Backstage Magazine, Digital Edition: December 20, 2021 SAG Awards Television Issue

12.20.21

The 28th Annual

SAG Awards Outstanding ensembles on television

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BACKSTAGE 12.20.21

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“THE MORNING SHOW”: ERIN SIMKIN; “ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING”: CRAIG BLANKENHORN/HULU; “WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS”: RUSS MARTIN/FX

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

vol. 62, no. 35 | 12.20.21

Cover Story

Prospecting for Gold Your official guide to the 2020 Oscar nominations page 16

The Green Room 6 Broadway’s audience boom 8 This week’s roundup of who’s casting what starring whom

10 Annie Murphy reflects on “Schitt’s Creek”

Advice 13 CRAFT Survive and thrive

JANINA GAVANKAR AND DESEAN TERRY ON “THE MORNING SHOW”

13 #IGOTCAST Mark Beauchamp

14 SECRET AGENT MAN

The power of intention

Contents

“THE MORNING SHOW”: ERIN SIMKIN; “ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING”: CRAIG BLANKENHORN/HULU; “WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS”: RUSS MARTIN/FX

Features

4 BACKSTAGE 5 WITH...

David Alan Grier

Awards Contenders: 12 MEET THE MAKER Television Cathy Ensembles Yan, “Birds of Prey”

director 4 “Black-ish”

14 Chair” THE ESSENTIALISTS 6 “ The Jeremy Woodhead,

8 “Girls5eva” hair and makeup designer 12 “The Fight” 15 Good IN THE ROOM WITH STEVE MARTIN AND AMY RYAN ON “ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING”

14 “ Hacks”Victoria Thomas 21 Handmaid’s OUR DREAM 16 “The Tale”BALLOT

And the 2020 Oscar SHOULD

20 “ Insecure” have gone to…

22 “Loki” 32 ASK AN EXPERT

Amy Russ on principal and

24 “The Morning Show”work background

25 “Only Murders in the Building”

Casting

26 “Pose” 22 New York Tristate 28 “Schmigadoon!”

27 California 30 “Squid Game” 28 National/Regional 31 “Succession” Cover illustration by John Jay Cabuay.

32 “ Ted Lasso” Cover designed by Ian Robinson.

34 “This Is Us” NATASIA DEMETRIOU AND KHANDI ALEXANDER ON “WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS”

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36 “What We Do in the Shadows” On the cover: Palto/shutterstock.com.

Cover designed by Ian Robinson.

12.20.21 BACKSTAGE

Letter From the Editor

HASAN MINHAJ AND REESE WITHERSPOON ON “THE MORNING SHOW”

“THE MORNING SHOW”: KAREN BALLARD; “SUCCESSION”: MACALL B. POLAY/HBO; “SQUID GAME”: NOH JUHAN/NETFLIX; RODRIGUEZ: CAITLIN WATKINS

Hello, fellow binge watchers, Twelve years ago, there were 211 scripted television shows on the air, according to a tally from FX. The final count for 2021 isn’t even in yet, and we’re already looking at well over 400 scripted series on the year’s docket. In just over two decades, the size of the TV landscape has doubled—not just in potential viewing hours for audiences, but in the amount of space created for our industry’s A-listers to explore new and exciting paths. (Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon on “The Morning Show,” anyone?) It’s also laid a path for lesser-known actors to make an indelible, if surprising, mark. (Cousin Greg is a “Succession” icon, and you know it!) It all means that fans and critics alike now have a chance to better define what exactly makes a standout ensemble.

Whether it’s a huge musical number on “Schmigadoon!” or a knowing glance exchanged between competitors on “Squid Game,” stories become richer when we see multiple characters’ perspectives and personalities—and when the right actors are cast in those roles.

These 17 shows prove that you’re only as good as the team around you. They lean hard into group dynamics, but it never feels like a crowd—and in this day and age, we’re grateful for that. Dig in for our picks of series that hit the mark when it comes to ensemble casts.

NICHOLAS BRAUN ON “SUCCESSION”

See you on the other side of the nominations!

Briana Rodriguez Editor-in-Chief

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JUNG HOYEON ON “SQUID GAME”

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● Television

Ensembles

MAIN CAST: Anthony Anderson, Miles Brown, Deon Cole, Jenifer Lewis, Peter Mackenzie, Marsai Martin, Jeff Meacham, Katlyn Nichol, Tracee Ellis Ross, Marcus Scribner CASTING BY: Alexis Frank Koczara CREATED BY: Kenya Barris DISTRIBUTED BY: ABC

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ABC/RICHARD CARTWRIGHT

MARSAI MARTIN, MILES BROWN, MARCUS SCRIBNER, TRACEE ELLIS ROSS, JENIFER LEWIS, AND LAURENCE FISHBURNE

ABC/RICHARD CARTWRIGHT

“Black-ish”

ABC/RICHARD CARTWRIGHT

ABC/RICHARD CARTWRIGHT

FOR A FAMILY SITCOM ON A TRADITIONAL network, ABC’s “Black-ish” has managed to cover an impressive amount of ground over a whopping seven seasons. It tackles hot-button sociopolitical issues facing Americans—especially Black Americans—today without coming off as didactic. It endears us to the Johnsons, who are as charming yet flawed as any real-life family. And the series never sacrifices comedy.

Perhaps most impressive of all is its ability to keep pulling the rug out from under a highly amused audience that tunes in every week for laughs.

Creator Kenya Barris (who has since handed the showrunner reins off to Courtney Lilly) and the writing team have built a playground they can use to explore modern trends and questions, launching spinoff comedies including Freeform’s “Grown-ish” and ABC’s “Mixed-ish” along the way. Yet the show is still finding original, wacky-yet-true ways to tell stories, thanks in large part to the players. Led by Anthony Anderson as Dre and Tracee Ellis Ross as Rainbow (aka Bow), this ensemble cast ably takes on slapstick, satire, and tear-jerking drama as needed.

With Zoey off at college (Yara Shahidi, leading “Grown-ish”), the remaining Johnson family offspring are maturing—or at least changing—in ways that most American parents in 2021 would recognize. Junior (the endearing, unabashedly funny Marcus Scribner) went off to college, only to move back home to quarantine during the pandemic. Scribner walks the line between childhood and adulthood, mentoring his siblings yet maintaining an air of playfulness opposite the scene-stealing Katlyn Nichol as his girlfriend Olivia. Jack and Diane (Miles Brown and Marsai Martin) remain goofy and sassy, respectively, while dealing with the pitfalls of teenage social hierarchies.

Then there are Deon Cole, Jeff Meacham, Wanda Sykes, and Peter Mackenzie, who provide various shades of comic relief as Dre’s coworkers. Jenifer Lewis continues to slay as Dre’s mother, Ruby; her reaction shots and invocations of “Black Jesus” alone are award-worthy. Laurence Fishburne plays the family’s steadfast (and stubborn) rock, “Pops”; and Anna Deavere Smith, Daveed Diggs, and Rashida Jones make up Bow’s family. They’re just some of the spectacular guest stars on “Black-ish,” a growing list that keeps on giving: Tyra Banks, Zendaya, Mary J. Blige, and

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TRACEE ELLIS ROSS AND ANTHONY ANDERSON

Raven-Symoné, plus Ross’ former “Girlfriends” stars Golden Brooks, Jill Marie Jones, and Persia White have all appeared on the show.

In fact, part of what makes “Black-ish” so successful is the way it folds offscreen inspiration into its subplots. Barris, who, like Dre, has a large family with his wife, has called the show “a mixture of life imitating art and art imitating life.” Dre is a swaggering goofball, sure; but he’s also a vessel that the series’ team of writers can use to explore distinctly 21st-century philosophies and weave in issues facing their own families, careers, and marriages.

Watching the show, you get the sense that Dre’s monologues about Black history and arguments with Bow about police brutality are dramatizations of conversations real Americans are having today. “Black-ish” has educational, and even highbrow, aspirations (case in point: its zany, informative, partially animated 2020 election special); but it’s always in the guise of the sitcom, a genre whose boundaries it continues to push.

It’s a show that resonates because everything, from the writing to the consistently stellar acting, feels personal. And because their stories stem from specificity, the Johnsons feel universal. —JACK SMART

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LAURENCE FISHBURNE

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● Television

Ensembles

“The Chair”

Balaban, Everly Carganilla, Jay Duplass, Nana Mensah, David Morse, Sandra Oh, Holland Taylor Peet and Annie Julia Wyman DISTRIBUTED BY: Netflix

CASTING BY: Avy

ELIZA MORSE/NETFLIX

MAIN CAST: Bob

Kaufman

CREATED BY: Amanda

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ELIZA MORSE/NETFLIX

SANDRA OH, NANA MENSAH, AND HOLLAND TAYLOR

ELIZA MORSE/NETFLIX

ELIZA MORSE/NETFLIX

FEW PERFORMERS ARE AS SKILLED AT deploying an exasperated sigh as Sandra Oh. As professor Ji-Yoon Kim on Netflix’s comedy “The Chair,” the SAG Award–winning actor gets plenty of opportunities to use that gift.

Then again, “The Chair,” created by Amanda Peet and Annie Julia Wyman, seems tailor-made to help the “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Killing Eve” star shine. Making ample use of Oh’s comedic skills (she has a pratfall in her very first scene) as well as her ability to bring depth to complicated women, “The Chair” is a tender character study that doubles as a biting satire of the current state of academia.

No sooner has Ji-Yoon been elected as the new chair of the English department at the fictional Pembroke University (the first woman to hold that title) than she’s embroiled in thorny affairs, bureaucratic and romantic alike, that risk derailing this single adoptive mother’s coveted professional milestone. She deadpans: “I feel like someone handed me a ticking time bomb because they wanted to make sure a woman was holding it when it explodes.”

Plummeting enrollment numbers, slashed budgets, and cost-cutting measures aside, Bill Dobson (Jay Duplass) is at the heart of this rising tension. Onetime campus favorite Professor Dobson ends up earning the ire of the student body and the university when a tone-deaf Nazi joke he makes in class goes viral. Bumbling through the new semester as a recent widower and empty nester, he represents an affable version of the privileged white male archetype—the kind who’d be insufferable were he not so charming.

As played with angst-ridden obliviousness

by Duplass, Bill is a perfect foil to Ji-Yoon, who does things by the books. Add in the undeniable romantic chemistry between the two, and you’ve got the makings of a modernday screwball comedy duo.

Casting director Avy Kaufman has assembled a delectable ensemble to orbit this central pair; it’s one that captures the diversity (and lack thereof) found in college English departments the world over. Two of Ji-Yoon’s colleagues refract her experience as a woman of color in a mostly white, male institution: tenure-tracked Yaz McKay (Nana Mensah) and department mainstay Joan Hambling (Emmy winner Holland Taylor). Eager to carve a path for herself with her groundbreaking research

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and student-friendly teaching, Yaz is rightly seen as the kind of future Ji-Yoon wants for the department. Yet in Mensah’s hands, we see the way Yaz is constantly negotiating just how much of herself she’s willing to give up to accommodate the old guard who eye her with suspicion and envy.

Every moment Taylor is onscreen becomes a joy. Leaning into the crotchety notes of her weary character, Taylor finds humor and pathos in this portrait of a woman who’s had to settle for less because asking for more wasn’t ever an option—until now, that is.

Rounding out the cast are the ever-reliable David Morse, playing bureaucratic stooge Dean Paul Larson; a dry-witted Bob Balaban as Elliot Rentz, an aging professor who’s stuck in his ways and can’t stand the likes of JiYoon and Yaz shaking up his joint; and breath of fresh air Everly Carganilla, who goes toe to toe with Oh as Ji-Yoon’s rascally daughter Ju-Hee. —MANUEL BETANCOURT

BOB BALABAN

SANDRA OH, JAY DUPLASS, AND EVERLY CARGANILLA

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● Television

Ensembles

“Girls5eva”

Balsam, Sara Bareilles, Daniel Breaker, Stephen Colbert, Tina Fey, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Jonathan Hadary, Erika Henningsen, Ashley Park, Paula Pell, Busy Philipps, Andrew Rannells, John Slattery, Vanessa Williams, Bowen Yang CASTING BY: Anne Davison and Cindy Tolan CREATED BY: Meredith Scardino DISTRIBUTED BY: Peacock

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HEIDI GUTMAN/PEACOCK

MAIN CAST: Talia

HEIDI GUTMAN/PEACOCK

BUSY PHILIPPS, RENÉE ELISE GOLDSBERRY, SARA BAREILLES, AND PAULA PELL

HEIDI GUTMAN/PEACOCK

HEIDI GUTMAN/PEACOCK

ENSEMBLES ARE TRICKY. THEY REQUIRE actors to work as as a single unit, coming together to form a cohesive whole. If one person is out of tune, then the whole show fails to truly sing. Luckily, “Girls5eva” on NBC’s streaming service Peacock does not have that problem—and we’re not just saying that because the members of Girls5eva can bust out killer four-part harmony. Created by Meredith Scardino, the series follows the titular girl group from the ’90s who, now middle-aged, decide to make a comeback.

Film and television are filled with stories of middle-aged men who attempt to relive their former glory or get in touch with their boyhood selves, but such stories are rare for women. “Girls5eva” is keenly aware of this, and so the show is not just a vehicle for Renée Elise Goldsberry’s jaw-dropping vocal runs; it’s also a look at women who have been socialized to become smaller as they age, and through music and friendship, learn how to take up space again—while decked out in dazzling sequins.

Like most great ensembles, each member brings their own special something to the group. Goldsberry’s Wickie Roy is the fierce one, prone to spouting catchphrases like “Cease and desist, bitch!” Yet her glamour and bravado hide a bruised, tender heart.

Busy Philipps plays Summer Dutkowsky, the quintessential “hot one.” Though she initially comes off as a shallow airhead who’s just there for comic relief, through the eight episodes of the first season, she learns how to speak up for herself. Paula Pell plays Gloria McManus, the working woman who tends to play backup for her showier band members, but who eventually learns to prioritize her own needs and happiness.

Then there’s Sara Bareilles as Dawn Solano, the “cool one.” The actor has a tough role to play as the straight woman of the foursome who encourages the reunion in the first place. Yet her character is achingly relatable; she’s someone who had been comfortable disappearing, but through music, she’s able to find herself again.

All four women are triple threats, making lyrics like “We are dream girlfriends / ’Cause our dads are dead / So you’ll never have to meet them” sound both poetic and like a bop.

Members of the recurring cast leave

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DANIEL BREAKER AND SARA BAREILLES

memorable impressions in the brief time they’re onscreen: There’s Ashley Park as Ashley Gold, the now-deceased fifth member of Girls5eva; Daniel Breaker as Scott, Dawn’s husband who is afraid his wife will dump him for a hot model after she becomes a star; Jonathan Hadary as Larry Plumb, the group’s manager and walking HR violation; and Erika Henningsen as young Gloria, who’s gay and closeted but trying to pretend she likes singing about boys.

The supporting cast is no less star-studded, featuring Stephen Colbert, executive producer Tina Fey, Bowen Yang, Andrew Rannells, Vanessa Williams, and John Slattery and Talia Balsam (in a cameo portraying themselves). Casting directors Anne Davison and Cindy Tolan truly unrolled the red carpet.

Between the songs and character development, the show critiques misogyny in pop music and culture at large—all while making you cackle. We’re so grateful “Girls5eva” has been renewed for a second season. We could watch it 5eva, ’cause 4eva’s too short. —DIEP TRAN

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BOWEN YANG

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● Television

Ensembles

“The Good Fight”

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ELIZABETH FISHER

MAIN CAST: Christine Baranski, Charmaine Bingwa, Michael Boatman, Wayne Brady, Gary Cole, Zach Grenier, Jane Lynch, Audra McDonald, Nyambi Nyambi, Mandy Patinkin, Tony Plana, Sarah Steele, Wanda Sykes CASTING BY: Mark Saks and Ian Subsara CREATED BY: Michelle and Robert King DISTRIBUTED BY: Paramount+

ELIZABETH FISHER

CHARMAINE BINGWA, WANDA SYKES, AND TONY PLANA

FANS OF “THE GOOD FIGHT” TEND TO FEEL like they’re in on a secret. They know the legal drama is the one of the savviest and most captivating series on television, and they know that far too few people watch it. The fifth season, which aired in summer 2021, may have been its best yet. A lot of today’s TV makes a desperate attempt to achieve synergy with current events, but none does it with as much panache as this show, which this year took on COVID-19, George Floyd’s murder, the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the Capitol insurrection, and the thorny debate surrounding “cancel culture.” At its core were two juicy storylines about the optics of a Black enterprise with a white partner at the helm and a wacky layman who’s working to disrupt the judicial system.

“The Good Wife,” the CBS drama “The Good Fight” was spun off from, earned three SAG Award nominations for its ensemble, and Christine Baranski collected six Emmy nods for her performance on that series. But despite glowing reviews, “The Good Fight” on Paramount+ hasn’t received the same awards attention. It’s time to fix that.

In addition to Baranski, who since the early days of “The Good Wife” has submitted top-notch work as ever-composed attorney Diane Lockhart, the series includes sterling performances from Audra McDonald, Sarah Steele, Michael Boatman, Jane Lynch, Zach Grenier, Gary Cole, and Nyambi Nyambi. The great Delroy Lindo and Cush Jumbo bid “The Good Fight” adieu at the start of the most recent season, making room for a refreshingly understated Wanda Sykes as a brilliant but discombobulated attorney, relative newcomer Charmaine Bingwa as a fresh-faced associate, Wayne Brady as McDonald’s new love interest, and a scene-stealing Mandy Patinkin as the aforementioned disruptor.

Patinkin, in particular, makes “The Good Fight” a hoot, encapsulating husband-and-wife showrunners Robert and Michelle King’s signature blend of drama and whimsy. He clearly has a ball playing Hal Wackner, a novice with no formal legal training who establishes a “People’s Court”–style arbitration tribunal in the back of a Chicago copy shop. Funded by a GOP operative worth millions of dollars, Wackner’s court is

based on a points system and uses a theatrical display of mediation that ends in plaintiffs and defendants shaking hands and saying, “I respect and love you.”

The highlight of “The Good Fight” has always been the relationship between Diane and her colleague Liz (McDonald), which finds new depths in Season 5. Amid nationwide discussions about racial justice, they both struggle with whether Diane should step down from her partnership at the firm, which was originally established as an African American– led institution. The characters’ interpersonal turmoil gives the two performances complex dimensions. Through them, we see the fatigue of modern life, in which hard decisions and complex philosophical discussions are required to blaze the trail to a brighter future.

Particularly when it comes to content built off existing intellectual property, TV doesn’t get much better than “The Good Fight.” No ensemble anywhere has as much fun with such knotty material as Baranski, McDonald, Patinkin, and its other must-watch stars.

—MATTHEW JACOBS

ELIZABETH FISHER

ELIZABETH FISHER

CHRISTINE BARANSKI

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● Television

Ensembles

HANNAH EINBINDER

MAIN CAST: Rose Abdoo, Jane Adams, Carl Clemons-Hopkins, Paul W. Downs, Hannah Einbinder, Mark Indelicato, Poppy Liu, Jefferson Mays, Christopher McDonald, Kaitlin Olson, Johnny Sibilly, Jean Smart, Megan Stalter, Jeff Ward CASTING BY: Nicole Abellera and Jeanne McCarthy CREATED BY: Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, and Jen Statsky DISTRIBUTED BY: HBO Max

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SMART: COURTESY HBO MAX; EINBINDER: JAKE GILES NETTER/HBO MAX

JEAN SMART

JAKE GILES NETTER/HBO MAX

“Hacks”

JAKE GILES NETTER/HBO MAX

SMART: COURTESY HBO MAX; EINBINDER: JAKE GILES NETTER/HBO MAX

AFTER MANY LONG DECADES, THE TV GODdesses answered our prayers: Jean Smart finally got the chance to step up and lead a series. And what a series it is. “Hacks,” created by “Broad City” alums Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, and Jen Statsky, is the kind of smart, bittersweet (and just plain bitter) comedy that only comes around once in a blue moon.

Longtime character actor Smart stars as Deborah Vance, a Joan Rivers–esque standup comedian whose star is on the wane. After years of performing on a Las Vegas stage, Deborah is skirting the edges of irrelevance.

Enter Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder), a young comedy writer who, in the middle of her own career crisis, is sent to the City of Sin to help Deborah modernize her act. What follows is a season-long dance of mutual loathing and respect between the two—a boomer and a millennial meeting in the no-man’s-land between generations. The title “Hacks” refers both to how the world at large views these ambitious, difficult women and also to the thousand little scars they leave on each other.

As Deborah, Smart is funny and acerbic in equal measure. It’s a pose she honed on “Watchmen,” her previous HBO series, as ex-superhero Laurie Blake. She makes an absolute feast of Deborah, a woman whose confidence, authority, and occasional cruelty form the hard outer shell around a core of bone-deep insecurity. She’s also, vitally, hilarious. We challenge you to find a funnier scene on 2021 TV than when “Hacks” devotes a full minute to Deborah changing the CO2 tank on her in-home soda machine. It’s a feat of physical comedy that’s made all the funnier by how absolutely straight Smart plays it. It’s no wonder the actor took home her fourth Emmy for the role.

It’s no easy task to play opposite Smart, but Einbinder gives as good as she gets—in her screen debut, no less. She’s an unlikely but perfect foil as Ava, a woman who’s got as much to lose as her elder does, if not more. The actor is adept at conveying both Ava’s pride and desperation; she’s at the end of her rope financially and professionally, but she can’t help being anyone but herself. The chemistry she shares with Smart is electric, and together, these two turn “Hacks” into a surprisingly touching love story.

There’s also much to be said for the supporting cast of top-notch comedians and character actors. Following her yearslong run on “It’s

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Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” Kaitlin Olson brings pitch-black humor to DJ, Deborah’s screwed-up daughter; she expresses the agony and resignation of an adult child who can’t help but take what scraps she can of her mother’s distant love. In a show full of revelatory performances, perhaps the one that stands out most is Carl Clemons-Hopkins as Marcus, the endlessly patient CEO of Deborah’s empire. They’re the voice of reason in a world of giant egos, and it’s riveting to watch their composure wear thin over the course of Season 1.

And then there’s the show’s other dynamic duo: co-creator Downs as Deborah and Ava’s shared manager, Jimmy, and cult comedian Megan Stalter as his hapless assistant Kayla.

They’re an old-school comedy team—Downs as the put-upon straight man, and Stalter chewing the scenery; she’s so absurd that you can’t help but love her. Oozing manic energy, Jeff Ward makes a lasting impression on his one-episode turn as George, Ava’s disastrous one-night stand. And we’re hoping to see more of Poppy Liu’s Kiki, Deborah’s personal blackjack dealer and Ava’s confidante, on Season 2.

POPPY LIU

—JENNA SCHERER

KAITLIN OLSON AND CARL CLEMONS-HOPKINS

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Ensembles

“The Handmaid’s Tale”

FIRSTNAME/LASTNAME

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O-T FAGBENLE, AMANDA BRUGEL, ALEXIS BLEDEL, AND SAMIRA WILEY

YOU’D THINK THAT BY ITS FOURTH SEAson, Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” would have eased the physical, emotional, and mental terror it subjects its characters— and thus its viewers—to on each hourlong episode. But then again, real-world horrors certainly haven’t relented since the Hulu drama premiered in the spring of 2017; why, then, should the series’ fictional atrocities?

It’s a safe bet that when we eventually look back on the legacy of this streamer, we’ll be discussing how it mirrored this era’s war on human rights.

But with this most recent season, which upped the series’ Emmy nomination count to a whopping 75, Bruce Miller’s drama may have achieved its most chilling real-world parallel to date: desensitization. Just as thinking of current events as the “new normal” has become a survival tactic in the real world, it’s also now a prerequisite for watching “The Handmaid’s Tale.” Ritualistic assaults that were shocking on the first season are now par for the course on every gorgeously shot installment. And believe it or not, that is an excellent thing for a show that has graduated from zeitgeist lightning rod to one of this moment’s cultural tentpoles.

To be fair, the dystopian world Margaret Atwood created in her 1985 novel—in which a military theocracy uses female bodies as breeding vehicles—has packed a political punch for decades. With the help of Miller and producer-star Elisabeth Moss, that world has been rendered uncomfortably real from Episode 1. Thanks to the cast’s performances, the show’s premise has moved from the realm of the plausible to the seemingly inevitable.

That starts at the top with award-winning powerhouse Moss. Despite having laid herself bare on camera for years, the actor’s work gets more revelatory the longer we know and the more deeply we care for her June. Her signature close-ups in particular—a SOPHIE GIRAUD/HULU

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barely registered flicker of the eye, a grimace—should be studied in screen acting classes. She’s carried the gargantuan series on her back, but watching June step into a leadership position in recent seasons is akin to watching a caged dog at last released to loose its full ferocity.

That isn’t to diminish Moss’ sparring partners: Emmy winner Ann Dowd comes into devastating focus on an award-worthy episode highlighting Aunt Lydia’s backstory.

Her chemistry opposite Madeline Brewer’s poor, maddened Janine is particularly excruciating and compelling. As June’s lost husband Luke, O-T Fagbenle reminds us of how dystopia deprives its citizens of a normal life. Meanwhile, Serena Joy Waterford remains the most ambiguous character on television thanks entirely to the devilish sympathy Yvonne Strahovski projects.

Joseph Fiennes is as chilling as ever in the role of Commander Waterford.

As Commander Nick Blaine, Max Minghella proves how moments of beauty and optimism stand out amid this otherwise bleak saga. When he shares a boldly romantic kiss with June, Minghella makes the case that this character’s heart will win out over his strategic mind. Emmy winners Samira Wiley (as Moira) and the ever-heartbreaking Alexis Bledel (as Emily) provide nuanced character studies with every episode, bringing both of their characters’ unimaginable circumstances into sharp focus.

What truly makes the fourth season of “Handmaid’s” excel, however, is Bradley Whitford (Moss’ former “West Wing” co-star), whose arc as the eccentric and capricious Commander Lawrence helps the show avoid a narrative slump. Whitford strikes the perfect balance between protective and putrid; it’s no wonder he’s already won an Emmy for the gig—with plenty more awards for him and his collaborators to follow, surely.

— CASEY MINK

MAIN CAST: Alexis Bledel, Madeline Brewer, Amanda Brugel, Ann Dowd, O-T Fagbenle, Joseph Fiennes, Sam Jaeger, Max Minghella, Elisabeth Moss, Yvonne Strahovski, Bradley Whitford, Samira Wiley CASTING BY: Sharon Bialy, Robin D. Cook, Russell Scott, and Sherry Thomas CREATED BY: Bruce Miller DISTRIBUTED BY: Hulu

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ISSA RAE

YVONNE ORJI

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MERIE W. WALLACE/HBO

MAIN CAST: Wade Allain-Marcus, Jay Ellis, Christina Elmore, Alexander Hodge, Yvonne Orji, Issa Rae, Leonard Robinson, Natasha Rothwell, Kendrick Sampson, Amanda Seales, Courtney Taylor CASTING BY: Matthew Maisto and Victoria Thomas CREATED BY: Issa Rae and Larry Wilmore DISTRIBUTED BY: HBO

TOP: RAYMOND LIU; BOTTOM: MERIE W. WALLACE/HBO

“Insecure”

NATASHA ROTHWELL, YVONNE ORJI, ISSA RAE, AMANDA SEALES, AND WADE ALLAIN-MARCUS

MERIE W. WALLACE/HBO

TOP: RAYMOND LIU; BOTTOM: MERIE W. WALLACE/HBO

THERE ARE MANY REASONS TO LOVE ISSA Rae’s “Insecure.” Whether it’s the entertaining hangout feel of the show or the detailed exploration of the Black female experience in modern-day America, the HBO dramedy has something for everyone. A big part of its success can be attributed to a cast that brings multiple dimensions to the series’ realistic storylines.

Rae plays Issa Dee, a millennial in Los Angeles taking on the pressures of balancing her career with her relationships. As a Black woman, Rae highlights a specific journey that hasn’t really been explored so candidly and directly on television before; her lovable awkwardness makes her one of the most relatable characters on the small screen. Even in situations in which she might not necessarily be in the right, her persistent optimism keeps her afloat. The fifth and final season sees Issa continuing to hit personal milestones while struggling to maintain her relationships.

Yvonne Orji plays Molly Carter, Issa’s best friend since college. A successful lawyer, Molly faces discrimination as a woman in the workplace; but she has even more difficulty withdating thanks to her open-and-shut approach to love and her unwillingness to compromise.

Her inability to look beyond herself worms its way into her relationship with Issa. Orji has the

ability to dig into the layers that make Molly difficult to pin down: She’s selfish but loyal; she’s supportive but judgmental; she’s smart, but not always emotionally adept. Still, Orji’s performance makes Molly a character we want to see end up on top.

The supporting ensemble brings impressive depth to the show’s world. Jay Ellis charts the evolution of Lawrence Walker, Issa’s

JAY ELLIS AND CHRISTINA ELMORE

ex-boyfriend, from a man stuck in a personal and professional rut to a proactive go-getter. As his character develops, things get complicated opposite Issa and Christina Elmore’s Condola; it’s one of the most complex love triangles in recent memory, transcending TV’s typical “willthey-won’t-they” scenario.

Then there are Issa and Molly’s friends Kelli and Tiffany, portrayed by the scene-stealing Natasha Rothwell and Amanda Seales, respectively. Their comedic finesse throws audiences off the scent of dramatic reveals to come.

Seales’ exploration of Tiffany’s postpartum depression, in particular, is a moving highlight, while Rothwell portrays world-weariness in surprisingly subtle ways.

As Nathan, Issa’s friend-turned-lover, Kendrick Sampson brings important real-world discussions about self-preservation and mental health into the story. Courtney Taylor is immediately likeable as Sequoia, Issa’s intern and executive assistant (as she likes to describe it); her comic timing fits perfectly with the vibe of a show that’s entering its last hurrah.

“Insecure” is multifaceted enough for every viewer to find a character they identify with. Even though we’re saying a bittersweet goodbye to our favorite L.A. millennials, watching their development over the span of five seasons has made it hella easy for them to stick with us for the many years to come.

—JALEN MICHAEL

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“Loki”

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CHUCK ZLOTNICK

MAIN CAST: Eugene Cordero, Sophia Di Martino, Richard E. Grant, Tom Hiddleston, Sasha Lane, Jonathan Majors, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Wunmi Mosaku, Deobia Oparei, Tara Strong, Jack Veal, Owen Wilson CASTING BY: Sarah Finn and Krista Husar CREATED BY: Michael Waldron DISTRIBUTED BY: Disney+

CHUCK ZLOTNICK

OWEN WILSON AND GUGU MBATHA-RAW

ANY MARVEL FAN WOULD ARGUE THAT Michael Waldron’s spinoff series “Loki” is worth a spot on awards voters’ lists. But what about those who aren’t totally immersed in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? How does the show compare to other Disney+ series released in the past year, and does it live up to the hype?

Critics have said yes, and we’re inclined to agree. The six episodes of “Loki” Season 1 did something that other Marvel spinoffs haven’t been able to do before: bring to life a plot that could almost live without ties to the rest of the MCU. The drama takes a notable character— the love-to-hate, hate-to-love villain Loki—and sends him on his own adventures, complete with time-traveling hijinks, outstanding visual effects, and a vintage science-fiction aesthetic that proves unforgettable.

To no one’s surprise, Tom Hiddleston once again brings a delicious, delightful charm to the Asgardian God of Mischief; no one can deliver a quip quite like he can. For fans and casual viewers alike, he reconciles a would-be villain’s backstory with an increasingly nonlinear plotline, providing a complex look inside Loki’s evolving persona.

Other players have standout moments throughout the series, too. Comic legend Owen Wilson makes his debut in the Marvel superhero world as Mobius, a detective and agent of the Time Variance Authority (TVA), a bureaucratic organization charged with monitoring the space-time continuum.

Wilson is fantastic at getting viewers hooked on his growing relationship with Hiddleston’s Loki; by the season’s conclusion, their friendship carries the story’s emotional weight. (To the dismay of Wilson’s fanbase, he does not let slip even one iconic “Wowww.”

Maybe next season!)

Matching those shrewd performances is Sophia Di Martino as the strong-willed Sylvie, an alternate-timeline variant of Loki. Her introduction, as she hisses at Hiddleston, “This isn’t about you,” upends the story. Moving seamlessly from antagonist to Loki’s reluctant partner to his love interest, Di Martino reinforces what makes “Loki” unlike any other Marvel property: She establishes a villainous dynamic only to reveal hidden psychological layers, showing Sylvie’s softer side without sacrificing her kickass qualities. It’s an

intimate look at a complex superpowered woman that we’ve never seen before.

Joining them are TVA operatives including Wunmi Mosaku, kicking off the series with a show of brutal (and hilarious) strength as Hunter B-15; the naturally funny Eugene Cordero as a befuddled office drone; and the always terrific Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Ravonna Renslayer, a judge whose job is to decide the fates of variants like Loki—and who might have a far more sinister agenda.

That’s to say nothing of stellar guest appearances from the likes of Richard E. Grant as an altogether different Loki in an alternate dimension full of surprises; Tara Strong as the eerily upbeat voice of TVA mascot Miss Minutes; and Jonathan Majors as—spoiler alert!—He Who Remains, the allimportant man behind the curtain.

“Loki” is a contender for 2022 SAG Award nominations thanks to Hiddleston and his co-stars’ commitment to such fun, complicated characters. This cohesive cast brings the ambitious sci-fi plot to life, making it a treat for both Marvel diehards and those who simply enjoy great TV. —JACQUELINE TYNES

CHUCK ZLOTNICK

CHUCK ZLOTNICK

TOM HIDDLESTON AND SOPHIA DI MARTINO

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REESE WITHERSPOON AND JENNIFER ANISTON

“The Morning Show” WITH “THE MORNING SHOW,” EXECUTIVE producer–stars Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon prove that actors can be visionaries behind the camera, too. If you were to tune in to the Apple TV+ drama without knowing a thing, it would still be apparent that the two leading ladies have infused their creativity and work ethic into its DNA. The series prioritizes the ensemble’s collective world-building and trusts its stars to handle huge dramatic swings.

Developed by Kerry Ehrin and created by Jay Carson, “The Morning Show” is both a jewel in Apple TV+’s crown and popcorn entertainment.

The series checks both those boxes by reflecting today’s real-life issues while also keeping us hooked on its high-octane drama. Given the source material—Brian Stelter’s book “Top of the Morning: Inside the Cutthroat World of Morning TV”—that drama is inevitable, and top-notch directing from Mimi Leder, Tucker Gates, Rachel Morrison, and others takes it to another level.

“The Morning Show” Season 2 picks up after the explosive Season 1 finale. Following the dismissal of the titular news show’s anchor Mitch Kessler (Steve Carell) due to sexual predation allegations, his longtime co-host Alex Levy (Aniston) brings on field reporter Bradley Jackson (Witherspoon) to replace him. The two

become champions of the #MeToo movement, exposing the network’s cover-ups of scandals live on the air.

The show’s sophomore season further seeks to mirror our times. It begins on New Year’s Eve 2019, charting COVID-19’s shift from obscure news tidbit to full-blown catastrophe. The pandemic presents jaw-dropping twists for Alex and Mitch, the latter having fled to Italy to escape public scrutiny and to contemplate his reputation, shame, and (perhaps) eventual repentance.

Aniston’s SAG Award–winning turn as the power-hungry Alex is as riveting as ever; the actor ramps up the dramatic anticipation without abandoning her off-center—even campy—comedic sensibilities. Witherspoon, meanwhile, continues to deliver righteous fury and sarcasm so sharp it could cut you as Bradley. This season expands her character’s existential crisis, making us both recoil and feel for her. Julianna Margulies joins her as Laura Peterson, a veteran news anchor with absolutely nothing to prove but much to teach Bradley, both professionally and personally.

Billy Crudup’s Emmy-winning Cory Ellison, a rising network executive and corporate cockroach you just can’t kill, becomes more vulnerable as the chaos he’s helped create intensifies.

He remains the embodiment of privileged men everywhere, always consuming, always wanting more; so why do we root for his success?

Meanwhile, watching Mark Duplass’ Chip Black give in to stress so intense that it verges on absurd is the show’s richest source of dark comedy.

His painfully complex dynamic opposite Aniston should be examined in scene study classes.

Surrounding this core group are those left to constantly navigate redrawn battle lines and clean up the messes: Karen Pittman (Mia), Greta Lee (Stella), Nestor Carbonell (Yanko), and Desean Terry (Daniel) portray people who feel like real-life co-workers.

Pepper in guest actors who up the star wattage of each episode, and “The Morning Show” Season 2 becomes required viewing. Marcia Gay Harden returns as a scoop-hunting reporter, Holland Taylor delivers nonchalant boldness as a boardroom exec, and Hasan Minhaj threatens to steal the show as a charming co-anchor. Will Arnett, Kathy Najimy, Mindy Kaling, Bel Powley, and more drop in to solidify this show’s reputation.

After all, this is a series for actors, driven by actors, and populated by some of today’s best actors. We have Aniston and Witherspoon to thank for giving them the platform they so deserve. —JACK SMART

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ERIN SIMKIN

MAIN CAST: Jennifer Aniston, Nestor Carbonell, Steve Carell, Billy Crudup, Mark Duplass, Greta Lee, Julianna Margulies, Ruairi O’Connor, Karen Pittman, Desean Terry, Reese Witherspoon CASTING BY: Victoria Thomas CREATED BY: Jay Carson and Kerry Ehrin DISTRIBUTED BY: Apple TV+

CRAIG BLANKENHORN/HULU

“Only Murders in the Building” MAIN CAST: James CREATED BY: John

Caverly, Aaron Dominguez, Selena Gomez, Nathan Lane, Steve Martin, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Amy Ryan, Martin Short Hoffman and Steve Martin DISTRIBUTED BY: Hulu

HULU’S “ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING” IS a prime example of how unlikely pairings in casting can make for something spectacular.

Who would have thought a banjo-playing comedian, a Canadian improv legend, and a former Disney Channel kid would give us one of the best whodunits in years?

Starring Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez as neighbors and true-crime podcast lovers who find themselves attempting to solve a murder in their building, the Arconia, this series proves to be almost as fun as its actors.

Martin, who co-created the show with John Hoffman, leads the trio as Charles-Haden Savage, an actor who was popular in the 1990s and is now hungry for excitement. In what’s perhaps Martin’s most true-to-life role yet, he gets some classic “actor’s life” moments: hanging out with his stunt double (played by Jane Lynch, in one of the series’ best gags) and skipping an audition to interrogate a suspect.

But he also gets the chance to build dramatic tension and deliver satisfying comedic payoffs.

Martin makes it easy to root for Charles—even if his neighbors at the Arconia won’t.

Frenemy and fellow resident Oliver Putnam (Short) is along for the ride; he’s an eccentric, washed-up Broadway director who’s struggling

to pay rent. Short is no stranger to playing oddballs, and his over-the-top charisma shines on all 10 episodes. The series deals with heavy subject matter (like, you know, murder), but Short’s perfect timing offers much-needed levity. The running gag of Oliver’s zany fantasy sequences, in which he casts and directs every one of the suspects, never gets old.

Gomez is fun to watch as their counterbalance, the straight-faced Mabel Mora, a mysterious young woman and Arconia resident who joins the investigation. From the get-go, Mabel is obviously an asset to the mission, but she initially comes off as cold. Still, she maintains genuine chemistry with her co-stars and soon gets the opportunity to explore her character’s vulnerabilities.

Acting alongside these three powerhouses makes the standout supporting cast all the more remarkable. Aaron Dominguez stars as Oscar, a friend from Mabel’s past who served time for a crime he didn’t commit. The actor plays it oh so cool; his confidence makes him seem likable and trustworthy—which shouldn’t be the case on a show in which no character is automatically innocent. Even with the twists and turns Oscar’s path takes, he makes you feel that you’re standing on solid ground.

Nathan Lane plays Teddy Dimas, an Arconia

ERIN SIMKIN

CRAIG BLANKENHORN/HULU

STEVE MARTIN, MARTIN SHORT, AND SELENA GOMEZ

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CASTING BY: Destiny

Lilly

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resident and former investor in Oliver’s stage productions. Teddy’s exchanges with Oliver as the latter tries to convince him to support his podcast, as well as Teddy’s dynamic with his deaf son, Theo, gives the scene-stealing Lane time and space to breathe.

Theo, played by James Caverly, gets some pivotal moments himself—particularly in Episode 7. There’s almost no audible dialogue in the course of the half hour; instead, the episode focuses on communication through American Sign Language and physicality. Caverly doesn’t miss a beat, offering an inside look at both the beauty and the challenges of deafness.

Amy Ryan, as professional bassoonist Jan, adds a wholesome energy—with some surprising kinks thrown in—that underscores her developing relationship with Charles. Da’Vine Joy Randolph as Detective Williams—who rules the murder in question to be an openand-shut case of suicide—delivers a straightforward, impatient attitude that makes her one of the series’ most relatable characters.

Despite being in way over their heads, leaving it to professionals like Williams is never an option for the trio, and that tension makes for comedy gold.

“Only Murders in the Building” is one of the surprise hits of the year thanks to a charismatic cast with pitch-perfect overlaps and complementary skills. Season 2 has a clear launchpad— which is a relief, considering how attached we are to these characters already. —JALEN MICHAEL 12.20.21 12.20.21BACKSTAGE BACKSTAGE

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“Pose”

Bernhard, Dyllón Burnside, Angel Bismark Curiel, Dominique Jackson, Indya Moore, Billy Porter, Jason A. Rodriguez, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Angelica Ross, Hailie Sahar, Ryan Jamaal Swain CASTING BY: Alexa L. Fogel CREATED BY: Steven Canals, Brad Falchuk, and Ryan Murphy DISTRIBUTED BY: FX

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ERIC LIEBOWITZ/FX

MAIN CAST: Sandra

ERIC LIEBOWITZ/FX

INDYA MOORE, DOMINIQUE JACKSON, HAILIE SAHAR, AND MICHAELA JAÉ RODRIGUEZ

ERIC LIEBOWITZ/FX

ERIC LIEBOWITZ/FX

THE SUCCESS OF “POSE,” WHOSE THIRD AND final season aired this year, lies in its ability to do multiple things at once. Yes, it’s a record-breaking, trailblazing series that paints a detailed picture of New York City’s 1980s ballroom scene. But it’s the series’ hyperfocus on its characters—played by a cast that, for the first time in scripted TV history, included multiple transgender women of color—that makes it feel intimate despite the crowd.

And damn, is it a crowd: the looks, the struts, the vogue-the-house-down slays. The FX drama from Steven Canals, Ryan Murphy, and Brad Falchuk is cast by Alexa L. Fogel to near perfection, from the top of the call sheet to the unnamed background characters.

Blanca Rodriguez (Michaela Jaé Rodriguez) is the matriarch of the House of Evangelista, tenderly mothering poor, queer kids of color in Manhattan. But she isn’t all softness; her anger, sadness, and desperation are also in crisp focus, and they make Blanca a compelling centerpiece for this series.

Making up the rest of the Evangelista clan are Indya Moore as sex worker and aspiring model Angel, Ryan Jamaal Swain as burgeoning dancer Damon, Angel Bismark Curiel as the wily Lil Papi, and Dyllón Burnside as the resourceful Ricky. The chemistry among this makeshift family is tangible, with each bringing their own essence to the show’s already well-formed dynamics.

Meanwhile, a deliciously wicked Dominique Jackson plays Elektra, the cutthroat mother who leads various rival houses; she’s the yin to Blanca’s yang. Where the former prioritizes securing her chosen children’s lasting success outside of the ballroom, Elektra lives to serve only her ego. Yet by the time she rejoins House Evangelista, Elektra’s dominance over her many children (Jason A. Rodriguez, Hailie Sahar, and the brilliant Angelica Ross among them) changes into graceful submission, showcasing that Jackson does, indeed, have range.

As sharp-tongued ballroom emcee Pray Tell, Billy Porter comes out swinging and never lets up; he’s a veteran of the scene who is fighting his own battle with HIV. The Emmy winner has standout moment after standout moment on the show, including the heartbreaking realization of his positive status, and later, musical performances that remind us why the theater veteran is now

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one of Hollywood’s biggest stars. The final season—particularly the finale—had us in tears as fan favorites Blanca and Pray Tell navigated life with HIV/AIDS, and as Pray ultimately—spoiler alert—succumbed while prioritizing those around him by entering a clinical trial testing new medications.

Big-picture issues like gay rights, drug abuse, and the HIV/AIDS epidemic are woven throughout the series, but the true baseline of “Pose” is the group of people that its creators grant us the space and time to get to know.

Despite nearly a dozen actors appearing in almost every episode, their intimate storylines push “Pose” beyond voguing and flashy costumes. Gaudy in just the right places, the series is heartfelt without being saccharine and meaningful without being didactic.

“Pose” is something to be celebrated; it stands out in the prestige TV landscape as a source of joy and entertainment. By the end of it, you’ll want to do all of the things the show breathily demands of its audience at the top of every episode: Live! Work! Pose, baby!

INDYA MOORE AND BILLY PORTER

—BRIANA RODRIGUEZ

BILLY PORTER AND MICHAELA JAÉ RODRIGUEZ

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“Schmigadoon!” backstage.com

IS THERE ANYTHING MORE ESCAPIST THAN a musical? The genius of Apple TV+’s new series “Schmigadoon!” which includes original songs by co-creator Cinco Paul, is that it captures the escapism of an old-time musical while also commenting on it—at times mocking the genre’s earnest schmaltz.

To be clear, that mockery comes from a place of genuine love. Leading actor and series producer Cecily Strong sets the tone for this particular sendup. Onscreen, she alternates between indulging in the sweeping emotions that are typical of classic movie musicals and providing the perspective of a modern-day fan. “You need a better agent,” she quips to a co-star as he serenades her.

The conceit of “Schmigadoon!” facilitates winks to the camera, inviting audiences in on the joke while daring them to resist the parody’s charms. Strong and Keegan-Michael Key play Melissa and Josh, two doctors in a rocky relationship whose backpacking trip takes them to the titular town—a magical, candy-colored fantasyland they can’t escape from until they find true love. To Melissa’s bemusement and Josh’s exasperation, said town believes it’s living inside a golden age– style musical (think “Brigadoon”), in which spontaneous dance numbers and singsong narration can erupt at any moment.

Strong is having the time of her life, and her enthusiasm and wry sense of humor prove infectious. In contrast, Key’s Josh is an emotionally repressed dude whose feelings emerge in comedic bursts. Among this actor’s many skills is his ability to play a party pooper; his hilarious frustration gives a voice to viewers who consider themselves musical skeptics.

Joining them is an ensemble cast with perhaps the highest musical theater pedigree of any TV comedy ever. In order for us to buy into this magical world, convincing performances from masterful stage stars are required. Within moments of each of their introductions, we know that Tony Award– winning legends like Kristin Chenoweth, ROBERT FALCONER

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Alan Cumming, Jane Krakowski, and Aaron Tveit can deliver.

Tveit channels “Carousel” with his portrayal of Danny Bailey, the town’s rakish carnival barker. Dove Cameron serves sunny smiles and off-kilter humor as waitress Betsy McDonough (clearly inspired by “Oklahoma!”).

Cumming is closeted Schmigadoon mayor Aloysius Menlove, while the great Ann Harada plays his wife, Florence; their solos, his about repressed love and hers about sexual frustration, also include Strong’s most hilarious asides.

Soon-to-be household name Ariana DeBose makes schoolmarm Emma Tate three-dimensional. An independent woman who nevertheless becomes romantically entangled with Josh, Emma is both an obvious homage to “The Music Man” and an original creation from a talented actor. The same can be said for Jaime Camil’s absurdly funny Doc Jorge Lopez, whose puppy-dog eyes alone deserve awards attention.

And then there’s Chenoweth, whose performance as preacher’s wife Mildred Layton is among her very best—which, considering her work on stage and screen, is really saying something. With ramrodstraight posture and lips pursed defiantly at her fellow townspeople’s sins, she delivers the show’s funniest character without once cracking a smile. Mildred’s “Music Man”–like number in Episode 5, filmed in a single shot that’s more than four astonishing minutes long, is a triumphant reminder of the power of impeccable vocals, choreography, and design.

The fact that even the cameos on “Schmigadoon!” are star-studded makes this a series worthy of ensemble award consideration; Krakowski plays a rich and haughty countess (parodying “The Sound of Music”), Fred Armisen is Mildred’s patient husband and the town reverend, and Martin Short appears briefly as—why not?—a leprechaun. Whether you’re a musical theater lover like Melissa or inclined to roll your eyes like Josh, this is a dream cast. —JACK SMART

MAIN CAST: Fred Armisen, Dove Cameron, Jaime Camil, Kristin Chenoweth, Alan Cumming, Ariana DeBose, Ann Harada, Keegan-Michael Key, Jane Krakowski, Liam Quiring-Nkindi, Martin Short, Cecily Strong, Aaron Tveit CASTING BY: Kristian Charbonier and Bernard Telsey CREATED BY: Ken Daurio and Cinco Paul DISTRIBUTED BY: Apple TV+

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“Squid Game”

MAIN CAST: Heo

of the first episode, makes one bad decisions after another. However, it’s his determination to provide for his daughter that endears him to us, and Lee sells that well. He can make us laugh at his sincere naiveté and make us feel horrified right alongside him as he battles his way through the games.

Park Hae-soo plays Cho Sang-woo, an old friend of Gi-hun who enters the game after stealing money from his clients to pay off his debts. Jung Hoyeon stars as the fearless Kang Sae-byeok, who needs money in order to rescue her family from North Korea. Oh Yeong-su plays Oh Il-nam, an elderly man with a brain tumor.

And Anupam Tripathi is Ali Abdul, a Pakistani migrant who is desperate to provide for his family. Each person has their motivation for subjecting themselves to the deadly competition; and while each is inherently flawed, it’s fascinating to watch how the balance between death and a huge payday teases out certain characteristics within each person.

The show also explores other contestants, such as the tough gangster Jang Deok-su, played

by Heo Sung-tae, and the enigmatic con artist Han Mi-nyeo, played by Kim Joo-Ryung. Then there’s Wi Ha-Joon’s Hwang Jun-ho, a detective who infiltrates the mysterious island where the game takes place. The scenes in which he investigates the area add even more suspense to the already thrilling plot, leaving viewers breathlessly anticipating the next development.

“Squid Game” excels with these characters because they aren’t just vessels for impending chaos and violence—they’re actual humans with lives and aspirations of their own. That’s what grounds the story and pulls us in, so that when we’re watching a fatal game of tug of war or Red Light, Green Light, we’re invested in the stakes. The series’ underlying messaging is about how capitalism divides citizens with its “everyone for themselves” mentality, and the actors convey it by hitting every mark.

—JALEN MICHAEL

YOUNGKYU PARK

NETFLIX’S MEGAHIT SERIES “SQUID GAME” IS what happens when studios take a risk and fund content that lies beyond the proven conventions of Hollywood. It follows a group of 456 players, all plucked from different backgrounds and of varying degrees of financial desperation, who compete in children’s games with deadly stakes for an astronomically life-changing cash prize. The South Korean thriller is Netflix’s most popular original series ever and the recipient of near-universal acclaim thanks to its clever premise, thrilling set pieces, and poignant themes. Its bloody exploration of class and capitalism made for one of the most entertaining series of the year, and the spectacular cast helped lead the way.

Lee Jung-jae stars as Seong Gi-hun, a divorced father with severe money issues.

Gi-hun is a gambling addict who gets into deep trouble when some gangsters call in his debt while his mother’s health is in decline. He is a flawed character who, in the opening minutes

Sung-tae, Jung Hoyeon, Kim Joo-Ryung, Lee Jung-jae, Oh Yeong-su, Park Hae-soo, Anupam Tripathi, Wi Ha-Joon N. Fawzy CREATED BY: Hwang Dong-hyuk DISTRIBUTED BY: Netflix

CASTING BY: Abdelrahman

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TOP: DAVID RUSSELL/HBO; BOTTOM: MACALL B. POLAY/HBO

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“Succession” MAIN CAST: Nicholas Braun, Brian Cox, James Cromwell, Kieran Culkin, Peter Friedman, Sanaa Lathan, Matthew Macfadyen, Alan Ruck, Alexander Skarsgård, J. Smith-Cameron, Sarah Snook, Fisher Stevens, Jeremy Strong CASTING BY: Avy Kaufman CREATED BY: Jesse Armstrong DISTRIBUTED BY: HBO

DID ANY SHOW THIS YEAR GENERATE AS much buzz as the long-awaited third season of “Succession”? The drama about a family-run media empire is brutally funny and watchable.

Showrunner Jesse Armstrong (“In the Loop,” “The Thick of It”) gives his actors plenty to work with, from intricate plotting to barbed-wire dialogue, and the cast elevates that material to dizzying heights.

The show orbits around the Roy family’s imperious patriarch, Logan, an old-media mogul played with bad-tempered authority by industry vet Brian Cox. After fending off coups, Logan sets out to shore up his company Waystar Royco’s holdings, ferret out whistleblowers, and puppeteer his adult children to his own ends.

As his character veers from paranoid fury to schoolboy infatuation, Cox’s craggy baritone and imposing presence suggest a man used to bending the world to his will from inside the prison of his own god complex.

But the emotional center of this series is “No. 1 boy”–turned-traitor Kendall (Jeremy Strong).

A striving, self-sabotaging addict, Kendall is a brittle husk of a human being who’s wracked with guilt following his involvement in a fatal car accident. Last season, he got the courage to stand up to his old man in his own bid for power. Strong’s glassy eyes and faraway stare sell the vacancy of a man who’s both a hilariously shortsighted, power-hungry scion and a lifelong

JEREMY STRONG

victim of his father’s ruthlessness. Strong is nothing short of revelatory.

Sarah Snook shines as the aptly named Shiv, who was once tapped by her father to succeed him as Waystar Royco’s next CEO. But the succession’s failure to manifest curdles her characteristic self-assurance into arrogant

YOUNGKYU PARK

TOP: DAVID RUSSELL/HBO; BOTTOM: MACALL B. POLAY/HBO

ALAN RUCK AND SARAH SNOOK

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insecurity. Whether Shiv is talking a sexual assault victim out of testifying against the company or getting caught red-faced at the podium as Nirvana interrupts her over the loudspeakers, Snook is a master at modulating her body language and tone to signal empathy while hiding psychological manipulation.

Rounding out the central Roy siblings is Kieran Culkin’s Roman. Long the so-called “fuck-knuckle” of the bunch, Culkin delights in slinging Roman’s cutdowns; you can practically see his inner child operating the levers. The last two seasons have seen him mature beyond just playing the jester to reveal a budding business savvy. Culkin aptly highlights the neediness and doubt that come with being the runt of the litter.

Outside of that power-hungry trio, there are also Alan Ruck’s outstandingly clueless Connor, Nicholas Braun’s awkward Cousin Greg, and J. Smith-Cameron’s deliciously dry Gerri. Perhaps most impressive is Matthew Macfadyen as Shiv’s husband, Tom Wambsgans, a vain coward who punches down in order to soothe his impostor syndrome. Macfadyen imbues him with such interior turmoil that his heartless actions are, at least, understandable.

Watching these actors and the rest of the excellent ensemble bounce off each other is a pleasure. Always in lockstep with Armstrong’s sardonic-yet-serious perspective, they turn every interaction into a Rorschach test of sincerity versus ulterior motives. To make a roiling viper pit of the ultra-wealthy so compelling in 2021 is no small feat. —TYLER O’NEILL 12.20.21 12.20.21BACKSTAGE BACKSTAGE

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“Ted Lasso”

BRETT GOLDSTEIN, ELODIE BLOMFIELD, AND JUNO TEMPLE

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COLIN HUTTON

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ON APPLE TV+’S “TED LASSO,” CO-CREator and star Jason Sudeikis showcases the kind of charisma you can’t fake. His everyman aptitude (plus his devilish good looks and whip-fast comedy chops) fits the role like a glass slipper—or here, like a leather cleat—on the Emmy-winning British football comedy that has taken TV by storm.

Inspired by a series of NBC Sports commercials Sudeikis starred in from 2013–14, “Ted Lasso” was developed by Bill Lawrence, Brendan Hunt, Joe Kelly, and Sudeikis. It follows a championship-winning American college football coach who gets scooped up by the English Premier League to coach the other kind of football across the pond. The head of the fictional AFC Richmond club, Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham), initially hires Ted to tank the team as vengeance against her ex-husband, the team’s former co-owner.

But by Season 2, she and others in Ted’s orbit have bought into his relentless optimism, choosing, as he and his blue-and-yellow sign remind them, to “believe.”

Watching Ted become a surprisingly competent soccer coach—while subplots featuring fan-favorite characters twist in unexpected directions—is a fundamental joy of tuning in to this comedy. The fact that Sudeikis hits every note perfectly—from offering hokey, small-town adages to earnestly trying to connect with his team and his family back home—is just the cherry on top.

Since it’s an ensemble comedy, the series doesn’t rest solely on Sudeikis’ shoulders.

Hunt plays Coach Beard with deadpan hilarity; what little we learn about him comes in unexpected bursts of hilarity, upping this show’s already high laugh-per-minute rate. Waddingham turns what could’ve been a calculating Cruella de Vil type into a complicated, powerful woman with distinct insecurities. Rebecca is steely, yes, but Waddingham slowly peels back the layers to reveal her heart.

Juno Temple, always a reliable presence

onscreen, plays fiery football player’s girlfriend–turned-publicist Keeley Jones with larger-than-life brassiness—but also with a candor that paints her as a woman who wants more from life. The chemistry between her and Brett Goldstein’s scowling, hardheaded captain-turned-coach Roy Kent makes for the kind of couple we can’t help but root for.

Roy’s not the only footballer we end up adoring. The ensemble of soccer pros assembled by casting director Theo Park play off of each other like the very best acting teams should. Toheeb Jimoh as Sam Obisanya, Cristo Fernández as Dani Rojas, and Kola Bokinni as Isaac McAdoo give as much as they take. Even the relentlessly cocky—but secretly damaged—superstar striker Jamie Tartt (played to slimy perfection by Phil Dunster) leaves you wanting more.

A welcome addition to the Season 2 cast is Sarah Niles as sports psychologist Dr. Sharon Fieldstone, the one person who seems to be immune to Ted’s onslaught of charm. She also becomes the only person who can break through his emotional defenses; As they move from tense to trustful, Niles and Sudeikis play their dynamic with poignant authenticity.

Watching Nick Mohammed’s water-boyturned-assistant-coach Nathan Shelley evolve in an uncomfortably egotistical direction makes for one of Season 2’s most fascinating arcs. Nate comes into his own, with all the ups and downs that entails, expertly charted by an actor who doesn’t need to do much to steal a scene. The same is true of Jeremy Swift’s director of communications, Leslie Higgins. You’re liable to cringe as much as laugh at this veteran actor’s on-camera precision with every microexpression, whether it’s a grimace or smile.

In a time when we all need it most, “Ted Lasso” may be our favorite comfort binge of the pandemic era—and it’s all thanks to its players. —BENJAMIN LINDSAY

MAIN CAST: Elodie Blomfield, Kola Bokinni, Phil Dunster, Cristo Fernández, Brett Goldstein, Brendan Hunt, Toheeb Jimoh, Nick Mohammed, Sarah Niles, Jason Sudeikis, Jeremy Swift, Juno Temple, Hannah Waddingham CASTING BY: Theo Park CREATED BY: Brendan Hunt, Joe Kelly, Bill Lawrence, and Jason Sudeikis DISTRIBUTED BY: Apple TV+

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RON BATZDORFF/NBC

MAIN CAST: Eris Baker, Parker Bates, Asante Blackk, Sterling K. Brown, Lonnie Chavis, Griffin Dunne, Niles Fitch, Mackenzie Hancsicsak, Justin Hartley, Faithe Herman, Jon Huertas, Chrissy Metz, Mandy Moore, Lyric Ross, Logan Shroyer, Chris Sullivan, Caitlin Thompson, Milo Ventimiglia, Susan Kelechi Watson, Hannah Zeile CASTING BY: Tiffany Little Canfield, Josh Einsohn, and Bernard Telsey CREATED BY: Dan Fogelman DISTRIBUTED BY: NBC

RON BATZDORFF/NBC

JUSTIN HARTLEY, CHRISSY METZ, MANDY MOORE, AND STERLING K. BROWN

RON BATZDORFF/NBC

RON BATZDORFF/NBC

NBC’S “THIS IS US” WAS THE FIRST DRAMA to debut new episodes after the pandemic upended the television industry in 2020.

The series follows three siblings and their sprawling family across multiple generations, tackling real-world hardships head-on. For its fifth season, the ensemble masked up and navigated the challenges of both COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement.

The tight-knit cast of character’s resilience comes after a series of challenges back in Season 4. Randall, played by Sterling K. Brown, continues to confront his lifelong struggle with nightmares and early experiences of racism; he finally finds solace on a trip to New Orleans on an episode dedicated to the backstory of his birth mother (Jennifer C. Holmes). The Emmy-winning Brown brings a new level of self-awareness and openness to the heady character.

Justin Hartley also finds new depth in the charming Kevin, who welcomes twins with Madison, sweetly played by Caitlin Thompson. When he steps up to support Madison and their family, it’s the result of several seasons of character growth. As Kate, Chrissy Metz delivers a standout season as she struggles through an imploding marriage with Toby (the note-perfect Chris Sullivan) and a failed adoption.

But it’s the teens who really add depth. The adolescent Kevin, Randall, and Kate—played by Logan Shroyer, Niles Fitch, and Hannah Zeile, respectively—offer winning performances as foils to their adult counterparts. Flashbacks reveal the root causes of the trio’s inner turmoil in a three-episode stretch dedicated to each character in turn. Zeile gives an exacting performance as an angsty Kate, perfectly mirroring Metz’s work. She takes on an emotionally taxing chapter of the character’s life that includes an abusive relationship and an unintended pregnancy. The show’s present-day teens shine, too, namely Eris Baker as Tess. She’s navigating her first romantic relationship, plus a rocky patch with her mom (the brilliant Susan Kelechi Watson), who struggles to say the right things about Tess’ nonbinary partner.

As always, Mandy Moore, as family matriarch Rebecca, pivots impressively between playing an effervescent 30-something and a grandmother navigating the early stages of Alzheimer’s. The

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award-winning star offers one of TV’s most heartbreaking portrayals of memory loss.

The family’s struggle with their mother’s diagnosis (and the split decision around treatment options) causes a lasting rift between Kevin and Randall. The tension results in an extremely emotional fight: a physical brawl between the brothers in which irrevocable words are spoken, leading to a point of no return.

Whether they’re going through sibling spats or work woes, the characters buoy each other up with unconditional love. In the romance department, Milo Ventimiglia and Moore continue to serve audiences marriage goals with their undeniable chemistry as the young Pearson parents. It’s that winning relationship that shapes the love lives of the big three, for better or worse. In the season finale, Madison and Kevin call it quits mere hours before their wedding, and a five-year flash-forward (spoiler alert!) shows Kate getting ready to marry her boss Phillip (Chris Geere).

Viewers can continue to expect the unexpected on the upcoming sixth and final season. Creator Dan Fogelman—along with co-showrunners Isaac Aptaker, Elizabeth Berger, and Ken Olin—have inserted sneak

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peeks of new characters. One thing is certain: The much-lionized ensemble will collectively deal with whatever the next chapter brings, delivering even more heartwarming performances. —ALLISON CONSIDINE

JUSTIN HARTLEY, CAITLIN THOMPSON, AND SUSAN KELECHI WATSON

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NATASIA DEMETRIOU, KRISTEN SCHAAL, AND KAYVAN NOVAK

“What We Do in the Shadows” WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF FOUR VAMPIRES and their familiars lived on Staten Island? That’s the question FX’s mockumentary hit “What We Do in the Shadows” answers as it follows the bumbling adventures of a pack of supernatural New York City residents.

The series, inspired by the 2014 film by Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi, explores how ancient vampires Nandor the Relentless (Kayvan Novak), Laszlo Cravensworth (Matt Berry), and Nadja (Natasia Demetriou), along with energy vampire Colin Robinson (Mark Proksch) and Nandor’s sweater-clad human familiar Guillermo de la Cruz (Harvey Guillén), get on in modern times. As you might imagine, this isn’t always the easiest task for them.

Believe it or not, “What We Do in the Shadows” is as much a hilarious comedy as it is a detailed portrait of the occult. How can you laugh at beings that are essentially feeding on— and usually killing—innocent humans in order to survive? That’s where the show is a testament

Berry, Natasia Demetriou, Harvey Guillén, Kayvan Novak, Mark Proksch, Kristen Schaal Clement DISTRIBUTED BY: FX

finds out he’s a descendant of vampire slayer Van Helsing? Guillén’s scene-stealing abilities as an actor are on full display in such moments.

On top of it all, the mockumentary premise means that this is all being recorded by a human documentary crew. Often, the characters have to warn their fellow vampires not to eat that team; the way the camera moves to convey how the crew members are reacting to the horrors they witness adds a meta-layer of humor.

Each character has their own adventures, from hiding from a rival to creating and training a new vampire. But it’s when the brilliant cast is all together that “What We Do in the Shadows” truly shines. It works because the actors are so good at playing off each other; much of the show is improvised. This makes their relationships feel even more real and draws us further in, no matter the ridiculousness of the situation. The ensemble is this show’s beating heart—even if most of the main characters don’t have one themselves. —LISA GRANSHAW

CASTING BY: Gayle

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MAIN CAST: Matt

to the strength of its committed ensemble.

Over the course of three seasons, we have come to know each of these characters intimately—not only their personalities and quirks, but also their pasts and what led them to this unlikely home in the first place. You can’t help but care about these vamps as they attempt to survive in our world, whether it’s Nandor trying to lead the others; Laszlo and Nadja navigating their centuries-old marriage; or the group’s collective dislike of Colin, who, as an energy vampire, can feed off of them as easily as he can humans. The fundamental absurdity at the heart of “What We Do in the Shadows” doesn’t prevent us from being invested in the characters’ everyday conflicts and problems.

Even when things get dangerously complicated—and they certainly do, as the series doesn’t shy away from harrowing action sequences—hilarity still ensues. How can you resist laughing as the loyal yet conflicted Guillermo, who, in his quest to one day become a bloodsucker himself,

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Lee Jung-jae’s performance is charming. Jung Ho-yeon is a breakout star.

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