3rd Annual TeleFilmiest Awards - Winners (Part 1)

3rd ANNUAL TELEFILMIEST AWARDS - WINNERS ANNOUNCEMENT

Welcome to the official winners announcement for the 3rd Annual TeleFilmiest Awards. It’s been another amazing year of television, and the medium has never been better. From groundbreaking new series like Amazon’s Transparent to old favorites like AMC’s Mad Men leaving on a high note, television is the place to be. I will now present to you half of my winners, with the other half coming tomorrow.

Let’s get things started with Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series.

And the nominees are:

Laurence Fishburne as Pops in black-ish

Jon Hamm as Richard Wayne Gary Wayne in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

Zachary Quinto as Ace in Girls

Kevin Pollak as Alvin in Mom

Martin Short as Dr. Franff in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

And the TeleFilmiest Award goes to…

Jon Hamm as Richard Wayne Gary Wayne in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

Jon Hamm’s performance in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt was completely unreported before his first episode at the end of the season, and that just makes his unexpected turn even better. Playing a religious cult leader to complete insanity yet oddly compelling charisma, Hamm was perfectly cast. This performance truly shows that Hamm is a gifted comedic actor, which is a wonderful discovery after his many years on Mad Men.

___________________________________________________________

The next category is Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series.

And the nominees are:

Pamela Adlon as Pamela in Louie

Tina Fey as Marcia Clark in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

Jenifer Lewis as Ruby in black-ish

Yael Stone as Lorna Morello in Orange Is the New Black

Lorraine Toussaint as Yvonne 'Vee' Parker in Orange Is the New Black

And the TeleFilmiest Award goes to…

Yael Stone as Lorna Morello in Orange Is the New Black

Yael Stone’s Morello has always been an odd duck since the beginning of the series but we didn’t learn her backstory until season 2. Morello’s constant talk of Christopher had been used as comedic relief for several episodes, but the fourth episode of the season, “A Whole Other Hole” showcases the character’s tragic delusions about the man she loves. Stone’s heartbreaking performance, which is also tinged with comedy, is ultimately what makes OITNB so brilliant.

___________________________________________________________

Next up we have the award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series.

And the nominees are:

Michael Patrick King & Lisa Kudrow for The Comeback ("Valerie Gets What She Really Wants”)

Chuck Lorre, Eddie Gorodetsky & Nick Bakay for Mom ("Three Smiles and an Unpainted Ceiling”)

Jenji Kohan for Orange Is the New Black ("We Have Manners. We're Polite”)

Michael Schur for Parks and Recreation ("Leslie & Ron”)

Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci & Tony Roche for Veep ("Election Night”)

And the TeleFilmiest Award goes to…

Chuck Lorre, Eddie Gorodetsky & Nick Bakay for Mom ("Three Smiles and an Unpainted Ceiling”)

The most daring comedy episode of the TV season, “Three Smiles and an Unpainted Ceiling” is able to find broad comedy in tragedy. The episode features the sudden death of Christy’s (Anna Faris) father Alvin (Kevin Pollak), just as her mother Bonnie (Allison Janney) is falling in love with him again. The mix of sincerity, darkness, slapstick humor and edginess in this episode is proof that the multicamera format is not dead.

___________________________________________________________

Next we have the award for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series.

And the nominees are:

Michael Patrick King for The Comeback ("Valerie Gets What She Really Wants”)

Phil Lord & Christopher Miller for The Last Man on Earth ("Alive in Tucson”)

Jodie Foster for Orange Is the New Black ("Thirsty Bird”)

Beth McCarthy-Miller for Parks and Recreation ("Leslie & Ron”)

Tristram Shapeero for Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt ("Kimmy Goes Outside!")

And the TeleFilmiest Award goes to…

Michael Patrick King for The Comeback ("Valerie Gets What She Really Wants”)

The final episode of the season (series?), “Valerie Gets What She Really Wants” is a perfect encapsulation of the ridiculous, flawed, beautiful character of Valerie Cherish. Centered around the Emmy Awards, at which Valerie is nominated, she comes to a decision between the glory of fame and the love of family and friends. The episode’s sudden switch from documentary style to film style is a brilliant move that shows Valerie for who she really was, not the persona she put on for cameras.

___________________________________________________________

The next category is Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries or Movie.

And the nominees are:

Frederick Mensch for Nightingale

Jane Anderson for Olive Kitteridge

Peter Straughan for Wolf Hall

And the TeleFilmiest Award goes to…

Jane Anderson for Olive Kitteridge

Adapting Elizabeth Stout’s novel of the same name, Jane Anderson’s four-part script is essentially a complete reworking. The novel features stories from various perspectives, while the miniseries is told entirely from Olive’s, providing an examination of a woman equal parts hard-edged, vulnerable, sardonic and ultimately caring. While each part of the miniseries is told within a different time period, they all come together as the quilt of a woman’s life in unique ways.

___________________________________________________________

Next up we have the category Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries or Movie.

And the nominees are:

Elliott Lester for Nightingale

Lisa Cholodenko for Olive Kitteridge

Peter Kosminsky for Wolf Hall

And the TeleFilmiest Award goes to…

Lisa Cholodenko for Olive Kitteridge

A project as tricky as Olive Kitteridge, which could’ve easily translated to Lifetime-style melodrama in lesser hands, is made into a work of art through the work of Lisa Cholodenko. Her specific brand of steely femininity lends a strong conviction to the miniseries. Cholodenko is unafraid to cast Olive in an unflattering light while highlighting what makes her such a compelling presence in the first place. 

___________________________________________________________

Now we have the award for Outstanding Actor in a Miniseries or Movie.

And the nominees are:

Richard Jenkins as Henry Kitteridge in Olive Kitteridge

Damian Lewis as Henry VIII in Wolf Hall

David Oyelowo as Peter Snowden in Nightingale

Mark Rylance as Thomas Cromwell in Wolf Hall

Cory Michael Smith as Kevin Coulson in Olive Kitteridge

And the TeleFilmiest Award goes to…

David Oyelowo as Peter Snowden in Nightingale

Coming off the heels of his powerful performance in Selma, Oyelowo proved that he was one of the world’s finest actors with Nightingale. The film is literally a one-man show with Oyelowo commanding the entire movie. Playing a war veteran coming unhinged in his mother’s home, Oyelowo’s performance is one that very few actors could pull off while maintaining a level of likable vulnerability and desperation.

___________________________________________________________

Next up is the award for Outstanding Actress in a Miniseries or Movie.

And the nominees are:

Claire Foy as Anne Boleyn in Wolf Hall

Queen Latifah as Bessie Smith in Bessie

Frances McDormand as Olive Kitteridge in Olive Kitteridge

Mo'Nique as Ma Rainey in Bessie

Sarah Paulson as Bette and Dot Tattler in American Horror Story: Freak Show

And the TeleFilmiest Award goes to…

Frances McDormand as Olive Kitteridge in Olive Kitteridge

Frances McDormand as Olive Kitteridge is the best performance of her already amazing career, and it’s one of the best acting performances I’ve seen in a long time. Olive’s hardened resolve, her work ethic background, her amused sensibility and her well hidden vulnerability is all present in her face and the way she carried herself. It would be easy to just make Olive an unlikable monster, but McDormand’s aloof persona gives her an incredible presence.

___________________________________________________________

And now we come to the award for Outstanding Miniseries or Movie.

And the nominees are:

24: Live Another Day

Bessie

Nightingale

Olive Kitteridge

Wolf Hall

And the TeleFilmiest Award goes to…

Olive Kitteridge

What else but Olive Kitteridge. As mentioned previously, the directing, writing and acting in this miniseries are all astounding and they come together to create something wholly original, something I didn’t know I wanted. Taken over the course of 25 years, Olive Kitteridge is a complex portrait of a woman and her family and how attitudes, behavior, parenting styles and more change over the course of a generation, while one woman is perfectly okay with things as they are. It is a quiet epic about an ordinary woman, and that is what makes it extraordinary.

___________________________________________________________

Now we move on to some drama categories. First is the award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.

And the nominees are:

Christian Camargo as Michael Corrigan in House of Cards

Frank Langella as Gabriel in The Americans

Jonathan Pryce as High Sparrow in Game of Thrones

Sam Shepard as Robert Rayburn in Bloodline

Bradley Whitford as Mark/Marcy in Transparent

And the TeleFilmiest Award goes to…

Bradley Whitford as Mark/Marcy in Transparent

Bradley Whitford’s performance in Transparent is definitely a transformative experience for those who have followed his career. Whitford plays a friend of Mort/Maura who has hidden prejudices while also secretly leading a life as a crossdresser. The cognitive dissonance Mark creates for himself about the choices he makes are very subtle in Whitford’s performance, but he handles it with sensitivity despite his character’s more unlikable qualities.

___________________________________________________________

Next up is the award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series.

And the nominees are:

Betsy Brandt as Barbara Sanderson in Masters of Sex

Kathryn Hahn as Raquel Fein in Transparent

Julianne Nicholson as Dr. Lillian DePaul in Masters of Sex

Lois Smith as Betty Turner in The Americans

Cicely Tyson as Ophelia Hartness in How to Get Away with Murder

And the TeleFilmiest Award goes to…

Lois Smith as Betty Turner in The Americans

Now this one came out of nowhere and hit me like a ton of bricks. Veteran actress Lois Smith plays office worker Betty, a woman who sadly happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Elizabeth (Keri Russell) is essentially forced to kill this woman for being in said wrong place at said wrong time, but Betty’s extending monologue recounting the life she’s lived is so inherently tragic that it is Elizabeth’s most difficult situation yet. Betty’s final words of judgment towards Elizabeth are chilling, and Smith’s performance is beyond compare.

___________________________________________________________

Next we have the category of Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series.

And the nominees are:

Thomas Schlamme for The Americans ("Open House”)

Miguel Sapochnik for Game of Thrones (“Hardhome")

David Nutter for Game of Thrones ("Mother's Mercy”)

Matthew Weiner for Mad Men ("Person to Person”)

Jill Soloway for Transparent ("Best New Girl”)

And the TeleFilmiest Award goes to…

Matthew Weiner for Mad Men ("Person to Person”)

Speculation about how Mad Men would ultimately end has been rampant since the very first season. But Matthew Weiner’s surprisingly hopeful take in the series finale surprised me (in a good way) for such a cynical show. Don’s (Jon Hamm) atonement for his sins are well-played while everyone else gets very apt send-offs. And the final scene, where it is intimated that Don came up with the famous Coke ad that would take the world by storm, is a very fun coda to the series.

___________________________________________________________

The final award for today is for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series.

And the nominees are:

Joel Fields & Joe Weisberg for The Americans (“Stingers")

David Benioff & D.B. Weiss for Game of Thrones ("Mother's Mercy”)

Damon Lindelof & Jacqueline Hoyt for The Leftovers ("Two Boats and a Helicopter”)

Matthew Weiner for Mad Men ("Person to Person”)

Jill Soloway for Transparent ("Pilot")

And the TeleFilmiest Award goes to…

Joel Fields & Joe Weisberg for The Americans (“Stingers”)

We all knew this episode was coming — where Elizabeth and Philip (Matthew Rhys) would finally tell their daughter Paige (Holly Taylor) the truth about their KGB identities. While Elizabeth and Philip do this largely out of necessity, the compassion they show towards her outweighs their allegiance to their country, a theme present throughout the episode. That conflict is at the center of The Americans, and Paige’s revelation is truly a landmark moment for the subtly brilliant series.

___________________________________________________________

That's all for now, folks. Tune in next time to see the winners of the final 13 categories, including Comedy Series and Drama Series. Thanks for reading!

                 ________________________________________________________