of stumbling over it in its opening credits, a 90s salute to Full House (the show that made co-star Elizabeth Olson’s older sisters a marketing empire), a 2000’s Malcolm in the Middle tribute which turns the narration over to their very charming children, and an Office/Modern Family 2010’s feel of confessional videos that give rise to explaining the entire concept. Although the show stumbles when it all becomes Marvelly again, this genius crash course through the best of iconic American television and the super-game cast that adapts each episode to the new tone of another era elevate the series to something special.
Ineligible: Emmy winner and fan-favorite feel-good Ted Lasso.
WINNER: The Righteous Gemstones. I have to admit, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia was the front runner until this HBO equivalent arrived just under the wire with a strong sophomore season. Great writing and top-notch comic performances make these Gemstones the most precious. For the last 25 years, HBO has created a legacy of cruising on one key series for its popularity, from the initial brutal prison drama Oz to the high quality dysfunction of Six Feet Under to the darkly comic Southern Goth True Blood, which flipped contemporary and historical vampire lore on its head, to their crowning phenomenon Game of Thrones. But since that mega-series retired pre-Covid, the network has been struggling for a replacement to pin their success on. This underrated Gem right under their noses should inherit that role. Highlight of every episode: the family dinner scene with bring three dysfunctional generations together for hilarious Southern Goth insanity.
BEST ACTOR in a DRAMA
Penn Badgley (You)—With Dexter gone for the last 8 years, Badgley has filled the void left by Michael C. Hall as the best serial killer with an emotionless, soulless inner dialogue perfectly. Dark humor is an art, and just like Hall, the engaging Badgley is a master of it.
Jason Bateman (Ozark)—Bateman has made a career of playing the straight man at the middle of comic insanity (Arrested Development, Horrible Bosses). Here he flips that formula playing the straight man at the middle of intense, organized crime insanity—in the middle of mountain country, America, hillbilly crime ring insanity, and, this season, family insanity as he attempts to balance an enraged wife and a defiant son. Intensity suits him well.
Lee Jung-jae (Squid Game)—The series was over-the-top and gory to the point of being unnerving, but Lee’s genuine performance as a contestant in a literal game of human Survivor was riveting and grounded, which made the most talked about series on Netflix 2021 worth viewing
Steve Carrell (The Morning Show)—When the affable, amiable comedy star can make you loathe him, he’s doing something right. And here, as the Matt Lauer stand-in whose sexual predator accusations have destroyed his career as a successful half a morning show team, he makes your skin crawl, in all the right ways.
Michael C. Hall (Dexter: New Blood)—In the most exciting reboot of the decade, Hall returns for closure as the iconic serial killer with a perfect emotionless soulless inner dialogue to give replacement nominee Badgley a run for the award. Picking up flawlessly where he left off 8 years ago but in a completely different millieu, Hall’s brilliant portrayal of TV’s best psychopath ever hasn’t missed a beat, even when confronted with some of his most challenging situations as a serial killer and, even moreso, as a parent.
Michael Keaton (Dopesick)—Veteran actor Keaton excels in his role as a trusting doctor who prescribes demon drug Oxyconton, then after a car accident becomes the patient, the addict, and eventually the crusader to battle the evils of Big Pharm, who have too much money in the right places to fail (that means all your favorite politicians’ pockets).
Matthew Rhys (Perry Mason)—Rhys gives us a glimpse into a very different world of Earl Stanley Gardner’s lawyer, 2 decades earlier when he’s a hard-drinking, down-on-his-luck PI trying to get his career and his personal life on track. Dealing with all the trappings of the 30s noir era from murder, femme fatales, dirty cops, and other stock shady characters, Rhys gives a fascinating performance in the backstory we never knew we needed.
WINNER: Michael C. Hall. It is criminal that Hall has never won an Emmy in the role of his life as everyone’s favorite vigilante serial killer. Hall removes all emotion in his inner monologues as a sociopath desperately trying to put on an act that he fits in, he is a master of dry, dark humor with his soulless delivery. With many mimics in his wake, including the best of them, fellow-nominee Badgley, I will correct Emmy’s egregious oversight and give the OG his due in the most anticipated return of the season.
BEST ACTRESS in a DRAMA
Jennifer Aniston (The Morning Show)—Prime time’s former ultimate ingénue is apparently not a morning person, Here she plays a conceited, self-preserving diva co-host of a successful morning show reminiscent of Katie Couric and Today, who was unknowingly on the way to being fired for aging out when the program goes into a tail spin as her Matt Lauer-esque co-host is charged with serious charges of sexual misconduct. Feeling betrayed by her former co-host and threatened by her younger current co-host, Aniston gives a strong, vicious performance and begins calling all the shots as a celebrity deer in the headlights, doing what’s necessary to survive.
Rosario Dawson (Dopesick)—Dawson is the conscience of this disturbing tale as a DEA agent on hot pursuit of the corrupt pharmaceutical titans who have launched a dubious campaign to saturate the country with “non-addictive” Oxycontin. Having proof and this is not the case, she risks her job and her safety as she takes on the powerful industry with unlimited bidgets and the corrupt FDA who for, apparently on their payroll, continue to protect their interests. True story.
Laura Linney (Ozark)—Linney continues the trope of hardened blonde wives who disdain their antihero husbands’ misguided actions, but eventually go all Lady Macbeth on the poor guys. This season, Lady MacBeth, after the final fatal events of last season, is in charge and she is most certainly not sleepwalking through her performance.
Sarah Paulson (American Crime Story: Impeachment)—Paulson is an accomplished actor who runs hot or cold in Ryan Murphy’s series depending on the role he carves out for her, which can range from her Emmy winning turn as Marcia Clark in the Trial of OJ Simpson season of this series to scraming liberal shrew in the lamest entry of any, American Horror Story: Cult. Paulson unexpectedly scores huge as ultimate DC insider wannabe who has in frustration and anger watched all the attractive women get all the prime assignments as she gets pushed further down the chain. When her young new confidante Monica Lewinski ends up getting the ultimate insider approval, we watch Paulson go from slow burn to berserk. Best scene: the look on her face as she and her children are watching the famous Saturday Night Live episode where she is portrayed by John Goodman.
Julia Jones (Dexter: New Blood)—Jones has the unenviable job of competing with all the ghosts of the original Dexter, filling the roles of both police chief Maria LaGuerta and love interest Rita Bennett. Jones jumps in snow boots deep as the major player in the reboot with all the confidence and chemistry of having been there from the start.
Margaret Qualley (Maid)—Qualley, who made an impressive debut as the legendary Anne Reinking in 2019’s fantastic Fosse/Verdon, takes on the true story of a single mother whose dreams of studying art in college are sidelined when she becomes pregnant by her abusive alcoholic boyfriend. With no stable family to go to, Qualley shows the pain and frustration of dealing with the government agencies for benefits, housing, and job placement, so she moonlights as a maid while she and her daughter fall in and out of the cycle of dealing with her bipolar mother and her struggling but failing boyfriend.
Kate Winslet (Mare from Easttown)—Winslet never ceases to amaze, and this performance as a middle-aged divorcee police agent struggling to solve a local teen’s murder while dealing with her damaged history, her hard drinking mother, a new hot shot partner from Philadelphia FBI sent to work with her, and some questionable professional decisions than may derail her case and her career.
WINNER: Margaret Qualley. Taking nothing from the accomplished vets in this field, perhaps the strongest of the categories, newcomer Qualley give us a tragic look inside a world that perpetually fails abused women and children that is both strong and heartbreaking.
BEST ACTOR in a COMEDY
Asa Butterfield (Sex Education)—Butterfield is both charming and endearing as a high school loner who becomes a sensation when he finds he’s absorbed much casual knowledge from his embarrassing sex therapist mother that he’s become a sexual and relationship specialist despite having never experienced either. He gives a performance that excels both as awkward and smart as he struggles to experience first hand the things he knows intuitively.
Charlie Day (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia)—In another Emmy crime, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is the longest running sitcom in TV history, just finishing season 15 with a commitment for at least 3 more, and neither the show nor it’s whirlwind cast has ever had a single nomination. Day in particular is a manic force of nature whose character stands out of “the gang” who hold each other simultaneously up and back. Excelling in a clever season that mocks our covid and political society for half and takes us abroad to Ireland for the remainder, Day is both endearing and insane in his quest to find his roots as we meet Charlie’s father and deal with covid and Irish culture abroad. Again, where is the love this series and it’s band of lunatic stars deserve?
John Goodman (The Righteous Gemstones)—In addition to resurrecting his day job as patriarch of The Connors, Goodman takes his ample personality into the cable game in this raucous tale of a televangelist family plagued by external (blackmail, murder) and internal (the biggest shit show of relations since Mama’s Family, including his delusional brother-in-law and three useless children who all want to inherit the ministry now). Goodman balances the heavy who has to keep all this in check with the tender as he still mourns the loss of his wife and partner who was the true heart of the ministry and the absolute glue of the family.
Nicholas Hoult (The Great)—Hoult continues to parlay his youthful success into adult stardom, following his acclaimed turn as a pompous court dandy in The Favorite here as pompous ruling dandy, Emperor Peter, the decadent son of Peter the Great, who falls far short of Daddy’s moniker. How Hoult can deliver the egomaniacal, bawdy humor of the piece and maintain a straight face is an achievement in itself.
Danny McBride (The Righteous Gemstones)—As eldest son Jesse, McBride tries to wrestle the franchise form his father while dealing with his own worthless children, one of whom may be blackmailing him.
Rob McElhenney (Mythic Quest)—Competing with himself as his iconic character Mac in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, McElhenney gets the nod here for a variation of the same character (the muscle bound, body conscious, out-of-the-box free thinker), by grounding him in a more realistic world and allowing a deeper, more 3-dimensional performance.
Drew Tarver (The Other Two)—This hilarious sleeper hit about two twenty something siblings struggling to make it in the entertainment industry while their 13-year-old brother becomes an overnight YouTube sensation sets the scene for highly improbably comedy and digs at everything from networking foolishness to audition madness to the ever-present self-promoting Instagays. Tarver the struggling actor takes the brunt of all the self-deprecating humor like a champ.
Ineligible: Jason Sudeikis for his win as the mild-mannered, good-natured titular charcter of Ted Lasso.
WINNER: Danny McBride. McBride goes all-out as the belligerent, entitled eldest son of the evangelist empire finagling his foot in the door to take over as what he sees to be the eventual heir. It’s harder to say if he’s funnier sparring with his insane siblings, trying to control his ineffectual inner circle, or failing miserably parenting his own horrible ungrateful adolescent children. Either way, McBride has assembled the best comic cast possible to make all the Gemstones shine.
BEST ACTRESS in a COMEDY
Awkwafina (Nora From Queens)—The Chinese rapper/comedienne stars as a 30-something slacker still living with her widowed dad and her grandmother is the set up for big laughs as she attempts any effort to get ahead with minimal commitment, especially when compared to her rival cousin, a successful Stanford grad with a promising international career in software.
Elle Fanning (The Great)—The former child star is all grown-up as the star of this big budget retelling of the rise of Catherine the Great. Fanning is central to the raucous comedy and hijinx in court as she attempts a coup to take Russia form her ineffectual peacock of a husband, Emperor Peter, son of the Great. Their marital sparring is the highlight of the show.
Emma Mackey (Sex Education)—As the bad girl from the wrong side of the tracks, Mackey teams up with a relationship prodigy whose mother is a sex therapist. She provides the business and street savvy, he the product and counseling and they run and underground campus sex clinic for fellow students who have no idea what they’re doing.
Elizabeth Olsen (Wandavision)—Disney’s Marvel hero Wanda, a/k/a the Scarlet Witch, takes on a much more benign persona here as she and ethereal husband Vision take on a series of sitcoms by the decades as the series unfolds in the form of a salute to a classic TV show of every decade from the 60s to present day. Changing physical and situational styles each episode, Olson shows her range and flexibility in a variety of comic styles. It’s hard to believe she’s sister of former phenomena Mary Kate and Ashley. She’s the sister who can act.
Kaitlin Olson (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia)—As the only woman in the testosterone driven world of Paddy’s Pub, Olson gives it even better than she takes it. Any sexist who ever said that women can’t do comedy like men, or pretty women aren’t funny needs to buckle their seatbelts for a bumpy night of Olson trading insult comedy with four seasoned pros, including legend Danny DeVito, to see the error in their thinking.
Hannah Waddingham (Ted Lasso)—As the former wife of an English soccer team intent on plumaging her ex-husband’s one beloved asset into the grond, Waddingham’s cold Brittish ice maven hires a successful midlevel college American football coach to head her team. What she never sees coming is the positive, lead with love ways of Ted Lasso changes not only her team but everyone he meets including her for the better.
Jean Yoon (Kim’s Convenience)—As a Korean mother whose family owns a Canadian corner convenience store, Yoon is the perfect old world mother concerned about her independent daughter and her estranged son, all the while finding the charm in her somewhat smothering ways. She tries to please everyone, which works best on the audience
Ineligible: Emmy Winner Jean Smart in the role of her career as an old-school stand-up comic pro based on Joan Rivers trying to adapt her creaky Catskills act for a more contemporary audience in Hacks would have been the runaway winner here too. On a technicality. Hannah Waddingham is eligible as Best Actress here because she won her Emmy for Ted Lasso in the supporting actress category.
WINNER: Hannah Waddingham. I’m a sucker for cold British humor, and Waddingham can drop a frigid one liner with all the grace and wit of a young Maggie Smith, And bonus points, for those who didn’t know Waddingham has Olivier Award nominated West End Musical credits, for belting out a superb version of “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” on the gently sweet Christmas episode.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR in a DRAMA
Jack Alcott (Dexter: New Blood)—Alcott has the hardest job of the season, stepping into the flesh of the Son of Dexter and he realizes every potential we wondered about for the past 8 years since we saw him walk off into the sunset with dad’s serial killer girlfriend. Alcott, in his TV debut, gets the dark humor and hands us a perfect blend of teen angst with murderous tendencies. He’s a reflection of Dexter the Next Generation, but a little amok without the guidance of an understanding father like Dexter had.
Billy Crudup (The Morning Show)—Crudup is a standout in a strong cast as the network executive who uses his preternatural boyish charm and a fiendish sense of humor to dictate who’s heads roll and who rises to the top while maintaining his own job security. Even saddled with a forced side story in season 2 about unrequited feelings of love for rising star Reese Witherspoon, who inconveniently now may be a lesbian, Crudup sells the soap with the charm of the high school quarterback who is student council president.
John Lithgow (Perry Mason)—Lithgow brings his usual elite talent as early Mason’s mentor and previous employer of Mason’s eventual girl Friday Della Street. As usual, Lithgow elevates all his scene partners to his level. He’s a strong presence as the precursor of the lawyer we know Mason to become.
Clive Owen (American Crime Story: Impeachment)—Owen gives a no-compromise performance as Bill Clinton at the center of Linda Tripp’s sordid tale. No elite party favoritism (probably helps that Owen is British and has objective distance), his Clinton gets no slack. He portrays the grooming, the manipulation, every inexcusable trick of a predator as he lures in infatuated intern Monica Lewinski.
Evan Peters (Mare from Easttown)—Eligible despite having won the limited series Emmy on the same category contingency as the show and Winslet, Peters steps outside his safe American Horror Story bubble where Ryan Murphy gives him free rein as psycho teens and insane charater roles, Peters excels in his best performance since his breakthrough AHS season 1 debut. As a Philadelphia cop brought in to assist the struggling title character, Peters dabbles in both the dark business and chaotic personal lives of the struggling Winslet.
Nick Robinson (Maid)—The former teen heartthrob has sworn off any more high school roles and his selection for his breakout debut is impressive. A barely recovering alcoholic, mentally and physically abusive, white trash baby daddy to the title character whose frequent falls from the wagon are assisted by both his and his ex’s mothers. Robinson proves he’s more than just a teen sensation as he joins the big leagues of Hollywood’s A-list actors.
Hamish Linklater (Midnight Mass)—When the elderly priest of a small town New England parish goes for a sabbatical in the Holy Land, Linklater returns in his place as a renegade priest with a mysterious agenda. This modern gothic horror tale of vampiric angels, the fountain of youth, and faith give him all he needs to deliver a compelling and charismatic performance.
WINNER: Clive Owen. Owen gives an honest and unflinching performance as a serial sexual abuser who just happens to also be the President of the US. The ultimate Washington insider who feels he’s above the law, Owen is a strong and subtle actor who proves sometimes less is more. Best moment: the change of look on his face when advisors inform him Monica Lewinski has been added to the list of witnesses for the Paula Jones trial.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS in a DRAMA
Annaleigh Ashford (American Crime Story: Impeachment)—Tony winner Ashford, who is an accomplished enough comedienne on her own, steals the show when given the plum role of Arkansas bumpkin Paula Jones and the accompanying huge prosthetic nose that goes with it. But Ashford also elicits pity with the comedy as a small town girl who is only trying to do the right thing, but becomes a pawn for every DC shark that can use her to their worst intent. From Bill Clinton to Kenneth Starr to her own husband with delusions of Hollywood grandeur, we watch Ashford’s Jones slowly gain her own strength and voice as she constantly fights for herself against every man in power.
Julia Garner (Ozark)—The 2019 and 2020 Emmy winner continues to shine as the small time hillbilly criminal you’d rather have working for you than against you. This season Garner’s Ruthie Langmore ventures out on her own to establish her own money laundering business, after learning from the best, and continues to be a thorn in the sides of both the rival white trash mafia and former allies the Byrde family.
Andie MacDowell (Maid)—Former Ivory girl Andie MacDowell, since her debut in 80s St. Elmo’s Fire, has never impressed me as anything but a pretty face with nothing behind it, the acting equivalent of Ivory Soap. Apparently MacDowell has been saving it all up for one really good role, because here, as real life daughter Qualley’s free-spirited, bipolar, unstable mother, she pulls out all the stops and gives the performance of her life. McDowell is downright frightening when the medication wears off in the hospital ward.
Krysta Rodriguez (Halston)—Broadway vet Rodriguez calls upon her multitude of song and dance talents in a dead-on portrayal as Halston hanger-on Liza Minelli. From recreating her signature song ”Liza With a Z” to the infamous OD at Studio 54, Rodroguez is a reminder of the force of nature Minelli was in her prime.
Juliette Rylance (Perry Mason)—As Della Street, we also get her back story before she became Mason’s stock girl Friday: she works for Mason’s mentor and he inherits her loyalty upon his passing. This new age Della is a lesbian, which contrasts Gardner’s version who, typical of the day and the genre, was not only his right hand girl but his occasional good time girl, and Rylance has all the noir down, from the tough talk and the tough love to the wise cracks from the second fiddle.
Jean Smart (Mare from Easttown)—After years of playing amiable doctors, wives, and moms, Smart has had a big comeback year after the death of her husband. No longer good-natured backwoods Charlene Stillfield from Designing Women, Smart, last seen in a hilarious performance as a present day, hard as nails former Silk Spectre in HBO’s highly lauded Watchmen, she has secured a Best Actress in a Comedy win as an embittered stand up comedienne trying to make a contemporary comeback. As strong support in this multi-Emmy winner for HBO, she plays Kate Winslet’s hard-drinking, no-nonsense mother who, despite all she’s done for her daughter, still bears her scorn and blame for her father leaving.
Phillipa Soo (Dopesick)—The Broadway ingénue (Hamilton, Amelie) shifts gears in a power suit as a viciously successful pharmaceutical field rep who climbs over the small town doctors and her fellow co-workers to achieve her goals. When a morally decent fellow rep senses a dubious sexual chemistry with her, she flatly informs him, “I only sleep with rich, hot guys. And with your numbers, you’re neither.”
lWINNER: Julia Garner. I’ll be honest, Andie MacDowell, who I never thought anything of her acting talents before, pretty much had this sewn up until Garner’s Ozark dropped season 4 a week before the deadline. While her work is consistently stellar on the show (with back to back Emmys for seasons 1 and 2 to prove it), her performance over the last two episodes of her story arc 3 ½ seasons in the making set a new level of performance gold. But with two Emmys to her name (her 2020 win disqualified her from last years Marcos), she lost this year’s Emmy to Gillian Anderson (in her Marco winning role as Maggie Thatcher on The Crown), making her eligible for this years no-surprise win.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR in a COMEDY
F. Murray Abraham (Mythic Quest)—Abraham has a field day as an aging George R. R. Martin parody. A former superstar sci fi writer who is still working on the 3rd of his classic trilogy from the 70s, the silicon valley wunderkinds at the gaming design company hire the prolific but tech-illiterate writer to provide plot lines and backstory to their megahit game. Always an asset, Abraham excels in the Covid meeting episode, where he spends the entire 30 minutes trying to figure out Zoom.
Adam Devine (The Righteous Gemstones)—Having made a career playing the self-centered simpleton, Devine has the greatest ensemble to bounce his foolishness off. As the baby of the family, whether at war with Daddy John Goodman or attempting to claw his way over his equally insane siblings, Devine is guaranteed great comedy.
Danny DeVito (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia)—What needs to be said? DeVito is a national treasure and has been brazenly neglected recognition for this landmark series that reinvented his career almost 2 decades ago. The 78-year-old still does all the physical comedy shenanigans his costars who are half his age do and matches (half)wits with the ferocious costars mastering any kind of humor. And who else can make an entrance with the line “Your whore mother died” and bring the house down?
Gwilym Lee (The Great)—Lee brightens the story as Emperor Peter’s childhood best friend and court confidante who share everything, including Lee’s wife. Lee is a perfect fit for the masterful rapid fire comic dialogue and can even deliver it with a straight face opposite the outrageous Nicholas Hoult.
Simu Liu (Kim’s Convenience)—Liu has had a big year starting off with this role in the cozy Canadian import as a prodigal son who left home as a teen after constant battles with his father over his juvenile delinquencies and ending with the lead in one of the biggest and only bona fide theatrical hits, Disney’s Shang Chi & the Ten Rings. Whether supporting actor or leading man, Liu is destined for bigger stardom and opening doors for Asian actors.
Danny Pudi (Mythic Quest)—The Community alum costars here as the marketing director and thus, like co-star McElhenney, another role similar to his career making on-the-spectrum Ahbed on the former show, but grounded more in reality which challenges him to make his quirky, affectless persona work. He succeeds.
B.D. Wong (Nora from Queens)—Veteran actor Wong (Oz, SVU) lends his talents as Awkwafina’s widowed dad trying to get back out on the dating scene. Wong himself has noted what an important role this is for him at the age of 60. In his long career, as an Asian actor, this is the first role that ever has placed his character in a romantic relationship; he’s usually the smart guy, the tech guy, the scientist, the doctor, the mathematician, the priest, but never the love interest. Let’s say the wait was worth it.
Ineligible: Emmy winner Brett Goldstein as the foul-mouthed, hothead team captain turned coach on Ted Lasso
WINNER: Danny DeVito. I could have made a case for any of these fine actors in great roles, until DeVito entered the race in December. How can you not recognize an actor at the top of his comic game in the second role of a lifetime in the second half of his career where he’s keeping up physically and mentally with fast-witted actors half his age? We’re back to “Danny DeVito is a national treasure” and shame on you, Emmys, for ignoring it for the past 40 years.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS in a COMEDY
Gillian Anderson (Sex Education)—Anderson deftly steals the show from the youngsters as the sex therapist mother of the show’s awkward hero, who is thoroughly embarrassed by her constant free-spirited, sex-positive philosophies. If that wasn’t enough, she’s also dating his girlfriend’s father and carrying his baby during her son’s junior year.
Lori Tan Chinn (Nora from Queens)—Chinn is a blast as Nora’s old-world Grandma with more of a new-world life than her granddaughter. She’s warm when Nora’s a mess, firm when she needs her butt kicked, and always funny, especially when leading the band of her Chinese old lady friends.
Phoebe Fox (The Great)—Fox gets great mileage out of a character who was once a noblewoman, punished for indiscretions as a castle slave, and promoted back to noblewoman when friend Catherine takes over in coup. She’s excellent with the fast paced, dry comedy of the writing.
Kathryn Hahn (WandaVision)—The versatile Hahn shows just how versatile she is in a role that asks her to play the stock nosy neighbor role in every style of sitcom from the 60s to present day, then turn the whole show upside down with an unseen 11:00 twist. Hahn is in charge as a comic trope sidekick and as a leading player when called upon.
Anna Ortiz (Love, Simon)—Ortiz is a standout in this Hulu sleeper hit, a sequel to the teen cult movie Love, Simon. Ortiz (Ugly Betty, Desperate Maids) is given a sensitive plotline this season, wherein she has to find the balance between her love for her son who has recently come out and the teachings of her Latina Catholic Church, and she gracefully maneuvers through some tough moments to the right decisions.
Edi Patterson (The Righteous Gemstones)—Patterson almost steals the show from stellar siblings McBride and DeVine as the daughter of a preacherman who, middle child that she is, only wants to be recognized and receiving of Daddy’s love. Taking a cue straight from Carol Burnett’s “Eunice”, Patterson volleys from whiny to cloying to enraged at warp speed, with results almost equaling the master.
Juno Temple (Ted Lasso)—Temple fills all the stock female supporting roles in this show—supportive girlfriend to the hothead team captain, supportive best friend to the woman in charge with no real peers, strong woman with ideas who wants to blaze her own way in the business world while few listen—and jumps back and forth effortlessly while still dabbling in her initial career as a supermodel.
WINNER: Edi Patterson. I will admit, Kathryn Hahn has pretty much had a lock on this award all season till the comic mess Patterson dropped right under the wire. But Patterson’s comic mess delivers a manic performance of biblical proportions and steals the show right out from under her anointed male costars.
BEST DOCUMENTARY MINISERIES
Allen vs Farrow—Yet another revolting miniseries about how celebrities are above the law. Farrow’s daughter Dylan had made accusations about Allen sexually abusing her since the age of 7. But despite evidence and testimony of specialists, the mayor of New York actually instructed the police that Allen’s movies bring far too much revenue into the city and to bury the case. People ask why I refuse to ever watch another Allen movie. I used to think that the reason he started having sex with his adopted daughter was enough. But when the government is aiding and abetting his sexual abuse, don’t ever expect to see an Allen movie ever up for a Marco.
The Hotel Cecil—A look at the legendary LA skid row hotel focusing on a classic case where a guest mysteriously disappeared, last seen on the security camera in the elevator, only to be found weeks later in the water tower on the roof, locked from the outside. The mysterious plot has served as fodder for at least half a dozen well known TV series. But the set up and exploration is more fascinating than the alleged solution, which is a cop out so full of holes that it’s a let down after 4 hours of viewing and speculating, leaving the viewer to think there’s still more to the story..
What Happened, Brittany Murphy?—The still shocking events of the downward spiral and eventual demise of Brittany Murphy follows her from her promising career debut in Clueless to several leading lady rom com roles. But when she marries a domineering husaband/manager, the calls stop coming, the medications start mounting, and her still suspicions death from pneumonia is an unsolved case. The drama leans a little heavily on the husband, but he died literally weeks after her from the same cause. There are far more sinister theories out there that weren’t touched upon.
Murder Among the Mormons—An engrossing and totally different true crime story about a shady figure who discovered a set of letters that are contradictory to the origin story of Joseph Smith’s discovery of the golden plates that threatened to rock the basis of the Mormon faith. Bombings and murder ensue as the truth comes to light
Q: Into the Storm—-In an attempt to understand the goings on of the January 6 descent o the Capital, we back all the way up to the internet birth of the mysterious Q and the speculations about pedophilia and sex traficking in a DC pizza parlor to the sex crimes of half of DC. From the rise of Q Anon to the events of the 2020 election, HBO attempts to shed some light on the shady proceedings.
Sons of Sam–In yet another expose of shoddy police work, an armchair detective pieces together more truths about the Son of Sam murders in New York during the summer of ’77. Highlighting the evidence that never lined up, like the artist’s renderings of the six murderers looked nothing alike, and none looked like eventual captive David Berkowitz, yet no one questioned it. Delving into the world of a Satanic cult that met underground a Queens park leads to the actual meaning of “Son of Sam” as well as the speculation that it was a more Manson Family-like organization with several murderers, Berkowitz being the one who got caught. Present day interviews with Berkowitz himself show not the insane lunatic the police and press showed us back then, but a soft-spoken, articulate, very coherent subject who confirmed that he indeed did a few of the killings, but each murder did involve a crew that included different hit men, accomplices, and lookouts.
WINNER: Sons of Sam. In truth, a documentary that exposes corruption is the best kind, and although Allen vs Farrow does a wonderful job of documenting the path of corruption following the dollar (so much so that Dylan’s original case worker quit the field because of how this case was covered up). But in Sons of Sam, the police, yet again, in a case that rocked not only a city but an entire nation, had directions that they had a suspect, look no further, make it stick, and none of the alternate theories were ever entertained. Once again, the police are always right, whether it kills us or not. A wrong conviction is better than the truth.
BEST REALITY COMPETITION SHOW
Chopped—Anybody that can open a basket of squid ink, monkey brains, pomegranate seeds, and a 5 pound gummy bear and turn it into a riveting contest to make a dinner in 90 minutes is still doing something right.
The Great British Bake Off—Honestly the unsung hero of quarantine, this gentle show with a classical score masterfully blends competition with art, respect, and impeccable manners as the single calming influence for audiences when the rest of the world, like this program’s obnoxious American cousins, was a nerve-wracking terror. Grateful for not only a new traditional season, we also received a much needed Christmas present with a complete holiday special also, And yes, it will be referred to as its proper name, not the legally mandated one in this horrible litigious country. Get over it, Dough Boy.
Making Magic Mike—HBO’s foray into the genre takes a good-natured look at 12 men whose lives could be enriched through competing for a spot in the Magic Mike Vegas Revue. What could have been a salacious beefcake fan-fest turned out to be a journey of exploring what a man is through 12 varied contestant. With a few real life episodes of ethical violations and physical injury, the competition injected enough natural drama to make it engrossing and entertaining.
Survivor—Jeff Probst returns with a heavily advertised “new era” after a disappointing all-winner season that fell flat when all the fan favorite icons, all now 20 years older. were voted out first, leaving an unimpressive second half of the season. Although, like sex, even bad Survivor is good Survivor, this season alienated fans with their random new twists and ridiculously over-the-top PC season, going so far to make an enormous deal out of the use of the word “guys” as sexist and transphobic, even after all the women, lesbians, and nonbinaries said it was no big deal.
RuPaul’s Canadian Drag Race–Drag Race season 11 runner-up Brooke Lynn Hytes hosts the newest franchise to the family that is televised in the US, and it’s every bit as funny, dramatic, and full of talent as it’s OG.
RuPaul’s Drag Race / RuPaul’s Drag Race All-Stars—Season 13 of the original and 6 of the latter provided some of the series’ strongest and most artistic contestants and styles, explaining how a centuries long underground art became mainstage television for the masses. Plus a good drag name is always a hoot.
WINNER: RuPaul’s Drag Race / RuPaul’s Drag Race All-Stars. With perennial powerhouse Survivor turning in a controversial manipulated season, the RuPaul franchises are an easy sweep for entertainment value and talent. In an Emmy technicality, even though the original Drag Race won, Both the franchise and IMDb consider Drag Race All Stars a separate entity, and season 6 was the strongest ever.
BEST REALITY COMPETITION HOST
Ted Allen (Chopped)—The original Queer Eye food guy continues to prove that cuisine can be fascinating as he lords over some of the most unlikely recipes your grandmother never passed down.
Paul Hollywood (The Great British Bake Off)—Although comparatively gentler and more refined, Hollywood is equally as demanding and intimidating as the Simon Cowell of biscuits and breads. His steely blue gaze can unnerve, but the prospect of a rare handshake makes putting one’s baking credibility on the line worth it.
Noel Fielding (The Great British Bake Off)—If Hollywood is the kinder, gentler Simon Cowell, British comedian Fielding is the loopier, quirkier British cousin of Ryan Seacrest as he encourages the contestants along with his goofy humor to effectively alleviate the tension.
Brock Hayhoe (RuPaul’s Canadian Drag Race)–Canadian born Hayhoe, in his drag persona of Brooke Lynn Hytes has learned from the best where she was the season 11 runner up in the American contest. Hytes conducts the franchise with all the grace, wit, fashion sense, and demanding that her mentor does.
Alex Rodriguez (Making Magic Mike)—Rodriguez, an alumnus of the movies’ strip line, is a convincing mentor and host, helping contestants struggle through their issues while sharing his personal battles making the movies.
Jeff Probst (Survivor)—Probst returns this season with the shakiest season of ever, uncomfortably heavy on wokeness. When Probst beat a dead horse of eliminating the ever-present word “guys” from the shows vocabulary over 3 episodes until he and the producers found someone to object, Probst lost his usually strong hand over the show which now was content to pander to woke culture, and honestly cost himself any shot at the award he used to own.
RuPaul (RuPaul (RuPaul’s Drag Race/ RuPaul’s Drag Race All-Stars)—RuPaul excels in keeping the mood of the show light but competitive, with tongue-in-cheek risqué commentary and his beefy assistants, the pit crew, keep the action fun and flowing
WINNER: RuPaul (RuPaul’s Drag Race/ RuPaul’s Drag Race All-Stars)—Usual competitor shot himself in the foot with his overwrought discussion over three episodes about the use of the word “guys” in a season that sarificed good play and excitement for being super “woke”. RuPaul, on the other hand, has somehow taken a once subversive and divisive art form and transformed it with humor and flair (and a dash of bleeped-out language) into Friday night family viewing in your living room. As a host, in drag she is a firm fist with clever puns and bon mots to officiate the contest, and out of drag, he is the most supportive and nurturing den mother to his pack of queens. While some have been more memorable than others, thanks to RuPaul’s strong guidance and vision, this franchise has arguably been the only competition show to never experience a dull season. And I would have never seen this series if it wasn’t for Hayley leading me through it. Hayley Briner, you may present the award.
BEST GUEST APPEARANCE by an ACTOR
Dylan Arnold (You)—As the angsty teen next door with a crush on his neighbor who may have just killed his stepmom, Arnold’s range is beyond his years.
Walton Goggins (The Righteous Gemstones)—As John Goodman’s brother-in-law and former child Christian performing star “Baby Billy” Freeman, Goggins is a constant thorn in Goodman’s side. Never reconciling that his sister was the real star of the family, he wrestles with her surviving husband for his righteous place in the family business. So far, Gemstone tolerates him out of the deepest respect for his dear deceased wife only.
Taran Killam (American Crime Story: Impeachment)—An absolute hoot as the red-necked husband of Paula Jones with delusions of becoming a famous actor, the more he flaunts his peacock tendencies, the funnier the scene.
Simu Liu (Nora from Queens)—Liu scored big spoofing his Asian heartthrob status in the standout episode where Grandma details her coming to America story in the style of her Korean soap operas, Liu shines as Young Grandma’s Mainland boyfriend, shirtless, sweat-drenched “Garbage Boy”. Liu holds the distinction of being the only actor nominated in three categories of the Marcos in a single season, also as best supporting actor in a comedy for Kim’s Convenience and best actor in a movie for Shang Chi & the Ten Rings.
Stephen Root (Perry Mason)—Root, usually hired for his comic gifts, gives a equally strong performance as a competitive attorney hiding mob secrets.
Harry Shum Jr. (Nora from Queens)—The Glee alum turns in a fun comic turn in the Korean soap opera episode as Young Grandma’s new American love, “Hot Doc”
Bowen Yang (Nora from Queens)—Yang provides hilarious intra-generation tension and one more source to rebel against as Nora’s stereotypically successful cousin Edmund, driven by tiger parents to excel, but he may have bitten off more than his degree from Stanford and his Silicon Valley connections can handle.
WINNER: Taran Killiam. Killiam provides much of the humor in this otherwise dark story of lies and betrayal. While America laughed at Paula Jones, we laughed at Killiam as her hillbilly husband who sees his wife’s indiscretions as a moment in the sun to advance his non-existent acting career. A series highlight is his demands to Clinton in settling his wife’s sexual harassment case: a full apology to her from Clinton, $100,000, and a guest starring spot for him on Designing Women, “Cuz they know the woman who writes it.”
BEST GUEST APPEARANCE by an ACTRESS
Gillian Anderson (The Great)—Anderson once again deliciously chews all the scenery as Catherine’s German socialite mother who comes to court to give motherly advice that undermines her daughter’s efforts to advance her own stakes, and makes a few critical indiscretions along the way.
Mary Elizabeth Ellis (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia)—After fifteen seasons of getting no respect as a the unrequited love interest of real life husband Charlie Day, not one character can bother to learn her real name, referring to her simply as “Waitress”, Ellis plays with the same dark humor as she settles the score in a two part Ireland-based episode which could be called “Revenge of Waitress”.
Shalita Grant (You)—As the queen bee of the grown up Mean Girls clique in Joe and Love’s new social set, the deeper she gets in the action, the funnier she and her beefcake swinger husband become.
Jane Krakowski (Schmigadoon)—As an indiscriminate Western European Countess who may or may not be a Nazi, Krakowski uses all her musical theatre experience to poke fun at the Rodgers & Hammerstein stock characters and situations
Judith Light (American Crime Story:Impeachment)—As a fancy New York manager who latches onto bumpkin Paula Jones to manage her case for both their advancements, Light is her typical stellar self.
Jennifer Nettles (The Righteous Gemstones)—Nettles portrays deceased matriarch Aimee-Leigh Gemstone, a former Christian musical star (with her brother “Baby Billy”), she was the rock who inspired husband Eli as a man of God and the loving mother that held her now fractious family together. As a Tammy Faye-like Christian singer, Nettles is given plenty of opportunity to draw on her musical song and dance talents that her acting talent is an unforeseen pbnus.
Mira Sorvino (American Crime Story:Impeachment)—When the men in her life let her down and feed her to the lions at the FBI, Sorvino arrives as a tigress to defend and guide daughter Monica Lewinski through the tough times ahead.
WINNER: Shalita Grant. Green starts off the season as a Regina George-like queen bee of the country club set, a wannabe YouTube influencer with a firm grip over her social circle. But when Love & Joe’s journey takes an unexpected detour, Green and her muscle bound husband (Travis van Winkle) become the unforeseen and much needed comic relief of the back end of the series.
BEST STAND-UP COMIC PERFORMANCE Filmed for TV
Bo Burnham: Inside—The always quirky piano man comic gives the most original and definitive take on the life of an entertainer during lockdown. In an unusually somber set filmed exclusively in his home with one camera by himself, he explores finding humor while in isolation, depression, and desperation that surprisingly truly defines the way we all felt during this horrible, horrible year.
Dave Chappelle: The Closer—Chappelle takes his latest and allegedly last Netflix standup special to calmly, intelligently, and responsibly refute claims from an overly aggressive trans community about his act, and turns the tables on them by revealing the entire story they chose to select anecdotes from and naming the angry mouthpieces for the group as the actual villain of the story. Just another example that the woke story isn’t always the whole story.
Hannah Gadsby: Douglas—Cryptically named after her dog, the on-the-spectrum Australian lesbian comic gives another unexpected evening of pushing the boundaries of comedy by right up front telling you an outline of everything she’s going to discuss for the evening. When one gets to the actual art lesson she promises, it’s even more monumental than she leads on as.
Kevin Hart: Zero F***s Given—Hart gives his version of comedy during the lockdown as he invites a select audience into his home for a one night only concert . Completely different than Burnham’s performance art, but equally as accurate.
Chris Rock: Total Blackout—An expansion of last season’s contender, Tambourine, Rock devotes more time to his new adventures in parenting in the age of black lives matter, and more of the tough love theories on relationships. I’ve said it before, but from his initial Bigger & Blacker special 30 years ago, Rock has the best advice on relationships you can ask for. The take away from this one is that making a relationship work is like being in a great band: you can’t always be the lead singer; sometimes you just have to play the tambourine.
Moses Storm: Trash White—Storm provides hilarious insights into the world of growing up poor. Single mother, food stamps poor. Highlights include lessons in dumpster diving (including the limits of dumpster ice cream one can eat), breaking into country club pools, and trying to lose one’s virginity in the back seat while carjackers are busting into your car. Brilliantly performed in a stadium in the round all in white on a white on white set, Storm makes an impressive debut.
WINNER: Bo Burnham: Inside. While Chappelle made a very smart, articulate, and very necessary rebuttal to correct the misinformation hurled against him by an aggressively wrong group of “advocates” and he gets my emotional sympathy vote, Burnham gives us an unusually deep and timely look at the despair we all experienced during lockdown with this tour de force of performance art. He captured the isolation, claustrophobia, and detachment we all felt, finding a way to sum it all up in music and dark comedy to document the worst year of our common lives. Right time, right place, right subject, great comedy.
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT RECOGNITIONS
We didn’t watch as many retro series this year as we have pretty much transferred our viewing habits completely over to streaming during 2021. It’s actually a chore to find the inputs to watch the DVR or the DVD, but we still managed a few returns.
Hayley once again in what time we had together over the holidays ws instrumental to lead me to revisit some old series. Besides the usual Thanksgiving marathon of Friends (and I don’t care what the woke nation says, this show has aged fine and is still funny and flawlessly cast—except the fantasy section where a Ross and a Rachel actually ever end up together in real life. She always conjures up random seasons of RuPaul’s Drag Race, and with enough distance a good season never gets old. Christmas viewing brought a random return to the revolutionary at the time WB unlikely hit of the superior first season and a half of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Rachel Bloom’s innovative fantasy musical look at one woman’s descent into insanity. The series was best until initial costar Santino Fontana left partway thru season 2 for the ill-conceived Broadway musical Tootsie that eventually won him a Tony award. A sublime song and dance man, the series was best when calling upon his talents, as in the season 1 Astair and Rogers black and white fantasy sequence “Settle for Me”, and an unlikely Elvis mock rock “I gave you a UTI”. His farewell song, an “I Did It My Way” inspired parting ballad “It Was a Sh*t Show” reign among the best. His departure did open up more sidekick time for the rest of the trio, David Tull and Erick Lopez as White Josh and Hector. But my personal favorite was BFF Donna Lynn Champlin’s showstopping bump and grind salute to being underappreciated, á la “Rose’s Turn” from Gypsy, “After Everything I’ve Done For You (That You Didn’t Ask For)” which shows how funny and smart this show could be in it’s prime. It just went on too long and turned too dark.
Another top notch new series that was worth a view but managed to get no nominations was HBOmax’s DC Universe answer to the Marvel Comics Megaverse, Titans. Based on the successful Teen Titans comic franchise and stocked with next generation characters you all know from Robin (the first three of them actually), Wonder Girl, Superboy, BeastBoy, current police chief Barbara Gordon (formerly Batgirl) and many others, it’s a fast paced romp through DC lore that is equally as fascinating as the Marvel Avengers franchise. It’s that show that got no nominations but is still really worth a view.