My 2024/2025 Oscar predictions

Greetings, reader!

'Tis the season - the Academy Awards are this Sunday, and as is tradition, I'm sharing my predictions. Let's see if I'll beat last year's score of 15 out of 23!

Best Picture - The Brutalist

This is a bit of a toss-up (as always), with flicks like A Complete Unknown, Anora and (*sigh*) Emilia Perez having a chance. But my money is on The Brutalist - it has generated discourse and even controversy to a degree of 'yay, content and relevance' for the Academy, without being ridiculously over-controversial like goddamn Emilia Perez. I haven't seen The Brutalist yet, but I've gathered that it's really well-made, and considered a big frontrunner from various points-of-view. It also won the Golden Globe for Best Picture (Drama), which can't hurt its chances.

Best director - Brady Corbet, The Brutalist

This one is also difficult to estimate without seeing the film (gulp - I've only seen one of the five nominees; in previous years, I would've been ashamed, but I've grown to appreciate that my taste in film has evolved from 'what's in the Oscars this year' to 'what am I really interested in'). But Brady Corbet's directing here has been widely praised by various award season voices, more so than that of any other 2024 films at least on my radar. And once again, Corbet won Best Director at the Golden Globes, which should indicate something - it's a tricky business to predict the Oscar based on the Globes as they never go quite hand in hand, but there's always more correlation than difference.

Best actor - Adrien Brody, The Brutalist

Yeah, The Brutalist might be headed for quite a sweep in some of the biggest categories. I'm guessing it'll win this one even if it were to miss out on Best Picture (or even Director, although I'm fairly confident it's got that one in the bag). Brody's performance has been widely acclaimed, and once again, if you're looking from evidence from the Globes, he won big there. Timothée Chalamet has a fair shot for A Complete Unknown as well, but Brody seems to have even more award season traction, so I'm guessing Chalamet's Pacino-esque 'get nominated a fuck-bunch of time before eventually winning' arch will take a few more years (or decades).

Best actress - Demi Moore, The Substance

For this one, looking to the Golden Globes for guidance gets tough, as their dumb and arbitrary division of films into 'drama' and 'comedy or musical' messes things up. Demi Moore and Fernanda Torres won in their respective categories and they're both nominated in this Oscar category, so I'm guessing one of them will take the W here. Sure, both actresses have major controversies around them, as do fellow nominees Mikey Madison and Karla Sofía Gascón - so, if 'no unnecessary drama' were the factor, the win would go a very deserving Cynthia Erivo. But, as we all know, the Academy loves unnecessary drama, and Erivo winning would be much too good and deserving of a choice for the Academy to actually go with it. So, my money is on Moore.

Best supporting actor - Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain

This one seems like a slam dunk - Kieran Culkin's arch from 'the kid who wets his bed in Home Alone' to 'serious dramatic actor and film critic darling' is such a narrative that the Academy loves to boost. Not to mention that Culkin's performance in A Real Pain has been widely praised on all levels, and once again, he won a Golden Globe (shit, now I'm getting worried that my guesses correlate too much with the Globes - something has to go differently, but I don't know which prediction I should change!).

Best supporting actress - Zoe Saldaña, Emilia Pérez

God damn f**king Emilia Perez. Now, I must give the disclaimer that I haven't watched the film, so technically I shouldn't be allowed to say anything about it. But, in my defense - I started out with an open mind. When the film started to generate its first 'the critics love it but the people hate it' headlines, and my fiancée showed me TikToks of individual scenes showing what a ridiculous film it is, my initial reaction was to defend it - I said all the classics, like "we should watch the film before getting to criticize it" and "individual scenes without context might look stupid, but actually work in the context so we shouldn't judge".

But then, the headlines kept coming - from 'Here's why actual Mexicans find the film offensive', and 'Why Emilia Perez is actually hurtful to the trans community', through 'The controversial use of AI in the music of Emilia Perez', all the way to 'You won't believe what the lead actress tweeted about Islam / George Floyd / China / pretty much any given subject'. As can be expected, the film was duly punished for all this messiness, with 13 Oscar nominations.

Anyways, whether or not the film wins big at the Oscars or not is anyone's guess at this point. On one hand, it would be a typical dumbass Academy move to give the film 13 nominations, but then get second thoughts after the controversies, and act as if the nominations never existed and award the film with fuck all. But on the other, it would also be a classic dumbass Academy move to be embarrassed about the controversies, but still stubbornly vote for the film to win a bunch of categories, because they're screwed anyways after the amount of nominations. I won't be surprised if the Academy tries to rewrite history and give Emilia Perez an undoubtedly deserved zero wins, but I also won't be shocked if it ends up winning big in Best Picture and eight other categories. My best guess is somewhere in between - it'll still win those few categories where it was considered a big frontrunner (like this one - seemingly even the haters are complimenting Saldaña's performance), but lose out on the categories that were competitive already before the wave of controversies.

Best original screenplay - Sean Baker, Anora

Here I can't really look to the Globes for guidance, because unlike the Oscars, they have only one category for screenwriting and this year the win went to an adapted script, not an original one. However, a few of the nominees here were also nominated at the Globes, so at the very least I'm guessing the winner will be one of those. Anora seems to have the most screenwriting hype around it - the story and dialogue have been highlighted by many a critic, and it seems like a movie that is bound to win something but I'm guessing it'll lose out to its competitors in most other categories. Can't give everything to The Brutalist!

Best adapted screenplay - Peter Straughan, Conclave

Once again, I'm lazily going with the film that won the respective Golden Globes category - here it makes extra sense, because it won there from a selection of all screenplays, original and adapted, so you'd think it's bound to do the same with half the competition at the Oscars. And I don't really see any of the other nominees winning this one - A Complete Unknown, Nickel Boys and Sing Sing weren't even nominated at the Globes, and, well, Emilia goddamn Perez is always a wild card but I'd like to believe that they won't reward the film's writing out of all things.

Best animated feature - The Wild Robot

This year, there are less classic two-horse races as most years - most categories seem to either trend towards a clear singular frontrunner or then an unpredictable race between three or more serious contenders. But Best Animated Feature seems to fit in the classic duel format - all experts and indicators seem to agree that either the Latvian film Flow or Dreamworks' The Wild Robot will be taking the win (unless we're in for a big Wallace and Gromit upset). It's anyone's guess which one will win, but I'm going with The Wild Robot pretty much just because it didn't win at the Golden Globes (Flow did), so this solves my 'can't base every guess on the Globes' dilemma.

Best international feature - Emilia Perez

This one is a toss-up - in many years, Best International Feature is one of the easiest to predict, as quite often there are five nominees of which one is nominated for eight other awards (including Best Picture) while the other four are nominated for Best International Feature. This year, many of the nominees are also nominated in other categories, including two Best Picture nominees (I'm Still Here and, you guessed it, Emilia f**king Perez). You'd think that the film with 13 nominations has an obvious leg over the film with three, but the wild trajectory of the year's weirdest movie phenomenon has thrown a wrench in this race - if the Academy wants to walk back its admittedly embarrassing embrace of this train wreck, giving International Feature to I'm Still Here would be the way to go. But, having to pick one to bet for, I'm going with Oscar Bait Extravaganza.

Best documentary feature film - No Other Land

My initial thought was to predict this category to any other nominee than No Other Land - a Palestinian film documenting the suffering in the West Bank just seems like such an underdog, especially after seeing what a testament to Zionism last year's Oscars and the Hollywood reaction to them was. Obviously, the Academy has always loved political films, but usually the trend is for the wins to go to films that are political in a safe, noncontroversial and liberal way, not those that touch the need for actually challenging the status quo, addressing systemic injustices and uncomfortable truths. So, my impulse was a strong 'there's no way that the film highlighting the Palestinian people and their right to self-determination will possibly win at the Oscars'.

But now, there's hope. No Other Land has been met with an amazing critical response, winning big at the Berlin International Film Festival, the Vancouver International Film Festival, the National Board of Review Awards, the International Documentary Association Awards, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, the Cinema Eye Honors, and the London Film Critics' Circle - just to name a few. I'll be pretty damn angry, albeit not very surprised, if the film doesn't win an Oscar after all of this. At least there seems to be a good chance, so I'm trying to manifest a big win and a speech calling for a Free Palestine with this prediction!

Best documentary short film - I Am Ready, Warden

You know how I mentioned that the Oscars love to highlight the kind of political issues that aren't very controversial to begin with in the generally liberal Hollywood world? Being critical of the death penalty, which is still practiced in 27 U.S. states, goes right into that sweet spot. Of course, going on 'Oscar bait' themes alone is not enough of an argument, because the competition is heavy - the fellow nominees include Death By Numbers (school shootings), The Only Girl in the Orchestra (the title says it all) and Incident (police brutality - okay, maybe Hollywood isn't quite ready for that one yet). But I Am Ready, Warden does seem to have the most traction behind it. Also, it does sound like a very genuine film and not just Oscar bait - I was in tears just reading the synopsis.

Best live action short film - The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent

Once again, you can't look at 'Oscar bait' themes alone, because that would be quite the even race - the nominees highlight immigration (A Lien), child labor (Anuja), the digital crisis (I'm Not a Robot), wildlife protection (The Last Ranger) and nationalist violence (The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent). My hunch, based on the medium amount of reading I've being doing on this year's Oscar nominees, is that the Croatian The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent has the most Award season hype behind it.

Best animated short film - Beautiful Men

Despite its branding issue (my tired ass googled 'Beautiful men' to do some reading on the film, and wondered why the result was a bunch of pictures of Liam Hemsworth and Robert Pattinson), I'm guessing this Belgian-French-Dutch production has the lock on this category, based on its overall acclaim in various film festivals and other accolades. Nina Gantz' Wander to Wonder also has a fair shot, but I'm guessing it'll remain a runner-up.

Best original score - Daniel Blumberg, The Brutalist

Fuck this absolute joke of a category. The fact that Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross' Challengers score wasn't even nominated, not to mention the snub of Hans Zimmer for Dune: Part Two, means that as a self-respecting musician, I will not give serious thought or legitimacy into this charade of a 'category'.

Granted, I haven't watched four of the nominated films, but let's be real - Wicked, while amazing, did not have a better instrumental score than Challengers or Dune: Part Two by any logic, and I listened enough of the Brutalist, Conclave and The Wild Robot scores to know that they can't possibly be as groundbreaking and genius as the snubbed ones - and Emilia Perez? Really? Reznor and Ross were out there pouring their hearts out into one of the greatest soundtracks of the decade, while Hans Zimmer carefully crafted what is arguably his magnum opus to perfectly fit the atmosphere of Frank Herbert's source material, and they sure as hell didn't need any goddamn fucking AI to do it.

Oh, and guess who won the Golden Globe for Best Original Score? Challengers did, very deservedly, and these clowns didn't even bother to give them a nomination. Anyways, I'll say that The Brutalist wins, but I really don't give a shit.

Best original song - El Mal from Emilia Pérez

*Deep sigh*

Best sound - Dune: Part Two

At least Dune is probably going to get this one. I could also see Wicked or A Complete Unknown nabbing Best Sound (don't get me started if Emilia fucking Perez takes it), because sometimes the Academy doesn't award sequels because of the short-sighted "they're just doing the same thing again" narrative. 2021's Dune easily won Best Sound, and I've read enough about how the ingeniously crafted sound design process went even deeper in the second film with a plethora of new innovations to know that it really should win (but will it win is anyone's guess).

Best production design - Wicked

Every year I pick the one category that I'm the most sure about, and I make the same bet: if I get this one wrong, I'm watching all six Sharknado films (maybe even all three spin-offs as well), and ranking them in excruciating detail on this blog. So far I've made the Sharknado bet for these categories:

2019/20 - Best Cinematography for 1917

2020/21 - Best Animated Feature for Soul

2021/22 - Best Sound for Dune

2022/23 - Best International Feature for All Quiet on the Western Front

2023/24 - Best International Feature for The Zone of Interest

Thankfully, all of them have gone right. This year I'm taking my chances with Wicked for Production Design - from the carefully paved and muddy Yellow Brick Road, through the fantastic-looking life-size train, all the way to really planting nine million colorful tulips on set so that Munchkinland would look like Munchkinland, the large-scale practical set design of Wicked is bound to win.

Best cinematography - Lol Crawley, The Brutalist

LOL, this guy's name is Lol. Anyways, I reckon he'll be the one laughing out loud when he wins the Academy Award for Best Cinematography.

Best makeup and hairstyling - The Substance

When a body horror film is one of the year's big Oscar contenders, that alone implies somewhat of a lock on the Makeup and Hairstyling category. I haven't seen The Substance, but one of its most praised elements appears to be how the stars and various creatures were made to look with the use of prosthetics, creative makeup choices and practical effects.

Best costume design - Paul Tazewell, Wicked

The costumes in Wicked were so majestic that I don't feel like I even need to see the other nominated films to be sure of this one. I'm pretty sure I made this prediction in my mind already when I saw the first trailer for Wicked last year.

Best film editing - Nick Emerson, Conclave

Every year's Oscars script seems to include that one movie that is nominated across the board, fairly competitive for the big categories, but only ends up winning one or two categories. This year I'm guessing this narrative for the religious and political drama Conclave - my final predictions have it winning two awards, but I feel more sure about Best Editing than I do about Adapted Screenplay. (Source: a hunch).

Really, it all depends on The Brutalist - if the Academy clearly prefers it and the film ends up winning seven or eight Oscars, Editing will be one of them. But if the winners are more evenly spread, The Brutalist will only win four of five, and Editing will be one of the ones going as a consolation prize to another Best Picture hopeful, specifically Conclave.

Best visual effects - Dune: Part Two

I mean, obviously Dune: Part Two is winning Best Visual Effects. I almost made my Sharknado bet about this one, but then I figured that I was even more confident about Wicked in Costume Design.

Thank you for reading! Tune in next week as I kick off this year's Literature Month, starting off with a ranking of Frank Herbert's Dune books.

An updated ranking of the Star Trek TV shows

Greetings, reader!

Last month marked the 30th anniversary of Star Trek: Voyager (1995-2001) airing its first episode. I've released my ranking of the TV shows in the Star Trek franchise five years ago, but a lot has changed since then - not only have new seasons been released, but the amount of TV shows in the Trek universe has gone up from eight to a whopping eleven with the shows Star Trek: Lower Decks, Star Trek: Prodigy and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds beginning their runs. So, to celebrate Voyager's 30th anniversary, here's my updated ranking of all eleven TV shows in the greatest sci-fi franchise of all time!

11. Star Trek: The Animated Series (1973-1974)

Yeah, I mean, something had to be in last place. I love all of Star Trek (yes, even the TOS episode where aliens force the Enterprise crew to re-enact the gunfight at the OK Corral), so no Star Trek series is inherently bad - but when thinking of each one as a whole with all positives and negatives weighed to form an opinion, this beloved cult classic can't help but fall short of the others. Yes, it has its moments, and there is something deeply nostalgic about the show's cruddy animation style and cheesy dialogue. But still - there are less great episodes in any of the other Trek shows, and the storytelling is less deep/imaginative (apart from a few standout episodes like The Magicks of Megas-Tu and The Time Trap) than most of the franchise.

Yes, the show was meant for children, but then again, Prodigy showed us how a family-friendly Star Trek show can still keep adult audiences engaged by having well-written character development, thought-out plots and innovative animation techniques amidst the wholesome fun. So, especially when compared to that, The Animated Series can't help but feel a bit empty. But, like I said, all Trek shows have their upsides, and if nothing else, I'm grateful for the fun-if-not-amazing follow-ups to classic The Original Series episodes that we got in this one, like Once Upon a Planet and Yesteryear - they may not be masterpieces, but quite decent fan service nonetheless.

10. Star Trek: Discovery (2017-2024)

Now, I want to make it very clear that the relatively low placemenet of this series is not for the same reasons that the wrong kind of Star Trek fans dislike it - you see, the loud-and-angry-on-the-internet fans who missed the point of the entire franchise are adamantly against Discovery because of, you guessed it, 'woke'. I for one believe the show's wokeness to be one of its better qualities - Star Trek has always been about equality and inclusivity in a manner that only an idiot could miss, and Discovery continuing these messages with its representation of trans, nonbinary and queer people is a delight. I'd want to rank Discovery higher on my list for its barrier-breaking diversity alone.

However, as a Star Trek series, or a sci-fi series (or even just a TV series) in general - it never quite lives up to its full potential, despite flashes of genius. The first two seasons are somewhat flawed but very decent overall, showing great potential, only for the series to more or less jump the shark in the massively underwhelming third season. Seasons 4 and 5 make some headway back into my heart, being a clear improvement upon the third season but still not quite as good as the first two. Discovery has some great storylines, a lovable cast and important messages on social progress, but in terms of episode-to-episode quality, consistency in storytelling, interest in the premise and overall atmosphere, it doesn't quite hold up when compared to most of the franchise's shows.

9. Star Trek: Prodigy (2021-)

As mentioned earlier, the contrast between the two most child-friendly Star Trek shows is wild (I would've liked to rank Prodigy even higher, but let's be real, a vast majority of the shows in the franchise are awesome so ninth place is already quite the achievement). While being simple-to-follow and innocent enough to undoubtedly work great as a kids' show, Prodigy also keeps its adult audience in mind by providing tons of well-written character development, creative plotlines in the heart of the franchise, profound lessons that will hit hard for viewers of any age, and neat easter eggs and connections to other shows in the franchise.

The show's future is in jeopardy after its two-season run, which is a damn shame: the show would've had the potential for lots of additional seasons, with its imaginative premise and lovable characters being worthy of further exploration. Here's hoping that the series gets magically saved!

8. Star Trek: Enterprise (2001-2005)

I've somewhat warmed up to this series over the years. My initially negative-leaning attitude stems from the fact that I watched Enterprise simultaneously with the shows that had come before it, in a time when Discovery, Picard and the other new-wave Treks didn't exist - and in that company, Enterprise just wasn't nearly as good as the others (unless you count The Animated Series), so tuning in to this instead of The Next Generation or Deep Space Nine always felt like a bit of a drag. But I've come to realize that Enterprise did a lot of things right, and I'd undoubtedly have more of a fondness for it if the shows I were comparing it to were less amazing.

The big positives include these: the prequel format makes for moments of fantastic lore and worldbuilding, the growth of characters like Trip Tucker (Connor Trinneer) is a joy to follow, and the series itself grows with each of the four seasons being vastly better than the previous, culminating in an absolutely kick-ass fourth and final season. But, with all of this in consideration, there are still the negatives that weigh it down when looking at the high standards of the franchise: the prequel format is often not used to full potential, the first two seasons have a lot of weak episodes in the mix, and the main character Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula), while having his moments, is easily the worst and least interesting major captain in the franchise. Enterprise is remarkable at its best, but struggles to maintain a consistent quality throughout its run.

7. Star Trek: Picard (2020-2023)

Even though it only ran for three seasons, Picard undoubtedly had the absolutely weirdest f**king trajectory of any TV series ever made. No, really. You have season 1, which is not terrible but quite below-average for the Trek franchise. Then, season 2, which is the franchise at its weakest, and in the running for the worst individual season of any Trek series. And then, in a quality-jump even steeper than that between the first two Star Trek movies, they somehow pulled off season 3 - an absolute masterpiece, and one of the very best individual seasons in all of Star Trek.

This complete 180-degree-turn, and the variance in quality that goes with it, makes Picard extremely hard to rank as a whole. But I've always given more emphasis to any given entertainment/art product's positivies than its negatives when rating and ranking media, which means that no matter how bad Picard got during its ridiculous second season, I'm still very grateful for the series as the third season alone gives the franchise's modern era so much firepower. Kudos to the showrunners for such a miraculous redemption arch.

6. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022-)

Aww yiss! I love all of Star Trek (yes, even the Next Generation episode where Beverly bones a space ghost), so I actually like the generally divisive, dramatic and long-plot-oriented 'NuTrek' shows like Discovery and Picard, despite their flaws - so I can only imagine how hard Strange New Worlds hit for those countless fans who didn't. Because even for me, this show's bold return to the fun, adventurous episode-of-the-week format of 'old Trek' felt incredibly fresh, nostalgic and like a warm hug from an old friend. It's amazing how deeply the showrunners committed to the format - the series feels like a love letter to The Original Series, down to details like the sound effects and visual effects 100% feeling like the ones from the 60's, but just in the way that they look better. But the same. But just better. But still somehow the same. That's an impressive balance.

With just the two seasons they've released so far, Strange New Worlds has given us a treasure trove of episodes that are undoubtedly future classics: you've got original sci-fi adventures like Children of the Comet and Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, tribute-paying fan service like A Quality of Mercy and Those Old Scientists, and shenanigan-filled gimmick episodes like The Elysian Kingdom and Subspace Rhapsody. And all of this is served with cozy set design, a lovable cast, and just such an enjoyable atmosphere. It is very possible that the series will rise even further up on my ranking, provided that the future seasons keep up the quality (or, if the Prophets will it, get even better).

5. Star Trek: Lower Decks (2020-2024)

And here we have a series that is roughly as much of a fresh new breeze and a love letter to the franchise as Strange New Worlds, but in a very different way - the animated Lower Decks is often described as 'Star Trek meets Rick and Morty', due to the show's nature being equal parts chaotic, meta, clever and imaginative. Many of the storylines are downright parodies of the franchise's tropes, but it's done in such a heartfelt manner that it still feels like a tribute, and I love that the Star Trek parody series isn't an entity outside the franchise making fun of it, but rather a very canon part of the Star Trek universe that is simply self-aware and unserious.

With my love for the franchise and my sense of humor, Lower Decks is one of those things that just feels too good to be true. Watching Lower Decks feels like eating candy (in contrast to the well-rounded meals that most Trek shows could be compared to) - it's fun, enjoyable, and hard to stop at just one at a time. Like Strange New Worlds, it's very possible that this series will rise further in my ranking with time, as I've only seen the first two seasons (the only ones to have arrived on Finnish streaming services). 

4. Star Trek (1966-1969)

Oh man, this is a tough one to rank. The original Star Trek series has such a massive, chaotic array of pluses and minuses that a part of me would like to have it fighting for first place while another would have it at eighth or ninth. For now, it's up there below my three favorites, and just barely above Strange New Worlds and Lower Decks, both of which have a very real chance of usurping its position upon further seasons.

I'll start off with the negatives. While the visuals are impressive for their time, the time was the sixties, so the show's setting can't help but feel clunky and thus less believable than its later counterparts. Also due to the era it was made in, the episode-of-the-week format is so strict that there really isn't much character growth, not to mention the lack of cliffhangers, longer storylines or other plot factors that are a big part of the recipe for my favorite Trek shows. Furthermore, while I understand that it's a product of its time, it does make for a less pure-fun re-watching experience than the more modern Treks when an unfortunate amount of episodes contain blatant misoginy and various sexist tropes. While I've always appreciated old cinema and historic TV, I suppose my sensitivities have become modern enough that this stuff does play a big part when comparing such an old show to fresher ones.

But then for the positives. While not downplaying the poorly-aged material I mentioned above, it has to be said that in most regards, The Original Series was incredibly far ahead of its time, and most definitely as controversially 'woke' for its time as Discovery is today. Gene Roddenberry's vision for the show was almost cancelled, because he insisted on having a diverse cast to signify a more tolerant future for humanity, and the studio really would've preferred white males (and maybe one white female they can all objectify). Thankfully, Roddenberry got his way, and it's pretty amazing that 1960's America tuned in weekly to follow a crew of American, Scottish, Japanese and Russian (remember, this is the height of the Cold War we're talking about) ethnicities working in harmony, not to mention Nichelle Nichols' glass-ceiling-shattering role as Uhura being so socially important that MLK himself chimed in, stating that Star Trek is significant because a Black woman on the bridge is the aim of the Civil Rights movement.

Also, it was groundbreaking television on a storytelling level, and one of the most game-changing pieces of sci-fi history. Each episode brings us an imaginative adventure, often introducing fictional planets and alien races that would go on to become iconic, while telling creative stories with narrative frames like time travel and alternate universes, and often having deep real-life themes and lessons in the script (one week it's criticizing the Vietnam War through a Klingon allegory, the next week it's William Shatner's Kirk living out Moby Dick by being obsessed with a space cloud, et cetera). I will always have massive respect for this series because of what it started, and the fact that later shows would improve upon the concept does not make the first stepping stone any less impressive.

3. Star Trek: Voyager (1995-2001)

One day I'm going to re-watch this series with my fiancée (she has repeatedly claimed to want to watch the whole franchise with me, which makes me just about the luckiest nerd alive), and I'm extremely curious to see how it holds up.

It's like I remember two different Voyagers (not unlike the episode Deadlock from the second season, in which a subspace anomaly causes two different USS Voyagers) - one is the deeply flawed show that I ranked below The Original Series in my blog post five years ago, and the other is the deeply nostalgic show that I've grown to appreciate over the years, so much so that my memory of it puts it definitely ahead of The Original Series, and almost rivaling my #2 pick. Has the memory grown sweeter with time in an instance of nostalgia bias? Perhaps, but that can't quite explain it, because I watched it in the same time that I watched The Original Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and Enterprise. Something about Voyager was so warm, so authentic, that my love for it grew with time.

Oh, I remember the flaws (consistency was a big one - every season has its share of really subpar episodes). But I've always been more of a 'focus on the good' viewer than a more negatively charged one, and with Voyager, you have SO much to love. The premise alone is wild, epic, and sentimental all at once, and what they do with it exceeds all expectations. The cast, which grows into TV's arguably finest example of the 'found family' trope, is filled with characters that are among the franchise's best - Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) is a kick-ass feminist icon, Seven Of Nine (Jeri Ryan) has one of science fiction's greatest character archs, and The Doctor (Robert Picardo) provided an infinite supply of sarcastic humor and ethical dilemmas. And oh man, the show's best episodes are such masterpieces that it more than makes up for the weaker ones - season 4's Living Witness poses profound questions, season 5's Timeless is a pitch-perfect 100th episode, and season 6's Blink of an Eye is sci-fi royalty.

2. Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994)

Yeah, most fans would put The Next Generation first, and I gotta admit it - I can see why. The spin-off defied odds to an astronomical degree - fans in the 80's were geared up to hate it due to gatekeeping the original series, and the admittedly cruddy first season seemed to prove them right. But thankfully, the series wasn't cancelled, was given a chance to grow, and as every sci-fi nerd on the planet knows and appreciates, it grew into a series that broke new ground in the genre, had a massive cultural impact, ushered in a new era of creativity in sci-fi storytelling, and somehow did everything that The Original Series did best even better.

There's so much to love and respect. The Borg? One of the coolest villains/storylines in science fiction. The signature atmosphere? A mixture of Shakespearean classiness, familiar warmth, dry humor and a sense of adventure. The innovation of two-parters where Part 1 is the season finale, ending on a massive cliffhanger, and Part 2 is the next season's opener? Revolutionary. John de Lancie as Q? Makes a legacy as one of the most legendary sci-fi characters of all time in only eight episodes. The theme song and title sequence? The greatest in television history. Sir Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard? One of the best acting performances of all time and I'm not exaggerating. I could go on, but you get the idea.

1. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-1999)

This gem from the nineties will always have a special place from my heart, and I'm pretty sure I knew from the very first episode that it would be my favorite Trek. Just to make sure that it wasn't a case of first impression bias, Deep Space Nine had the courtesy to make each one of its seven seasons better than the last, which is quite a historic feat for any kind of TV series.

As a Star Trek nerd who loves to make lists, you can bet I've made tens (probably hundreds) of lists and rankings relating to the franchise in my life - and they all seem to have one thing in common. Despite many of the Trek shows having magnificent episodes at their best, the #1 spot on my list of the best episodes in the whole franchise goes to The Visitor from DS9's fourth season. My #1 favorite villain from the franchise, out of many legendary ones, is Gul Dukat (Marc Alaimo) from DS9. The franchise's best love story, best friendship and best adversarial relationship? All three from DS9, and there's no contest.

Out of many, many things to love about my favorite Star Trek series, perhaps the most impressive is its balance of darkness and warmth. The series was definitely the darkest Trek series to date, yet unlike shows like Picard and Discovery (which would sometimes veer into the sort of darkness where it doesn't feel like Star Trek and Gene Roddenberry's utopian vision anymore), it was always dark in the right way. And despite the show going to brutal lengths at times with its moral dilemmas (oh man, just thinking about In the Pale Moonlight makes me shiver), it's somehow also the coziest Star Trek series? No matter how bleak things get, there's always Raktajinos flowing in Quark's, some wacky supporting character exploring the holo suites, and wholesome subplots ranging from silly Ferengi misadventures to heartfelt human coming-of-age stories.

Roddenberry's vision for the fictional universe that has always meant so much to me is very much intact, but in this series, the utopian future is threatened in a multitude of intriguing ways - unforeseen circumstances force the characters into moral dilemmas that test the line of how far one is willing to go to protect something good, inner threats of corruption and fascism try to rise (reminding viewers of the importance of staying vigilant even if things are good for you at the moment), and the Federation's long-standing ways of diplomacy are called into question when faced with situations where neutrality is complicity - man, this show is relevant. I remember how much Israel/Palestine parallels I saw in the geopolitically fascinating and immensely gripping Cardassian/Bajoran storyline already when watching for the first time as a teenager, and I'm guessing that I'll be frustrated with the world and shedding tears every other episode upon my next re-watch.

But, yeah. It'll always be Deep Space Nine. I love all of Star Trek (yes, even the Voyager episode where Janeway and Paris have salamander babies), but for my taste, nothing in that universe will beat the DS9 atmosphere. Quark (Armin Shimerman) pouring drinks while Odo (René Auberjonois) tries to unravel his latest schemes, Dr. Bashir (Alexander Siddig) flirting with Garak (Andrew Robinson), Miles O'Brien (Colm Meaney) keeping the station's outdated machinery running amidst all the garbage fire chaos while having just the worst time, Sisko (Avery Brooks) being a dorky dad while also being a more badass captain than Kirk and Picard combined, while somehow getting outshined by Major Kira (Nana Visitor) being the biggest badass in the science fiction genre - a recipe for perfection, and an end result that feels like home.

Thank you for reading! Tune in next week for my annual Oscar predictions, ahead of the Academy Awards on next week's Sunday.

Top 10 Frasier Episodes

Greetings, reader!

Well, I recently finished watching the legendary sitcom Frasier (1993-2004), which had eluded me earlier in life. Now that this hole in my general knowledge has been filled, and the series became one of my favorite TV comedies, I have ranked my very favorite episodes from its eleven-season run. These are the very best of Frasier!

A spoiler alert is in order, as I will be discussing specific plot points through the show's run.

Here are my honorable mentions: Halloween (Season 5 Episode 3), High Holidays (Season 11 Episode 11), Mixed Doubles (Season 4 Episode 6), The Maris Counselor (Season 5 Episode 13), Three Valentines (Season 6 Episode 14).

10. Visions of Daphne (Season 6 Episode 22)

When I started to watch Frasier, my fiancée (a lifelong fan of the series) said that it's a lot more than just a sitcom. Oh, how right she was - in addition to all the laughs and shenanigans, Frasier has more heart and emotional power to it than a large majority of comedy shows, and many of the more emotionally impactful episodes made it to my top 10 (naturally, many of the most laugh-out-loud hilarious ones made it as well).

One of the central pillars of the show's emotional core is the larger-than-life love story between Niles (David Hyde Pierce) and Daphne (Jane Leeves), built up for seven seasons, and having a big impact on viewers like me for a variety of reasons (one of them being that I see a lot of myself in Niles, and a lot of Martta in Daphne, which makes the eventual romance delightfully relatable). In this season 6 episode, things look bad as Daphne gets engaged to another man, but the final moments of the episode tease the real love of her life in a clever and magical way. It was the first time that the show properly indicated to the audience that it's not just a one-way crush, but rather something 'meant to be' on a deep level, and as someone who very much experienced the show via Niles' lens, this reveal made for one of the most powerful moments in what is one of TV's greatest love stories.

9. The Good Son (Season 1 Episode 1)

It is extremely rare for a pilot episode to make it onto my top 10 of the entire series, as that calls for an exceptionally strong pilot (or a weak rest of the series). The only other examples I can think of are Lost (strong pilot) and Designated Survivor (weak follow-up), and Frasier most definitely joins Lost in the former category instead of the latter.

It does what a pilot episode is supposed to, introducing the characters and setting in an entertaining fashion, but it also goes beyond that to be just a remarkably good episode. Pilot episodes aren't usually particularly emotional, as first-time viewers aren't attached to the characters yet, but the first episode Frasier proves an exception to the rule by providing one of the show's most tear-jerking moments - Martin (John Mahoney) making up to Frasier (Kelsey Grammer) by calling his radio show after they've fought. It's so real and touching - the conflict between the characters stems from them having such different interests, but Martin wants to get along with his son so much that he makes the effort to reach out to him via his world, which showcases the show's knack for character growth right off the bat.

8. Moon Dance (Season 3 Episode 13)

Again, a rather emotional episode - I swear, we're just about to get to the funny ones (mind you, the heartstring-tugging episodes also have their share of laughs). The early seasons of Frasier have a great deal of episodes where the dynamic of a not-yet-together Niles&Daphne is utilized for laughs, tears or both, as the chemistry between the actors and the charge and build-up in their relationship is most definitely utilized to full potential time and again. One of the more memorable instances is Moon Dance, where a newly single Niles takes Daphne to a ball.

The chemistry between the brilliant duo of David Hyde Pierce and Jane Leeves is so good here that it would've been a crime to not have the characters end up together in the future. For the first-time viewer that I was, it felt like the episode might've been leading to something happening between them for the first time - only for the ending, where Niles realizes that the whole romantic tango was just a fun performance for Daphne, to absolutely pierce one's heart. There aren't many sitcom characters that I've grown as attached to as Niles Crane, and this is one of the episodes where I just really would've wanted to give the poor guy a hug.

7. Ham Radio (Season 4 Episode 18)

Now we've got one of the hysterical ones! In Ham Radio, Frasier is tasked with directing an old-timey radio-broadcast murder mystery drama. Hilarity ensues as one might expect, with the director's ambition and precise vision clashing in a delightfully expected fashion with his chosen cast.

Some of the show's beloved supporting characters, like Noel Shempsky (Patrick Kerr) and Gil Chesterton (Edward Hibbert), really get a chance to shine - although I'd argue that the true MVP ends up being good ol' Niles Crane once again, as he tries his best to master multiple roles at a moment's notice while getting fed up with his brother's antics. Classic Frasier right here, and definitely one of the episodes with the highest laughs-per-minute counts.

6. Goodnight, Seattle (Season 11 Episodes 23-24)

Ah, the series finale. The show's closing chapter is a very by-the-numbers sitcom finale - in the best possible way. A lot of thought clearly went into it - not just the individual two-part episode, but the events of the final season in general building up a scenario where each main character is at a beautiful crossroads, about to enter a new stage in life. Martin (John Mahoney) gets remarried, Roz becomes the new station manager, Niles and Daphne become parents, and Frasier moves out of Seattle towards an interesting new job opportunity. This makes for a tapestry of beautiful payoffs, nostalgic callbacks and heartfelt goodbyes throughout the episode, really maxing out that bittersweet series finale feel.

My favorite detail, one that makes the episode stand out when compared to other similar series finales, is the way in which Frasier's love life (a central theme throughout the series) is dealt with. The episodes leading up the finale had built up the charming Charlotte (Laura Linney) as a possible 'endgame' for Frasier, until her move to Chicago seemed to put the potential-filled relationship to an end. The fate of the protagonist's love life was left up to anyone's guess up until the very final seconds - in the last line of the series, we find out that the plane Frasier was on is landing in Chicago, and not San Francisco as we had been lead to believe. The delightfully interpretational ending leaves the consequences of Frasier's romantic attempt to the viewer's imagination, and for a viewer like me, it's quite the perfect outro.

5. The Two Mrs. Cranes (Season 4 Episode 1)

In the very essence of the show's signature humor, The Two Mrs. Cranes is a gift that keeps on giving, with its clever premise escalating further and further into the depths of just how funny a television episode can be. The levels of misunderstanding and deception are off the charts here, with the chain of events escalating from 'Niles must (or, let's face it, gets to) pretend to be Daphne's husband' all the way to 'Frasier pretends to be the one married to Maris, and Roz must take on the role of Maris in order for the deception to make sense'. Throw in Martin pretending to be an astronaut just for the heck of it, and you've got yourself a piece of comedy gold to open the fourth season with.

4. The Innkeepers (Season 2 Episode 23)

"An Italian soccer team was at the next table. Maris announced she was in the mood for a goose, and perhaps inevitably, tragedy ensued"

That quote alone should earn this season 2 gem a place in my top ten. The Innkeepers is a masterclass in comedy, and definitely one of the hands-down funniest episodes of the show. Frasier and Niles get the brilliant idea of buying and running a restaurant, and what starts as an ambitious pipe dream escalates in a trainwreck-you-can't-look-away-from fashion into utter chaos. There are so many hilarious individual moments, hysterical line deliveries, and details contributing to the episode's overall amusing atmosphere that the end result is simply glorious.

3. My Coffee with Niles (Season 1 Episode 24)

The season 1 finale is an unusual one, and probably a bit divisive among fans of the series (or, at the very least, not a top three -contender for many). For my specific tastes, however, My Coffee with Niles is somewhat of an obscure masterpiece.

While not as laugh-out-loud funny as many other Frasier episodes, the episode definitely provides a great deal of comedy, especially hitting the more dry and nuanced side of the show's signature humor. It's also a brilliant feat of character development, and even more so, dialogue - these elements get a chance to shine thanks to the episode's stand-out premise, as the entire thing takes place in Café Nervosa.

A conversation between Frasier and Niles about the past year works as the frame for the entire episode, although the other major characters also pop by and join in on the dialogue every now and then. While the episode is objectively untypical, I'd argue that in its own way, it feels like the series in its purest form - the sibling relationship between Frasier and Niles, and the modern-day café society atmosphere of bathing in (while also making fun of) the world of cultural elites, are such core themes of the show, and this episode goes deeper into this vibe than any other.

2. Something Borrowed, Someone Blue (Season 7 Episodes 23-24)

Yeah, I'm a sucker for long-built payoffs, as well as heartfelt love stories - and with the case of Niles and Daphne, this series combined these two in an unparalleled manner.

After SEVEN GODDAMN SEASONS of build-up, during which first-time viewers witness the gradual evolution from silly crush to lonely pining to teasing the potential of a possible romance with moments of glorious chemistry and all the way to a screaming sense of "WHEN WILL THESE CRAZY KIDS GET TOGETHER", the show finally delivered, and it was worth the wait. It's not even about the final scene for me (the one where Daphne makes her final decision and leaves her wedding in order to be with Niles, although that scene is great as well) - the episode's (and arguably the whole show's) emotional climax comes several scenes before that, when Niles finally gathers his courage and tells Daphne how he feels. David Hyde Pierce and Jane Leeves act the scene with brilliant vulnerability and raw emotion, and it just makes viewers like me realize how much they've come to care about these characters and their star-crossed story. The kiss is pretty great too.

In addition to Something Borrowed, Someone Blue being a fantastic episode for character development and a game-changer for the show's central romance (not to mention having several funny moments in the mix), I have an extra layer of appreciation for the seventh season's two-part finale due to a powerful connection to my personal love life. As I mentioned above, this love story hits extra hard because I see a lot of myself in Niles and a lot of my fiancée in Daphne - and as fate would have it, our viewing of the series from start to finish was timed so that we watched this on the very night I proposed to her. Believe it or not, this was not planned and a pure coincidence, but an extremely fitting one at that. Of course, one could joke that watching an episode about a wedding gone wrong on the night you get engaged would be a bad omen, but that point would be severely missing the larger context.

1. The Ski Lodge (Season 5 Episode 14)

Yeah, this is the crown jewel right here. The Ski Lodge reads as a stage play, and a hysterically hilarious one at that. The amount of comedic genius that went into writing this episode is off the charts - it could easily be argued to be the best-ever example of the "multiple misunderstandings are laid out as groundwork for a series of eventual payoffs" format that shows like Frasier, Modern Family and countless others love to use.

The premise is so great that the episode couldn't really go wrong if it tried: due to a few initial misunderstandings, you have the gang (and a few guest appearances) spending the weekend in a ski lodge - Frasier, who has the hots for Daphne's friend Annie (Cynthia LaMontagne), who has the hots for Niles, who has the hots for Daphne, who has the hots for ski instructor Guy (James Patrick Stuart) - who also has the hots for Niles! The ensuing chaos is glorious to follow as it unfolds, with David Hyde Pierce once again providing some of the all-time funniest TV acting with historically amazing line deliveries such as "WHAT?!" and "I'm not gay, Guy!".

But honestly, if I had to name one single favorite element from this masterpiece of comedy television, it would be the role Martin plays - unlike everyone else playing their horny shenanigans, he's just vibing along on a chill weekend, and his bad hearing leads to him consantly stirring the pot by accident, blissfully unaware of all the tomfoolery taking place around him. It's like Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, if Puck had no f**king clue what he was doing.

Thank you for reading! Tune in next week for my updated ranking of all eleven TV shows in the Star Trek franchise.

My Best of 2024 Winners

Greetings, reader!

Last week, I released the nominations for my annual awards on the best in cinema, television and music of the previous year. This week, I'm revealing the winners! Here are the recipients of my Best of 2024 awards.

Movies

Best costumes and makeup

Dune: Part Two

Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter One

Joker: Folie à Deux

Longlegs

Winner: Wicked

Best production design

Dune: Part Two

Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter One

Longlegs

Salem's Lot

Winner: Wicked

Best documentary feature

Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution

Stevie Van Zandt: Disciple

Winner: Will & Harper

Best visual effects

Winner: Dune: Part Two

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire

Longlegs

Salem's Lot

Wicked

Best sound

Challengers

Winner: Dune: Part Two

Longlegs

Salem's Lot

Wicked

Best editing

Challengers (Marco Costa)

Winner: Dune: Part Two (Joe Walker)

Myrskyluodon Maija (Joona Louhivuori)

Stevie Van Zandt: Disciple (Lara Fox & Jesse Spencer)

Wicked (Myron Kerstein)

Best cinematography

Challengers (Sayombhu Mukdeeprom)

Dune: Part Two (Greig Fraser)

Longlegs (Anders Arochi)

Myrskyluodon Maija (Rauno Ronkainen)

Winner: Wicked (Alice Brooks)

Best score

Challengers (Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross)

Winner: Dune: Part Two (Hans Zimmer)

Joker: Folie à Deux (Hildur Guonadottir)

Myrskyluodon Maija (Lauri Porra)

Wicked (John Powell & Stephen Schwartz)

Best original song

Dune: Part Two (Hans Zimmer, Steve Mazarro & Josh Brolin - Gurney Song)

Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter One (Matt Combs & Teddy Morgan - Winds Forever Blow)

Joker: Folie à Deux (Lady Gaga - Folie à Deux)

Winner: Will & Harper (Kristen Wiig - Harper and Will go West)

Best supporting actor

Winner: Challengers (Mike Faist as Art Donaldson)

Dune: Part Two (Javier Bardem as Stilgar)

Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter One (Owen Crow Shoe as Pionsenay)

The Beautiful Game (Bill Nighy as Mal)

Wicked (Peter Dinklage as Dr. Dillamond)

Best supporting actress

Dune: Part Two (Rebecca Ferguson as Jessica)

Longlegs (Alicia Witt as Ruth Harker)

Myrskyluodon Maija (Jonna Järnefelt as Sara Lisa)

Scoop (Gillian Anderson as Emily Maitlis)

Winner: Wicked (Ariana Grande as Galinda)

Best lead actor

Winner: Challengers (Josh O'Connor as Patrick Zweig)

Dune: Part Two (Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides)

Joker: Folie à Deux (Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck)

Longlegs (Nicolas Cage as Longlegs)

Myrskyluodon Maija (Linus Troedsson as Janne)

Best lead actress

Challengers (Zendaya as Tashi Donaldson)

Dune: Part Two (Zendaya as Chani)

Joker: Folie à Deux (Lady Gaga as Lee Quinzel)

Myrskyluodon Maija (Amanda Jansson as Maija)

Winner: Wicked (Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba)

Best screenplay

Challengers (Justin Kuritzkes)

Dune: Part Two (Denis Villeneuve & Jon Spaihts)

Winner: Joker: Folie à Deux (Scott Silver & Todd Phillips)

Myrskyluodon Maija (Tiina Lymi)

Wicked (Winnie Holzman & Dana Fox)

Best director

Challengers (Luca Guadagnino)

Winner: Dune: Part Two (Denis Villeneuve)

Longlegs (Osgood Perkins)

Myrskyluodon Maija (Tiina Lymi)

Wicked (Jon M. Chu)

Best picture

Challengers

Dune: Part Two

Longlegs

Myrskyluodon Maija

Winner: Wicked

Total wins:

Wicked 6

Dune: Part Two 5

Challengers 2

Will & Harper 2

Joker: Folie à Deux 1

NOTE: Two categories from previous years, Best Animated Feature and Best Acting (Nonbinary), were excluded this year because I simply hadn't watched enough eligible films for them to have more than one nominee. Both categories are present in the TV section!

Television

Best costumes and makeup

House of the Dragon

Winner: Shogun

Star Trek: Discovery

The Acolyte

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

Best set design

Dune: Prophecy

House of the Dragon

Winner: Shogun

Squid Game

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

Best animation

Winner: Arcane

Exploding Kittens

Futurama

Star Trek: Prodigy

Star Wars: Tales of the Empire

Best visual effects

Dune: Prophecy

Winner: House of the Dragon

Star Trek: Discovery

The Acolyte

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

Best sound

Arcane

Winner: Dune: Prophecy

House of the Dragon

Shogun

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

Best editing

Winner: Arcane (Gilad Carmel, Roberto Fernandez & Nazim Meslem)

Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV (Daphne Gomez-Mena, Jane Jo & Fanny Lee)

Shogun (Maria Gonzales & Aika Miyake)

Squid Game (Nam Na-young)

The Acolyte (Miikka Leskinen & Cheryl Potter)

Best cinematography

Dune: Prophecy (Pierre Gill & Richard Donnelly)

House of the Dragon (Catherine Goldschmidt & P.J. Dillon)

Winner: Shogun (Sam McCurdy)

Squid Game (Lee Hyeong-deok)

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (Alex Disenhof & Laurie Rose)

Best score

Arcane (Alex Seaver & Alexander Temple)

Dune: Prophecy (Volker Bertelmann)

House of the Dragon (Ramin Djawadi)

Winner: Shogun (Nick Chuba, Atticus Ross & Leopold Ross)

Squid Game (Jung Jae-il)

Best season premiere

Arcane (Heavy Is the Crown, Season 2 Episode 1)

Winner: House of the Dragon (A Son for a Son, Season 2 Episode 1)

Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV (Rising Stars, Rising Questions, Episode 1)

Saturday Night Live (Jean Smart/Jelly Roll, Season 50 Episode 1)

Shogun (Anjin, Season 1 Episode 1)

Best season finale

Winner: Arcane (The Dirt Under Your Nails, Season 2 Episode 9)

House of the Dragon (The Queen Who Ever Was, Season 2 Episode 8)

Shogun (A Dream of a Dream, Season 1 Episode 10)

Squid Game (Chinguwa Jeok, Season 2 Episode 7)

Star Trek: Prodigy (Ouroboros, Season 2 Episodes 19-20)

Best episode

Winner: Arcane (The Message Hidden Within the Pattern, Season 2 Episode 6)

House of the Dragon (The Red Dragon and the Gold, Season 2 Episode 4)

Saturday Night Live (John Mulaney/Chappell Roan, Season 50 Episode 5)

Shogun (Crimson Sky, Season 1 Episode 9)

Star Trek: Prodigy (Cracked Mirror, Season 2 Episode 14)

Best actor, guest performance

House of the Dragon (Paddy Considine as King Viserys I Targaryen)

Saturday Night Live (Ramy Youssef as Host/Various)

Shogun (Joaquim De Almeida as Father Domingo)

Winner: Squid Game (Gong Yoo as The Salesman)

Star Trek: Discovery (Ian Alexander as Gray Tal)

Best actress, guest performance

Dune: Prophecy (Polly Walker as Sonya Harkonnen)

House of the Dragon (Abigail Thorn as Sharako Lohar)

Winner: Saturday Night Live (Ariana Grande as Host/Various)

Shogun (Mana Nakamura as Young Mariko)

Star Trek: Prodigy (Gates McFadden as Beverly Crusher)

Best supporting actor

Arcane (Harry Lloyd as Viktor)

House of the Dragon (Ewan Mitchell as Prince Aemond Targaryen)

Winner: Shogun (Hiroyuki Sanada as Yoshii Toranaga)

Squid Game (Lee Byung-hun as Front Man)

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (Charlie Vickers as Sauron)

Best supporting actress

Arcane (Hailee Steinfeld as Vi)

Dune: Prophecy (Jessica Barden as Young Valya Harkonnen)

Saturday Night Live (Heidi Gardner as Various)

Winner: Shogun (Fumi Nikaidô as Ochiba No Kata)

Squid Game (Kang Ae-shim as Geum-ja)

Best acting, non-binary

Winner: House of the Dragon (Emma D'Arcy as Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen)

Saturday Night Live (Molly Kearney as Various)

Star Trek: Discovery (Blu del Barrio as Adira)

Star Wars: Tales of the Empire (Ry Chase as The Jedi)

The Acolyte (Amandla Stenberg as Mae/Osha)

Best lead actor

Dune: Prophecy (Travis Fimmel as Desmond Hart)

House of the Dragon (Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen)

Winner: Shogun (Cosmo Jarvis as John Blackthorne)

Squid Game (Lee Jung-jae as Seong Gi-hun)

The Acolyte (Lee Jung-jae as Master Sol)

Best lead actress

Arcane (Ella Purnell as Jinx)

Dune: Prophecy (Emily Watson as Valya Harkonnen)

House of the Dragon (Olivia Cooke as Queen Alicent Hightower)

Winner: Shogun (Anna Sawai as Toda Mariko)

Squid Game (Park Gyuyoung as No-eul)

Best writing

Arcane (Amanda Overton, Pretend Like It's the First Time)

House of the Dragon (Sara Hess, Rhaenyra the Cruel)

Winner: Shogun (Maegan Houang, Ladies of the Willow Wood)

Squid Game (Hwang Dong-hyuk, Han Pan Deo)

Star Trek: Prodigy (Erin McNamara, Cracked Mirror)

Best directing

Winner: House of the Dragon (Alan Taylor, The Red Dragon and the Gold)

Shogun (Hiromi Kamata, Ladies of the Willow Wood)

Squid Game (Hwang Dong-hyuk, Chinguwa Jeok)

Star Trek: Discovery (Jonathan Frakes, Lagrange Point)

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (Charlotte Brändström, Shadow and Flame)

Best television series

Arcane

House of the Dragon

Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV

Winner: Shogun

Star Trek: Prodigy

Total wins:

Shogun 10

Arcane 4

House of the Dragon 4

Dune: Prophecy 1

Saturday Night Live 1

Squid Game 1

Music

Best opening track

Amyl and the Sniffers - Cartoon Darkness (Jerkin')

Charli XCX - Brat (360)

Childish Gambino - Bando Stone & the New World (H3@RTS W3RE M3@NT T0 F7Y)

Winner: Jesse Welles - Hells Welles (War Isn't Murder)

The Airborne Toxic Event - Glory (Our Own Thunder Road)

Best closing track

Billie Eilish - HIT ME HARD AND SOFT (BLUE)

Charli XCX - Brat (365)

Winner: Childish Gambino - Bando Stone & the New World (A Place Where Love Goes)

Jesse Welles - Hells Welles (Hell)

Lady Gaga - Harlequin (That's Life)

Best album artwork

Winner: Billie Eilish - HIT ME HARD AND SOFT (William Drumm)

Charli XCX - Brat (Special Offer & Imogene Strauss)

Childish Gambino - Bando Stone & the New World (Muhozi Nintunze)

Doechii - Alligator Bites Never Heal (John Jay)

Jacob Collier - Djesse Vol. 4 (Dustin Yellin)

Best drum/percussion performance

Winner: Childish Gambino - Bando Stone & the New World (Childish Gambino)

Jacob Collier - Djesse Vol. 4 (Barak Schmool)

Lady Gaga - Harlequin (Donald Barrett)

Päivä - Tupajumi (Veikka Pälvimäki)

The Airborne Toxic Event - Glory (Daren Taylor)

Best piano/keyboard performance

Billie Eilish - HIT ME HARD AND SOFT (Billie Eilish)

Bon Jovi - Forever (David Bryan)

Childish Gambino - Bando Stone & the New World (Ludwig Göransson)

Winner: Jacob Collier - Djesse Vol. 4 (Jacob Collier)

Lady Gaga - Harlequin (Alex Smith)

Best bass performance

Winner: Billie Eilish - HIT ME HARD AND SOFT (Finneas O'Connell)

Green Day - Saviors (Mike Dirnt)

Winner: Jacob Collier - Djesse Vol. 4 (Arend Liefkes)

Lady Gaga - Harlequin (Daniel Foose)

Päivä - Tupajumi (Aaro Viitanen)

Best guitar performance

Winner: Childish Gambino - Bando Stone & the New World (Ludwig Göransson)

Jacob Collier - Djesse Vol. 4 (John Mayer)

Jesse Welles - Hells Welles (Jesse Welles)

Jesse Welles - Patchwork (Jesse Welles)

The Airborne Toxic Event - Glory (Steven Chen)

Best vocal performance

Winner: Billie Eilish - HIT ME HARD AND SOFT (Billie Eilish)

Childish Gambino - Bando Stone & the New World (Childish Gambino)

Doechii - Alligator Bites Never Heal (Doechii)

Dua Lipa - Radical Optimism (Dua Lipa)

Lady Gaga - Harlequin (Lady Gaga)

Best performance, other instrument

Childish Gambino - Bando Stone & the New World (Kamasi Washington, Saxophone)

Winner: Jacob Collier - Djesse Vol. 4 (Anoushka Shankar, Sitar)

Jesse Welles - Hells Welles (Jesse Welles, Harmonica)

Jesse Welles - Patchwork (Jesse Welles, Harmonica)

The Airborne Toxic Event - Glory (Mimi Peschet, Violin)

Best mixing and production

Billie Eilish - HIT ME HARD AND SOFT (Finneas O'Connell)

Charli XCX - Brat (A.G. Cook, Cirkut, Charli XCX, Easyfun & George Daniel)

Winner: Childish Gambino - Bando Stone & the New World (Dahi, Childish Gambino, Ludwig Göransson, Oscar Holter & Max Martin)

Jacob Collier - Djesse Vol. 4 (Jacob Collier)

Lady Gaga - Harlequin (Lady Gaga, BloodPop, David Campbell, Benjamin Rice & Jason Ruder)

Best composition

Billie Eilish - HIT ME HARD AND SOFT (BLUE)

Winner: Childish Gambino - Bando Stone & the New World (No Excuses)

Jacob Collier - Djesse Vol. 4 (Box of Stars Pt. 2)

Jesse Welles - Hells Welles (The News)

The Airborne Toxic Event - Glory (Glory)

Best lyrics

Childish Gambino - Bando Stone & the New World (Cruisin')

Doechii - Alligator Bites Never Heal (Nissan Altima)

Winner: Jesse Welles - Hells Welles (War Isn't Murder)

Jesse Welles - Patchwork (See Arkansaw)

The Airborne Toxic Event - Glory (Our Own Thunder Road)

Best music video

Amyl and the Sniffers - Cartoon Darkness (Jerkin')

Charli XCX - Brat (Von dutch)

Winner: Childish Gambino - Bando Stone & the New World (Lithonia)

Green Day - Saviors (Bobby Sox)

Jacob Collier - Djesse Vol. 4 (Little Blue)

Best song

Billie Eilish - HIT ME HARD AND SOFT (BIRDS OF A FEATHER)

Winner: Childish Gambino - Bando Stone & the New World (Lithonia)

Jesse Welles - Hells Welles (War Isn't Murder)

Päivä - Tupajumi (Miltä rakkaus tuntua voi)

The Airborne Toxic Event - Glory (Our Own Thunder Road)

Best album

Billie Eilish - HIT ME HARD AND SOFT

Charli XCX - Brat

Winner: Childish Gambino - Bando Stone & the New World

Jesse Welles - Hells Welles

Lady Gaga - Harlequin

Total wins:

Childish Gambino - Bando Stone & the New World 8

Billie Eilish - HIT ME HARD AND SOFT 3

Jacob Collier - Djesse Vol. 4 2

Jesse Welles - Hells Welles 2

Thank you for reading! Tune in next week for my ranking of the top 10 best episodes of the sitcom Frasier.