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
March 26, 2020
jmunney
Best of the 2010s, Best of the Decade, Television
30 Rock, American Dad!, Atlanta, Baskets, Best of the 2010s, Best of the Decade, Better Call Saul, Billy on the Street, Bob's Burgers, Bojack Horseman, Comedy Bang! Bang!, Community, Documentary Now!, Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23, Halt and Catch Fire, Hannibal, Key & Peele, Mad Men, Man Seeking Woman, Nathan for You, New Girl, Pose, Review, Review (TV Series), Rick and Morty, The Eric Andre Show, The Middle, Twin Peaks, Twin Peaks The Return
CREDIT: YouTube Screenshots
As a voracious consumer of Peak TV, I could have easily filled my list of the Best TV Shows of the 2010s with hundreds of entries. But instead, I chose to zero in on a golden set of 25 that I am absolutely sure I love and will continue to love for years to come. These are the shows that affected me profoundly when I first watched them and that continued to linger in my brain and my soul as the decade marched on.
More
January 4, 2020
jmunney
Best of 2019, Best of TV 2019, Television
American Dad!, American Housewife, AP Bio, Barry, Baskets, Best of 2019, Better Things, Big Mouth, black-ish, Bob's Burgers, Bojack Horseman, Broad City, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Documentary Now!, Fleabag, Fosse/Verdon, GLOW, I Think You Should Leave With Tim Robinson, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Jane the Virgin, Jeopardy!, Joe Pera Talks with You, Last Week Tonight, Legion, Living with Yourself, Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., mixed-ish, Momma Named Me Sheriff, Mr. Robot, Pose, Rick and Morty, Russian Doll, Sex Education, Sherman's Showcase, Silicon Valley, Speechless, Superstore, The Conners, The Goldbergs, The Good Place, The Kids Are Alright, The Last O.G., The Mandalorian, The Masked Singer, The Orville, The Other Two, The Unicorn, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Undone, Watchmen, What Just Happened??!, What We Do in the Shadows, You're the Worst, Young Sheldon
CREDIT (Clockwise from Top Left): Amazon; Disney; Pamela Littky/FOX; Rhys Thomas/IFC
Under the known laws of physics, it is currently impossible to watch every TV show (or even just every good show) airing new episodes in a given year. But for those of us who treat televisual consumption as a transcendent pursuit, we do our best to fit in as many programs as possible, which means that there are more than ten or even twenty shows worth recognizing in an annual best-of list. So this year, I decided to rank as many shows as I thought were worthy of recognition and provide blurbs for the ones where I really needed to say something.
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
March 26, 2017
jmunney
Television, What Won TV?
Baskets, Bob's Burgers, Elite Eight, Jane the Virgin, Legion, March Madness, Review, Review (TV Series), RuPaul's Drag Race, The Mick
In this feature, I look back at each day of the past week and determine what shows “won TV” for the night. That is, I consider every episode of television I watched that aired on a particular day and declare which was the best.
Sunday – Bob’s Burgers
Monday – Jane the Virgin
Tuesday – The Mick
Wednesday – Legion is figuring it out.
Thursday – TIE: Baskets is in the family business; Review throws it all out there.
Friday – RuPaul’s Drag Race
Saturday – The Elite Eight hasn’t been close, but it is March Madness.
March 12, 2017
jmunney
Television, What Won TV?
A Sketch for the Women, Baskets, Last Week Tonight, Legion, Milo Murphy's Law, Saturday Night Live, SNL, The Middle, VICE
In this feature, I look back at each day of the past week and determine what shows “won TV” for the night. That is, I consider every episode of television I watched that aired on a particular day and declare which was the best.
Sunday – Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
Monday – Milo Murphy’s Law
Tuesday – The Middle teases us right at the end.
Wednesday – Legion
Thursday – Baskets
Friday – VICE
Saturday – Kyle and Beck provide SNL with a sketch for the women.
March 5, 2017
jmunney
Television, What Won TV?
Baskets, Jane the Virgin, Kurt Braunohler, Kurt Braunohler: Trust Me, Legion, New Girl, Oscars, Saturday Night Live, SNL
In this feature, I look back at each day of the past week and determine what shows “won TV” for the night. That is, I consider every episode of television I watched that aired on a particular day and declare which was the best.
Sunday – An unforgettable Oscars ceremony
Monday – Jane the Virgin
Tuesday – New Girl
Wednesday – Legion
Thursday – Baskets
Friday – Kurt Braunohler: Trust Me
Saturday – Octavia Spencer put poo in the SNL!
March 1, 2017
jmunney
Television, What Won TV?
Baskets, Film Independent Spirit Awards, Independent Spirit Awards, Jane the Virgin, Jeopardy!, Last Week Tonight, Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., The Goldbergs
In this feature, I look back at each day of the past week and determine what shows “won TV” for the night. That is, I consider every episode of television I watched that aired on a particular day and declare which was the best.
Sunday – Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
Monday – Jane the Virgin
Tuesday – Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. going on hiatus in maddening style
Wednesday – The Goldbergs
Thursday – Baskets
Friday – Another Jeopardy! College Tournament satisfactorily completed
Saturday – Film Independent Spirit Awards
February 20, 2017
jmunney
Television, What Won TV?
Baskets, Bob's Burgers, Jeopardy!, Man Seeking Woman, New Girl, Saturday Night Live, SNL, The Young Pope
In this feature, I look back at each day of the past week and determine what shows “won TV” for the night. That is, I consider every episode of television I watched that aired on a particular day and declare which was the best.
Sunday – Bob’s Burgers
Monday – The Young Pope is not so young anymore.
Tuesday – New Girl
Wednesday – Man Seeking Woman – I think he found her..
Thursday – Baskets
Friday – Jeopardy!
Saturday – SNL Vintage
February 19, 2017
jmunney
Best of 2016, Best of TV 2016, Television
Atlanta, B.A.N., Baskets, Bojack Horseman, Fish Out of Water, Nobody Beats the Biebs, One Man's Trash, The Chris Gethard Show, Uncle Dad
Oh hey, guys. If you’re looking for a super awesome televisual playlist that satisfactorily captures 2016, here you go:
1. Atlanta – “Nobody Beats the Biebs”
2. Baskets – “Uncle Dad”
3. BoJack Horseman – “Fish Out of Water”
4. Atlanta – “B.A.N.”
5. The Chris Gethard Show – “One Man’s Trash”
6. Mr. Robot – “m4ster-s1ave.aes”
7. The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story – “Marcia, Marcia, Marcia”
8. The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story – “The Race Card”
9. Black Mirror – “San Junipero”
10. Comedy Bang! Bang! – “Reggie Watts Wears a Purple and Yellow Quilted Sweatshirt”
11. Baskets – “Easter in Bakersfield”
12. Documentary Now! – “Juan Likes Rice and Chicken”
13. The Grinder – “For the People”
14. Man Seeking Woman – “Card”
15. The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story – “A Jury in Jail”
16. New Girl – “Landing Gear”
17. Search Party – “The House of Uncanny Truths”
18. RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars – “Revenge of the Queens”
19. Better Call Saul – “Nailed”
20. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt – “Kimmy Meets a Celebrity!”
Older Entries
