Geektown Awards – Best New & Returning Non-Sci-fi Drama
Happy New Year to everyone, and good riddance to 2020! As is traditional here at Geektown, we kick off the new year with the announcement of the Geektown Award Winners! I wanted to say a huge thank you to the thousands of people that voted in this year’s awards and a massive congratulations to Paul who won the huge main prize, and Shawn who won the runner-up mystery box, who have both now been contacted.
Now we have the prize winners announced, on to the awards themselves, and we kick-off, as we do every year, with the ‘Best New and Best Returning Non-Sci-fi Drama’ categories. We’re going to split the announcements over a couple of days this year, but we begin part one of the shows you voted for below!
Best New Non-Sci-fi Drama
Nominees: Alex Rider – Amazon Prime, COBRA – Sky One, Gangs of London – Sky Atlantic, I May Destroy You – BBC, Perry Mason – Sky Atlantic, The New Pope – Sky Atlantic, Truth Be Told – Apple TV+, Yellowstone – Paramount Network
Bronze: I May Destroy You – BBC
Silver: Alex Rider – Amazon Prime
And the Gold goes to …
Winner: Gangs of London – Sky Atlantic
Whilst there was some tough competition in new drama over the last twelve month, ‘Gangs Of London‘ took an early lead, and held on throughout the month-long voting process. This spectacular series tells the story of a city being torn apart by the turbulent power struggles of the international gangs that control it and the sudden power vacuum that’s created when the head of London’s most powerful crime family is assassinated. With it’s ‘Game Of Thrones’ level of epic storylines, twists and backstabbing, the drama from the visionary award-winning filmmaker of ‘The Raid’ film franchise, Gareth Evans and his creative partner Matt Flannery, was a phenomenal piece of debut television.
The first season’s spectacular cast was lead by Joe Cole (‘Peaky Blinders’), as the, increasingly unhinged, son of the murdered crime boss, alongside Paapa Essiedu (who also appeared in the bronze-winning ‘I May Destroy You’), Lucian Msamati (‘Game of Thrones’), Michelle Fairley (‘Game Of Thrones’), Sope Dirsu (‘The Halcyon’), and the wonderful Colm Meaney (‘Star Trek: TNG’, ‘Hell on Wheels’).
‘Gangs Of London‘ was the most binged premiere box-set of 2020 for Sky, and the biggest original drama launch on Sky Atlantic of the past five years, so it should come as no great shock that a 2nd Season was commissioned, and is due to premiere in 2022.
Best Returning Non-Sci-fi Drama
Nominees: Better Call Saul – Netflix, Billions – Sky Atlantic, Good Girls – Netflix, Hanna – Amazon Prime, Homeland – Channel 4, Narcos: Mexico – Netflix, Outlander – Amazon Prime, Ozark – Netflix, The Crown – Netflix, This is Us – Amazon Prime, Tin Star – Sky Atlantic, You – Netflix
Bronze: Better Call Saul – Netflix UK (AMC)
Silver: You – Netflix
And the Gold goes to …
Winner: The Crown – Netflix
Historical inaccuracies aside, ‘The Crown‘ always makes for compelling drama, and Season 4 was no exception. This season was the final outing for the cast of Olivia Colman as HRH Queen Elizabeth II, Tobias Menzies as Prince Philip, Helena Bonham Carter as HRH Princess Margaret, Josh O’Connor as Charles, Prince of Wales, and Erin Doherty as Princess Anne. They were joined this year by Emma Corrin (‘Pennyworth’, ‘Grantchester’) as Lady Diana Spencer, and Gillian Anderson (‘X-Files’, ‘The Fall’) whose amazing portrayal of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher won acclaim across the board.
As happens whenever they do a cast change, the series goes on hiatus for a year before returning with the final two seasons, bringing in Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth II, Jonathan Pryce as Prince Philip, Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret, and Elizabeth Debicki as Princess Diana.
‘The Crown‘ Season 5 will premiere in 2022, with the 6th and final season airing in 2023.
