Drama

What makes a good drama? Taking out all of the other potential cross-overs such as thrillers, romance and crime and simply focusing on the story, dramas generally depict life situations and realistic characters in tough situations. They are character-led movies showing people at their best, their worst, and everything in-between.

Creating top-notch dramas is one of the most difficult things to do. It's probably also why the Academy Awards recognise dramatic performances and films more so than any other category of filmmaking. Just look at the list of Best Picture winners over the last few years: Nomadland, Parasite, Green Book, The Shape of Water, Moonlight, Spotlight, Birdman – all dramas despite the vast number of categories covered by the nominees each year.

For many though, while the critics and award bodies love them, they don't excel at the box office – at least not like action movies. And the proof is in the numbers. Despite being released in 1997, Titantic is still the highest-grossing drama worldwide. In that year it took in $659,363,944. That is more than double the second highest-grossing drama – The Passion of the Christ (2004) on $370,782,930.

Great dramas are nothing without great actors. So who are the women and men that light up the screen every time they appear? It is no surprise that Meryl Streep is regarded as one of the finest actresses on the planet. With a staggering 407 award nominations during her career, she has won 177 times including three Academy Awards from 21 nominations since 1978.

There are others, who despite putting in multiple stellar performances are frequently nominated but rarely win. Glenn Close has a raft of awards to her name including three Primetime Emmys, three Tony's, and three Golden Globes. But what she doesn't have is an Oscar, despite being nominated eight times. That is also the record for the most Oscar nominations in an acting category without a win.

Likewise for Peter O'Toole who was also nominated eight times and never won. The male actor with the most wins is actually Daniel Day-Lewis. Six nominations have resulted in three wins for My Left Foot (1990), There Will Be Blood (2008), and Lincoln (2013).

Dramas are big business on streaming platforms. Netflix's The Trial of The Chicago 7, Hillbilly Elegy, Roma, and Ma Rainey's Black Bottom have all been Oscar-nominated. This is where their credibility is solidified. Not only do they stream great sitcoms that we watch in our millions but they also pump money into superb drama movies with big-budget Hollywood stars.

Of course, not all dramas can be worthy of an Oscar but it is the category in which you will find the most hidden gems. So check out all the dramas we have reviewed and get watching.