Welcome to the 2023 SiftPop.com Sifties!
This year, the SiftPop writers came together to nominate five casts for Best Television Ensemble. Here is a countdown of the five best ensembles that our writers collectively saw!
Season Two of Abbott Elementary sets the table for what is going to be an Emmys juggernaut at some point. The reason why, though, is that the cast works so well together that it’s easily one of the funniest and closest group of characters in television. This season, they all get a chance to grow, both as people and as teachers, something that many second seasons don’t get a chance to accomplish due to the dreaded sophomore slump. Everyone shines at some point throughout the season, making the most valuable character of the ensemble interchangeable. Anchored by Janine (Quinta Brunson), she deepens her relationship with all the characters, while also growing as a teacher. Brunson loves this character, as she is more vulnerable than ever. She’s not just the annoying, overly upbeat teacher from Season One, and thankfully, she makes Season Two much more of an ensemble piece as opposed to a Janine-centric series. Between her growing mentorship from Barbara (Sheryl Lee Ralph) and Melissa (Lisa Ann Walter), and her stronger friendship with Jacob (Chris Perfetti), Janine makes the most strides with Gregory (Tyler James Williams). Abbott Elementary is a force of comedy, while sprinkling in some much-needed heart, which is missing from network comedies. And it all starts with a strong ensemble cast that will be together for the long run.
It may be Ted Lasso’s name on the show, but Ted Lasso was always about more than Jason Sudeikis’ titular performance. How much the ball is shared among the rest of the supporting cast became noticeable in Season Two, and it remains a strength of the show in Three. Even still, Sudeikis is a standout, as are the core supporting characters like Juno Temple’s Keeley, Hannah Waddingham’s Rebecca, and Brendan Hunt’s Beard, but where the show really shines is in some of the more surprising subplots. Seeing the Jamie (Phil Dunster)/Roy (Brett Goldstein) relationship develop, and the growth of both those characters, is great. Trent Crimm (James Lance) may be the low key MVP in an expanded role. Higgins (Jeremy Swift) and Dani Rojas (Cristo Fernández) have a perfect conversion rate when it comes to their laugh lines. Sam Richardson’s guest appearance as Edwin Akufo is again a blast. Colin (Billy Harris) has never really gotten his opportunity to shine in previous seasons, and not only does he get that in Season Three, but he is central to an important, delicate storyline that’s pulled off well. Getting to see the full ensemble get their shine is a feature of Ted Lasso’s latest season, not a bug.
It’s easy to reduce The Last of Us to simply a story about Pedro Pascal’s Joel and Bella Ramsey’s Ellie, but the reason the leads are so well-defined is largely due to the way they are juxtaposed against a compelling cast of supporting characters throughout their journey. Pascal and Ramsay give their all to their performances in this first season, and that is to be celebrated. But performances like Anna Torv and Gabriel Luna as Tess and Tommy are paramount to shine light on the humanity that Joel is carefully guarding due to his unchecked grief. Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett bring Bill and Frank’s story to life in ways the game doesn’t even dare to delve into, resulting in one of the best TV episodes of the year. Melanie Lynskey and Scott Shepherd’s villainous turns force the heroes to ponder if pain is justified by survival, a question that is fundamental to the core themes of the show. The original game was released during a time where pop culture was oversaturated with zombies and apocalyptic tales, but it was able to transcend the “zombie survival” label by finding meaning in the deeper interpersonal challenges that humanity may face during dire circumstances. This adaptation stays true to that conceit, and flourishes thanks to the air-tight performances from top to bottom.
It would be one thing if you had three lead actors as great as Jeremy Allen White, Ayo Edebiri, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach, but they’re just the tip of the iceberg. While White brings his now-trademark sadness as Carmy, Edebiri her wayward feeling as Sydney, and Moss-Bachrach the chaos as Richie, The Bear works because it is an ensemble show through and through. Lionel Boyce’s Marcus has depth and drive, Liza Colón-Zayas’ Tina has an attitude as well as heart, and you feel for Abby Elliott’s Natalie, who just wants a calm life amidst a sea of chaos. Matty Matheson’s Fak always brings some needed levity to an intense show, and Ebraheim (Edwin Lee Gibson) and Sweeps (Corey Hendrix) are constants in the background of The Beef. But of course this latest season is taken to another level because of its guest actors, with the likes of Jon Bernthal, Molly Gordon, Jamie Lee Curtis, Gillian Jacobs, Oliver Platt, Olivia Colman, Will Poulter, Sarah Paulson, John Mulaney, and the big one, Bob Odenkirk, they all slide right into this high-intensity world of the food business, and what becomes fine dining.
The cast of Succession couldn’t be more pitch-perfect. Jeremy Strong’s Season One performance is an all-timer, but he somehow — and you’ll hear this a lot — got even better with each subsequent season as he brought more depth to the character of Kendall. Kieran Culkin’s Roman basically started out as comic relief, but he progressively added more depth as the show went along, culminating in a masterclass of a final season. Brian Cox didn’t have as much to do this season, but his presence is felt even when he’s not on screen. Sarah Snook also only gets better as the show went on; there are so many layers to her performance. Tom perfectly rides the line between pitiable and despicable, all thanks to how excellent Matthew Macfadyen is; he also gives his best performance this season. Alan Ruck’s Connor spent three seasons as the goofball who no one took seriously, but he has some of the most pathos in Season Four. You can just go down the line with everyone else: Nicholas Braun turns the somewhat lovable bozo into a downright loathsome monster; J. Smith-Cameron’s composure and perfectly timed jabs are amazing; Justine Lupe, likewise, has moments of jabs, most notably towards Hiam Abbass’ Marcia; Juliana Canfield finally gets her moment to shine as Jess after glimmering from the background for most of the show; Arian Moayed’s Stewy shows back up and causes as much trouble as ever; James Cromwell comes in for his brief iconic moment that he gets about every eight episodes; Peter Friedman and David Rasche have been great side characters who come in and own a scene for the entire series as Frank and Karl; and Alexander Skarsgård’s Lukas Matsson only gets more accurate and contemptible as we learn more about a certain billionaire who can’t get off social media. This list could easily continue — there isn’t a single performance on this show, especially this season, that is less than excellent.
Make sure to check back tomorrow for the winner of Best Television Performance!