I figured it’s about time I made a list of acting performances that I admired. I will often use actor performances as examples in my teaching, but I have never sat down and thought about which performances have resonated with me. So, this time we’ll be looking at television performances. Keep an eye out for my future post on film performances.
Disclaimer: I appreciate that I have missed a ton of great shows and that some of these are not to everyone’s liking. All of these could change by next week! I could have easily talked about 50 performances, but I thought I was already pushing it with 10! Please let me know if I’ve missed any that you would recommend and any you enjoyed on this list.
So, in no particular order:
This is England 86 - Lol (Vicky McClure)
I very much enjoyed (if that is the right word!) this movie when I first watched it and was interested to see how they’d develop the story further in the TV series. The character Lol was vital to the film narrative but her character is not fully explored in the film. The show changes this, by allowing Vicky McClure to really shine and show us all sides of the character. I distinctly remember one moment in an argument when I thought that she was just going to do a subtle moment of holding back emotion, but she made the bold choice to shout and let us see the bubbling emotion underneath. This was one of many creative choices she made that made it an incredibly powerful performance and a well-deserved BAFTA award for best actress.
Utopia - Arby (Neil Maskell)
I have a lot of time for Neil Maskell. He is a working actor, who has always delivered solid performances. However, he does not look like a highly trained hitman. What makes this performance so striking is how surprisingly he plays his part. Rather than the refined killers we’ve seen, Arby stumbles from place to place. I remember him monotonously asking ‘Where is Jessica Hyde?’ (which might be the most sinister catch phrase of all time!) and covering his face every time he shoots someone. He seems emotionless, but as the show goes on you can see the trauma underneath. You can really begin to understand what an impressively thoughtful and physical performance Maskell gives.
Looney Tunes (Mel Blanc)
There wasn’t anything like it before Looney Tunes came out. Mel Blanc had absolutely no point of reference and had to create the characters using his own talent and imagination. This was no small task; he is the voice of Bugs Bunny, Tweety Bird, Pepé Le Pew Daffy Duck and Porky Pig. That barely scratches the surface - He isn’t known as the ‘Man of 1000 Voices’ for nothing! Mel Blanc is one of the finest actors of all time and should definitely be held in the same regard of others of his time, like Marlon Brando and Laurence Olivier.
Black Mirror - Lacie Pound (Bryce Dallas Howard)
I had only seen Bryce Dallas Howard in Jurassic World before Black Mirror. This episode really showcased her at her best. Actors often will restrain from heightened emotions on screen as they can sometimes seem ‘over the top’, but this episode showed that you can really play with just how ‘big’ you can go. It is a lot of fun seeing her characters arch over the shows’ run time. It’s a great episode with a brave performance from Howard, with an ending that really just says ‘fuck it’ and throws caution to the wind – giving her a well-deserved place on this list.
Fargo - Lorne Malvo (Billy Bob Thornton)
If I hadn’t seen much of Bryce Dallas Howard, I think I’d seen even less of Billy Bob Thornton. I only knew him as the president in Love Actually and Angelina Jolie’s ex-husband,so was not expecting much from him when I watched Fargo. I was wrong. I discuss atmospheres a lot in my teaching and Billy Bob Thornton is one of the best examples of the atmosphere of ‘threat’ I have ever seen in a TV show. Every scene he is in has an undercurrent of malice. He can just drain the energy while unblinkingly looking at the other characters. This is a very unnerving and very strong performance.
Summer Heights High (Chris Lilley)
Chris Lilley manages to play not one,but three characters in this show with remarkable characterisation for all of them. They are all very different,butall feel likethree dimensional characters who arenot onlyfunny but also very poignant at moments. When I first watched this,I didn’t realise that thesethree characters were played bythe same actor,and even after becoming aware of this Chris Lilley still shows himself to be a versatile actor. There is always something differentto discover about all of the characters with each subsequent watch.
The Good place - Janet (D'Arcy Carden)
Scene stealing is a phrase that is often used with negative connotations, but not for D’Arcy Carden: Janet steals every scene she’s in. With an already strong cast, D’Arcy Carden manages to excel as a ‘robot’ but still makes it completely unique to her. She makes so many daring choices that to name them all here would fill up this post, but if you want to see her at her best have a look at the episode “Janet(s)” where Carden plays all of the other characters. She deserved the Emmy nominations for that episode alone!
Sex Education – Aimee (Aimee Lou Wood)
Aimee was great in the first season of Sex Education, playing the loveable if not slightly dim-witted Aimee. But, it’s in the second season that you really get to see her character fully explored. I will not spoil any of the plot, but in a show with a lot of very powerful arches I felt that hers was the most moving of them all. Wood’s acting was incredibly underplayed and human, making for fantastic development to an already fantastic character
Daredevil - Wilson Fisk/Kingpin (Vincent D’Onofrio)
There is a phrase that ‘every villain is the hero of his own story’ and never is this felt more acutely than in Daredevil. Wilson Fisk is clearly not a good person, but from seeing and understanding his backstory you begin to understand and sympathise with his problems. This is helped by Vincent D’Onofrio, who is able to go from terrifying to meek within the blink of an eye. I was absolutely gutted this series was cancelled as I was hoping for more from Kingpin in the future of the MCU!
Scrubs - Kelso (Ken Jenkins)
When I am teaching, I explain that a character is not just one ‘thing’ - for instance evil, sad, or happy. Kelso could so easily just be a stereotypical villainous boss, but you can see that he loves the hospital. It is through the tremendous talent of Ken Jenkins that you truly feel all of these moments. Kelso feels like a character where only one facet of his personality is his job, and there is a rich other layer of character just underneath. This is subtly seen from Jenkins throughout the series, in his brilliant portrayal of Kelso.
References - McClure, Vicky, performer. This is England 86. Warp films and Big Arty Productions, 2010.
- Maskell, Neil, performer. Utopia. Kudos, 2013-2014.
- Blanc, Mel, performer. Looney Tunes. Warner Bros. Cartoons, 1944-1964 - Dallas Howard, Bryce, performer. Black Mirror. House of tomorrow, 2016 - Thorton, Billy Bob, performer. Fargo. Nomadic Pictures, 26 Keys Productions, The Littlefield Company, Mike Zoss Productions and FX Productions, 2014-2015 - Lilley, Chris, performer. Summer Heights High. Princess Pictures, 2007 - Carden, D’Arcy, performer. The Good Place. Fremulon, 3 Arts Entertainment and Universal Telev2016-2020 - Lou Wood, Aimee, performer. Sex Education. Eleven Film, 2019 -
- D’Onofrio, Vincent, performer. Daredevil. Marvel Television, ABC Studios, DeKnight Productions and Goddard Textiles
- Jenkins, Ken, performer. Scrubs. Doozer Productions, Touchstone Television and ABC Studios, 2001-2010
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