Never has one character’s egotistical self-absorption and naked ambition been more charismatic and watchable. You could power a small city with the electricity that Piven brings to this role. It’s a tricky business, attempting to give emotional weight to a character who’s trapped in what is often a carnival fun house of a show (an entertaining carnival fun house, but still).
Spader’s character, Alan Shore, may be on one of the silliest one-hour shows out there, but the character himself is not a joke, and that’s thanks to Spader’s consistently interesting, compassionate work. Photos: Michael Scott (Steve Carell) of The Office explains to his female employees how women think; Gus and Shawn (Dule Hill and James Roday) on Psych. in Best and worst of 2007 TV | Permalink | Comments (26) leading actresses in dramas.
Today, I'm listing the best actors of the last year in dramas. They are, in my humble opinion, these gentlemen: Powers Boothe, Gerald McRaney and Ian McShane, Deadwood (HBO): To have had one of these actors showing off his considerable talents in this classic western would have been a treat. To have all three was an embarrassment of riches.
Though Boothe and McShane (as well as Timothy Olyphant as Sheriff Bullock) were, as always, completely enthralling in Deadwood’s third season, it was a revelation to see the former Major Dad star demonstrate his dramatic chops so brilliantly. Who knew he had it in him? Jim Broadbent and Andy Serkis, “Longford” (HBO): As Lord Longford, an aristocrat who advocated for prisoners’ rights, Broadbent could have played into a host of Brit-twit stereotypes.
Instead, he made you wonder if perhaps the eccentric Longford was not just a flawed, compassionate man, but perhaps a saint in the making. And as child-killer Ian Brady, Serkis gave a performance of such feral viciousness that I almost wanted to look away – but couldn’t. In a Variety piece, “FNL” creator Peter Berg said he was, at first, dubious about the idea of Chandler taking the role of Coach Eric Taylor.
“I was like, [the guy from] ‘Early Edition’? Are you kidding me?” Berg recalled wondering.
Nobody’s wondering at the decision to cast Chandler now. The actor makes you understand why the players on Taylor’s team and the people in his life would walk over broken glass for the charismatic coach. Given the role of a lifetime as a family man, coach and often flummoxed father, Chandler has run with it, and it’s a beautiful thing to see.
Vic Mackey, Chiklis’ character on the blistering FX drama, isn’t scariest when he’s busting down doors or holding a gun on some lowlife suspect. He’s scariest when he’s quiet, yet his eyes reveal a murderous intensity that is quite simply scorching. Taut writing and direction alone would make this drama worth watching, but the extraordinary cast, led by the fiery Chiklis, make it truly unmissable.
Ben Linus on “Lost” has openly admitted that he uses emotional manipulation to get what he wants — yet I’m still mesmerized every time he does it. Thanks to Emerson’s compelling, enigmatic performance, I know I’ll never really understand Linus. Nor do I really want to.
But Emerson offers proof each week on “Lost” that when it comes to playing a villain, less is often much more. Gandolfini’s fascinating portrayal of the most complicated Mafia don ever may mean that the actor is seen as Tony Soprano for the rest of his career, though Gandolfini is so talented that he may just be able to disappear into other roles in other projects. But making us care about a man who was capable of such brutality was an extraordinary achievement, and it won’t be forgotten soon.
The doctor will see you now. But he’s not happy about it. And he’ll tell you that — in the most sarcastic manner possible.
Gregory House does, I’m fascinated by him. That’s because the show’s writers, and Laurie, refuse to make him a one-note crank and also refuse to “nice-ify” the brilliant doc. That’s fine by me, as long as the show’s moral dilemmas and philosophical arguments stay so sharp and compelling.
Never has one character’s egotistical self-absorption and naked ambition been more charismatic and watchable.
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