Monday, October 5, 2015

AFT Awards: Best Guest Actor in a Drama Series

This is the ninth category of the 9th Annual AFT Television Awards, my personal choices for the best in television during the 2014-2015 season. Finalists and semi-finalists are included to recognize more of the impressive work done on television today. Nominees are pictured in the order I’ve ranked them.

Best Guest Actor in a Drama Series


Last year’s nominees: Elliott Gould, Steve Harris, Jacob Lofland, Eric Lange, James Woods

Emmy nominees: F. Murray Abraham, Alan Alda, Beau Bridges, Reg E. Cathey, Michael J. Fox, Pablo Schreiber

Semi-finalists: Corey Stoll (Homeland), Damon Herriman (Justified), Denis O'Hare (Banshee), Eion Bailey (Ray Donovan), Jimmi Simpson (The Newsroom), Paul Lieberstein (The Newsroom), Richard E. Grant (Downton Abbey), Scott Glenn (The Leftovers), Tyler James Williams (The Walking Dead), Walton Goggins (Sons of Anarchy)

Finalists: Hank Azaria (Ray Donovan) made a fabulous legal nemesis for the Donovan family, clever, cunning, and shrewdly prepared to manipulate events to his advantage. Oliver Platt (The Good Wife) was a strong right-wing foil for Diane, delighting so much in bickering that the difference of opinions was made worthwhile. Patterson Joseph (The Leftovers) had the tough job of making Holy Wayne seem like a miracle worker with nothing more than a calming, authoritative aura. Ross Marquand (The Walking Dead) felt so out of place in a postapocalyptic society, a breath of fresh, trusting air. Bruno Bichir (The Bridge) was a bastion of good in a vicious place just like his real-life brother’s character.

The nominees:

One show definitely had the best casting, throughout its entire run and for this final season. These four villains were all magnificently portrayed by different actors: Jonathan Tucker’s gun-slinging smooth talker, Duke David Roberts’s childlike Choo Choo, Sam Elliott’s collected kingpin, and Garrett Dillahunt’s military muscle.

The winner:

Marc Pickering (Boardwalk Empire) did a spot-on impersonation of his character’s older self and made his young Nucky Thompson a vital and fascinating part of the final season of this show.

Next up: Best Guest Actress in a Drama Series

No comments: