I say this often. Put Sterling K. Brown in everything. Give him all the awards. He is the reason This Is Us is so great. He is an exceptional speech giver. He’s generally a beacon of light and joy and a reminder that there is good in this world. I’d be OK if every award show featured some Sterling K. Brown.
SKB, however, might be a little over it.
I don’t mean that in a bad way. When he won the Critics’ Choice Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series he wasn’t disrespectful or indifferent. In Lainey’s words, he seemed like he’s used to winning, as he should be. He won the Emmy. He won the Golden Globe. Last year, he won a bunch of awards for The People vs. OJ Simpson. Sterling K. Brown has given a lot of acceptance speeches. He can’t do the Taylor Swift Surprise Face for everyone. He’s also not going to give the same speech every time. Last night, he was a little lower energy than normal but still managed to give a great speech catered to the critics.
“Thank you to the critics. We’re on network television… We did not anticipate being invited to this party with all you famous and lovely people but we are here together and I speak on behalf of my show; it’s not the darkest or the sexiest but we got a lot of heart. And in some dark times right now, it’s nice to be a part of something that reminds us that we are all in this thing called life together.”
He’s right. Critics tend to reward the edgy or disturbing cable shows with all the swearing and the sex. There hasn’t been a network family drama like This Is Us that has resonated this much with critics in years. I don’t think Sterling K. Brown is stretching when he connected the importance of This Is Us with the need for escapism or the need for a good cry after reading about Klan President’s latest racist f-ckery. Or, like he said, This Is Us is a much-needed reminder that people like the Pearsons exist and that every family goes through sh-tholes, no matter what they look like.
So, even after Sterling K. Brown seems to be feeling some award season fatigue he still gives a pretty outstanding speech. The SAGs are up next. Once more with feeling: give this man all the awards. On his worst day, he still delivers.
