August 21, 2020
jmunney
Entertainment To-Do List, Music, Podcasts, Television
Imploding the Mirage, Lauren Lapkus, Newcomers, Nicole Byer, NXIVM, Podcasts, RuPaul's Drag Race Vegas Revue, The Killers, The Vow
Newcomers Podcast
Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.
TV
–RuPaul’s Drag Race Vegas Revue Series Premiere (August 21 on VH1)
–The Vow Series Premiere (August 23 on HBO) – Docuseries about the NXIVM cult.
Music
-The Killers, Imploding the Mirage
Podcasts
–Newcomers Season 2 – Nicole Byer and Lauren Lapkus watched Star Wars for the first time, and now they’re watching Lord of the Rings for the first time.
August 14, 2020
jmunney
Cinema, Entertainment To-Do List, Television
black-ish, Lovecraft Country, Magic Camp, Podcasts, Skin: A History of Nudity in the Movies, The AP Bio Podcast
CREDIT: HBO
Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.
Movies
–Magic Camp (August 14 on Disney+) – Gillian Jacobs is in this.
–Skin: A History of Nudity in the Movies (August 18 On Demand)
TV
–black-ish, “Please, Baby, Please” (Now Streaming on Hulu) – An episode that was pulled from the schedule a couple of years ago has finally seen the light day.
–Lovecraft Country Series Premiere (August 16 on HBO)
Podcasts
–The AP Bio Podcast – A new podcast about one of my favorite NBC/Peacock sitcoms!
August 7, 2020
jmunney
Entertainment To-Do List, Music, Television
Folklore, Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Paradiso, Taylor Swift, The Sloppy Boys
MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.: “The End is at Hand/What We’re Fighting For” (CREDIT: Mitch Haaseth/ABC)
Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.
TV
–Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Series Finale (August 12 on ABC)
Music
A couple of albums from the last few weeks whose releases snuck up on me:
-The Sloppy Boys, Paradiso
-Taylor Swift, Folklore
July 31, 2020
jmunney
Cinema, Entertainment To-Do List, Television
An American Pickle, Beyoncé, Black is King, Muppets Now, Star Trek: Lower Decks, The Go-Gos
CREDIT: YouTube Screenshot
Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.
Movies
–Black is King (July 31 on Disney+) – A new visual album from Beyoncé.
–An American Pickle (August 6 on HBO Max)
TV
–The Go-Go’s (July 31 on Showtime)
–Muppets Now Series Premiere (July 31 on Disney+) – It’s time to play the music again!
–Star Trek: Lower Decks Series Premiere (August 6 on CBS All Access) – The first animated series in Trek history.
July 24, 2020
jmunney
Entertainment To-Do List, Sports, Television
Alison Brie, Dave Franco, NBA Countdown, The Rental
CREDIT: YouTube Screenshot
Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.
Movies
–The Rental (July 24 on Demand) – Dave Franco directs his wife Alison Brie!
TV
-NBA Countdown: NBA Restart (July 25 on ABC)
July 23, 2020
jmunney
Awards Shows, Emmys, Television
$100000 Pyramid, 2020 Emmys, Conan, Emmy Wish List, Emmys, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, Holey Moley, Last Week Tonight, Match Game, RuPaul's Drag Race, Saturday Night Live, Sherman's Showcase, The Masked Singer, To Tell the Truth, Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, Whose Line is it Anyway?
CREDIT: ABC; IFC
The 2020 Emmy nominations will be announced on July 28. As per annual tradition, I have assembled a Wish List for as many categories as I have something to say about. There is no minimum or maximum number per category, nor is there any strict adherence to official Emmy rules. And of course, there is the necessary caveat that I have not seen everything. Even with much of the country shut down for the past few months, that’s impossible.
Now that I have made my way through the avalanche of award-worth Dramas, Comedies, and Limited Series, it’s time to get a little silly with the Variety shows. And this year, I decided to also talk about Reality, as there are enough competition shows that I plainly love to be able to fill out a ballot.
Conan is my top choice among the talkies, as Mr. O’Brien and company adapted quite naturally to the new reality of at-home production and Zoom interviews. The Soul Train/American Bandstand homage that is Sherman’s Showcase is the easy choice in Sketch Series; seriously folks, you gotta check this show out. And while I don’t always include SNL in the field, it earned a spot this year thanks to the resiliency demonstrated in its at-home episodes.
Moving on to Reality, where my Competition Program picks are dominated by game shows, naturally enough. At the top of the heap is the mini-golf showcase Holey Moley, one of the most purely fun and positive shows on the air right now. And Joe Tessitore and Rob Riggle are the perfect silly/serious M.C. pair to present the whole shebang.
KEY:
Bold=My winner
CREDIT: YouTube Screenshot
Variety Talk Series
CONAN
Full Frontal with Samantha Bee
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
More
July 22, 2020
jmunney
Awards Shows, Emmys, Television
2020 Emmys, Bad Education, Devs, Dispatches From Elsewhere, Emmy Wish List, Emmys, Mrs. America, Normal People, Quiz, The Plot Against America, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend, Watchmen
CREDIT: YouTube Screenshot
The 2020 Emmy nominations will be announced on July 28. As per annual tradition, I have assembled a Wish List for as many categories as I have something to say about. There is no minimum or maximum number per category, nor is there any strict adherence to official Emmy rules. And of course, there is the necessary caveat that I have not seen everything. Even with much of the country shut down for the past few months, that’s impossible.
(Check out my previously published thoughts on Drama and Comedy.)
It was a banner year for Limited Series, or at least it was a banner year for Limited Series being on my radar. Damon Lindelof and Co.’s take on Watchmen is the cream of the crop, although it’s not my top pick in most of the acting categories. That would be the very unique Dispatches From Elsewhere, which goes 3 out of 4 and misses out only Lead Actress due to having nobody in the running in that field. As for the rest of the nominations, I had a lot of fun spreading the love around to the likes of the passionate lovers of Normal People, the game show freaks of Quiz, the political ladies of Mrs. America, the politically concerned citizens of The Plot Against America, and Nick Offerman’s glorious beard.
KEY:
Bold=My winner
Limited Series
Devs
Dispatches From Elsewhere
Mrs. America
Normal People
The Plot Against America
Quiz
Watchmen
More
July 21, 2020
jmunney
Awards Shows, Emmys, Television
2020 Emmys, American Housewife, Atypical, Baskets, Better Things, black-ish, Emmy Wish List, Emmys, GLOW, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Living with Yourself, mixed-ish, Never Have I Ever, Saturday Night Live, Schitt's Creek, Sex Education, Sherman's Showcase, The Conners, The Goldbergs, The Last O.G., The Righteous Gemstones, What We Do in the Shadows, Young Sheldon, Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist
CREDIT: YouTube Screenshots
The 2020 Emmy nominations will be announced on July 28. As per annual tradition, I have assembled a Wish List for as many categories as I have something to say about. There is no minimum or maximum number per category, nor is there any strict adherence to official Emmy rules. And of course, there is the necessary caveat that I have not seen everything. Even with much of the country shut down for the past few months, that’s impossible.
Yesterday I kicked off my Emmy Wish List coverage with plenty of Drama. Today it’s time to laugh along with the Comedies, and boy, what a year for laughter it was! At the top of my list are those wacky vampires (Vacky vampires? Wacky wampires? Vacky wampires?) of What We Do in the Shadows, which in its second season staked itself permanently in my heart. It’s my winner for Comedy Series and all but one of the acting categories. Too bad it doesn’t have a Supporting Actress, otherwise it would’ve been a clean sweep.
Matt Berry is at the top of the Lead Actor heap thanks almost entirely to the Jackie Dayton episode (which ought to also earn Mark Hamill a Guest Actor trophy). Meanwhile, Mark Proksch slays the Supporting Actor Field thanks to Colin Robinson taking full advantage of his promotion. And Natasia Demetriou is the #1 Lead Actress because Nadja is awesome in every episode.
As for the Supporting ladies, I’ve got a little bit of everything, and ultimately it just felt right to go with the representative of the oldest show on my ballot as the winner.
Some other notables: Never Have I Ever and mixed-ish make the strongest showings of freshman series, Sex Education switches its category placement from Drama to Comedy (and remains worthy of praise), and I’m currently only on Season 2 of Schitt’s Creek, but I’m sure it’s just as good in its final season.
KEY:
Bold=My winner
!( )!=I haven’t caught up to the current season of this show, but I still wanted to recognize it.
Comedy Series
Atypical
Baskets
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Mixed-ish
Never Have I Ever
Sex Education
!(Schitt’s Creek)!
What We Do in the Shadows
More
July 20, 2020
jmunney
Awards Shows, Emmys, Television
2020 Emmys, Better Call Saul, Emmy Wish List, Emmy wishlist, Emmys, Evil, Killing Eve, Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Mr. Robot, On Becoming a God in Central Florida, Pose, Stargirl, Succession, The Good Fight, The Mandalorian, The New Pope, Undone
CREDIT: YouTube Screenshots
The 2020 Emmy nominations will be announced on July 28. As per annual tradition, I have assembled a Wish List for as many categories as I have something to say about. There is no minimum or maximum number per category, nor is there any strict adherence to official Emmy rules. And of course, there is the necessary caveat that I have not seen everything. Even with much of the country shut down for the past few months, that’s impossible.
I’m kicking off my Emmy Wish List discussion with some Drama this year. The top shows in this field are absolutely-without-a-doubt Pose and Better Call Saul. The former was nearly my favorite show of 2019, while the latter is right up there for 2020. And you know what? I just couldn’t pick between the two of them for Outstanding Drama Series, so I’m calling a tie! Nor could I pick between Bob Odenkirk or Billy Porter for Lead Actor, so it’s another tie! (I’ll probably pull for Bob come the night of the ceremony, as he’s yet to win, while Billy is the reigning champ.)
The Albuquerque and ballroom crews are dominating most of the acting categories, especially Rhea Seehorn, who I believe was a co-lead this season though she was once again submitted as Supporting. Stunningly, she’s yet to ever be nominated; that had better change this year. Meanwhile, also on BCS, Tony Dalton made an undeniable impression as Lalo Salamanca in his first full season as a regular cast member.
Over in Supporting Actress, I’ve got the ladies of Pose all stacked in there, much as the Game of Thrones ladies were last year at the actual Emmys. And also much like the actual Emmys, my top pick is actually from another show; in this case, Carly Chaikin, who got to do her most complicated work yet in Mr. Robot‘s final season.
Other notables: Evil makes a strong impression in its first season, Rosa Salazar shows up for a rotoscoped performance, and my Guest picks come almost entirely from The Mandalorian.
KEY:
Bold=My winner
!( )!=I haven’t caught up to the current season of this show, but I still wanted to recognize it.
*=I have placed this nominee in a different category than the Emmy ballot.
Drama Series
Better Call Saul
Evil
!(The Good Fight)!
The Mandalorian
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Mr. Robot
Pose
Stargirl
Undone
More
July 17, 2020
jmunney
Entertainment To-Do List, Literature, Music, Television
Alex Trebek, Brightest Blue, Ellie Goulding, Jeopardy!, The Answer Is, The Answer Is Reflections on My Life
Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.
TV
-From the Vault: 4 Weeks of Jeopardy! Milestones (July 20-August 14, Check local listings) – A collection of memorable episodes from the show’s history.
Music
-Ellie Goulding, Brightest Blue
Books
–The Answer Is…: Reflections on My Life by Alex Trebek (Release Date: July 21) – The longtime Jeopardy! gives us a peek behind the podium
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