I now present to you the winners for the 6th Annual TeleFilmiest Awards, my personal awards which honor the best in television from the 2017-18 season. Without further ado…
BEST VARIETY SERIES
Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (TBS)
The Joel McHale Show with Joel McHale (Netflix)
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)
Late Night with Seth Meyers (NBC)
Portlandia (IFC)
Saturday Night Live (NBC)
And the winner is…
Portlandia (IFC)
For eight seasons, Portlandia lovingly spoofed the beautiful eccentricities and hypocrisies of the modern-day hipster and despite its ups and downs over the years, this final season was a celebration of everything that made the show great. As The AV Club smartly put it, its laidback attitude about life and politics made this the perfect show for the Obama administration, and despite airing a year into Trump’s, it still managed to maintain a high enough quality for me to give it one last sendoff here.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE
Jeff Daniels as Frank Griffin in Godless
Brandon Victor Dixon as Judas Iscariot in Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert
Cody Fern as David Madson in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story
Édgar Ramírez as Gianni Versace in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story
Jason Ritter as Bill Allens in The Tale
Finn Wittrock as Jeff Trail in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story
And the winner is…
Cody Fern — The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story
Cody Fern came out of nowhere to steal The Assassination of Gianni Versace from the show’s bigger stars. Playing David Madson, former lover of Andrew Cunanan, Fern brought a huge amount of pathos to a role that could have been just a standard sympathetic victim. Fern is a big part of what made the middle portion of The Assassination of Gianni Versace so special, and I look forward to seeing him emerge further on the next season of American Horror Story.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE
Joanna Adler as Mary Ann Cunanan in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story
Elizabeth Debicki as Mrs. G in The Tale
Laura Dern as Diane Evans in Twin Peaks
Judith Light as Marilyn Miglin in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story
Naomi Watts as Janie-E Jones in Twin Peaks
Merritt Wever as Mary Agnes McNue in Godless
And the winner is…
Judith Light — The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story
Judith Light, my winner last year for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for Transparent, surprised me with her talent again with her role as Marilyn Miglin in The Assassination of Gianni Versace. Playing an entrepreneur whose husband is killed by Andrew Cunanan, Light masterfully portrays a woman trying to keep up appearances, even as her life is falling apart before her eyes.
BEST DIRECTING FOR A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE
The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (“A Random Killing”) — Gwyneth Horder-Payton
The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (“House by the Lake”) — Daniel Minahan
Black Mirror (“USS Callister”) — Toby Haynes
Godless — Scott Frank
The Tale — Jennifer Fox
Twin Peaks — David Lynch
And the winner is…
Twin Peaks — David Lynch
The return of Twin Peaks was over 25 years in the making, and director David Lynch forged a different path as he always does, doubling down on the original show’s weirdness and refusing to give in to easy nostalgia, as so many revivals have these days. The 2017 revival is at once mesmerizing, frustrating, humorous, dark, wonderful, and strange. There was nothing else like it on television, and there may never be again.
BEST WRITING FOR A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE
American Vandal (“Clean Up”) — Matthew McManus and Kevin McManus
The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (“House by the Lake”) — Tom Rob Smith
Black Mirror (“USS Callister”) — Charlie Brooker and William Bridges
Godless — Scott Frank
The Tale — Jennifer Fox
Twin Peaks — Mark Frost and David Lynch
And the winner is…
American Vandal (“Clean Up”) — Matthew McManus and Kevin McManus
Expertly satirizing the wave of true crime series like Making a Murderer, The Jinx and Serial, Netflix’s American Vandal was an unexpectedly incisive mockumentary that wanted the answer to one question: “Who drew the dicks?” In “Clean Up,” the season finale, we seem to finally be solving the case only to have everything thrown into question by the end. The ending serves as a both a parody of how many of these true crime mysteries tend to conclude, while also providing a thoughtful look at the awkward intricacies of being a high schooler.
BEST LEAD ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE
Darren Criss as Andrew Cunanan in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story
Kyle MacLachlan as various characters in Twin Peaks
Jack O’Connell as Roy Goode in Godless
Evan Peters as Kai Anderson in American Horror Story: Cult
Jesse Plemons as Robert Daly in Black Mirror
Jimmy Tatro as Dylan Maxwell in American Vandal
And the winner is…
Kyle MacLachlan — Twin Peaks
MacLachlan was tasked with playing three very different characters in the Twin Peaks revival: the beloved Special Agent Dale Cooper, his evil doppelganger Mr. C, and the incomparably simple Dougie Jones. In a season full of wild tangents, MacLachlan’s fiercely committed performance(s) remained consistent, delivering some of the best work he has ever done. That MacLachlan was not nominated at the Emmys for this revival is one of their biggest errors.
BEST LEAD ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE
Laura Dern as Jennifer Fox in The Tale
Michelle Dockery as Alice Fletcher in Godless
Natalie Dormer as Hester Appleyard in Picnic at Hanging Rock
Cristin Milioti as Nanette Cole in Black Mirror
Sarah Paulson as Ally Mayfair-Richards in American Horror Story: Cult
Andrea Riseborough as Mia Nolan in Black Mirror
And the winner is…
Laura Dern — The Tale
As the Dernaissance continues to chug ever forward, Laura Dern continues to bless us with powerhouse portrayals of complicated, ambitious women, and her performance as Jennifer Fox in The Tale is no different. As a documentary filmmaker recalling a traumatic sexual incident she had as a child, Dern is determined yet vulnerable, showing a wide array of emotions just with a look.
BEST LIMITED SERIES OR TV MOVIE
American Vandal (Netflix)
The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (FX)
Black Mirror (Netflix)
Godless (Netflix)
The Tale (HBO)
Twin Peaks (Showtime)
And the winner is…
Twin Peaks (Showtime)
As noted above, there may be nothing else like Twin Peaks: The Return ever again. It is a series that practically laughs in the face of explanation, teaching its viewers how to watch and appreciate an 18-hour stream of consciousness.
BEST GUEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Ron Cephas Jones as William H. Hill in This Is Us
Zahn McClarnon as Akecheta in Westworld
Gerard McRaney as Dr. K in This Is Us
Jimmi Simpson as William in Westworld
Glynn Turman as Nate Lahey, Sr. in How to Get Away with Murder
Bradley Whitford as Joseph Lawrence in The Handmaid’s Tale
And the winner is…
Zahn McClarnon — Westworld
I admittedly lost interest in Westworld over the course of its second season, but the one major highlight was the emergence of Zahn McClarnon as Akecheta. McClarnon was incredibly moving as a Ghost Nation host who comes to discover the truth of his sentience, portraying Akecheta with quiet dignity. It is a shame that Emmy rules forced him out of this category and into the much more competitive Supporting Actor, where he stood little chance.
BEST GUEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
L. Scott Caldwell as Jasmine in How to Get Away with Murder
Cherry Jones as Holly Maddox in The Handmaid’s Tale
Diana Rigg as Olenna Tyrell in Game of Thrones
Debra Jo Rupp as Linda in This Is Us
Cicely Tyson as Ophelia Harkness in How to Get Away with Murder
Samira Wiley as Moira in The Handmaid’s Tale
And the winner is…
Diana Rigg — Game of Thrones
Rigg has always been a standout on Game of Thrones as the clever, conniving Lady Olenna Tyrell. Season 7 gave Rigg a glorious sendoff, in which she finally revealed to Jaime Lannister that it was her that poisoned the evil King Joffrey. It is rare that I think an actor should win an Emmy for just one scene, but her wickedly excellent monologue in which she instructs Jaime, “Tell Cersei. I want her to know it was me,” is just gold.
BEST DIRECTING FOR A DRAMA SERIES
The Americans (“START”) — Chris Long
Game of Thrones (“The Spoils of War”) — Matt Shakman
The Handmaid’s Tale (“June”) — Mike Barker
The Handmaid’s Tale (“The Last Ceremony”) — Jeremy Podeswa
Mr. Robot (“eps3.4_runtime-error.r00”) — Sam Esmail
Stranger Things (“Chapter Nine: The Gate”) — The Duffer Brothers
And the winner is…
Game of Thrones (“The Spoils of War”) — Matt Shakman
“The Spoils of War” is an episode of Game of Thrones that delivered on every level, with Daenerys and her dragons battling the Lannisters in an epic battle sequence and Arya finally returning to Winterfell and has an touching reunion with her sister, Sansa. While later episodes like “Beyond the Wall” and “The Dragon and the Wolf” had satisfying moments of their own, “The Spoils of War” gave me everything I want out of the show.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Bobby Cannavale as Irving in Mr. Robot
Noah Emmerich as Stan Beeman in The Americans
Joseph Fiennes as Commander Fred Waterford in The Handmaid’s Tale
David Harbour as Jim Hopper in Stranger Things
Justin Hartley as Kevin Pearson in This Is Us
Noah Schnapp as Will Byers in Stranger Things
And the winner is…
Noah Emmerich — The Americans
Noah Emmerich never had the flashiest role on The Americans, as Stan, Philip and Elizabeth’s neighbor who just so happened to be in the FBI, but the true weight of his performance came through in this final season. As Stan finally found out the truth about the Soviet spy neighbors he once called his friends, Emmerich was able to plumb new depths as a performer, portraying a truly broken man betrayed by those he loved most.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Alexis Bledel as Emily in The Handmaid’s Tale
Danielle Brooks as Taystee Jefferson in Orange Is the New Black
Ann Dowd as Aunt Lydia in The Handmaid’s Tale
Lena Headey as Cersei Lannister in Game of Thrones
Thandie Newton as Maeve Millay in Westworld
Yvonne Strahovski as Serena Joy Waterford in The Handmaid’s Tale
And the winner is…
Yvonne Strahovski — The Handmaid’s Tale
Season 2 of The Handmaid’s Tale found Serena Joy Waterford starting to see the error of her ways, particularly in regard to the sinister patriarchal society she helped create. This allowed Yvonne Strahovski to color in new shadings to Serena, playing a deeply problematic woman who you nevertheless feel bad for, despite your better judgment.
BEST WRITING FOR A DRAMA SERIES
The Americans (“START”) — Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg
Game of Thrones (“The Dragon and the Wolf”) — David Benioff and D.B. Weiss
The Handmaid’s Tale (“June”) — Bruce Miller
Killing Eve (“Nice Face”) — Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Stranger Things (“Chapter Six: The Spy”) — Kate Trefry
This Is Us (“The Most Disappointed Man”) — Kay Oyegun
And the winner is…
The Americans (“START”) — Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg
“START” was as fitting a series finale as there could be, especially for a slow-burn like The Americans. The episode was a masterclass in tension as Stan finally confronted Philip and Elizabeth about their identities and the Jennings family went on the run to the Soviet Union. The scene in which Philip and Elizabeth are astonished to see their daughter Paige has gotten off the train as U2’s “With or Without You” plays, has continued to take up lodging in my brain.
BEST LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Sterling K. Brown as Randall Pearson in This Is Us
Kit Harington as Jon Snow in Game of Thrones
Rami Malek as Elliot Alderson in Mr. Robot
Matthew Rhys as Philip Jennings in The Americans
Milo Ventimiglia as Jack Pearson in This Is Us
Jeffrey Wright as Bernard Lowe in Westworld
And the winner is…
Milo Ventimiglia — This Is Us
Sterling K. Brown has deservedly earned the lion’s share of accolades for This Is Us, but Milo Ventimiglia remains my favorite performance in the ensemble. Season 2 laid out how his character Jack Pearson died in the ’90s, and Ventimiglia’s gentle approach to the character made his death all the more tearjerking. Jack Pearson may be written as almost too perfect of a father, but Ventimiglia manages to still create a three-dimensional, flawed human.
BEST LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Jodie Comer as Villanelle in Killing Eve
Viola Davis as Annalise Keating in How to Get Away with Murder
Mandy Moore as Rebecca Pearson in This Is Us
Elisabeth Moss as Offred/June Osborne in The Handmaid’s Tale
Sandra Oh as Eve Polastri in Killing Eve
Keri Russell as Elizabeth Jennings in The Americans
And the winner is…
Keri Russell — The Americans
While The Americans had mostly balanced Elizabeth and Philip stories equally through five seasons, the final season found Elizabeth taking centerstage as Philip left spycraft behind. This gave Russell her best material ever as we finally saw the toll of serving your country for decades only to discover how your ideologies have grown apart. Russell’s subtle performance may not seem like it will stand the test of time like her dark cable drama counterparts, but it certainly will to those loyal Americans fans.
BEST DRAMA SERIES
The Americans (FX)
Game of Thrones (HBO)
The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu)
Killing Eve (BBC America)
Mr. Robot (USA)
Stranger Things (Netflix)
This Is Us (NBC)
And the winner is…
The Americans (FX)
What else, but The Americans? As someone who grew to love this FX drama over time rather than from the jump, I never would have expected giving this my Best Drama Series prize six years ago. And yet, as the show deepened with its examination of a fracturing marriage, I found myself drawn into the lives of Elizabeth, Philip and their kids. Unlike its contemporaries, The Americans never felt like it was showing off to get an audience to start trending hashtags. It simply told its story in as realistic a way as it could, and it succeeded on nearly every level.
BEST GUEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Donald Glover as Host in Saturday Night Live
Leslie Jordan as Beverley Leslie in Will & Grace
Kyle MacLachlan as Mr. Mayor in Portlandia
John Mulaney as Host in Saturday Night Live
Wallace Shawn as Herb Smith in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Katt Williams as Willy in Atlanta
And the winner is…
Donald Glover — Saturday Night Live
As Donald Glover sang in his “SNL” monologue, he really can do anything, and that was proven throughout his hosted episode. I’ve loved Glover since “Community,” and I was thrilled to see that goofier side again while playing the Jurassic Park defense lawyer, the Barbie intern, and the bizarre singer in the ’80s music video. And this is on top of debuting what would become his biggest song in his career as a rapper, “This Is America.”
BEST GUEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Alexandra Billings as Davina in Transparent
Lauren Graham as Bridget in Curb Your Enthusiasm
Tiffany Haddish as Host in Saturday Night Live
Jane Lynch as Sophie Lennon in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Maya Rudolph as Jen in The Good Place
Molly Shannon as Val in Will & Grace
And the winner is…
Tiffany Haddish — Saturday Night Live
Few comedians have seen such a meteoric rise in recent years that Tiffany Haddish, after her scene-stealing work in “Girls Trip.” Her “SNL” episode was one of the funniest of the season, playing her fair share of gut-busting characters like tournament fighter Boo Boo Jeffries and the last black unicorn, and impressions of Cardi B and Mary J. Blige. She also delivered the funniest monologue of the season, in a season full of great ones.
BEST DIRECTING FOR A COMEDY SERIES
Atlanta (“Teddy Perkins”) — Hiro Murai
Barry (“Chapter Seven: Loud, Fast, and Keep Going”) — Alec Berg
Black-ish (“Juneteenth”) — Anton Cropper
GLOW (“Live Studio Audience”) — Jesse Peretz
The Good Place (“Dance Dance Resolution”) — Drew Goddard
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (“Pilot”) — Amy Sherman-Palladino
And the winner is…
Atlanta (“Teddy Perkins”) — Hiro Murai
Few episodes of television have shook me to the core as “Teddy Perkins.” While there are admittedly very few laughs in this episode, it is such a special piece of work about the cost of fame and child abuse, presented in a surrealistic form that even David Lynch would be proud of. It is the best directed episode of Atlanta‘s entire run, and Hiro Murai has turned into one of my favorite directors to watch.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Andre Braugher as Ray Holt in Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Tituss Burgess as Titus Andromedon in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Brian Tyree Henry as Alfred “Paper Boi” Miles in Atlanta
Tony Shalhoub as Abe Weissman in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Lakeith Stanfield as Darius in Atlanta
Henry Winkler as Gene Cousineau in Barry
And the winner is…
Lakeith Stanfield — Atlanta
Atlanta has been accused of “not being funny” despite competing in the comedy categories, but Lakeith Stanfield has always justified its placement. As the truly eccentric Darius, Stanfield often has the best lines in any given episode of Atlanta. He gets his biggest showcase yet in “Teddy Perkins,” showing off both his comedic and dramatic strengths as an actor.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Zazie Beetz as Van in Atlanta
Alex Borstein as Susie Myerson in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
D’Arcy Carden as Janet in The Good Place
Heidi Gardner as various characters in Saturday Night Live
Betty Gilpin as Debbie “Liberty Belle” Eagan in GLOW
Rita Moreno as Lydia Riera in One Day at a Time
And the winner is…
D’Arcy Carden — The Good Place
D’Arcy Carden, who I admittedly had never heard of before The Good Place, quickly became one of my favorite comedic actors due to her performance as the impossibly cheery robot Janet. Season 2 featured Janet reconciling (as much as a robot can) with her feelings for Jason, and Carden had the difficult task of bringing forth those emotions without sacrificing the nature of her character completely.
BEST WRITING FOR A COMEDY SERIES
Atlanta (“Teddy Perkins”) — Donald Glover
Atlanta (“Crabs in a Barrel”) — Stephen Glover
Barry (“Chapter Seven: Loud, Fast, and Keep Going”) — Liz Sarnoff
BoJack Horseman (“Time’s Arrow”) — Kate Purdy
The Good Place (“Somewhere Else”) — Michael Schur
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (“Pilot”) — Amy Sherman-Palladino
And the winner is…
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (“Pilot”) — Amy Sherman-Palladino
While I haven’t seen all of them, I’d say The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel pilot ranks right up there with the best pilots of the decade. Amy Sherman-Palladino’s brilliant writing invites us into the world of 1950s New York and instantly creates a compelling character out of Midge Maisel as her world unravels and she discovers her hidden talent for standup comedy. There’s a reason this was the best reviewed Amazon pilot in the streaming channel’s history.
BEST LEAD ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Anthony Anderson as Andre “Dre” Johnson in Black-ish
Fred Armisen as various characters in Portlandia
Ted Danson as Michael in The Good Place
Donald Glover as Earn Marks in Atlanta
Bill Hader as Barry Block in Barry
Andy Samberg as Jake Peralta in Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Bill Hader — Barry
While I was tempted to go with Donald Glover for “Teddy Perkins” alone, I had to go with Bill Hader for his fascinating season-long journey on Barry. As a hitman-turned-actor who cannot escape his past, Hader is certainly more dramatic than we are used to from the SNL funnyman, but through eight episodes he proved he was just as capable of great pathos, especially in “Loud, Fast, and Keep Going.”
BEST LEAD ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Alison Brie as Ruth “Zoya the Destroya” Wilder in GLOW
Rachel Brosnahan as Miriam “Midge” Maisel in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Carrie Brownstein as various characters in Portlandia
Allison Janney as Bonnie Plunkett in Mom
Justina Machado as Penelope Alvarez in One Day at a Time
Tracee Ellis Ross as Rainbow “Bow” Johnson in Black-ish
And the winner is…
Rachel Brosnahan — The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Unlike Lead Actor, there was no other choice here. Rachel Brosnahan in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is a classic star-making performance. Bolstered by Sherman-Palladino’s writing, Brosnahan takes the character of Midge Maisel and runs with it, creating a fully fleshed-out human with strengths and vulnerabilities.
BEST COMEDY SERIES
Atlanta (FX)
Black-ish (ABC)
BoJack Horseman (Netflix)
Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Fox)
GLOW (Netflix)
The Good Place (NBC)
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon)
And the winner is…
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon)
With The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Amy Sherman-Palladino took everything that made her previous show, Gilmore Girls, so addictive and turned the dial up to 11. Not only is it one of the best written shows of the year, it is also one of the most socially relevant, about a woman in a male-dominated world going off on her own regardless of those trying to shoot her down. I’m so excited to see what Season 2 has in store.
And that’s everything! Thanks for reading all the way to the end of my awards. I can’t wait to see what the 2018-19 season has in store.