My favorite thing about the Feelies every year is watching how every race plays out over the course of voting. Sometimes a favorite emerges right away and the race is pretty much over from the moment it started. (See this year’s Best Actress in a Comedy race; she never was not in first place.) Sometimes it’s a category where the lead see-saws between two or three people the whole time with the winner just barely claiming victory. (That would be both the Supporting Actress races.) SOMETIMES a category is so close that the percentages among all the nominees are so even that any one of them has a shot at victory. (Best Actor in a Comedy was LIT this year.) The best compliment that Sage and I can hear from you guys is that it is IMPOSSIBLE for you to choose a winner. That’s how we know we’ve done a good job.
But choose you did. And we’re so proud of the choices. Let’s get to it shall we?
(Note to the winners: We don’t have a budget for trophies, but we DO have a budget for boozy brunch if you ever want to collect on that the next time you’re in New York.) — Kim
Best Comedy: Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
It’s like Crazy Ex-Girlfriend was designed in a lab, just for us. A bizarro-romantic comedy with enough heart to balance its wicked and dark humor. Show-stopping musical numbers that had us humming for days. A cast of stone-cold weirdos, each and every one a find. And the vision of Rachel Bloom and co-creator Aline Brosh McKenna driving the whole thing with zany, feminist energy. I can’t think of a comedy on the air right now that packs as much into each individual episode, and Patti LuPone was right (because she’s PATTI LUPONE): no one understands incorporating original music into a narrative like Bloom. If you’re not watching it – WHY? Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is a one-stop shop for Spice Girls homages, “too much” women who are trying to deal with their shit, TV’s best depiction of male bisexuality, and sooooo much bubble tea. It’s also brave as hell, just like Rebecca Bunch. –Sage
Best Actress in a Comedy: Rachel Bloom, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
Any list of nominations that doesn’t include this woman is, sorry Emmys, immediately invalidated. And obviously, you guys agree. Rebecca Bunch is one of the most fascinating characters in comedy right now, period. Scared, selfish, vulnerable, and unstoppable Rebecca wrestled with even darker demons this year, burying her deep fear that she was born unlovable in her relationship with Josh. Then Greg. Then Josh again. Then maybe Nathaniel? (Next year? LADY VENGEANCE.) It takes so much talent and discipline to play someone this off the rails, let alone run the whole show while you’re doing it. Bloom has courage and commitment to spare; she isn’t afraid of the audience seeing which parts of Rebecca are her, making all of us the stronger for it. –Sage
Best Actor in a Comedy: Ted Danson, The Good Place AND Marc Maron, GLOW
For 95% of season one of The Good Place, Ted Danson’s Michael was a bit of a lovable buffoon. Nothing could ever quite go right for Michael as he tried to maintain the integrity of the very first neighborhood he’s ever been in charge of. Danson brought his signature charm and impeccable timing to the role and the whole season my main reaction to him fell along the lines of “Aw, isn’t it great to have him back on TV again?” AND THEN. AND THENNNNNNNN with a single smirk, Ted Danson proved why he’s a comedy legend/icon/superstar/every superlative on the planet. Honestly, I would give him an Emmy JUST for the moment that Michael let the whole adorable doofus act drop so he could reveal his true self. The twist of The Good Place would have knocked anyone on their asses ANYWAY but to go back and look at Ted Danson through the lens of him being evil the whole time? The performance is fucking GENIUS. — Kim
Marc Maron has made a career of making his own baggage a part of the act, but GLOW ought to school anyone who assumed he could only play himself. Sam Sylvia walks the line between desperate mercenary and reluctant high school counselor – a rumpled svengali who makes empty promises about how these women will be fulfilled by doing this back-alley job and then actually helps them get there. From Gordon Bombay to Morris Buttermaker (and as Kim pointed out in the voting post, Jimmy Dugan), the shoddy and indifferent coach is an American archetype. In his aviators and dusty leather jacket, Maron plays Sam to perfection, with weary sarcasm and unexpected wisdom. Even when he accidentally tries to make out with his daughter, you can’t help but give him a pass. –Sage
Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy: Donna Lynne Champlin, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
Ladies and Gents, Donna Lynne Champlin is now a two-time Feelies Champion for Best Supporting Actress in a comedy and based on her work in season two of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, it’s easy to see why. Paula was mainly Rebecca’s partner in crime throughout the first season, but the second season saw the writers handing meatier material. Her unplanned pregnancy and subsequent abortion. Her decision to pursue her dreams of going to law school. The problems in her marriage. The PAINFUL way she and Rebecca fell out of step for a while, showing that this female friendship is the TRUE OTP of the show. (Seriously, when they were broken up, I yelled at the TV almost every episode for them to just WORK IT OUT.) Donna Lynne took that material and RAN with it, giving us one of the most heartfelt and complex and FUNNIEST performances of the year. Plus, the woman can sing the shit out of every single musical genre they give her, from Disney Princess ballad to a Heart-esque banger. We’re so lucky to have her. — Kim
Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy: Tituss Burgess, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Tituss Burgess takes Titus Andromendon more seriously than you do. And that’s why he works. The expertise in his performance is that, while Titus’s emotions may be more extreme than most people you know IRL, every comedic choice is 100% character-driven. And in Titus’s mind, a heartbreak isn’t mourned with a pint of ice cream. No, it deserves nothing less than an almost shot-for-shot remake of Beyonce’s groundbreaking visual album, Lemonade.
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt may not have generated as much conversation this season as it has in the past, but clearly you guys were still feeling the show’s resident drama queen and truth teller. And the diva would expect nothing less. –Sage
Best Drama: Big Little Lies
Listen. We were in the moment we found out that Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Laura Dern, Shailene Woodley, and Zoe Kravitz would be sharing a screen. Big Little Lies is HBO at its HBOiest. A buzzy novel. A cast of Oscar winning and nominated MOVIE STARS in their primes playing suburban mothers. A picturesque setting and an overarching mystery. The only thing it had to do was deliver. And boy, did it ever. What amazes me the most about Big Little Lies is how it seamlessly blends so many genres. It’s a murder mystery. It’s a wickedly dark comedy where Reese Witherspoon and Laura Dern try to out Alpha Mom each other. It’s women being deliciously bitchy over an afternoon glass of wine. It’s a feminist exploration of how women can often lose their sense of self in this whole motherhood thing. It’s about women grappling with the trauma of rape and abuse. It’s about the power of female friendship and women supporting each other. It’s everything…and the fact that this ensemble of powerhouses worked TOGETHER to help each other shine makes it even better. No one tries to pull focus. Every single woman gets her moment in the sun. It’s a beautiful thing to watch…and it’s WHY we all are clamoring for a season two. (And it’s exactly why we shouldn’t have it.) — Kim
Best Actress in a Drama: Nicole Kidman, Big Little Lies
I’m all for Nicole Kidman appreciation, but DON’T CALL IT A COMEBACK, my friends. She’s always been superb. As the Monterrey housewife in the most precarious situation (and that’s saying something), Kidman brought her signature luminosity plus a long-suffering resignation and an inextinguishable cunning to the HBO miniseries. Abuse stories are rarely presented with the psychological complexity that Celeste’s marriage was granted in Big Little Lies. And though she was being gaslit and brutalized by the father of her children, Kidman’s character – due to her compassionate and steely work – could never be called a victim. –Sage
Best Actor in a Drama: Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us
There’s very little I can say about Sterling K. Brown that I haven’t said before. He is the heart and the soul and the grounding force of This Is Us. It’s my favorite male performance on all of television in the past year. I’m excited to see what he does every time I tune in. Because the thing with Sterling is that it NEVER feels like he’s acting, you know? I never see the seams or the obvious character work that Sterling has put into his portrayal of Randall Pearson. I just see Randall. I see his sly sense of humor and his delightful dad jokes and his penchant for snuggly sweaters. I see the passionate love and steady partnership with his wife. I see his devotion to his girls. I see the man struggling with his identity as he forges a relationship with his biological father and I see the way that relationship changes him. I see the deep well of pain he struggles with when it comes to the betrayal of his mother. I see the complicated sibling relationships. I see the crippling anxiety and I see the weight of the world come off his shoulders when he finally decides to just LET GO. I just see Randall and I’m in awe of him. And honestly, I think that’s the best compliment I can give. — Kim
Best Supporting Actress in a Drama: Michelle Gomez, Doctor Who
This one came down to the wire, but in true Missy-like fashion, Michelle Gomez stole this category from Laura Dern by ONE VOTE. (Poll: In a cage match, who would win? Missy or Renata Klein? I DON’T KNOW.) We have loved Michelle’s maniacal Master for three series of Doctor Who. Hell, she scored a spot in our Best Performances of 2015 post JUST for her appearance in two episodes. So why now? Why did we nominate her for Supporting Actress THIS year? The answer is simple: Michelle’s expanded screen time in Series 10 allowed her to explore new layers to Missy. Sure, she was still the same wise cracking rapid fire Queen of One Liners that we’ve always loved. But we also saw Missy be vulnerable with the Doctor. We saw her exploring concepts like remorse and empathy. We saw her struggle in the face of her former self. And we ultimately saw her choose the Doctor. Without hope, without reward, without witness. I’ll never be over it. — Kim
Best Supporting Actor in a Drama: Ron Cephas Jones, This Is Us
Between Mr. Robot, Luke Cage, and This Is Us, it was some kinda year for Ron Cephas Jones. And you know we love it when a character actor gets to shine. Cephas Jones didn’t have an easy job in This Is Us, playing the biological father who Randall never knew. There was always a chance – especially with the show’s air-on-the-side-of-schmaltzy writing – that William could have been TOO magic, TOO perfect – a blessing that blew into Randall’s life carrying nary a flaw. But William was so much more than a kind, sick old man. He was actively in the process of letting go of resentment, and Cephas Jones granted us the privilege of seeing that strain. He was literary and FUNNY and secret loves hidden in his back pocket. And he had a gorgeous chemistry with our Lead Actor winning, as Randall and William took turns being the paternal one. God bless the art of the flashback for keeping him with us. –Sage
Best Shipper Moment: “Time for us to be friends again.” – Doctor Who
Look. They’re in love. The Master and the Doctor have been in love for as long as they’ve both been around, hence the 1000+ year long hair-pulling competition. There’s always been an element of the Time Lords’ relationship that’s been sexually charged, but Series 10 brought out a new element: regret, and a little bit of romance. We spent half of the series waiting for the other shoe to drop – for Missy to expose her REAL, evil intentions. But she never did. Here, in this moment, where she steps towards the Doctor and reaches out for him with tears in her eyes, she was speaking from her hearts. She wanted to be good, finally, for him. And he was SO AFRAID to let himself believe her, but he gave her the chance anyway. Because all they’ve ever wanted – over centuries, through regenerations, and across galaxies – is to finally be in synch with one another. So. Close. –Sage
Like Cher Horowitz, my greatest thrill in life is a makeover. The boys giving Eleven her blonde hair and pink dress and a smattering of make-up was heartwarming ALREADY, especially in the way they are all clearly bowled over when she walks out. (Also Millie Bobby Brown says more with her face and the quietly uttered “Pretty” than many adults do with a Shakespearean soliloquies.)
The payoff for the makeover moment comes at the start of episode seven. Mike takes Eleven home after she saved Mike and the boys from Troy. She looks at her close cropped brown hair in the mirror, tears in her giant eyes. (THIS CHILD Y’ALL.) You can tell in that moment that Eleven is judging herself, that she’s longing for the comfort of her wig. “You don’t need it,” Mike says softly. “Still pretty?” She asks softly. “Yeah,” Mike says eagerly. “Really pretty.” AND THEN OUR HEARTS (And yours, judging by the wide margin this one won by) EXPLODED WITH THE WARM FUZZIES. — Kim
Best Right in the Feels Moment: William’s death, This Is Us
I knew it was coming, but I still wasn’t ready. The entire “Memphis” episode of This Is Us was an exquisite play anchored by two soulful actors. On the verge of his death, William wanted to show Randall his life (and thank Jack for giving Randall his). We should all be so lucky to have a second chance to let that one person in and to make ourselves understood. William and Randall both made the most of it. Their father/son relationship may not have had the years in it that either would have liked, but they found a more profound connection than most parents and children could ever hope for. –Sage
YAS QUEEN! Moment: Jodie Whittaker is the Doctor, Doctor Who
This is one for the history books. And not trolls nor The Sun nor the painful scrutiny 13 is going to be subjected to throughout her tenure can dull that shine. That’s my Doctor, right there. And like it or not, she’s yours too. –Sage
Best WHAT THE FUCK?! Moment: It’s the Bad Place, The Good Place
Obviously not everyone/thing I voted for won, but the ones I really REALLY cared about did, and I am feeling a lot of warm and good things in my soul right now.