TVLine's Performer Of The Week: Celia Imrie

THE PERFORMER | Celia Imrie

THE SHOW | HBO's "War"

THE EPISODE | "The Juicy Bit" (November 12, 2026)

THE PERFORMANCE | There are plenty of intimidating figures to be found on HBO's riveting legal thriller — Pip Torrens' bone-dry attorney St. John is basically the Grim Reaper, only with more pithy one-liners — but maybe none of them are as intimidating as tiny powerhouse Budgie, played by the incomparable Celia Imrie. You may recognize Imrie from playing Pamela Adlon's kooky mom on "Better Things" (or perhaps her iconic turn on the U.K.'s "Celebrity Traitors"), but she's truly in her element here as Budgie, the whip-smart attorney tasked with representing Sienna Miller's Carla in divorce court. Imrie took center stage this week as Budgie eloquently and entertainingly made her case in the courtroom... and we can't speak for the judge, but we were convinced. 

Imrie's small stature and kewpie-doll smile might make her look like a pushover, but when it came time for Budgie's opening statement, she roared like a lion, efficiently laying the rhetorical groundwork for Carla's side while adding with a wink that she's a big fan of Carla's acting work... but "don't tell her I told you." It's clear Budgie can lay on the charm, but that's just her way of disarming you while she goes for the jugular, and Imrie flashed a lethal killer instinct as Budgie cross-examined Carla's estranged husband Morgan.

After softening him up with warm-up questions — and amusingly wondering if she can say "snagging" in a romantic sense these days without getting canceled — Budgie brought up the creation of Morgan's social media platform Zephyr and Carla's role in creating it. Carla had just suffered a vicious round of cyberbullying when Morgan came up with the idea for a more positive platform, and Budgie zeroes in on that fact, pointing out that Carla must've influenced Zephyr's creation in some way. Morgan bristled at Budgie's approach, angrily asking at one point if she had an actual question for him — and Imrie grinned as Budgie replied, "Not yet... but don't hesitate if you want to interrupt."

We don't know yet who will win the legal battle between Carla and Morgan, but we know Imrie has once again won our hearts with her sparkling turn as Budgie. "War" is already returning for a second season... and we have our fingers crossed that Imrie's Budgie returns right along with it. — Dave Nemetz

Scroll down to see who got an Honorable Mention shout-out this week...

Monday's "FBI" gave Special Agent Eva Ramos the spotlight, setting the stage for Martinez to deliver her best work of the series thus far. An emotional family situation — her mother falling victim to an abusive partner — stirred up complicated emotions for Eva, as she tried but failed to convince her mom to leave. Anger, sadness, and frustration intertwined, all of which were on display through the actress' body language and dialogue, as Eva visibly tensed up due to stress. Her very bad day escalated even further when she came face to face with a woman threatening to jump off the Staten Island Ferry, forcing the agent to activate her razor-sharp negotiation skills. It was undoubtedly a hectic day for Eva, but the entire ordeal (which ended with the team thwarting yet another terrorist attack) pushed the character and Martinez to extremes. After Eva neutralized the threat, she squashed tension with her mom in a tender scene, rounding out a home run installment for Martinez that was both fierce and full of feeling. — Nick Caruso

Which performance(s) knocked your socks off this week? Tell us in the comments!