2019 Performer Of The Year Finalists

The past year of television was filled with some extraordinary performances — but who will receive our Performer of the Year honor for 2019? Before we choose our winner later in December, here are the 20 finalists in the running, including actors and actresses from broadcast, cable and streaming series.

Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle, PEN15

This duo earns our yearbook superlative for Funniest Freshmen: Erskine and Konkle were both utterly convincing, and riotously funny, playing 13-year-old BFFs facing the terrors of seventh grade together in Hulu's Y2K-set comedy. The thirtysomething comedians didn't even seem out of place acting alongside real teenagers, because they nailed the bittersweet angst of those awkward years with such precision. Stay the same, guys, and keep in touch.

Audra McDonald, The Good Fight

The revelation that Reddick, Boseman & Lockhart's late founder Carl Reddick had been sexually assaulting female employees for decades yielded a breathtaking performance from McDonald. As the predator's daughter Liz, the six-time Tony winner spent much of Season 3 deftly steering her alter ego through grief's myriad stages while simultaneously working to squash the unfolding PR crisis. But every step of the way — from emergency meetings with the partners to tense negotiations with her dad's accusers — McDonald never let us forget how deeply personal this particular piece of business was.

Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini, Dead to Me

The success of Netflix's dark comedy was so contingent on Applegate and Cardellini's chemistry that we can't imagine splitting them up. Both women were just so watchable: Applegate as grieving widow Jen, whose rage and heartbreak were always simmering just beneath the surface; and Cardellini as her new friend Judy, who could barely cope with the guilt of her own dark secrets. Together, the actresses made Dead to Me one of the year's best binges — not only for its gasp-inducing twists, but for the thoughtful, funny, nuanced explorations of grief and friendship delivered by its leading ladies.

Danielle Brooks, Orange Is the New Black

Over the course of seven seasons, Taystee evolved from a sassy sidekick into the show's emotional linchpin — and Brooks was more than up to the challenge. She was never better than she was in Orange's final season, especially in the immediate aftermath of her character's attempted suicide. The desperation Brooks depicted in Taystee's eyes spoke volumes, and through additional facial cues, she was able to communicate her fear of darkness — both in a physical and spiritual sense. It was a showcase for the ages, and Brooks was nothing short of exceptional.

Gina Rodriguez, Jane the Virgin

Rodriguez was mesmerizing in the CW dramedy's final season premiere, delivering a seven-minute, one-take, breathtaking tightrope walk of a monologue that was equal parts hilarious and heart-wrenching. That spectacular scene stands out as maybe Rodriguez's finest work of the series, so it's no wonder we're still thinking about it. But it was just the start of an incredible swan song for Rodriguez, who never stopped impressing us and making us feel a multitude of emotions right up to the show's final joyous minutes.

Grant Gustin, The Flash

Even the fastest man alive cannot outrun misery. And while that is unfortunate for beleaguered Barry Allen, the silver lining is that viewers are rewarded with Gustin's ability to make us feel the superhero's woes. Whether Barry is grappling with daughter Nora's unholy alliance with his archenemy, selflessly ensuring that everyone else will be A-OK after his fated vanishing, or mourning superfriend Oliver, Gustin finds the humanity in metahumanity.

Gwendoline Christie, Game of Thrones

The always-dependable Christie shone throughout Game of Thrones' swan song, but we can't stop thinking about two standout moments: the warrior's knighting scene (those unshed tears! that beaming smile!) and her devastation at Jaime's departure (the vulnerability as she begged him to stay!). Christie's virtuosic ability to move her character from hard-edged soldier to heartbroken lover — and back — impressed us to no end: She earned every accolade bestowed upon her just as surely as Brienne ultimately earned her role as Lord Commander of the Kingsguard.

Indya Moore, Pose

FX's groundbreaking LGBT drama is packed with stellar performances, but Moore stood out in Season 2, shattering our hearts and then delicately stitching them back together as the street-smart Angel. It was devastating to see Angel work up the courage to enter the world of mainstream modeling, only to have doors repeatedly slammed in her face, and Moore was so nakedly vulnerable in these scenes, they were almost hard to watch at times. But Angel never gave up, and Moore put a triumphant exclamation mark on Angel's story that gets "10"s across the board from us.

Jeremy Strong, Succession

Once a swaggering business douche of the highest order, Kendall Roy was seriously humbled in Season 2, catatonic with guilt and dutifully carrying out his father's wishes, and Strong was masterfully restrained as the former golden boy cowered and flinched like a beaten dog. Sometimes dogs bite back, though, and when Kendall found the strength to turn the tables on Logan, Strong showed us a clarity and sense of command inside Kendall we hadn't seen all season long. Succession might just have the best ensemble of actors anywhere on TV, but if we had to pick a favorite, Strong is our "number one boy."

Jharrel Jerome, When They See Us

You need only look at the photo above to get a sense of the raw, emotional work that Jerome delivered in Netflix's miniseries. With his portrayal of Korey Wise, one of five young men wrongfully accused of rape, Jerome urged us to understand the boy's fear, indignation and profound loss as his adolescence was claimed by a corrupt and racist justice system. But it was Episode 4 where Jerome truly shone, delivering a finale performance so breathtakingly honest, we could hardly stand to watch it at all.

Jodie Comer, Killing Eve

No offense to her scene partner Sandra Oh — we love her, too! — but we just couldn't take our eyes off the ferociously talented Comer in Season 2 of BBC America's bloody great thriller. Yes, hired killer Villanelle was still modeling impossibly chic fashions and tossing off quotable bon mots, but Comer took her portrayal even further, letting us glimpse the scary depths of Villanelle's toxic obsession with Eve... and proving that murderous psychopaths have feelings, too.

Lizzy Caplan, Castle Rock

If we're being honest, Caplan would probably make this list for her physical depiction of Annie Wilkes alone. (Have you ever been so captivated by somebody's walk?) But Caplan's turn as the mentally unbalanced nurse wasn't just an impersonation of Kathy Bates' Oscar-winning portrayal. Rather, the actress dared us to feel sympathy for Annie, fearlessly mining the depths of not only her mental illness, but the heartbreak and loss that drove her to such dark places. We've always loved Caplan's small-screen work — but after her visit to Castle Rock, you could say we're her No. 1 fans.

Meryl Streep, Big Little Lies

That scream! With one primal howl, Streep captured the overwhelming anguish of a parent losing her child, and introduced us to the grieving but still scheming Mary Louise. HBO's rich-moms drama already had a ridiculously stacked cast, but Streep fit in seamlessly in Season 2, giving Nicole Kidman's Celeste a formidable new opponent and putting on a master class in the art of the passive-aggressive put-down. Mary Louise was truly the mother-in-law from hell, but Streep's textured, empathetic portrayal was heaven-sent.

Michelle Williams, Fosse/Verdon

Gwen Verdon may have gotten second billing in FX's limited series, but Williams stole the show. And we're not just talking about the actress' physical transformation, though her commitment to Gwen's voice and mannerisms was extraordinary. Williams was also the big, beating heart of Fosse/Verdon, illuminating the regret and anguish that often came with being Bob Fosse's personal and professional partner. Whether she was slinking her way through a Damn Yankees audition, belting a sad tune at the beach house piano or comforting a dying Bob on the streets of New York City, Williams' performance was a total showstopper.

Natasha Lyonne, Russian Doll

Lyonne wasn't playing just one character in Russian Doll's first season: She really portrayed dozens of Nadia Vulvokovs, each one a little bit changed after dying and coming back to life yet again. Thanks to Lyonne's versatile and fiercely committed performance, each iteration of Nadia was more fascinating than the last, as she reluctantly replaced her deeply held cynicism with newfound compassion. Sure, Nadia died time and time again — but Lyonne brought her character to brilliant, exquisite life.

Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Andrew Scott, Fleabag

C'mon, we couldn't mention Fleabag without including her favorite Hot Priest, now could we? Waller-Bridge and Scott were the year's most fascinating TV couple: a carnal-minded sinner and a devout Catholic priest who discovered they were somehow on the same weird wavelength — and shared a love of gin and tonic in a can, too. Their chemistry practically leapt off the screen, and the Priest's easygoing charm coaxed a vulnerability out of the normally guarded Fleabag that took an already great series to a transcendent new level... and only made their inevitable split all the more heart-wrenching.

Regina King, Watchmen

"Regina King is an amazing actress" is one of the least-challenged statements in showbiz, but allow us a moment anyway to marvel at how effortlessly the Southland alum has become the vibrant heart of HBO's superhero drama Watchmen. King is a ridiculously talented, versatile performer who brings a high level of poignancy to a role in which she also wears leather, cracks skulls and serves as a stand-in for viewers just getting acquainted with the very complicated Watchmen-verse. What's that wise saying? Ah, yes: We stan.

Susan Kelechi Watson, This Is Us

Watson's talent for playing This Is Us' down-to-earth Beth is something we've celebrated on multiple occasions in the past. But this year — in the end of Season 3 and the start of Season 4 — she has given us incandescent fury as Beth confronted her mother about squashing her dreams, joyful freedom as Beth rediscovered her love for dance, worried tension as Beth watched Randall's anxiety issues build once more and out-and-out hilarity as Beth tangled with Malik's equally feisty mom. Is there anything this powerhouse can't play?

Toni Collette, Kaitlyn Dever and Merritt Wever, Unbelievable

From start to finish of the eight-episode Netflix series, Dever, Wever and Collette elevated this gripping, oftentimes harrowing material to superlative levels. As Marie Adler, Dever somehow both sold us on the teen's tragic tale while also allowing for the chance that the facts were not as they seemed. Meanwhile, in a tangential story separated by both place and time, Wever and Collette portrayed differently tempered LEOs whose pursuit of a dark truth united them in a singular cause. All three women may never have shared a scene, but the actresses' performances were of a like excellence.

Zendaya, Euphoria

Um, could Zendaya maybe be a little less good at playing Euphoria's Rue? Because her skill at bringing the self-medicating, frequently reckless and emotionally aching teen to life is otherworldly, and we are worried about her. The actress is phenomenal in the highly disturbing role, which makes it all the harder to watch as Rue routinely throws herself into situations that could end very badly. Yet she always mines a moment's humor, which allows her to nail the dizzyingly up-and-down reality of being a modern teen — a huge key to the show's believability.

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