With 2025 coming to a close, it is time for us to choose what the best entertainment of the year was. And just as the Academy Awards have their "Oscars", so too the Catholic Skywalker Awards have their "Kal-El's"
To reiterate: the reasons for choosing a Superman statue as it's award, and not something from Star Wars are 3-fold:
1. The Catholic Skywalker Awards will cover movies, television, and comic books. Superman is an icon for all three.
2. The pose he has here, revealing his inner hero, is symbolic of the revelation of truth and beauty that we should find in all good art.
3. It's a statue I actually own, so I can use this photo on my blog.
And now we here at Catholic Skywalker would like to celebrate the best in Television this year.
There are a lot of wonderful (so I'm told) programs out there that, unfortunately, time has not permitted me to see such as Pluribus (I only was able to watch one episode) or Reacher this year.
There are a lot of wonderful (so I'm told) programs out there that, unfortunately, time has not permitted me to see such as Pluribus (I only was able to watch one episode) or Reacher this year.
Shows we watch:
DISCLAIMER:
More so than in years past, it has been difficult to find television shows that are not morally compromised. This is not a new problem. Television throughout the years has portrayed and promoted lifestyles that are contrary to the Gospel. Shows like Cheers, Night Court, Friends, The Big Bang Theory, etc have characters living in immoral ways without addressing that context. This is especially true of the comedies. In drama, you can deal with the complexities of human sin in a more ambiguous way than in the modern comedy.
That does not mean that just because a show has good morals that it is therefore a good piece of art. But a show with bad morals makes the show less artistically excellent. In fact, there are many people who will not engage with any of these shows because of their content. I am someone who does engage with the content. Particularly in the area of the sitcom, my choice of the best of the year is not something that excuses the content. It is a statement of the shows excellence in comparison to the other shows in the category. And as I said, almost every show has something that is morally compromising. Therefore, keep that in mind when I am awarding the shows.
Best Drama:
Severance
This show could easily fall apart as "mystery box" show. This is where there is a high-concept hook in the beginning that eventually goes nowhere. This show is only in season 2, so the eventual payoff could be a let down. But this second season was fantastic (with only one bad episode).
The season begins from Innie Mark's perspective, having just come back to the severed floor after spending time in the outside world. Being trapped into his perspective helped lock the audience in to his dillemma of not knowing what is real and false. This narrative device of forcing you take the character's perspective is one of the things that bonds you to them and drives the story.
But two things make this show work so well: the intellectual and the emotional. Sometimes shows emphasize one over the other, but this show does a fantastic balance of both. The show makes you stretch your imagination and perspective. In an episode where the innies are out in the woods, one of them is freaking out because he sees the sky for the first time and says, "There's no ceiling!" The show also offers you a number of unexpected ethical questions. For example, when a woman begins to fall in love with the innie version of her outie husband, is that infidelity or not? If someone is a bad person as an outie but a good person as an innie, does at least part of them go to heaven.
All of this is great, but the show pulls you in with such a strong emotional hook, especially for Mark. Both the innie and outie versions are in such a state of desperation and emotional struggle that your heart breaks for both versions of him. This is true all the way to the very last scene of the season where you are filled with so many contradictory emotions that you feel like you are going to explode.
As I said, the series could end up being a shaggy dog story. But as of now, I am still completely hooked and desperately want to know where the story will end.
Runners-up
-The Chosen
-The Pitt
-Andor
-Cobra Kai
Best Comedy
A Man on the Inside
For the second year in a row, this is the best comedy on television. There are a number of reasons for this.
First of all, the comedic performances are great. Veteran actors like Ted Danson and Mary Steinbergen are at the top of their game, making it look easy. The story brings you in with an intriguing mystery. The story has nice twists and turns while making great comedy from the feeling that the modern world is passing you by.
But above all, when the show is over, you just feel better. I know this may sound like a simply and modest reward, but it should not be overlooked. While awkward comedy, biting satire, and slapstick all of their place, there is something special about watching a show where you become quickly endeared to the characters and enjoy spending time with them.
And as I am getting older, I am beginning to appreciate more and more the feeling that life still has great joy, adventure, and value even as we age.
Runners-up
Mythic Quest
Georgie and Mandy's First Marriage
Simpsons
Animal Control
Best Actor in a Drama
Adam Scott - Severance
Adam Scott's performance has been strong for the entire series. This year, he showed even more range and depth than I have ever seen in him before. This is especially true as his innie and outie have a "conversation." What is amazing about that performances is that they are so clearly two different people but Scott does not cheat by giving one a fake affectation to clearly differentiate the two. Instead, you get a feel for each character based on the subtle differences in how they look, move, and talk.
But the moment that stayed with me and still stays with me is a simple line that broke my heart: "But I want to live with you." It was delievered with such depth of pain and yet an almost child-like innocence that it felt almsot like Scott was taking his heart out of his chest and putting on display to the whole world. A beautiful performance.
Runners-up
Noah Wyle - The Pitt
Noah Wyle - The Pitt
Diego Luna - Andor
Sterling K. Brown - Paradise
Jonathan Roumie - The Chosen
Best Actress in a Drama
Britt Lower - Severance
If I had to describe this performance in one word it would be this: layers.
Lower had to play a character who was pretending to be another character who was faking feelings that also became partial real. She had to work in all of those layers of performance while never giving away the mystery completely so that it was there if you were looking for it, but you couldn't tell if you were reading into the performance too much.
That is such a tricky balancing act while maintaining a true core of emotion. It would be so easy to play on character completely evil and the other as good, but there is enough nuance in her performance that she lets us see the humanity and flaws in both.
Runners-up
Julianne Nicholson - Paradise
Natasha Lyonne - Poker Face
Genevieve O'Reilly - Andor
Katherine LaNasa - The Pitt
Best Supporting Actor, Drama
Stellan Skarsgard - Andor
One of the things about Andor that I resisted for a long time was the moral ambiguity that was introduced into the galaxy far, far away. But one of the reasons that I was able to embrace all of the show's complexity was because of Skarsgard's performance. His Luthen must live in the duplicity of spycraft while making hard moral decisions. I know he comes off as cold to some, but what I saw in this performance was someone who hardened his heart to do what he perceived as the greater good. This season particularly saw his life and usefulness begin to wane, which is something that he always expected to happen. And despite all of his flaws, Skarsgard let us into his morally complex world and invite us to know him and not judge him.
Runners-up
James Marsden - Paradise
John Turturro - Severance
Elijah Alexander - The Chosen
Kyle Soller - Andor
Best Supporting Actress, Drama
Adria Arjona - Andor
This could have been a simple, flat, "strong female character" that actresses like Emily Blunt lament are ubiquitous in the movie industry. But Bix is given such a rich emotional life. She is alternately terrified, brave, compassionate, cold, faithless, and faithful all without feeling false or forced. Arjona never loses her charisma as she drags Bix through the emotional depths, moving us with her strength as she pushes on step by step against impossible odds. There is not a moment that feels sure for the character and so we want her desperately to make it to a happy ending.
Runners-up
Elizabeth Tabish - The Chosen
Pattie Harrison - Poker Face
Fiona Douriff - The Pitt
Maggie Grace - Suits LA
Best Actor, Comedy
Ted Danson - A Man on the Inside
Danson continues to make this one of his most endearing characters and that is saying a lot. His Charles Nieuwendyk is this wonderful combination of exceedingly brilliant and obliviously clueless. Forty years ago, he may have been a suave Sherlock Holmes. But with his age, he feels almost like a time traveler who has come to a distant, exotic future.
While this year he did not have to go to the emotional depths of last season, Danson continues to draw you in with comedic and dramatic skill. His character is almost Chestertonian in his delight at the adventure he is on. That isn't to say he plays him like an idealized innocent. Danson lets us laugh at him and with him as he begins to navigate the complexities of new relationships. But Danson is so charming that I will continue to watch him should the show return for another season.
Runners-up
Rob Mac - Mythic Quest
Montana Jordan - Georgie and Mandy's First Marriage
Joel McHale - Animal Control
Martin Short - Only Murders in the Building
Best Actress, Comedy
Charlotte Nicdao - Mythic Quest
Nicdao's Poppy Li is one of the most high-strung characters I have ever seen on television. She plays her with all of her flaws in a way that could almost repulse you. She captures so well the self-centered nature of so many of those with the artistic temperament. But Nicdoa infuses Poppy with enough vulnerability and humanity to keep you hooked, even through all of her tantrums and hysterics. Nicdao lets us see the vulnerable core of Poppy not just for dramatic effect, but especially for the comedic payoff.
Runners-up
Taylor Misiak - Going Dutch
Selena Gomez - Only Murders in the Building
Chelsea Frei - The Paper
Emily Osment- Georgie and Mandy's First Marriage
Best Supporting Actor, Comedy
David Hornsby - Mythic Quest
Hornsby has been brining his A-game to his character of David Brittlesbee on Mythic Quest for all four seasons. This year he pushed his character even more by making him simultaneously sympathetic, pathetic, and hysterical. His frustration at working with those with artistic temperaments is incredibly relatable as he tries to bring some kind of practical perspective to insane plans, all the while getting flummoxed by how everyone walks over him. He is a man with no backbone who cannot understand why he is a doormat. Hornsby lets us laugh at him while also feeling for his every hurt feeling.
Runners-up
Danny Pudi - Going Dutch
Danny Pudi - Mythic Quest
Will Sasso - Georgie and Mandy's First Marriage
Tim Meadows - DMV
Best Supporting Actress, Comedy
Mary Steenbergen - A Man on the Inside
Steenburgen proves in this season why she has been a popular working actress for several decades. She effortlessly plays the brilliant, free-spirited love interest of this season. She is fascinating and frustrating, delivering her lines with her trademark falsetto voice that imply innocence but cover her clever mischief. Her chemistry with Danson is obvious and natural, but she has a great ability to annoy you without ever repelling you. And all the while, she remains a suspect in this season's caper so that she plays the character with enough ambiguity to keep you guessing.
Runners-up
Jessie Ennis - Mythic Quest
Rachel Bay Jones - Georgie and Mandy's First Marriage
Grace Palmer - Animal Control
Molly Kearney - DMV
Stay tuned for the Catholic Skywalker Awards for Best Movies of 2025
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