We already looked at Comedy, so let’s dive into all the Drama in today’s edition of our TV Boxies coverage.
Today we’ll be taking a look inside the five finalists chosen by you in the Most Popular International Drama category, where five different networks/streamers each hold one nomination.
The TV Boxies are presented on November 28, so get your votes in for your favourite in all 21 eligible categories now.
MOST POPULAR INTERNATIONAL DRAMA FINALISTS
THE HANDMAID’S TALE (SBS)
Based on the 1985 novel of the same name by author Margaret Atwood, the American dystopian series The Handmaid’s Tale has completed four seasons with a fifth on the way.
World infertility has led to the enslavement of fertile women in Gilead determined by the new regime to be ‘fallen women’, called Handmaids, who are assigned to the homes of the ruling elite. Elizabeth Moss stars as June, a woman captured and separated from her husband and daughter when attempting to escape to Canada.
In 2019, the show was ranked 25th in The Guardian’s top 100 shows of the 21st Century, with the first season alone winning over 30 awards in 2018.
Exclusive to SBS, The Handmaid’s Tale has been groundbreaking television since its inception, and could be the ultimate winner at the TV Boxies.
YELLOWSTONE (Stan)
Premiering in 2018, Yellowstone follows the conflicts along the shared borders of a large cattle ranch, a Native reservation, and land developers.
A Stan exclusive in Australia, the show has delivered three seasons to viewers, with a fourth currently airing with episodes released weekly.
Kevin Costner stars as John Dutton, a sixth-generation patriarch of the Dutton family who operates the Yellowstone/Dutton Ranch, the largest contiguous ranch in the United States. As the series progresses, he is continually challenged by those seeking to take control of the ranch’s land.
Despite a shaky and mixed start, Yellowstone’s fourth season premiere broke records in the U.S., with the two-hour premiere watched by 8.38 million viewers in live + same day, which made it cable’s most watched episode since 2018.
SUCCESSION (Foxtel)
With the first season released in 2018, Succession centers on the Roy family, owners of global media conglomerate Waystar RoyCo, who are fighting for control of the company amid uncertainty about the health of the family’s patriarch, Logan Roy (Brian Cox).
With wide acclaim by critics for its acting, writing, musical score and production values, the show was picked up for a fourth season last month.
The HBO series is fast-tracked through Foxtel in Australia, with the third season currently airing weekly.
Succession picked up over 25 awards over its first two seasons, and may scoop up a TV Boxie later this month.
THE GOOD DOCTOR (Seven)
Becoming one of Seven’s most successful international series, The Good Doctor stars Freddie Highmore as Shaun Murphy, a young autistic surgeon with savant syndrome.
Since its debut in 2017, the series has received generally mixed reviews from critics, who have praised Highmore’s performance but criticised the series’ storylines.
The Good Doctor is actually an American remake of the hit South Korean medical drama Good Doctor, with Daniel Dae Kim as producer.
As the only only free-to-air network with a nomination in this category (with the others being a public broadcaster, streaming service or Pay-TV), Seven could take the International Drama win with The Good Doctor.
MARE OF EASTTOWN (Binge)
As the only show that premiered in 2021 to land as a finalist in this category, Mare of Easttown has seen huge success both on Binge and for original American streamer, HBO.
Police detective Mare Sheehan (Kate Winslet) investigates the recent murder of a teenage mother while trying to keep her own life from falling apart. After being unable to solve the case of another missing young girl for a year, many in the community doubt her detective skills.
Despite only seven episodes screened in the first season, the series has a 94% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with the website’s critics consensus reading, “Grounded by a career-best Kate Winslet, Mare of Easttown’s ambitions at times exceed its reach, but its central mystery is supported by such strong sense of place and character it hardly matters”.
Already, the show has won nine awards in the U.S., but might make history with an International nod at the TV Boxies.
Vote now for your favourite International Drama as well as all the other categories in the voting poll below, before the presentation on November 28.
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