With every awards season, there comes the requisite snubs: those beloved performances, films, and television shows that we adore but that inexplicably don’t make the cut. And I get it, really I do. We live in an era of peak television and and countless platforms, producing an unprecedented level of content.
In 2017, 487 original programs aired on television, enough to break the brains of even the most seasoned TV critics. When I read that number, I had to step away from my laptop and scream into a paper bag for twenty minutes. That’s a lot of shows.
With so much content and so few nomination slots, performances are bound to slip through the cracks. Here are some of our favorite performances that got snubbed in 2018:
Jodie Comer, Killing Eve
(image: BBC America)
BBC America’s breakout black comedy earned noms for best series as well as leading actress for Sandra Oh, and deservedly so. But it is Jodie Comer’s performance as psychotic assassin Villanelle that truly sets the show apart. Comer effortlessly switches between all sides of Villanelle: the lonely girl looking for love, the violent killer, the immature goofball, to create a wholly unique and utterly captivating character.
Viola Davis, Widows
(image: 20th Century Fox)
Widows was one of the best films of the year, yet it was completely shut out of the Golden Globes. And that’s a damn shame, because Viola Davis delivers a command performance as a grieving wife who rallies her fellow widows to pull off a heist. The film is a smart, stylish thriller with terrific performances from all its actors, but Davis anchors it with her heartbreaking portrayal of grief and loss, cementing her status as one of the best actors of her generation.
Janet McTeer, Jessica Jones
(image: Netflix)
Even if you didn’t love season two of Jessica Jones (and many didn’t), you have to give props to Janet McTeer’s performance as Jessica’s long lost super-powered mother Alisa. McTeer played the role like a ticking time bomb, moving from maternal to completely unhinged and dangerous. She was the best part of the second season, and a powerful metaphor for toxic parenting.
Yalitza Aparicio, Roma
(image: Netflix)
Yalitza Aparicio’s performance in Alfonso Cuarón’s beautiful film is all the more amazing when you realize that she is not a trained actress, and this is her first film. Aparicio anchors the film with warmth and heart in what is sure to be a star-making turn. We can’t wait to see what she does next.
Eliza Scanlen, Sharp Objects
(image: HBO)
It’s been months and I still can’t get over the Southern Gothic horror of Sharp Objects. The miniseries has been nominated, as have Amy Adams and Patricia Clarkson (and deservedly so), but Eliza Scanlen’s performance as Amma Crellin is at turns heartbreaking and horrific. Amma is both a victim and a bully, an unpredictable force in the series. In one of her first roles, she manages to hold her own against Adams and Clarkson, and that’s no mean feat.
Brian Tyree Henry, Atlanta/Widows/If Beale Street Could Talk
(image: 20th Century Fox)
2018 was a banner year for Brian Tyree Henry, who reprised his role as rapper Paper Boi on Atlanta, while also delivering terrific performances in both Widows and If Beale Street Could Talk. His performance in Beale Street however, displays a heartbreaking vulnerability and empathy in what is a brief performance. Henry is onscreen for less than ten minutes, but his performance will stick with you for days.
What were some of your favorite performances of 2018 that didn’t get the recognition they deserved?
(featured image: BBC America)
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