Women of the Week

We’re now into Week 2 of the 2017 Fall TV season and with more shows returning and premiering, our list of impressive performances increases. Read on to find out who were our top picks this past week…

Lexie: I know I promised D’arcy Carden that I would vote for her every week (Well, okay, I said I was going to and she liked the tweet, so we’re going with “this is a binding agreement” because that’s totally how the real world works), but I think I already have my answer for the week, and it’s Yvette Nicole Brown as Dina Rose in THE MAYOR. Queen of the face journey, firm believer in civic duty, and willing to stand up to the police with the best postal worker threats (“You want your Christmas cards in March? I can make that happen.”). I adore Dina and cannot wait to see where she goes as the mother and moral guide of the new mayor and his ragtag staff. Plus, she lights up every scene she’s in. And Yvette’s delivery of pretty much every single line cracks me up.

Melissa: Dammit, Lexie got there first! I second YNB for Woman of the Week. Also, the trio of actors who play Kate Pearson on THIS IS US: Chrissy Metz, Hannah Zeile, and Mackenzie Hancsicsak turned in flawless performances as Kate at different ages in this week’s episode, “A Manny-Splendored Thing”. Despite being played by three different people, the portrayal was seamless and each informed the others. Well done.

THIS IS US — Pictured: (l-r) Mackenzie Hancsicsak, Hannah Zeile, Chrissy Metz — (Photo by: Tyler Golden/NBC)

Roz: I’m jumping on YNB too ( I’ve missed her on my TV).

Rueben: I want to second what Mel said about the trio from This Is Us. They were terrific in the episode!!

Lisa: My pick this week is Tracee Ellis Ross as Rainbow Johnson on BLACKISH. Blackish returned this week and opened the season with a powerful episode called Juneteenth. Juneteenth is June 19th and the day that slaves were freed and this episode tackled how America doesn’t celebrate it and basically ignores it. One problem with this country is people tend to bad ignore things as if they didn’t happen. Unfortunately Slavery is a part of American history, so why not celebrate the freedom of slaves. This episode had a very Hamilton feel to it. It was Broadway quality with singing and dancing. It was very emotional for me and Tracee Ellis Ross, as well as the entire cast, did an amazing job and opened many eyes to see that Juneteenth should be celebrated. It was magnificent.

Karen: I really enjoyed Crystal Reed as Sofia Falcone in GOTHAM. Even though they keep throwing actresses at Ben McKenzie, she seemed to have a bit of chemistry with him, and might even be the darkness to his light. If he can take some of the weight off of his shoulders and help to save Gotham from Oswald, poor James can go back to saving the city on his white horse again.

Photo by: Matt Dinerstein/NBC

Ange: My pick this week is Marina Squerciati as Kim Burgess on CHICAGO P.D., once again proving you don’t mess with Mama Bear Burgess! I always enjoy the Burgess centric episodes because quite often it means that Squerciati gets meatier storylines to work with. Yes Burgess is a compassionate and understanding cop but if you hurt her friends or loved ones, she’ll go Mama Bear on you like she did this week when fellow cop Frank Toma is accused of being a terrorist. Despite what her colleagues thought, Burgess was convinced of his innocence and sought to prove it, even if it meant standing up to boss Voight or threatening a crooked cop who also happens to be the son of a powerful figure in the CPD. Burgess was fearless!