Monday, September 18, 2017

AFT Awards: Best Guest Actor in a Drama Series

This is the ninth category of the 11th Annual AFT Television Awards, my personal choices for the best in television during the 2016-2017 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: Josh Charles, John Carroll Lynch, Ian McShane, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Jonathan Pryce

Emmy nominees: Hank Azaria, Gerald McRaney, Brian Tyree Henry, Ben Mendelsohn, Denis O’Hare, BD Wong

Semi-finalists: Brett Cullen (Narcos), Bruno Bichir (Narcos), Eric Lange (Narcos), Gregg Henry (Supergirl), Hank Azaria (Ray Donovan), Jeff Kober (Timeless), Lonnie Chavis (Supergirl), Michael Gaston (The Leftovers), Stacy Keach (Ray Donovan), Ted Levine (Ray Donovan)

Finalists: Sam Strike (Timeless) and Colman Domingo (Timeless) made two historical figures on opposite sides of the law - Clyde Barrow and Bass Reeves - memorable and endearing. Dylan Walsh (Longmire) struck a villainous chord as an enemy without any fear of the stoic sheriff. Rich Sommer (Masters of Sex) wore his discomfort with the public nature of his condition on his face, making one patient very relatable. Danny Strong (Billions) showed what it looks like to celebrate excessively and prematurely and then be completely crushed by defeat only seconds later.

The nominees:

Brett Dalton (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) made a welcome return as a far purer version of the man he once was, an eager hero without an ounce of evil in him. Malcolm-Jamal Warner (Sneaky Pete) was a formidable element of the law who wasn’t about to messed with, and a fierce match for the title character. Sean Maguire (Timeless) made Ian Fleming into a real-life James Bond. Hamish Linklater (Legion) was a mysterious figure throughout his appearances with an intense determination to understand the incomprehensible.

The winner:

James Callis (12 Monkeys) was born to play the man who may have witnessed it all but was also quite bored with the mundane and repetitive nature of time travel, something that only the charismatic Callis could convey.

Next up: Best Guest Actress in a Drama Series

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