With 2023 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.
(My appreciation and judgment of a TV show should not be taken as a recommendation. Choosing to watch any of these films is the reader's responsibility)
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 Blue Eyed Samurai.
Shows we watch:
| DRAMA | COMEDY | REALITY |
| Will Trent | | The Last of Us | | One Piece | | The Chosen | | Poker Face | | Loki | | The Rookie | | The Flash | | Lucky Hank | | Picard | | The Walking Dead: Dead City | The Fall of the House of Usher | | The Irrational | Secret Invasion
Ahsoka |
|
| | Night Court | | That '90s Show | | Frasier | | Shrinking | | Ted Lasso | Only Murders in the Building | | Goldbergs | | Animal Control | | | Simpsons |
|
| | Dancing with the Stars | | Suvivor | | The Amazing Race | | Welcome to Wrexham | | The Maked Singer | | | Floor is Lava |
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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:
From my review:
Love.
That is what sets this season of Picard apart from nearly anything else Star Trek has produced in the last 25 years.
Don't get me wrong, there have been some good things in the last few decades. I greatly enjoyed JJ Abrams Star Trek reboot. But much of what has been produced lately has been sub-par. In particular, the first two seasons of Picard were dreadful. Star Trek seemed determined to give Jean-Luc Picard the Last Jedi treatment.
You can imagine my total delight and surprise when Star Trek Picard Season 3 made one of the best seasons of TV I've seen in awhile.
And again, it all comes down to love.
Terry Matalas took over the reigns as showrunner. And you can tell with every frame of film that he loves Star Trek. He doesn't just love The Next Generation, but he loves all of Star Trek. This is apparent from the very first shot of the season to the end credits. And he understands that Star Trek is not simply about the operatic space adventure. Star Trek is about the characters. This is what has been missing from so much of recent Trek, including Picard. In the last two seasons, Jean-Luc has behaved in ways unrecognizable to someone who is familiar with Next Generation. But now it feels like we got him back...
There are tons of Easter eggs for Trek fans to find. This could lead a person to accuse the show of fan service. I'm not against fan service at all. I think that people who produce a beloved TV show should do what they can to please the fans. I only object when fan service is a replacement for good storytelling. Matalas does both.
He sets the plot up by drawing on threads from not only Next Generation, but also Deep Space Nine and Voyager, as well as the movies. It is clear that Matalas made this movie with fans of the entire franchise in mind. This gives the show the advantage of feeling familiar and new at the same time.
As showrunner, Matalas was able to weave in plot points in very creative ways. He is able to drop important story elements without you even realizing that they will be important later. It isn't until there is a reveal that you go, "Of course!"
Visually, the show looks fantastic. You can tell that they used all the advancements in computer graphics to give us a spectacle. But beyond that, the show is incredibly well-shot, knowing how to frame the characters, when to give us a sense of intimacy or grandeur.
But, of course, the best part of the show are the characters. Matalas understands that for many of us, the characters we grew up with on Next Generation are not simply imaginary people on TV. They are our friends. If that sounds too over-the-top, then let's just say that we have emotional attachment to them in a way that is beyond reason. We care about them and what happens to them. We know when they behave in a way that is true and false.
Watching these classic characters bounce off of each other again is a pure joy. Picard and Riker have a strong friendship, but it does not stop them from butting heads. Each of them has had experiences that has broken them a bit inside. But when they are on the same page, they appear unstoppable. Stewart's and Frakes' chemistry has never been better. In fact, the fact that they are older makes them appear more as equals, without ever losing that original dynamic completely.
Runners-up
-The Chosen
-Superman and Lois
-Poker Face
-One Piece
Best Comedy
I am as surprised as you are that the reboot of a show that has been off the air for around 2 decades is the best comedy of the year. What amazes me even more is that this show has done nothing innovative in terms of its style. Instead,
Frasier feels exactly like the original show.
And that is why it works.
The premise is that Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammar), has retired from a popular TV talk show and has returned to Boston to reconnect with his firefighter son Freddy (Jack Cutmore-Scott). The show is shot like a traditional four-camera sitcom with a live audience. The writing is as predictable and tropy as any sitcom to come before. And yet it works!
It works because they are not trying to do something new and subversive. Instead, they are trying to remind us why we loved the original so much. Because of that, the only thing that they seem to care about are the jokes. They don't care about making some kind social statement. Instead, everything is geared towards getting chuckles.
There are actually some real moments of poignancy and insight. But even these are done at the service of the overall comedic tone.
Frasier does the most important thing a TV comedy can do: it makes you laugh.
Runners-up
Only Murders in the Building
The Simpsons
Ted Lasso
Jury Duty
Best Actor in a Drama
Patrick Stewart - Picard
Patrick Stewart is not as young as he was when Star Trek: The Next Generation first aired. Even though he already looked older on that show, he carried with him a powerful physicality that presented itself in moments of crisis or romance.
It is to Stewart's credit that he does not try to play Picard the way he did before. His Jean-Luc is a man who is looking towards the final chapters of his life. But he still is able to carry the day with his commanding presence, not by being young and strong, but by presenting himself as someone with the strength of wisdom and character. That isn't to say that he plays Picard as flawless. In fact, those flaws make his performance so interesting. But he stands in the breach as someone who carries the weight and power of the world on his shoulders.
His chemistry with his original team is so potent that they don't need to use words. As I wrote in my review about a pivotal scene between himself and Gates McFadden: "There is a scene in an early episode where the two of them lock eyes and have a serious conversation without saying a word. To be clear, there is no science-fiction-type telepathy going on. Instead, you have two seasoned actors expressing their deep truths to each other non-verbally. The impact of that one moment touched me deeply."
Stewart could not have asked for a better finale for Jean-Luc Picard.
Runners-up
Bruce Greenwood - The Fall of the House of Usher
Pedro Pascal - The Last of Us
Tom Hiddleston - Loki
Jonathan Roumie - The Chosen
Best Actress in a Drama
Natasha Lyonne - Poker Face
One of the biggest shocks in TV this year was how good Lyonne was in Poker Face. On the show, she is a human lie detector who goes on the lamb from a mob boss. Like a weird hybrid of Columbo and The Incredible Hulk, Lyonne's character travels the country and every week gets involved in a new murder mystery. The set up the show is incredibly enjoyable. But Lyonne's performance is what really sells it. She is a no-nonsense underachiever with a heart of gold. Her power is also her curse. She wants to just float through life and not get involved, but the lies that she detects keep drawing her deeper into webs of mysteries. Lyonne herself not only shows incredible charm, but emotional depth as well. There was an episode in a skiing lodge where she was facing certain death where I could not help being gripped by her performance. She brought her A-Game to this show and I cannot wait to see more if it.
Runners-up
Mary McDonnell - The Fall of the House of Usher
Elizabeth Tulloch - Superman and Lois
Juno Temple - Fargo
Clemence Poesy - The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon
Best Supporting Actor, Drama
This is hands-down the best performance of Frakes as William Riker.
Like Picard, Riker is past his prime and is out in open space seeking adventure. But when the layers are peeled back, we see a man on the run from his pain and his past. When faced with certain death, Frakes shows us how broken Riker is by his embrace of oblivion. This is not the same Riker from the original show, but it is a consistent evolution based on what he has suffered. And Frakes knows this character so well that he can play that darkness without a false note. Part of the show's journey is Riker trying to find light in the darkness. Frakes us takes us through the depths all the while retaining his natural charm and charisma.
Runners-up
Shahar Isaac - The Chosen
Mark Hammil - The Fall of the House of Usher
Ke Huy Kwan - Loki
Todd Stashwick - Picard
Best Supporting Actress, Drama
Carla Gugino - The Fall of the House of Usher
This was one of the best performances I have seen on TV in years. Gugino not only plays a kind of Devil character, but she also inhabits lots of different personality types in her manifestations. Her transformations were so good that there were times I needed to do a double-take to be sure that it was the same actress playing her. This shows not only incredibly chameleon-like transformative acting powers, but Gugino was also able to give layers and depth to a part that could come across as one-note superficial. This is best exemplified in a scene where her character has to fulfill a part of a bargain that she does not want to do. It is a tragic scene that makes you actually feel badly for her even as she does something wicked. That takes incredible talent and that is what we see in this performance.
Runners-up
Lara Silva - The Chosen
Emily Rudd - One Piece
Jerry Ryan - Picard
Gates McFadden - Picard
Best Actor, Comedy
Kelsey Grammar - Frasier
The key this revival show's success is Grammar. Some of the supporting cast is not quite operating at his level. But it doesn't matter. Grammar is able to carry the entire show on his shoulders. He knows how to deliver his lines like a pro, knowing the exact inflection to elicit the most laughs. And he knows when words are not needed. This is exemplified in the best scene of the season. Frasier is thinking about quitting his job at Harvard. His son Freddie hears this and begins to repeat all of the things Frasier said to Freddie when he dropped out of Harvard. The bit lasts about a minute, but the funniest part is watching Grammar sit there and take the verbal beating. He is both annoyed, impressed, befuddled, and humiliated in the funniest possible way. Grammar made me laugh that entire minute without saying a word. That is a great comedic actor at work.
Runners-up
John Laroquette - Night Court
Martin Short - Only Murders in the Building
Jason Sudeikis - Ted Lasso
Steve Martin - Only Murders in the Building
Best Actress, Comedy
Hannah Waddingham - Ted Lasso
Waddingham has made a complete transformation in her character from Ted Lasso. She went from vindictive ex-wife to fierce friend. Over the course of the series we saw how her heart slowly opened to friendship and romance and to herself. Watching her lose that grip was incredibly compelling. You could see the fear in her eyes at the prospect of becoming what she was before, but finding the strength to continue to go on. She has done a star-making turn here and I look forward to her work in the future.
Runners-up
Juno Temple - Ted Lasso
Selena Gomez - Only Murders in the Building
Christa Miller - Shrinking
Edy Modica - Jury Duty
Best Supporting Actor, Comedy
James Marsden - Jury Duty
This show was such a surprise for me. Part reality show, part sitcom, Marsden plays a satirical version of himself as a pampered celebrity who is forced into jury duty. It is easy enough to lampoon yourself, but Marsden had to sell it as a reality to the main participant in the show. He had to make sure to not go too far while at the same time being absurd enough for the maximum comedic effect. This not only shows his precision as an actor but his comedic instincts. I think it is one of his best performances.
Runners-up
Nicholas Lyndhurst - Frasier
Kurtwood Smith - That '90's Show
David Brown - Jury Duty
Harrison Ford - Shrinking
Best Supporting Actress, Comedy
Meryl Streep - Only Murders in the Building
Everyone knows that Streep is a great actress. But here, she both shrinks and shines. She makes herself small as a woman who has working on the edges of the theater seen barely noticed for decades only to finally get a shot. And when the emotional moments come, she hits them with all of her dramatic power. At the same time she is able to keep up with the comedic might of both Steve Martin and Martin Short without skipping a beat. I was not expecting to like her as much on this show, but she knocked it out of the park.
Runners-up
Vella Lovell - Animal Control
Debra Jo Rupp - That '90's Show
Susan Berger - Jury Duty
Jessica Williams - Shrinking
Stay tuned for the Catholic Skywalker Awards for Best Movies of 2023
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