Welcome to the 2025 SiftPop.com Sifties!
This year, the SiftPop writers came together to nominate five casts for Best Television Ensemble. Here is a countdown of the five best ensembles that our writers collectively saw!
Sure, the hook of Netflix’s Adolescence was the one-shot technical achievements of each of the four episodes, but what makes the show truly special are the great performances throughout. Top of the list is Owen Cooper in his screen debut as young Jamie, a youth accused of a heinous crime. He goes from scared, to charming, to downright terrifying at the drop of the hat, showing a range that some veteran performers struggle with. It really stands out when he’s largely one on one with Erin Doherty’s Briony, who’s sent to psychologically evaluate him. In just one episode, she puts in one of the performances of the year. A much more subtle performance, she has to hide how affecting the key interview is. Co-creator and actor Stephen Graham largely keeps things below the surface as a closed off, working-class father, which makes the moments when his emotions burst through in both the premiere and finale of the show truly striking. Though these three are the standouts, it’s an impressive effort by the entire cast. Oh, and a reminder — they’re doing this all in one take.
The ensemble of Severance has a tough task. For two seasons, each primary cast member had to play two roles: the innie and the outie. For them to give both characters substance, care, and nuisance is incredible (and difficult). Nothing exemplifies this better than Adam Scott in the final episode of Season Two. Each character has something they desire and the other is blocking the way. As an ensemble, the workplace dynamics at play are remarkable. We have leadership versus the workers in the trenches, interdepartmental conflict, and a fundamental shift in company culture and mission. Tramell Tillman and Patricia Arquette level up this season as the leadership team coming to their senses. Zach Cherry and John Turturro both have strong moments as well, showing the predicaments their innies and outies are in. Despite all this, Severance still has a lot of questions to answer, which means more chances for the ensemble to shine in the future.
When a cast is as strong as The Bear, audiences have a tendency to ask, what else can we do from here? How can an excellent cast continue to level up each season and bring something different to the series? Yet each year, The Bear does a couple things to truly excel with its cast. First, it brings in excellent guest stars. The late, great Rob Reiner had a pretty big arc this season, along with guest spots from Jamie Lee Curtis, Brie Larson, and Josh Hartnett. Second, each season has an event episode where everyone gets together to showcase their talent together. This season, it was a wedding, and it was beautiful. Finally, they need some signature moments from the main cast. That occurred in the final episode with Jeremy Allen White, Ayo Edebiri, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Abby Elliott. Throw in a great moment with Jon Bernthal, and this cast just continues to excel. Maybe it’s not that there needs to be something new each season. Maybe the cast just needs to be consistent, which the show has done for four straight seasons.
Rarely do good and evil have a chance to shine for an ensemble. Ensemble casts don’t often get the chance to give characters the chance to have an impact on the story or make a moment emotional. With Andor, not only does the cast get some of the most outstanding moments, but it’s how deep the bench of talent is with the ensemble. So many characters have a chance to shine in Season Two of Andor, and for Diego Luna to be more like icing on the cake rather than a focal point is a testament to how diverse and outstanding the cast is. Stellan Skarsgård, Denise Gough, Kyle Soller, Elizabeth Dulau, and Genevieve O’Reilly all have significant moments this season that make the story shine. However, perhaps the most impactful moment might have come from Stefan Crepon, who says a line about hope that reverberates throughout the Star Wars canon. An ensemble based on someone small providing such a spark is the very definition of greatness.
Medical shows have similar dynamics with their ensemble casts. The relationship with patients and doctors and nurses is paramount. However, The Pitt is doing some of the best work a medical show can do with this relationship. We don’t typically get a chance to see the toll that being a doctor can take on someone, especially in the middle of a crisis. Maybe that’s what makes Noah Wyle’s performance so remarkable. His care for the patients, along with his ability to teach new doctors how to excel are on full display. Yes, he’s got experience with this, having been on E.R., but for him to come back to a medical show demonstrates something special about the series. The Pitt is all about relationships: doctors with fellow doctors, nurses with doctors, patients with staff, and life and death. All of these relationships are complicated, and the ensemble balances all the emotions of these relationships flawlessly. We care about these doctors and nurses, and when a patient dies, we feel the same pain as the staff. It takes a special ensemble for us to feel that.
Make sure to check back tomorrow for the winner of Best Television Performance!