Underrated TV Performances

Awards season tends to overlook a lot of talent in the TV world, this a list of underrated performances in TV that should be more recognised.

Hugh Laurie as Gregory House - House

It's been a minute since Hugh Laurie graced our screens as the pain-pill addicted, cold-hearted and hilarious Dr. Gregory House. Whilst the later seasons of House arguably lacked in quality, Hugh Laurie's performance never wavered from anything less than brilliant. The show gave us a rather complex character who was for sure an asshole but you couldn't help but love him for it. There's no doubt that some of House's qualities were irredeamable but Hugh Laurie brought us moments of vulnerability, often desguised as dark humour, with the character as he struggled to overcome his addiction and later the losses in his life. This is a role that I can't imagine anyone but Hugh Laurie playing, he's that iconic.

Highlighted Scene: I mean, it's just really funny.

Lily Rabe as Sister Mary Eunice - American Horror Story: Asylum

Asylum is hardly my favourite season of American Horror Story (there's too much going on were the aliens necessary?) but Lily Rabe is nothing short of phenomenal as a possessed nun. It's hard to make Rabe seem scary with her blonde hair, good looks and rather soft energy but she goes from zero to one hundred real quick. Sister Mary Eunice starts the season off as the timid and rather naive charge to Jessica Lange's Sister Jude however she is then possessed by the Devil and her innocent and often cowardly personality is flipped into insane and seductive. Rabe plays both personalities so well and it's honestly a crime that she didn't receive more recognition for this role. Rabe only needs facial expressions to convey to the audience that something isn't right with this character and that alone is impressive. Add in her body language, the way she accents her voice and the way she delivers her lines and she outshines everyone in this cast in Asylum.

Highlighted scene: She's just so damn talented.

Daniel Kaluuya as Bingham 'Bing' Madsen - Black Mirror

We now know Daniel Kaluuya as a pretty big name in Hollywood thanks to Black Panther and Get Out but in 2011 he starred in an episode of Black Mirror that is still considered one of the best to this day. Kaluuya plays Bing who lives in a dystopian future where people have to excersise to earn credits and their days are passed by watching reality television and advertisments. It's a not so subtle social commentary on capitalism and the drawbacks of it's implementation. Kaluuya's acting in this is no doubt what got him noticed by Hollywood and furthered his career because he was nothing short of incredible. It's hard to attach yourself to a character with so little time (as Black Mirror opperates more as a series of short films than as an actual TV series) but Kaluuya allows us full access to Bing and that's what makes him so compelling as an actor. The scene when he confronts the people that forced his friend into pornography is so raw and emotional that it stands out as some of the best acting in all of Black Mirror, and that is really saying something.

Highlighted Scene: His speech but I can't find the full video on youtube so here's the audio

Tatiana Maslany as multiple characters - Orphan Black

Let's just discuss this woman's sheer talent. I honestly can't really believe that she's real and that she gave us Orphan Black which is also an underrated show. Tatiana Maslany played six major characters in this show over it's five seasons and many more smaller roles too. The story arc concerns several women who all share the same genetic make-up but are very different people, clones. Maslany plays each of these women so well that you genuinely forget that they're all technically the same person and you forget that she's only one person playing all these roles her own. Now some people might say 'But Grace, she won an Emmy award for this role so how can she be underrated?' The answer is simple, it took them three years to give her one single Emmy for single-handedly carrying this show on her back. The disrespect. In 2013 and 2014 she wasn't even nominated. In 2015 she lost to Viola Davis as Annalise Keating and as much as I love and respect Viola Davis that was hardly a great role. Tatiana Maslany deserves all the awards in the world for what she gave us with Orphan Black. Fight me.

Highlighted scene: The Clone Dance Party cause that shit must have taken ages to film and the different movements she mastered to make each character different, incredible. You forget this is one person.

Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini as Jen Harding and Judy Hale - Dead To Me

I have grouped these two together because to me you can't have one without the other. Not only is this the most underrated show out there at the moment it's also one of the funniest. The concept is two women who are brought together in an unlikely friendship as Jen copes with the loss of her husband and Judy struggles to face some of the questionable things she's done in the past. This results in one of the most ride or die friendships I've seen in a TV show and it's hilarious. But it's not all fun and games, Dead to Me tackles some really hard topics including grief and mental health and Applegate and Cardelinni portray these issues so well on screen. Both women are struggling with grief and for Jen it tends to manifest itself in anger and irritation, whereas Judy tends to blame herself and therefore hurt herself. It's also a brilliant example of women supporting women. Whilst Jen is reluctant to allow Judy access to her life she eventually caves and Judy becomes her partner in a sense and helps Jen raise her two sons. This show is just seriously good and deals with taboo issues really well.

Highlighted Scene: This. It's just *full chef's kiss*

Matthew Grey-Gubler as Dr. Spencer Reid - Criminal Minds

Whilst AJ Cook and Paget Brewster could have made this list it has to be Matthew Grey Gubler that gets the mention. Over the many seasons of Criminal Minds, a show that focuses on the FBI team that catches serial killers, Dr. Spencer Reid goes through a lot of shit. He overcomes a drug addiction that was started by a kidnapper, he helps care for his mother who is schizophrenic, he loses the love of his life to a psychopath and is framed for murder and sent to prison. Throughout all of this Gubler's portrayl remains consistently brilliant. When the show began Dr. Spencer Reid was just a young, innocent genius who sticks out against the rest of his team but as the character developed so did Gubler's acting, allowing the character to take some dark turns and convince the audience that this once innocent young man had been worn down over the years.

Highlighted Scene: That 'I'm struggling' is really hard to hear.

Ncuti Gatwa as Eric Effoing - Sex Education

The Netflix show Sex Education blew up pretty quickly and that was largely due to the character of Eric Effoing. It's not everyday we get to see a black gay man on screen who really embraces his sexuality but Eric does that. Right from the very beginning he refuses to be ashamed of who he is, whether that's because of his sexuality or the colour of his skin, and that's so refreshing to see. His struggle to rediscover his faith is a brilliant story arc for his character who thinks that he can't believe in God and be gay before realising that anything is possible. When Adam tells him that he can't be seen in the open with him Eric refuses to lessen himself to that, and again that's not something we see a lot of. Gatwa brings such a lively energy to Eric, but at the same time has the ability to portray his insecurities so well. It's a delicate balance and one he does perfectly.

Highlighted Scene: The confrontation between Eric and his father is beautiful.

Andre Braugher as Captain Raymond Holt - Brooklyn Nine-Nine

The cast of Brooklyn Nine-Nine have been getting increasing recognition for their unconventional sitcom over the years, however Andre Braugher doesn't get enough praise for his portrayl of the stoic yet hilarious Raymond Holt. When we first meet Holt he is cold and unwilling to really connect with his team but over the seasons he becomes the funniest character on the show. Imagine a really stoic, unyeilding man saying 'Yas Queen' in the most deadpan tone you can imagine. But he's not just there for the laughs, Holt is also a father figure for many in the Nine-Nine and his chemistry with Melissa Fumero, Stephanie Beatriz and Andy Samberg is second to none. Braugher manages to make Holt relatable, stoic, hilarious and heartwarming all at the same time, that takes real skill.

Highlighted Scene: Amy is in Labour and Holt dances to 'Push it' to distract her from the pain. You can't make this up.

D'Arcy Carden as Janet - The Good Place

The Good Place is probably my favourite sitcom of all time and it totally redefined the genre, but it is a crime that our girl D'Arcy Carden has not been awarded anything for her role as Janet. She plays multiple versions of Janet (who is a robot) over the four seasons and even plays the four central characters at one point and yet no award. Carden is effortlessly funny whether she's good Janet, bad Janet or Disco Janet she oozes natural charm and is really the glue that holds the group together.

Highlighted Scene: It's more like a whole episode where Carden plays Janet versions of Eleanor, Chidi, Tahani and Jason but she's so spot on with it, it's crazy.

Noah Schnapp as Will Byers - Stranger Things

If season 1 of Stranger Things was Millie Bobby-Brown's time to shine then season 2 was all about Noah Schnapp. In the second season we really get to see the character of Will Byers develop and try to deal with the trauma he suffered in the upside down in the first season. For someone so young Schnapp's acting is honestly top notch and probably the best I've ever seen for a kid. He portrays Will as scared and insecure but is also so convincing as possessed Will that's it's scary. The fact that Schnapp wasn't nominated for anything during the second season of Stranger Things proves to me that the awards are pretty much rigged. Give him the respect he deserves.

Highlighted Scene: Any scene where Schnapp was convincing me that Will was possessed by the devil.

Danielle Brooks as Tasha 'Taystee' Jefferson - Orange Is The New Black

You will never hear me argue that Uzo Adubla didn't deserve her Emmy for her portrayl of Suzanne 'Crazy Eyes' Warren, but the fact that Danielle Brooks was never even nominated for the heartbreak she caused across seven seasons of this show is a travesty. By the end of Orange is the New Black, Brooks had ripped my heart out of my chest and stomped on it multiple times. Arguably after season five she was pretty much the only good thing about Orange is the New Black, she was certainly the only reason I kept watching. Brooks was an incredible balance of funny, angry and emotional and in all honesty Taystee deserved a better ending than she got.

Highlighted Scene: Confronting the press and attempting to fix the prison system.

Zendaya as Rue Bennett - Euphoria

This show not only gave us Zendaya's outstanding performace but also her music comeback. The show itself is a really dark take on living as a teenager in the current climate and Zendaya's acting as Rue Bennett, a drug addicted teen struggling with her sexuality, is nothing short of incredible. This is a side of Zendaya that we rarely get to see and it serves as a reminder that she's more than a Disney child star, or MJ from the Marvel Franchise. Zendaya is very capable of dramatic acting and I'm hoping that we'll get to see some more of that raw emotional energy in the future from her. Also Euphoria is what Riverdale wishes it could be.

Highlighted Scene: It was really hard to choose because Zendaya just blew me away in this show but this confrontation between Rue and Fez just proves that she is going places.

Justina Machado as Penelope Alvarez - One Day At A Time

Honestly I've written many times about how much I love this show and part of that is down to Justina Machado's portrayl of single mother Penelope Alvarez. Machado does an excellent job of making the audience feel Penelope's struggles especially with her own mental health. She brings a transparency to the character that we don't often get to see in these sorts of sitcoms where we really get to see all of Penelope as a character, rather than just the funny parts. This is just a really underrated performance.

Highlighted Scene: When she records a message for herself and explains how she feels dealing with her mental health issues, we all felt that.

Isabella Gomez as Elena Alvarez - One Day At A Time

I couldn't in good conscience give Machado a mention without reference to Gomez's acting opposite her which has just improved with each season. Elena, in the first season, is a conflicted character who wants to fight for what's right but is scared to come out to her family. Over the seasons she really grows into herself and becomes less afraid to tackle issues head on, a growth that Gomez goes through with her. Although still pretty young, Gomez is a brilliant actress who doesn't get enough time in the spotlight if you ask me.

Highlighted Scene: Gomez really sells this scene where Elena confronts her father for not being supportive of her sexuality and it really signifies all the growth that her character has done.

Bae Doona as Sun Bak - Sense8

Another show I talk endlessly about, it boasts an impressive cast but Bae Doona really stands out. Her character of Sun Bak could be interepreted as stoic and bland but that is far from the truth. Bae brings across Sun's aloofness without making her cold, which is a super hard balance to find. Throughout the show Bak is often the voice of reason as she tends not to allow her feelings to get in the way, however Bae in merciless when protraying Sun in her revenge against her brother reminding us of how powerful she truly is.

Highlighted Scene: I mean this really speaks for itself.