THE 2020 TOOBITS AWARDS

 2020 TOOBITS AWARDS

It's that time of year again, when we all make lists and think back over the past year, in whatever field of interest concerns us, and chronicle the high points and the lows.  For the past few years I've been presenting this compilation as an awards show, the Toobits, which of course celebrates my two bits about Toobworld.
 
As it is with any such list you'll find in TV columns across the country these last few weeks, these are my opinions.  You're welcome to your own and I hope you'll share them, but I'm sticking to my weapons of choice.  (It could be you won't see something that was a favorite of yours, probably because I just never got around to seeing it.  There's only so much time in the world - even for a do-nothing-else-anyway sort like me! - and I've only got the two eyes, even if they do operate independently of each other at times.  And then again, maybe I thought your favorites sucked.)

Unlike the Emmy Awards, which will just keep handing out trophies to some shows forever, only shows, characters and what-not that debuted in 2020 can be considered.  (And by "debuted", I mean that which I first came in contact with in 2020. It could be a few years old, but if it's my first time seeing it, it's new.)  

This one-time-only rule includes characters who have been recast; those are still the same characters who already exist in Toobworld.  (But if there were a few notable appearances that deserved honorable mention, they’ll get it.)

For 2020, the list is short; this year sucked in every way!

So without further ado, let's have at it:

BEST NEW TV SHOW
IMPORT
‘Professor T’
This Belgian series is nearly five years old now, but it only just crossed my path in January.  My only problem is that I have to sit close to the screen to read the subtitles.  And while it may feel like a European twist on ‘Monk’, at least the Professor is easier to take than Adrian.

DOMESTIC
‘Upload’
It's not often I can equate science fiction with the magic of fantasy, but this show’s got the goods.  It’s a digitized fairy tale.

BEST MINI-SERIES
‘Hunters’
I don’t usually binge series; I have trouble paying attention for too long.  Yes, even me.  But I watched the first two episodes of ‘Hunters’ on the evening it dropped, and then spent all day that Saturday to finish it.
The thing is, it was full of clichés; most of the characters were stereotypes or if I was being kind, at best archetypes; I was delivering the responses before the characters did; too many suspensions of disbelief; and the Tarantinoesque flourishes sometimes were too much.

But wow, did they carry it off!  When are the action figures coming out?

BEST ONLINE TV
Based on the choices made above, I think I’ll have to get rid of this category now.  It’s all become one.

BEST COMMERCIAL
A Match Made in Hell by Match.com
When you think about it, it is pretty grim.  Still, it is funny.  And a case could be made for a multiversal theory of relateeveety – Satan wth Darknesscfrom the movie “Legend”.

BEST PUBLIC SERVICE COMMERCIAL
Vote by ‘The Daily Show’ cast

BEST EPISODE, ANY GENRE
‘Doctor Who’ – “Fugitive Of The Judoon”
The publicity department had everybody fixated on the return of the Judoon for this episode.  But then Pow!  Captain Jack Harkness returned!  Followed by a Double POW!  There’s an earlier Doctor which the 13th Incarnation has no memory of!  I remarked to friends that it was hard to believe that the season is half over that week; it had passed so quickly!  But now?  This week is dragging!  Can’t wait to see the secrets revealed.
 
BEST TWO-PART EPISODE
‘Doctor Who’
“Spyfall: Parts One & Two”
Kicking off Jodie Whittaker’s second season as the Doctor, I think it provided assurance that they finally found their footing with how the series should play out.  It had the feel of a rollicking adventure from the RTD era.  (By the final episode, I may have been too optimistic.)

BEST CLIFF-HANGER
‘Doctor Who’
“Spyfall: Parts One & Two”
The Master returned!  The aliens kidnapped the Doctor!  And her three companions were left behind in a damaged plane with no pilot – no cockpit! – which was now hurtling to Earth!  The episode aired New Year’s Day and thankfully it was resolved on the Fifth, less than a week later.

BEST SEQUEL
‘Picard’
Of course, this is only until the Klingons show up.  I just can’t accept the ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ (a real STD) version of the Klingons.  They turned them into dung beetles.

BEST REMAKE
‘Supermarket Sweep’
You can’t really go wrong with a game show revival, and in my opinion (which is what this post is all about!), it certainly helps to get Leslie Jones as the host.

BEST PILOT
‘Upload’

BEST HISTORICAL RECREATION
‘The Good Lord Bird’
There are sections where it seems unlikely that events occurred as depicted.  But if we remember we’re seeing it from the perspective of a young escaped slave, than the exaggerations make sense.

BEST BLEND OF TOOBWORLD AND REAL WORLD HISTORY
‘Hunters’
I have a Facebook friend who will say it was a horrible recreation of the 1970s, but they did a good job of taking that template and reworking it to fit a graphic novel’s sensibility.

BEST BLEND OF TOOBWORLD AND REAL WORLD CELEBRITY
David Beckham & Posh Spice
‘Modern Family’ – “The Prescott”
 Another notch for membership in the Television Crossover Hall of Fame – at least for Beckham.

BEST EXAMPLE OF LIFE DURING PRIME-TIME
‘All Rise’ – “Dancing In Los Angeles”
This judicial series is like Derek Smalls of Spinal Tap - tepid.  But the series was the first to regroup after the pandemic changed our lives and present an episode which addressed our current situation.  (I’m writing this a few days after it aired back in May.)

BEST CLASSIC TV EXPERIENCE
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic quarantine lockdown, there were so many: ‘The Wild, Wild West’, ‘The Last Of The Mohicans’, ‘The Saint’ were at the top.

BEST TRIVIAL CROSSOVER
‘Arrow’ & ‘Powerless’
In the series finale for ‘Arrow’, we saw one last integration of another Earth in the multiverse due to the events of the ‘Crisis On Infinite Earths’ – we saw that Van Wayne Company from NBC’s ‘Powerless’ still existed in the new Earth.  And all it took was to see the corporation’s sign.

BEST THEORETICAL CROSSOVER OF THE YEAR
‘Doctor Who’
“Spyfall: Parts One & Two”
January 1st, 2020
with
‘Supernatural’
Graham O’Brien:
What is all this stuff?
Agent “O”:
The full MI6 record of the unexplained. As compiled by me. Human disappearances, sightings of unidentified objects, mysterious beings, possible alien incursions going back centuries. And a complete set of Fortean Times in mint condition.

Since he owned a complete set of the Fortean Times, he owns this edition which Ronald Reznick displayed in one of the two ‘Supernatural’ episodes in which he appeared.

BEST COMMERCIAL CROSSOVER
Walmart – “Famous Visitors”
The mega-box company did it again with a commercial full of space travelers from STAR WARS, ARRIVAL, LEGO MOVIE, MEN IN BLACK II, MARS ATTACKS, FLASH GORDON, STAR TREK, TOY STORY, BATMAN(?), BILL & TED’S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE, LOONEY TOONS, and GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY.  If there are others, I’m not aware of them.  And I’m not sure if that was a version of the Batmobile.

BEST COMMERCIAL CROSSOVER WITH A DIFFERENT MEDIUM
Jeep Gladiator & “Groundhog Day”
Phil Conner, Ned Ryerson, and the Mayor of Punxsatawney returned for another go-round with the strange time loop that was Groundhog Day.  I consider it a legit crossover.

BEST THEORETICAL COMMERCIAL CROSSOVER WITH A DIFFERENT MEDIUM
Bud Light Seltzer & “Everything You Wanted To Know About Sex, But Were Afraid To Ask”
Woody Allen’s movie was a sketch comedy and in one of those sketches, we saw the various personifications of the parts of the male body – brain cells, sperm, the digestive system, etc. – as the male prepares to ejaculate during sex.

In the Bud Light blipvert, we saw that Post Malone was outfitted the same way,

BEST RECASTAWAY
OVERALL
Dylan, ‘Upload’
Rhys Lack (original avatar)
Brea St. James (upgraded avatar)
This is a recastaway that was necessary, part of the plot.  Thankfully, because Rhys Lack is so good in the role, it was temporary.

FEMALE
Ruth Heidelbaum,  ‘Hunters’
Jeannie Berlin (Older Ruth)
Annie Hägg (Younger Ruth)

BEST HISTORICAL RECASTAWAY
Nicola Tesla, ‘Doctor Who’ – “Nicola Tesla’s Night Of Terror”
With this episode, Nicola Tesla became eligible for my Television Crossover Hall of Fame as a multidimensional.  (The Tesla of ‘Sanctuary’ is from another Toobworld.)  All of his different looks from Earth Prime-Time are based on the points of view from other characters.

HONORARY RECASTAWAY
The Master!
[‘Doctor Who’]
For years I’ve wanted Sacha Dhawan to be the Doctor on ‘Doctor Who’.  So I was a little downhearted to see him guest starring as “Agent O” in the 12th season opener for the show.  But I warmed up to him and then hoped this would be a recurring role as a non-sexual variation on River Song – a friend of the Doctor’s who would always be there to give her a hand whenever she needed it.  Like the Brigadier.  And then… just seconds from the Big Reveal, it struck me as to why there had been no mention of him in the pre-publicity or any pictures of Dhawan leading up to the episode.  “Call me the Master!”  O!  I hope he has a long run in the role because he stuck the landing right out of the gate, if I may mix metaphors.

BEST NEW MALE CHARACTER
DOMESTIC
Meyer Offerman, ‘Hunters’
Most of the credit for the impact made by Meyer must be given to the script; but Al Pacino gave us an incredible journey with this earthy, vengeful Trickster figure.

BEST NEW FEMALE CHARACTER
Nora Antony, ‘Upload’
It really was for more than just the fact that she is a loverly.  But then again, deep down I’m shallow.

BEST NEW MALE SUPPORTING CHARACTER
Detective Lewis Michener, ‘Penny Dreadful: City of Angels’
Some might think he should be a lead character, but I see this as being a series with quite a few lead characters.  To me, Michener stands above the others and much of that could be due to Nathan Lane showing his range to those who only knew him for his comedic roles.

BEST NEW SUPPORTING FEMALE CHARACTER
Drama
Rosa Alvarez, ’68 Whiskey’
Right from the beginning, I cared about her in that environment and was angry on her behalf due to the way she was being treated by this administration.

BEST NEW RECURRING MALE CHARACTER
Frederick Douglass, ‘The Good Lord Bird’
Daveed Diggs fleshed out the role so that the historical abolitionist, freedom fighter and man of letters was more than just a living statue on a pedestal.

BEST NEW CHARACTER ADAPTED FROM ANOTHER MEDIUM
Onion, ‘The Good Lord Bird’
It's hard to believe Joshua Caleb Johnson was fourteen when he acted in this.

BEST CROSSOVER CHARACTER FROM ANOTHER MEDIUM
Wonder Woman of “Wonder Woman 84” in the Tide Super Bowl spot
Earth Prime-Time already has its Wonder Woman – and she looks like Lynda Carter. But with the ‘Crisis On Infinite Earths’ mini-series recently concluded with the Multiverse restored, her cameo served as a nice reminder of those events but  also as a promo for the movie.  (She was still in her world, but the fifteen second spots throughout the Super Bowl established that Charlie Day travels through both Time and Space.)

BEST NEW CAST ENSEMBLE
Drama
 ’68 Whiskey’

BEST INTRODUCTION OF A CHARACTER
“Doctor Ruth”, ‘Doctor Who’ – “Fugitive Of The Judoon”
I’m not the only one who was thrown for a loop when it was revealed that Jo Martin’s character of Ruth was actually another incarnation of the Doctor and from the Past of the 13th Incarnation who doesn’t remember that incarnation.  (This may tie in to the mental battle the Fourth Incarnation had with Morbius.)

BEST NEW GUEST APPEARANCE
Chase, ‘The Good Lord Bird’
Steve Zahn belied his amiable goofball image with this redneck slaver who was humorous, sympathetic, disgusting, evil, and violent  - and sometimes all at once.

BEST HISTORICAL CHARACTER
John Brown, ‘The Good Lord Bird’
I say give Ethan Hawke the Emmy now.  (But full disclosure – I could be prejudiced, as I am very VERY distantly related to Brown.)

BEST MINOR HISTORICAL CHARACTER
Juanita Kreps, ‘Hunters’
What helped enormously here is that – at least in my opinion – Juanita Kreps from the Carter cabinet is relatively unknown by the general public.  In Toobworld, she was profane and full of vinegar at least.

WORST HISTORICAL CHARACTER
President Jimmy Carter, ‘Hunters’
If you’re not going to give us a full frontal look at an historical character, you should at least make sure the vocals are a first rate impression.  Lost me on both counts.

BEST HISTORICAL CHARACTER REVISION
Werner von Braun – ‘Hunters’
The fact that “Rocket Man” died on June 16, 1977 didn’t stop this script from keeping him alive with his death faked… at least until July 1977.

BEST NEW CHILD CHARACTER
Dylan, ‘Upload’
Dylan broke the glass floor of the Grand Canyon and dabbed on the way down.  He went through a temporary casting change which also garnered a Toobits Award.

BEST NEW ANIMAL CHARACTER
Boz, the cursed goat, ’68 Whiskey’

BEST NEW PUPPET CHARACTER
The Sock Puppets for National Floors Direct
From iSPOT-TV:
Two sock puppets admiring one puppet's brand new carpet from National Floors Direct and appreciating the supplier's low prices come up with the genius idea to be spokespeople for National Floors Direct -- after all, who knows floors better than socks?

BEST LEAGUE OF THEMSELVES APPEARANCE IN A COMMERCIAL
Charlie Day for Tide
Charlie ended up in pseudo-spots throughout the Super Bowl: a promo for “Wonder Woman”, in the middle of the Centaur’s performance on ‘The Masked Singer’, and in a Bud Light commercial.

BEST CHARACTER RETURN SPECIAL AWARD
Captain Jack Harkness, ‘Doctor Who’
In “Fugitive of the Judoon” the audience was already shocked by the revelation of Jo Martin’s character; and that made the sudden appearance of John Barrowman feel almost like an afterthought.  Exciting and frustrating – he didn’t even get to meet the Thirteenth Incarnation!

BEST CHARACTER RETURN
Drama:
The Master, ‘Doctor Who’
I never saw that coming!  Kudos to the publicity department and the security for the show’s production company that the beans were not spilled.

BEST LEAGUE OF THEMSELVES RETURN
Ken Jennings, ‘Jeopardy! – The Greatest Of All Time’
And Jennings was crowned the GOAT.  Deservedly so.

BEST CHARACTER RETURN IN A COMMERCIAL
Pinocchio, GEICO
After failing at being a motivational speaker, he tried his luck with online dating and then tried to talk his way out of a parking ticket.  His nose kept giving him away.

BEST NEW ALIENS
The Kasaavan Light Beings from ‘Doctor Who’ – “Spyfall Parts 1 & 2”

BEST ALIEN RETURN
The Judoon, ‘Doctor Who’ – “Fugitive Of The Judoon”

BEST HISTORICAL VILLAIN
Frau Colonel (“Eva”), ‘Hunters’
Frau Colonel was the most shadowy of villains, hidden in the background, working behind the scenes.  In the final scenes we got the confirmation that she was actually Eva Braun.

BEST MALE VILLAIN
Randall Flagg, ‘The Stand’
You’ll notice I didn’t say best new male villain.  We’ve seen the Walking Dude before in a previous adaptation of the book.  So as with all of the other characters in this mini-series, this is a recastaway.  As such, being in an alternate TV dimension, it can still qualify for a tip of the hat.

BEST NEW FEMALE VILLAIN
Magda/Alex Malone/Eva Branson/Rio
‘Penny Dreadful - City of Angels’

BEST EXIT FOR A CHARACTER
Frank Dunphy, ‘Modern Family’
I don’t know if Fred Willard’s health was already declining when he filmed his final episode as Phil’s father.  But it was a nice coda to his contribution to one of the best TV families, as well as being very understated.  At least we know there won’t be some future decision to recast the character for a TV movie reunion.

BEST DEATH SCENE
Nathan Brown – ‘Upload’
You can’t beat seeing a guy’s head blow up after he’s been uploaded into the computer system.

SADDEST DEATH SCENE
Murray – ‘Hunters’
If only our loved ones, previously departed, could really be there to welcome us to the next phase….

WORST (GRISLIEST) DEATH SCENE
Dre burned to death
‘Power’ – “Still Dre”

MOST SURPRISING DEATH SCENE
Oliver Queen, ‘Arrow’
I suppose it had to be the death of Green Arrow.  Not that he actually died, but that the show ended in January.  With the penultimate episode serving as a pilot for ‘Green Arrow and the Canaries’ (which as of this writing still has a nebulous future), I expected it to find a way to survive until the May Sweeps.

FIRST MAJOR TV CHARACTER TO DIE
“C” – The Head of MI6
‘Doctor Who’ – “Skyfall” (Part One)

True, he was a one-shot character on-screen for no more than ten minutes at best; certainly not a usual candidate for “Major TV Character”.  But he was played by Stephen Fry with all the makings for one to expect him to be featured in a recurring role – sort of like a bureaucratic version of Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart.

Usually ‘Coronation Street’ nabs this category, and maybe they did this year as well over there.  But C’s assassination was the first to come to my notice.

BEST NEW CHARACTER NAME
Pol-Kon-Don, ‘Doctor Who’ – “Fugitive Of The Judoon”
The leader of the Judoon Platoon (who apparently was a female) was given that name to honor the memory of Paul Condon, a BBC online producer who died in 2019. It’s a really nice tribute that makes him immortal in Who-lore.

WORST NEW CHARACTER NAME
David Choak, ‘Upload’
Well, it couldn’t all be “Five Stars” for ‘Upload’.  My problem with the choice of name for William B. Davis’ character was that it was already evident that he was a parody of one half of the evilest, greediest, most corrupt pair of brothers in History (allegedly). The last names don’t look similar but when sounded out, they rhyme.  Don’t make the comparisons so obvious, guys.

BEST NEW ALIAS
O – ‘Doctor Who’
That was the MI6 designation for the agent replaced by the Master.

BEST NEW SERIES TITLE
‘Upload’
Simplicity.  It always works.  And this summed up the basic essence of the series.

WORST NEW SERIES TITLE
‘Penny Dreadful: City of Angels’
Did the show runners think that the series couldn’t stand on its own without calling back to the earlier series ‘Penny Dreadful’… even though it has no discernible connection to the first series?  But then again, ‘City of Angels’ has served as the title for at least two other TV series.  (The best being with Wayne Rogers as Jake Axminster, a 1930s private eye.)

BEST EPISODE TITLE
“Grodd Friended Me” – ‘The Flash’
The CW superhero show had a little fun at the expense of the CBS series ‘God Friended Me’.  The reference is to one of the best villains in the Flash’s Rogues Gallery, the hyper-intelligent and brutal primate, Gorilla Grodd.

BEST LINE
“Shut up, Spleen!” from the Bud Light Setzer Super Bowl advert featuring Post Malone’s personified body parts.  I plan to use that often as a response in online comment threads.

BEST NEW COINED WORD [TIE]
“Shovelfuss”
‘The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon’
This was created on the spot when Queen Latifah asked Fallon to come up with a new curse word.  I doubt it will have legs – I haven’t heard it used since anywhere.  But I think it’s a cool word.
“Dernaissance”
I first heard this on ‘CBS Sunday Morning’ in January.  It’s a description for the resurgence of Laura Dern’s acting career. I think it’s a word which will be used again in overviews of her career.

BEST DREAM SEQUENCE
‘Outlander’ – “Never My Love”
And by best, I don’t mean it was enjoyable.  But it was well-done.  While being gang-raped, Claire escaped into a strange dinner party preparation.

BEST NEW ALIEN LOCATION
Lakeview, ‘Upload’
It’s alien because it’s virtual reality.

BEST NEW ALTERNATE TOOBWORLD
Earth after Captain Trips ‘The Stand’
This is the second adaptation of Stephen King’s classic novel.  We were three episodes in when the year ended and I have good feelings about it.
 
BEST NEW FICTIONAL BOOK
The Beverly Goldberg Cookbook – ‘The Goldbergs’

BEST NEW PRODUCT PLACEMENT
Purell, ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’
The use of Purell ran throughout the season and culminated with its apocalyptic cause of the finale’s big scene.  In a way, it’s like Uber in the next category in that it ultimately works against them.  (Purell was inducted into the Television Crossover Hall of Fame.)

WORST NEW PRODUCT PLACEMENT
Uber, ‘Doctor Who’
Dragooned by MI6 agents, Graham O’Brien leaned out of the car window and shouted to the Doctor, “Worst.  Uber.  Ever!”  It wasn’t good for Uber, but hilarious for us watching at home.

BEST FICTIONAL MAGAZINE CROSSOVER
CATCO, ‘Batwoman’
I’m sure the magazine has been seen before in their dimension over on ‘Supergirl’.  But it’s use here – Batwoman being interviewed by Kara Danvers – not only is it a great visual for such a crossover, but it served a higher purpose, letting troubled LGBTQ teens know that it gets better.

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER
I got the CBS All Access platform and will keep it at least through the showing of ‘The Stand’.  So I was able to catch up on the new version of ‘The Twilight Zone’, ‘Picard’, and three seasons of ‘The Good Fight’.

BOOK to TV
“Sanditon” by Jane Austen
The main reason is that in the body of Austen’s work adapted for TV, this is fresh.  And that’s because the book was never completed.

BEST NEW SERIES STREAMING BINGE
‘Hunters’
‘Upload’
{Tie}

BEST TELEVISIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS
“The 7 Biggest Contradictions in ‘Doctor Who’ Canon”
by Thomas Ling for Radio Times (01/30/2020)
Here’s how it opened:
“’Doctor Who’ is the most successful British sci-fi show ever, a beloved adventure across time and space that’s brought incalculable joy to millions. And it makes no sense.”

Well, there you have it.  Pretty good stuff in there, considering what a number 2020 did on the television landscape.

Let’s hope 21’s a good year….