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2018 Performer of the Year Finalists
Darren Criss, The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story
Before The Assassination of Gianni Versace reached its first commercial break, Darren Criss’ haunting portrayal of serial killer Andrew Cunanan had wiped all traces of Blaine Anderson from our minds. But beyond shattering his Glee-ky clean image, Criss’ Emmy-winning performance showcased an impressive versatility, resulting in an uncomfortably unforgettable character as chilling as he was charming.
Brian Tyree Henry, Atlanta
Al’s rap career blew up in Season 2, and Henry did, too, taking center stage with a deceptively low-key performance. His versatility was impressive: He hilariously suffered in silence at the hands at his chatterbox barber in “Barbershop,” and then faced his inner demons during a harrowing night in the wilderness in “Woods.” We got to know Al a lot better… and realized what an enormous talent Henry is, too.
Matthew Rhys and Keri Russell, The Americans
As Philip and Elizabeth Jennings’ espionage plot — and entire lives, really — unraveled in agonizing fashion in the FX spy drama’s final season, Russell and Rhys rose to the occasion with a matching pair of series-best performances. Russell wore every ounce of Elizabeth’s mounting stress and exhaustion on her face, and Rhys delivered one of the year’s best monologues with Philip’s wrenching confession to Stan in that parking garage. If their mission was to make our hearts break along with Philip and Elizabeth’s, well… mission accomplished.
Bill Hader, Barry
HBO’s freshman comedy was a tricky blend of genres — half hired-killer drama, half struggling-actor comedy — but Hader anchored it with understated ease. The SNL veteran was hilarious as a hitman trying to pursue a Hollywood acting career, and he also lent surprising weight to his character’s deep self-loathing stemming from his deadly day job. Yeah, we’d say he passed the audition.
Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul
Odenkirk made one heck of a closing argument this year, as Jimmy inched ever closer to becoming the Saul Goodman we know he’ll be one day. There were plenty of lighter moments to be had, like when Jimmy donned a snazzy tracksuit to sell bootleg cell phones. But Odenkirk also dug deeper than ever into Jimmy’s heavily scarred psyche, saving his best for last as Jimmy stunned Kim — and us — by revealing that his sob story about Chuck was just another scam.
Rachel Bloom, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
Following last year’s suicide attempt, Rebecca Bunch started to put the shattered pieces of her life back together this year, and Bloom invited us along her journey with a patient, heartfelt performance. Sure, Rebecca can still be as exuberantly wacky as ever — see: the Season 4 episode where she tried to act totes cool to win over her young friends — but the profound emotional depth is what makes Bloom’s work here truly special.
Patricia Arquette, Escape at Dannemora
Arquette radically transformed her appearance to play lovesick prison employee Tilly, almost unrecognizable after gaining 40 pounds. But the role wasn’t just skin-deep: Arquette fearlessly played every unsavory note of Tilly’s deeply unpleasant personality, as she constantly whined and lied to cover up her mistakes, and gave us glimpses of the pain underneath Tilly’s anger — and how, at the root of it all, she just craved a little attention and excitement in her drab life.
Betty Gilpin, GLOW
Season 2 of Netflix’s ’80s dramedy delivered to soap star-turned-lady wrestler Debbie Eagan the emotional equivalent of a body slam: a divorce from the husband who’d cheated with her best friend, Ruth. And, whether Debbie was lashing out at her estranged gal pal inside the ring (by breaking her ankle!) or outside of it (by passive-aggressively undermining her new relationship), Gilpin attacked the material with the ferocity of Liberty Belle’s castmates but the subtlety of… well, a frontrunner for TVLine’s Performer of the Year.
Ted Danson, The Good Place
With afterlife architect Michael transitioning from evil demon to “honorary human” this year, it’s officially OK to root for Danson again. And we’re grateful for that, because he was a deadpan delight, tossing in priceless bits of physical comedy along the way. (He even tended bar again!) Let’s thank the TV heavens that, instead of just resting on his laurels, Danson is still out here every week making us laugh.
Yvonne Strahovski, The Handmaid’s Tale
When The Handmaid’s Tale started, Serena Waterford was a villain. By the end of Season 2, she was a broken woman fomenting revolution. And the reason viewers are able to get behind the severe transformation is all thanks to Strahovski’s considerable talent, which the Hulu drama was smart to showcase in its sophomore run. Strahovksi was on fire from start to finish, culminating in Serena’s heartbreaking goodbye to her infant daughter as June attempted to escape Gilead. Has Serena ever been more achingly human? Has Strahovski ever been more perfect in a role?
Carla Gugino, The Haunting of Hill House
Hill House’s slow, spiritual devouring of the Crain family would’ve been far less moving were it not for the actress playing that family’s beating heart. As Olivia, Gugino exuded unconditional love for her family and an untenable grip on reality, blending those two character facets until Liv — and we — didn’t have a clue what was real and what was the strangest dream. Gugino was ethereal. She was maternal. And she was, on occasion, really freaking scary. Really, what more could you want from a horror-show mom?
Julia Roberts, Homecoming
Roberts brought enormous star wattage to Amazon’s twisty drama, but the Oscar winner also brought formidable acting chops to the role of therapist Heidi Bergman, acting as the cerebral thriller’s emotional core. As Heidi unraveled the massive conspiracy at the heart of the show (and her own complicity in it), Roberts delivered an expertly layered, quietly powerful performance that paid off big-time in the season’s final installments.
Natasha Rothwell, Insecure
One of TV’s true comedy MVPs, Rothwell killed it yet again in Season 3 as Issa’s maybe-too-wild friend Kelli, a reliable source of quotable one-liners (“Don’t look a gift horse in the d—k”) and impressive physical comedy. This year’s Coachella episode, which saw Kelli get way too stoned on a marijuana edible and get tazed by security, was just one riotous highlight in a season filled with them. Can we just go ahead and give Rothwell her own show already?
Brandon Victor Dixon, Jesus Christ Superstar Live
Good god almighty, did NBC choose the right person to play Judas in its spring musical or what? The Broadway mainstay/Power actor brought history’s most famous betrayer to vivid life in the rock opera, and months later, we just can’t stop thinking about his captivating performance. Though there were bigger names in the cast, Dixon dominated — from his first moments on stage and right through that electrifying “Superstar,” which he filled with an exuberance and energy that radiated right through the screen.
Jodie Comer and Sandra Oh, Killing Eve
We love these two so much, we can’t bear to separate them. All season long, BBC America’s cat-and-mouse crime drama pulled off a dizzying tightrope act that wouldn’t have worked without either of its two stars: Comer, in a breakout role as coldblooded contract killer Villanelle; and Oh, as the bureaucrat who boldly took it upon herself to bring Villanelle to justice. Their scenes together were pure dynamite: hilarious, sexually charged and absolutely breathtaking… in more ways than one.
Justina Machado, One Day at a Time
Machado blew us away not once, but twice this year on the Netflix family comedy. First, we were reduced to a puddle of tears when Penelope quit taking her medication and sank into a nearly inconsolable depression. Then, in the Season 2 finale, she delivered an impassioned six-minute monologue to her comatose mother that made us laugh and cry (and cry some more). It was a tour-de-force performance that showcased her range as both a comedian and a dramatic actress.
Billy Porter, Pose/American Horror Story: Apocalypse
Pray Tell! Behold! Yes, these are the names of TV characters played by Billy Porter this year, but they also double as our enthusiastic reactions to the Golden Globe-nominated actor’s back-to-back performances in FX’s Pose and American Horror Story: Apocalypse. It’s hard to believe the same actor who reduced us to tears with his heartbreaking portrayal of an emcee facing unimaginable loss also had us cracking up with his endless supply of witchy comebacks and sassy side-eye. Warlock or not, Porter is magic.
Amy Adams, Patricia Clarkson and Eliza Scanlen, Sharp Objects
Adora Crellin and her daughters Amma and Camille were one of the most dysfunctional families we’ve ever seen on TV, and that’s because Sharp Objects‘ three main actresses were so damn good at their jobs. We immediately banished any thoughts of honoring one of the actresses solo — after all, can you imagine Clarkson’s genteel autocracy playing against anything other than Adams’ bruised tenacity or Scanlen’s well-disguised defiance? Individually, the actresses turned in raw performances that were so spectacular, they hurt to watch. Together, they made some of the best TV of the year out of a mother-daughters relationship at its absolute worst.
Elizabeth Olsen, Sorry for Your Loss
In the wrong hands, Facebook Watch’s drama about a grieving young widow could have been a drag, but Olsen shattered our expectations, painting an exquisitely detailed portrait of a complicated woman. Her character, Leigh, isn’t the Hallmark-card version of a widow: She’s still angry about her husband’s death, and the last thing she wants is a hug. Olsen bravely showed us the full spectrum of the grieving process, with a stunning performance that gets under your skin and stays there.
Taylor Kitsch, Waco
The former Tim Riggins turned in maybe his finest performance yet in Paramount Network’s chilling true-crime miniseries, finding a tender humanity in infamous cult leader David Koresh. Charismatic and passionately devout, Kitsch’s Koresh made it easy to see why dozens of followers were willing to die for him — but Kitsch didn’t shy away from the massive messiah complex that led to Koresh’s downfall, either.
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