Rueben's Ramblings

Our TV viewing was greatly hampered by the writers and actors strikes which curtailed everything for half of this year. The fall TV season will start in earnest starting in January, by the way.

But despite that TV fans have been able to enjoy their favorite shows, good, bad or otherwise. There were new shows for which we became obsessed with; outstanding performances, lots of streaming shows to get hooked on, unexpected departures and much, much more.

Please join me as I focus on the top highlights for 2023 (listed in no particular order):

Top Actress (TIE): Devery Jacobs in Reservation Dogs (FX on Hulu) and Laura Birn in Foundation (Apple TV+)

Devery has earned rave reviews for playing Elora Danan Postoak, one of four Indigenous teenagers in rural Oklahoma in a small town in the Muscogee Nation dealing with the death of a friend and dreaming of moving to California.

Laura Birn plays the enigmatic robot Demerzel, a loyal aide to the Emperor of the Galaxy, who seems almost human, but clearly isn’t. She has had an intricate, and sometimes sordid, relationship with the multiple centuries-long versions of the Emperor.

Fresh New Face – Sadie Laflamme-Snow in The Way Home (Hallmark Channel)

This relative newcomer plays Alice Dhawan, the third generation of the Landry women, who discovers time travel thanks to a small pond on the vast property owned by her grandmother Del.

Impressive Cast of a Cancelled Show – Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies (Paramount+)

The four lead girls in this short-lived musical rom-com drama – Marisa Davila, Cheyenne Isabel Wells, Ari Notartomaso and Tricia Fukuhara – were really quite impressive not only with the moving musical numbers but also the complicated, yet timely, relationships with their families, lovers, and classmates.

Best Performances [TIE] – Arsema Thomas in Queen Charlotte (Netflix) and Freya Allan in The Witcher (Netflix)

Taking on the younger version of Lady Danbury was no easy feat, but Arsema played the role effortlessly, giving viewers a behind-the-scenes look at what the fair Lady had to endure in her marriage to a much older man, and the path that she took to get where she was in Bridgerton.

Playing Princess Cintra, aka Ciri, opposite Henry Cavill and Anya Chalotra cannot be an easy thing, but Freya really excelled in the episode that found Ciri transported into unfamiliar territory where she was threatened in tangible and hallucinatory ways until she stepped into her power. It was a tour de force performance by the young actress.

Best Young Actress – Jordyn McIntosh in Unprisoned (Hulu)

Jordyn plays the imaginary, younger version of Paige Alexander (portrayed by Kerry Washington) in this almost odd-couple-like streaming series. This youngster is a perfect “mini Paige” not only mirroring her attire but also her mannerism. Well done!

Honorable Mention (Young Actress) – Skywalker Hughes played Sheridan, the eldest daughter in the recently cancelled Spectrum-turned-Paramount+ drama Joe Pickett; and while the show’s first season aired in 2021, I didn’t see that season until this fall, and I have to say I was blown away by this young girl’s performance throughout the show’s debut season especially the nail biting season finale.

Surprise TV Performance in the Streaming Ratings – Suits (Netflix)

This former USA Network series debuted back in the summer of 2011, running for 8 seasons as part of the “Blue Sky” programming for which that cabler became synonymous, and also brought Meghan Markle to the attention of avid TV viewers well before she ever met (and later married) a certain royal. This year Suits crossed 3 billion minutes watched for seven weeks in a row on Netflix, the first title to ever do so on the Nielsen Streaming Top 10. But I have to ask, where were all those viewers when the show was actually airing from 2011 to 2019?

Stand Out Performance – Betty Gilpin in Mrs. Davis (Peacock)

While this series may have been heavy on the absurdity, Betty’s performance of Sister Simone was glorious as each twist and turn of the, at times, hard to follow story was nothing short of divine. Despite the far-fetched storyline – a nun battling against an unseen AI, which sent her on a quest to destroy the Holy Grail – the viewer couldn’t help but root for Simone’s journey to be fruitful.

Best Companion – Betty the dog in Will Trent (ABC)

This adorable little Chihuahua is unlike other puppy companions in police dramas, flipping the typical trope over. Betty is not a trained K-9 but rather a loyal companion, who was found by Will Trent tied up alone in his neighborhood. He was reluctant, at first, to take her in, but she has proven to not be a mighty little soul but also a wonderful little partner to the detective.

Emotional End to a Series – A Million Little Things (ABC)

After five seasons on the air and culminating in 87 episodes, this series came to an end in May with a moving, albeit heartbreaking, video being watched by a now 16-year-old Javier Mendez, interspersed with scenes of Maggie visiting Gary’s gravesite and the whole family gathered together to celebrate the young man’s birthday, finishing with the next generation of the four families together for a hockey game.

Here is the video of the final scene of A Million Little Things:

Handsome Newcomer – Brendan Sklenar in 1923 (Paramount+)

Brendan has been acting for a decade, but it was his role of Spencer Dutton, the nephew of Jacob Dutton and ancestor to modern-day John Dutton in Yellowstone that had heads turning from the pilot episode where he faced down not only a giant lion and a massive leopard to his love affair with Alexandra, a well-to-do British woman and that oh so sexy beachside honeymoon with her that had viewers swooning.

Most Talked About TV Death – Logan Roy in Succession (HBO)

While I personally never watched the critically acclaimed and highly awarded drama starring Brian Cox, the death of the character he portrayed for four seasons seemed to truly reverberate with viewers; and how he died (SPOILER ALERT!) – dropping dead on his private plane – seemed almost an unjust, yet fitting, end to a complex and cold-hearted man.

Best TV Season Yet – Season 3 of Sweet Magnolias (Netflix)

For viewers who have been watching the series since its beginning near the onset of the COVID pandemic (May of 2020 to be exact), this series about 3 best friends in the heart of the South has touched their hearts. The show’s third season may have been lauded by some as its best season yet (I am in that corner) while others have not been as colorful in their prose about the show, I think if you love stories about flawed yet strong women who support, cajole and even criticize each other but are always there for one another, then you’ll want to watch this show.

Best Performance in a Critically Panned Series – Kingsley Ben-Adir in Secret Invasion (Disney+)

This series within the Marvel Cinematic Universe received very mixed reviews, especially the final battle scene between G’iah (Emilia Clarke) and Gravik (Kingsley Ben-Adir), which left a pretty bad taste in the mouths of fans of the long-running franchise. That being said, though, Ben-Adir was the epitome of a bad guy with his vehement hatred of not only the human race but also specifically Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson). He ruled every scene he was in and really stole the show.

Moving Moments [Three Way TIE] – Alexandra Breckenridge in Virgin River (Netflix) and Allison Miller in A Million Little Things (ABC) and Elizabeth Tulloch in Superman & Lois (The CW)

Alexandra Breckenridge was fantastic in season 5 of the popular Netflix series Virgin River, especially giving the nearly breaking point she reached when her character Mel Monrole suffered a miscarriage halfway through the season. Watching the devastation – once again – that Mel had to deal with all while the town of Virgin River was in danger was palpable. It was three episodes of heartbreaking scenes: Mel performing the ultrasound on herself, collapsing into Jack’s arms as she broke the news to him and then coming face to face with the reality of what happened. It was a bravura performance, to say the least.

The final season of A Million Little Things was a tearjerker to say the least, but one of the breakout moments was watching Allison Miller as Maggie Bloom Mendez deal with the impending death of her husband Gary, whose battle with cancer was coming to an end. Her pain and grief was clear as her whole body showed how raw she was. It was devastating to watch, but an amazing piece of work by a talented actress.

For a superhero series to focus on a real-life issue is quite something different, but Superman & Lois focused on a cancer diagnosis for Lois Lane deftly. Elizabeth Tulloch gave a haunting performance with vacant stares, nailing her struggle of trying to act as if nothing had changed in her life despite her world being shattered.

Top Actor – Zahn McClarnon in Dark Winds (AMC)

Zahn has been acting for over 35 years, playing quite a number of “heavys” in his time, but it has been his turn as Sheriff Joe Leaphorn in the acclaimed AMC drama that has finally garnered him some much needed, albeit long-overdue, attention. In the second season of the series, he was given the opportunity to cover so many emotions in gut-wrenching fashion that according to critics it was “a sight to behold.”

Best Guest Actor – Mark Lewis Jones in Outlander (Starz)

As much as fans of the long-running series reviled Tom Christie for his unpleasantness, his religious rigidity and his, at times, barely contained resentment of Jamie Fraser, Mark Lewis Jones portrayed Tom in refreshingly honest way when the man revealed his love for Claire, Jamie’s wife, and admitted (albeit falsely) that he was the person who killed Malva, his daughter, not Claire, who was being blamed for the wayward girl’s death. It was quite a sight to be seen.

Best New Character – Ramon Rodriguez in Will Trent (ABC)

Being the lead in a brand new TV drama can be hard work, but Ramon Rodriguez in the title role of Will Trent made it look easy. His character has a lot of quirks combined with a very heartbreaking backstory, but those quirks actually help in his work with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. He was especially impressive when he learned out the truth about his birth mother and how his boss Amanda Wagner became a surrogate mom to him.

Best Speech – Tommy Vega on 9-1-1: Lone Star (FOX)

Gina Torres has played Tommy Vega in the spin-off series since its second season, and this season Tommy dipped her toe into the dating scene for the first time after losing her beloved husband. She ended up dating the new minister (who she helped save from a torrent of falling frogs in the season opener), but when the church gossips got to be a bit too much, Tommy gave her own, powerful sermon, striking those women quite a deserved blow.

Honorable Mentions – Whitney Cummings and Stephanie Nogueras in Accused (FOX)

Whitney and Stephanie appeared in separate installments of this new anthology series and both received kudos for their performances.

Whitney played Brenda, a stand-up comedian until she was raped by a successful peer (and former “hook-up”), who took advantage of that “connection” to brutalize her. Her portrayal of Brenda was nothing short of heartbreaking, as she was let down by her pseudo boss at the comedy club, a reluctant DA and, especially, a new acquaintance.

Stephanie played Ava, a Deaf surrogate who decided to kidnap the baby she gave birth to for another couple because she suspected the couple would not let their Deaf child grow up in a signing environment. It was an ill-advised move, but one that brought to the forefront the Deaf community, and showcased her talent as she showed such passion in her signing when on the witness stand.

Worst Show – The Idol (HBO)

The creator of this show has been created with saying that this new series “would be the biggest show of the summer,” but sadly it was easily not that at all; in fact, according to some critics the show was torturous, nasty, brutish and much longer than it needed to be, making it “worthy” of the worst show of the year.

Best Couple – Chenford, Lucy Chen and Tim Bradford in The Rookie (ABC)

It took quite a while for Chenford (actors Melissa O’Neil and Eric Winter) to go on their first date – season 5, episode 10 to be exact – but it was worth the wait even though the sit-down dinner was awkwardly interrupted by their work, their do-over date was so much better, and just reconfirmed they are so right for each other.

Best Musical Performance – Sam Claflin and Riley Keough in Daisy Jones & the Six (Prime Video)

Watching Daisy Jones (Keough) and Billy Dunne (Claflin) perform as the lead singers of the fictionalized title band in this limited series was quite captivating because they made it look so effortless, but the devastating behind the scenes interactions of these two were just as thrilling to watch.

What have been the stand-out moments on the small screen (networks or streaming) for you? Who was your favorite actor for the year? What series, special or TV event disappointed you the most? Please share your thoughts on TV from this year below.

TOMORROW: Music Moments