Best of 2017, Performances, TV


We are rapidly approaching 2018, and as we do it's time for my lists of my favorite performances, episodes, shows, and films of 2017. In this post, I'll look at my favorite performances from the small screen!

Below are the lists, divided into comedy and drama. There were 500 scripted series in 2017, so that's a lot of TV. I saw a lot of it, but these performances are based on the series that really moved me.

Best Actor, TV Comedy:
* Hank Azaria, "Brockmire" — This series was one of the surprises of Spring for me, and Azaria was a big reason why.
* Titus Burgess, "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" — He's one of the funniest parts of the show.
* Keir Gilchrist, "Atypical" — This Netflix show was one of the year's surprises to me.
* Andy Samberg, "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" — This show was really strong in 2017, and Samberg is a big reason why.
* Brandon Michael Hall, "The Mayor" — My favorite new network sitcom, and Hall does a great job in the lead role.

Best Actress, TV Comedy:
* Rachel Brosnahan, "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" — She was stunning in one of the best shows of the year.
* Alison Brie, "GLOW" — Another of the best shows of the year, and Brie is a big reason why it works.
* Ellie Kemper, "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" — Kemper does such a good job with this show and this character.
* Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, "VEEP" — This was an interesting year for "VEEP," but Louis-Dreyfuss keeps the engine humming along.
* Kristen Bell, "The Good Place" — This is one of the funniest shows on TV, and I love the work Bell does on the series.

Best Supporting Actor, TV Comedy:
* Marc Maron, "GLOW" — Great job in a fun role.
* Tony Shalhoub, "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" — He does so much with facial expressions.
* Ted Danson, "The Good Place" — Such a great season for him to show his range.
* Michael Rapaport, "Atypical" — He did a great job with a tough role.
* Andre Braugher, "Brooklyn Nine Nine" — This show wouldn't work without his Captain Holt.

Best Supporting Actress, TV Comedy:
* Amanda Peet, "Brockmire" — This show was a fun surprise, and her work opposite Azaria was a big reason why.
* Zoe Lister-Jones, "Life in Pieces" — I love "Life in Pieces," and Lister-Jones is a big reason why.
* Alex Borstein, "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" — She does an incredible job in the role and plays off Brosnahan well.
* D'Arcy Carden, "The Good Place" — Janet is the secret MVP of the show thanks to Carden.
* Betty Gilpin, "GLOW" — The back-and-forth between Gilpin and Brie was the heart of this show.

Best Actor, TV Drama:
* Kit Harrington, "Game of Thrones" — It was another big year for Jon Snow, and Harrington has settled into the lead man role nicely.
* Justin Theroux, "The Leftovers" — This was the best show of the year, and Theroux is half the reason why.
* Jonathan Groff, "Mindhunter" — One of the best shows of 2017, Groff's work was impressive.
* Dan Stevens, "Legion" — This show was often wild and weird, and Stevens sold it all.
* Dylan Minnette, "13 Reasons Why" — A lot of love was thrown toward Katherine Langford, and for good reason, but the show wouldn't have worked without Minnette.

Best Actress, TV Drama:
* Carrie Coon, "The Leftovers" — Coon is simply fantastic in the final season of "The Leftovers."
* Emilia Clarke, "Game of Thrones" — Clarke did a lot in this season, and really carried a lot of the show.
* Elisabeth Moss, "The Handmaid's Tale" — Moss is one of the finest actresses working today, and she really imbued the character with a lot of humanity.
* Merrit Wever, "Godless" — This limited series was one of the year's best, and Wever does a great job as the female lead.
* Katherine Langford, "13 Reasons Why" — This is an often difficult series to watch, but it's never hard to sink into Langford's performance.

Best Supporting Actor, TV Drama:
* David Harbour, "Stranger Things 2" — Harbour is great in this role.
* Rupert Friend, "Homeland" — Season seven was better, but it was the work of Friend that stood out.
* Scoot McNairy, "Halt and Catch Fire" — Gordon had some of the best storylines in this great final season.
* Holt McCallany, "Mindhunter" — He was great opposite Groff in this new series.
* Jeff Daniels, "Godless" — One of my favorite actors who does a great job in this villainous role.

Best Supporting Actress, TV Drama:
* Amy Brenneman, "The Leftovers" — She sometimes gets overlooked, but she had one of the most beautiful episodes in the show's final season.
* Milly Bobby Brown, "Stranger Things 2" — I love Eleven, and she's the emotional anchor of this series.
* Rachel Keller, "Legion" — She was great in a sort of thankless straight woman role.
* Aubrey Plaza, "Legion" — She got to be the weirdest and wildest in a weird and wild role, and relished it all.
* Michelle Dockery, "Godless" — I have loved Dockery since her "Downton Abbey" days, and I thought she was great in this role.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Burial a courtroom drama with heart

Image
Willie Gary (Jamie Foxx) is a brash trial lawyer who is good at rallying a jury to his cause. Jeremiah O’Keefe (Tommy Lee Jones) is a quiet grandfather who is trying to ensure the business his family built remains viable after he’s gone. These two don’t appear to have much in common on the surface. But when they’re brought together by young lawyer Hal Dockins (Mamoudou Athie) brings them together, a connection is formed over their shared background of working hard to become self-made men. And it turned out that Willie was just who Jerry needed in his corner to win the fight of his life. The new Prime Video film The Burial, which opened in theaters October 6 and started streaming October 13, captures that trial against the Loewen Group that changed the course of their lives. The film is based on the true story and covers the trial, but more importantly captures the relationship between the men. The film plays out like a traditional courtroom drama. Foxx is solid as Willie Gary, while Ju
Read more

Broncos Draft Targets

Image
  The NFL Draft is just a few days away. On April 25, the Denver Broncos will head into the draft in the midst of something of a rebuild. In the draft, the Broncos have the No. 12 pick in Round 1, then have a Third Round Pick, Fourth Round Pick, three Fifth Round Picks, a Sixth Round Pick, and a Seventh Round Pick. So, what might they be targeting? Let's dive in and look at possible positions. Quarterback : The team clearly needs a long-term quarterback. Jarrett Stidham and Ben DiNucci are there but the team could certainly use someone else. Could they move up for Drake Maye or J.J. McCarthy? Yes, they could. Will the take Bo Nix at 12? It's possible. Or will the Broncos wait until next off-season to make a move? Anything is in play for the Broncos in 2024, but quarterback is surely a need. Tight End: The team brought back Adam Trautman and still has Greg Dulcich, but it's still a need. Dulcich hasn't been able to get on the field and Trautman hasn't been great. Co
Read more

Favorite Westerns, No. 43

Image
  Do you like a good Western? It's a classic genre in film and this year I've decided to look at some of my favorite Westerns. So, join me each Friday as I count down my favorite Westerns from No. 50 to No. 1. Rooster Cogburn : [ watching Mattie ford the river hanging on the back of her horse] By God. She reminds me of me. True Grit (1969) Starring : John Wayne, Kim Darby, Glen Campbell, Robert Duvall, and Dennis Hopper Director : Henry Hathaway About: This is the third straight week with a film from Wayne. As you might guess, we're not done. As I've mentioned, he sets a standard for the genre. Here, we seen him bring to life an iconic character. This one is based on a novel, and it has endured. He's great as Rooster Cogburn, so good that he got a sequel in the same character. But this is a later film in his career. This is a different, more grizzled Wayne. He's still quite good and this is a film that really has stood the test of time. It's not the only ve
Read more