July 10, 2019
jmunney
Awards Shows, Emmys, Television
2019 Emmys, Better Call Saul, Emmy Wish List, Emmys, Homecoming, Killing Eve, Pose, Sex Education, The Orville
CREDIT: FX/YouTube
The 2019 Emmy nominations will be announced on July 16, and as that annual occasion approaches, I typically put together my own list of which shows and performers I would like to see recognized. But I’ve had some mixed feelings about putting that together this year, as I’ve grappled with the fact that in the era of Peak TV, it becomes more and more impossible to capture all my favorites in one place. Ultimately I decided I wouldn’t be too formal or too precious about it. If there are ten shows I really want to see nominated, then I’ll list ten on my wish list. But if there are just two I really like in another category, then I’ll just list two.
Yesterday I discussed Comedy, and I just couldn’t contain myself to the prescribed number of nominees per category. But now that I’m looking at Drama, I’m struggling to fully flesh them out. Partly that’s because I watch more comedy than drama, and partly it’s because some of the dramas I do watch had off-years.
But I still watched some good, juicy dramas! And tops among them was most definitely Pose, which is my #1 choice in just about every category. Billy Porter is pretty much showmanship personified, and all the main ladies are undeniably compelling. Sex Education also gets my endorsement. I initially thought it was mis-categorized, but since my drama choices are relatively sparse, I won’t complain. And let’s not sleep on The Orville, which has been consistently putting out some intellectually satisfying hard sci-fi without too much fanfare.
Nominees are listed in alphabetical order. My top choices are in bold.
Outstanding Drama
Better Call Saul
Homecoming
The Orville
Pose
Sex Education
More
July 9, 2019
jmunney
Awards Shows, Emmys, Television
2019 Emmys, A.P. Bio, American Vandal, Barry, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Emmy Wish List, Emmy wishlist, Emmys, GLOW, Happy!, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Jane the Virgin, Murphy Brown, Russian Doll, Speechless, The Big Bang Theory, The Goldbergs, The Good Place, The Last O.G., The Other Two, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, What We Do in the Shadows, Young Sheldon
CREDIT: Scott Patrick Green/Netflix
The 2019 Emmy nominations will be announced on July 16, and as that annual occasion approaches, I typically put together my own list of which shows and performers I would like to see recognized. But I’ve had some mixed feelings about that this year, as I’ve grappled with the fact that in the era of Peak TV, it becomes more and more impossible to capture all my favorites in one place. Ultimately I decided I wouldn’t be too formal or too precious about it. If there are ten shows I really want to see nominated, then I’ll list ten on my wish list. But if there are just two I really like in another category, then I’ll just list two.
I’m kicking things off today with Comedy. Before I get to my selections, I’ve got some thoughts to share, mainly about the new entrants. Among freshman shows, The Other Two mixed affecting family dynamics with the silliness of fame, while What We Do in the Shadows was just so wonderfully goofy. But it’s a couple of sadly cancelled high school-set sophomore shows that have my most love: Netflix’s poopy mockumentary American Vandal and NBC’s sharp and lovable A.P. Bio.
Among the actors, Young Sheldon‘s ensemble has really been a welcome part of my weekly life, and with that in mind, it’s been a while since either the Academy or I have recognized Jim Parsons for The Big Bang Theory, and you know what? I’m going to recognize him for his final year. Among names that you may not recognize (yet), let’s all keep in mind What We Do in the Shadows‘ Kayvan Novak for our future comedy endeavors.
Nominees are listed in alphabetical order. My top choices are in bold.
Outstanding Comedy
American Vandal
A.P. Bio
Barry
GLOW
The Goldbergs
The Good Place
Jane the Virgin
The Last O.G.
The Other Two
Speechless
What We Do in the Shadows
More
July 8, 2019
jmunney
A.P. Bio, Community, Television
A.P. Bio, Alison Brie, Allisyn Ashley Arm, AP Bio, Aparna Brielle, Chevy Chase, Community, Danny Pudi, David Neher, Gillian Jacobs, Glenn Howerton, Jacob Houston, Jean Villepique, Jim Rash, Joel McHale, Ken Jeong, Lyric Lewis, Mary Sohn, Nick Peine, Patton Oswalt, Paula Pell, Yvette Nicole Brown
CREDIT: NBC
Over the past few months, the delightful high school-set sitcom A.P. Bio has become one of my favorite shows on the air, but then NBC went a little cuckoo and cancelled it. There’s been some effort on the part of the cast, crew, and fans to find the show a new home, but unless that happens, we will have to be satisfied with two short-but-sweet seasons.
One of the reasons I love A.P. Bio so much is because it shares a lot of DNA with my favorite show of all time, which would be Community, another former NBC sitcom that was constantly on the brink of cancellation (though unlike A.P. Bio, it kept beating the renewal odds). Their premises and central characters are strikingly similar. In Community, Jeff Winger (Joel McHale) is a high-powered lawyer who gets disbarred and must enroll at a community college. Meanwhile, A.P. Bio stars Glenn Howerton as Jack Griffin, a disgraced Harvard philosophy professor who is forced to take a lowly part-time teaching job at a high school in Toledo, Ohio.
As I watched and grew to love A.P. Bio, I kept noticing more and more Community similarities, to the point that I could detect analogues for all the major characters. So I’ve assembled below a side-by-side comparison of the Greendale Human Beings and their corresponding Whitlock Rams. Enjoy, and let me know if you need help reacting to riding that ram.
(Thank you to my fellow commenters at the AV Club and Disqus for helping me out with these comparisons!)
Jack (Glenn Howerton) = Jeff (Joel McHale)
CREDIT: YouTube
The protagonists who try to act above it all but eventually embrace the crazy scholastic ecosystems they’ve become an integral part of.
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July 5, 2019
jmunney
Cinema, Entertainment To-Do List, Sports, Television
ESPYs, Hollywood Game Night, Midsommar, Spider-Man: Far From Home
CREDIT: Vivian Zink/NBC
Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.
Movies
–Midsommar (Theatrically Nationwide)
–Spider-Man: Far From Home (Theatrically Nationwide) – We continue to do our MCU duty.
TV
-2019 ESPYs (July 10 on NBC) – Hosted by Mr. Tracy Morgan!
–Hollywood Game Night Season Premiere (July 11 on NBC)
June 28, 2019
jmunney
Cinema, Entertainment To-Do List, Music, Television
Annabelle Comes Home, Fred Savage, Let's Rock, The Black Keys, What Just Happened??!, Yesterday
CREDIT: Pamela Littky/FOX
Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.
Movies
–Annabelle Comes Home (Theatrically Nationwide)
–Yesterday (Theatrically Nationwide) – Beatles Content
TV
–What Just Happened??! Series Premiere (June 30 on FOX) – Fred Savage hosts fake-recap show.
Music
-The Black Keys, Let’s Rock
June 21, 2019
jmunney
Cinema, Entertainment To-Do List, Television
Anna, Child's Play, Child's Play 2019, Legion, Toy Story 4, Wild Rose
CREDIT: Pixar/YouTube
Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.
Movies
–Anna (Theatrically Nationwide) – Sasha Luss’ big break.
–Child’s Play (Theatrically Nationwide) – Decent as far as remakes go.
–Toy Story 4 (Theatrically Nationwide)
–Wild Rose (Limited Theatrically)
TV
–Legion Season 3 Premiere (June 24 on FX) – The final chapter begins.
June 14, 2019
jmunney
Cinema, Entertainment To-Do List, Television
AFI, Alternatino, American Film Institute, Arturo Castro, Denzel Washington, Drunk History, Family Food Fight, Holey Moley, MTV Movie & TV Awards, The Dead Don't Die, The Detour, Whose Line is it Anyway?
CREDIT: Cara Howe/Comedy Central
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 Dead Don’t Die (Moderate Theatrically)
TV
-2019 MTV Movie & TV Awards (June 17 on MTV)
–Whose Line is it Anyway? Season 15 Premiere (June 17 on The CW) – The improv games will never end!
–Alternatino with Arturo Castro Series Premiere (June 18 on Comedy Central)
–The Detour Season 4 Premiere (June 18 on TBS)
–Drunk History Season 6 Midseason Premiere (June 18 on Comedy Central)
-AFI Life Achievement Award: Denzel Washington (June 20 on TNT)
–Holey Moley Series Premiere (June 20 on ABC) – So many Fun & Games.
–Family Food Fight Series Premiere (June 20 on ABC)
June 8, 2019
jmunney
Jeopardy!, Television
Adam Levin, Alex Trebek, Emma Boettcher, James Holzhauer, Jeopardy James, Jeopardy!, Ken Jennings, Roger Craig
CREDIT: Jeopardy/YouTube
After 32 winning campaigns in a row, Jeopardy James Holzhauer was finally felled on his 33rd game on Monday, June 3, 2019 to user experience librarian Emma Boettcher. His total number of games won and money earned ($2,464,216) in regular, non-tournament shows are second to only Ken Jennings in Jeopardy! history. Of course, what is most impressive about his run was the unprecedented volume of his winnings, as he nearly surpassed Jennings’ money total ($2,522,700 in 75 games) in less than half the time. This begs the question: has Holzhauer changed the game permanently?
More
June 7, 2019
jmunney
Cinema, Entertainment To-Do List, Music, Television
$100000 Pyramid, Baskets, Big Little Lies, Card Sharks, Celebrity Family Feud, Match Game, Pose, Press Your Luck, Silversun Pickups, The Last Black Man in San Francisco, Tonys, Widow's Weeds
CREDIT: Jason Bell/CBS
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 Last Black Man in San Francisco (Limited Theatrically)
TV
So many game shows!
-73rd Annual Tony Awards (June 9 on CBS)
–Celebrity Family Feud Season Premiere (June 9 on ABC)
–The $100,000 Pyramid Season Premiere (June 9 on ABC)
–Big Little Lies Season 2 Premiere (June 9 on HBO)
–Pose Season 2 Premiere (June 11 on FX)
–Press Your Luck Reboot Series Premiere (June 11 on ABC)
–Card Sharks Reboot Series Premiere (June 12 on ABC)
–Match Game Season Premiere (June 12 on ABC)
–Baskets Season 4 Premiere (June 13 on FX) – Top-notch FX drama and comedy is burning up the summer!
Music
-Silversun Pickups, Widow’s Weeds
June 3, 2019
jmunney
Television
Summer TV, Summer TV Preview, TV
CREDIT: Eric McCandless/ABC
I don’t normally write up a Summer TV Preview, but after looking over what’s set to premiere these coming hot (and sexy) months, I felt compelled to say something.
First off, it really feels like we’re living in a new Golden Era of Game Shows, particularly thanks to ABC, which is enthusiastically committed to its Summer Fun & Games lineup. In addition to returning favorites like Pyramid and Celebrity Family Feud, 2019 is bringing us reboots of Card Sharks (hosted by Joel McHale) and Press Your Luck (hosted by Elizabeth Banks), and on top of that, there’s the premiere of the new “extreme” mini-golf show Holey Moley.
Scanning over what else we’ve got, it seems like there are more scripted series that I watch than ever airing in the summer months. Don’t the networks know I like to get some fresh air? TV gods, please have mercy on me if I can’t keep up-to-date with everything.
And finally, mention must be made of FOX’s What Just Happened??!, an aftershow hosted by Fred Savage. But here’s the catch: it’s an aftershow that consists of discussions of a mothership show that doesn’t actually exist. Sounds perfectly tailor-made for me, and hopefully some of you are intrigued as well.
Listed below are all the shows I am planning on checking out from June through August, along with their premiere dates. For a more complete list of summer shows, click here.
Game Shows
Beat Shazam (Premiered May 20 on FOX)
Celebrity Family Feud (June 9 on ABC)
The $100,000 Pyramid (June 9 on ABC)
Big Little Lies (June 9 on HBO)
Press Your Luck (June 11 on ABC)
Card Sharks (June 12 on ABC)
Match Game (June 12 on ABC)
Holey Moley (June 20 on ABC)
Family Food Fight (June 20 on ABC)
Hollywood Game Night (July 11 on NBC)
Straightforward(ish) Sitcoms and Dramas
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Premiered May 10 on ABC)
Archer: 1999 (Premiered May 29 on FXX)
Black Mirror (June 5 on Netflix)
grown-ish (June 5 on Freeform)
The Handmaid’s Tale (June 5 on Hulu)
Pose (June 11 on FX)
Baskets (June 13 on FX)
The Detour (June 18 on TBS)
Legion (June 24 on FX)
GLOW (August 9 on Netflix)
Oddballs and Outliers
Whose Line is it Anyway? (June 17 on The CW)
Alternatino (June 18 on Comedy Central)
Drunk History (June 18 on Comedy Central)
What Just Happened??! with Fred Savage (June 30 on FOX)
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