This week in television got off to a strong start on Sunday night with a Golden Globe Awards ceremony that featured plenty of laughs, more than a few surprise winners, and plenty of fun courtesy of hosts Amy Poehler and Tina Fey. On Monday, Castle’s father made a reappearance and and a wedding date was finally set on Castle. Tuesday’s FOX comedies were all strong, as Peralta and Santiago went on the best “worst date ever” on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Jess tried to bond with Coach over basketball on New Girl, and the gang from The Mindy Project traveled to LA. Nashville returned from its winter hiatus on Wednesday with new drama for all its characters, and Thursday’s Parks and Recreation opened the door to many new beginnings. Finally, the week ended on Saturday with a SAG Awards ceremony that gave us three of my favorite award-show speeches in recent memory: Jared Leto’s eloquent tribute to his mother, Lupita Nyong’o’s articulate expression of gratitude, and Rita Moreno’s reminder that there’s no one in Hollywood—past or present—who has her sense of style and class.
Overall, this was an excellent week in television. But it was hard for anything that aired this week to top the way it began. Amy Poehler and Tina Fey’s monologue at this year’s Golden Globe ceremony might have been even funnier than last year, and their hits just kept coming as the night went on. And as a fan of Poehler’s work for years, nothing was better than watching her finally get rewarded for her work as Leslie Knope. Poehler’s warmth came through in her genuinely surprised speech, and it proved what I’ve always believed to be true of her: She’s a living example of the fact that you can be nice and still be successful; you can be kind and still be strong and respected in your field of work. To see her finally get recognized for playing a character defined by her ability to be both unfailingly sweet and uncompromisingly strong was very inspiring for me as a young woman who looks up to both Leslie Knope and the woman who brings her to life.
What was the best thing you saw on TV this week?
Nerdy Girl Notes 
So proud of Amy I can’t even handle it. Everyone’s been saying how excited I must be, which means I clearly never shut up about how much I love her, which is as it should be 🙂 AMYYYY. (Also, SEASON SEVEN AHHH.)
SEASON SEVEN!!!!!
Every time I watch that video of her winning, I feel so proud to be a fan of hers. And her press conference afterwards was even better. She’s such an inspiration for all of us who want to do work we’re proud of and be the kind of person who’s enthusiasm and warmth are contagious. When I grow up, I want to be Amy Poehler.
PREACH.
I don’t know how to chose. Too many diverse moments to pick from. So I am going to call this one my holy trinity of all that’s wonderful about women in entertainment. In particular order:
Emma Thompson — There was no moment at the Golden Globes that I loved more than Emma Thompson bare foot, Louboutins in one hand, three olive martini in another. The red signature on the shoe’s sole claimed as her blood – priceless. She is effortless, hilarious and inspiring all in one. I have adored her from the moment she walked on screen in Henry V. And that adoration only grows a little more every time she opens her mouth.
Susan Sullivan — Earlier this season I said I would watch an entire episode of Sullivan’s “Martha” sitting on uncomfortable furniture all over NYC. This was 10x better than that and what a wonderful gift to have a great Castle episode put Martha front and center. Sullivan’s performance was nuanced, heart-filled and classic Martha. She’s a broad in the best sense of the word. Life is for the living and a to be seized for what it offers, not for what it takes from us. Of the many ‘day players’ Castle has so marvelously drawn over 6 seasons, Martha’s character is the one I treasure most. She is the insight into Castle’s humanity and she does it with spectacular flare.
Rita Moreno — I grew up watching West Side Story the Friday after Thanksgiving like it was a religious holiday and Rita Moreno was one of two people on television who looked like me and my family. She on Electric Company (and Maria on Sesame St.) were an important part of my childhood. As I grew older and followed Moreno’s career it is not an exaggeration to say I idolized her. She was feisty, stylish, talented and outspoken. She never allowed Hollywood to define her nor did she let them pigeonhole her. She did it all with class, dignity and maintenance of her identity and pride in our culture. No small feat through the 70s and 80s. So to see, hear and bask in her humility and joy at last night’s SAG Awards was just a bright ray of light shining into my living room last night.
So no, I can’t pick a favorite from this week. It was a holy trinity of joy for my geek heart and it did a body good.
There’s nothing I can say to this excellent comment except you have phenomenal taste in leading ladies. What a holy trinity, indeed.