Celebrating the Best Episodes (CREDIT: FOX/Screenshot)
If you get Conan O’Brien to guest star, and go cleverly meta, chances are good that you’ll end up pretty high on my Best Episodes list.
The Best TV Episodes of 2024
January 22, 2025
Best of 2024, Best of TV 2023, Broad City, Television Abbott Elementary, American Dad!, Bob's Burgers, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Elsbeth, Family Guy, Fantasmas, Fargo, Girls5eva, John Mulaney Presents: Everybody's in L.A., Matlock, Solar Opposites, Superman & Lois, The Curse, The Simpsons, What We Do in the Shadows, Young Sheldon Leave a comment
Jmunney’s 2024 Emmy Wish List
June 27, 2024
Awards Shows, Emmys, Television Beavis and Butt-Head, Conan O'Brien Must Go, Elsbeth, Emmy Wish List, Emmys, Fargo, Frasier, iPhone 15, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, The Floor, X-Men '97, Young Sheldon 1 Comment
Will the Emmys look like this this year? (CREDIT: FX/Screenshot)
Good afternoon.
Good evening, and good morning.
It’s time for that annual tradition that all of us who are perpetually glued to the Boob Tube know and love: making an Emmy Wish List!!!!!
In years past, I’ve listed multiple favorites in all the major categories, but lately, I’ve preferred a more pared-down approach. So with this year’s edition, I’ve focused on spotlighting some selections that aren’t already getting the Emmy love. Maybe on July 17, I’ll be surprised to discover that my top picks actually are nominated. But no matter what happens, I’ll love them just the same.
Animation: There was some speculation among Emmy prognosticators that X-Men ’97 might end up in the Drama category, although ultimately it was submitted in the Animation field. But that push highlights the tricky spot that animated shows perpetually find themselves in. I’d love to see triumphs like Beavis and Butt-Head or Scott Pilgrim Takes Off submitted as Comedies, but it’s also nice to appreciate them as the toons that they are. Maybe the Animation category could be presented on the main telecast instead of the Creative Arts Emmys?
The Most Anticipate-able TV Shows of 2023
January 4, 2024
Best of 2023, Best of TV 2023, Television Beavis and Butt-Head, Best of 2023, Celebrity Jeopardy, Chucky, Clone High, Family Guy, Fargo, Frasier, Generation Gap, Goosebumps, How I Met Your Father, Jeopardy!, Pokémon Concierge, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, Solar Opposites, The Afterparty, The Muppets Mayhem, The Wonder Years, Whose Line is it Anyway? Leave a comment
CREDIT (Clockwise from Top Left): Paramount Plus/Screenshot; Mitch Haaseth/Disney; Paramount Plus/Screenshot; Apple TV+
For my 2023 TV wrap-up coverage, I’ve decided to compile a list of the shows I was most excited to watch week in and week out. Or day in and day out, in the case of more regular programming. Or in the case of series that released their entire seasons at once, they’re the shows that I was most excited to press play on the next episode button. These aren’t necessarily my favorite shows of the year, though there’s definitely some overlap.
Entertainment To-Do List: Week of 11/17/23
November 17, 2023
Cinema, Entertainment To-Do List, Music, Television Andre 3000, Danny Brown, Dolly Parton, Emeli Sande, Fargo, Good Burger 2, How Were We to Know, Madness, May December, National Dog Show, New Blue Sun, Next Goal Wins, Please Don't Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain, Quaranta, Rockstar, Salvage Enterprise, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, Thanksgiving, The Hunger Games: Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, The Polyphonic Spree, Theatre of the Absurd Presents C'est la Vie Leave a comment
Welcome Back! (CREDIT: Paramount Plus/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
–Good Burger 2 (November 22 on Paramount+)
–The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (Theaters)
–May December (November 17 in Theaters, December 1 on Netflix)
–Next Goal Wins (Theaters)
–Please Don’t Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain (November 17 on Peacock) – Conan’s in this, too.
–Thanksgiving (Theaters)
TV
–Scott Pilgrim Takes Off Season 1 (November 17 on Netflix) – What’s he taking off?
–Fargo Season 5 Premiere (November 21 on FX)
-National Dog Show (November 23 on NBC)
Music
-André 300, New Blue Sun
-Danny Brown, Quaranta
-Madness, Theatre of the Absurd Presents C’est la Vie
-Dolly Parton, Rockstar
-The Polyphonic Spree, Salvage Enterprise
-Emeli Sandé, How Were We to Know
Jmunney’s 2021 Emmy Wish List, Part 3: Limited Series
July 8, 2021
Awards Shows, Emmys, Television 2021 Emmys, Emmys, Fargo, The Good Lord Bird, WandaVision Leave a comment
CREDIT: YouTube Screenshot
It’s that time again! The 2021 Emmy nominations will be announced on July 13, which means I’ve got a Wish List for the nommy noms I’d most like to see! In case you’re wondering, I haven’t held myself to any minimum or maximum number of entrants per category, nor do I strictly adhere to official Emmy rules. (I’ve included explanations for my deviations.) And of course, I must mention that I haven’t seen everything, so there are probably some worthy considerations I may have missed. For Day 3, Limited Series are on the docket.
Some years, I watch plenty of Limited Series (or “miniseries,” in the now-archaic parlance), and I have an abundance of requests on my Wish List. Last year was one of those years. This year, however, was very much not one of those years. Apparently, I watched two Limited Series in their entirety in the past 12 months (or at least, only two really worthwhile Limited Series). Luckily, those two shows are both richly deserving. One is among my favorite shows of 2021 thus far, while the other acquitted itself quite handsomely on my Best of 2020 coverage.
Elsewhere, Jessie Buckley manages to be my lone entrant from a different show.
KEY:
Bold=My winner
*=I have placed this nominee in a different category than the Emmy ballot.
Limited or Anthology Series
The Good Lord Bird
WandaVision
The 67 Best TV Shows of 2020
January 4, 2021
Best of 2020, Best of TV 2020, Television A.P. Bio, American Dad!, American Housewife, Animaniacs, Aunty Donna's Big Ol' House of Fun, B Positive, Beef House, Best of 2020, Better Call Saul, Better Things, Big Mouth, black-ish, Bob's Burgers, Bojack Horseman, Devs, Dicktown, Dispatches From Elsewhere, Earth to Ned, Fargo, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, grown-ish, His Dark Materials, Holey Moley, How to with John Wilson, Jeopardy!, Joe Pera Talks with You, Last Week Tonight, Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Match Game, McMillion$, Mike Tyson Mysteries, mixed-ish, Mrs. America, Muppets Now, Nancy Drew, Never Have I Ever, Normal People, PEN15, Rick and Morty, RIverdale, RuPaul's Drag Race, Saved by the Bell, Search Party, Sex Education, Solar Opposites, Stargirl, Superstore, The Conners, The Eric Andre Show, The Goldbergs, The Good Fight, The Good Lord Bird, The Last Dance, The Last O.G., The Mandalorian, The Masked Singer, The New Pope, The Plot Against America, The Twilight Zone, The Unicorn, Three Busy Debras, Unorthodox, What We Do in the Shadows, Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, Whose Line is it Anyway?, Wilmore, Young Sheldon, Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist 2 Comments
Clockwise from Top Left: What We Do in the Shadows, Never Have I Ever, Better Call Saul, How To with John Wilson (CREDIT: YouTube Screenshots)
Last year, I decided to rank as many TV shows as I felt like recognizing in my year-end list, and that worked out so well that I decided to do it again for 2020. So welcome to my ranking of the 67 Best TV Shows of 2020! Not every show is accompanied by a blurb, just the ones that I felt like I really needed to say something about.
I worked with a self-imposed rule that I had to have watched at least 50% of a show’s 2020 output for it to be eligible, but there were some shows that I’ve only just begun to watch that I wanted to recognize as well, so they’ve got their own Honorable Mention section. And there were also some shows that aired relatively few episodes in 2020 to the point that I didn’t think they should be eligible either, so they’ve also got an Honorable Mention section. And then there’s one more show that’s managed to establish its very own Honorable Mention section, and that’s where we start.
Entertainment To-Do List: Week of 9/25/20
September 25, 2020
Cinema, Entertainment To-Do List, Music, Television Amber Ruffin, Bless the Harts, Bob's Burgers, Family Guy, Fargo, Fear of Death, Jane Lynch, Kajillionaire, South Park, The Amber Ruffin Show, The Simpsons, Tim Heidecker, Utopia, Weakest Link Leave a comment
The Amber Ruffin Show (CREDIT: Peacock/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
–Kajillionaire (Select Theaters)
TV
Despite the pandemic, the Fall TV Season is in full swing.
–The Amber Ruffin Show Series Premiere (September 25 on Peacock) – One of Seth Meyers’ writers strikes out on her own.
–Utopia Series Premiere (September 25 on Amazon)
–Bless the Harts Season 2 Premiere (September 27 on FOX)
–Bob’s Burgers Season 11 Premiere (September 27 on FOX)
–Family Guy Season 19 Premiere (September 27 on FOX)
–Fargo Season 4 Premiere (September 27 on FX)
–The Simpsons Season 32 Premiere (September 27 on FOX)
–Weakest Link Reboot Premiere (September 29 on NBC) – Hosted by Jane Lynch.
–South Park: The Pandemic Special (September 30 on Comedy Central)
Music
-Tim Heidecker, Fear of Death
Best TV Shows of 2017
December 30, 2017
Best of 2017, Best of TV 2017, Television Best of 2017, Better Call Saul, Downward Dog, Fargo, Halt and Catch Fire, Mr. Robot, Review, Review (TV Series), Search Party, The Good Place, TV, Twin Peaks, Twin Peaks The Return Leave a comment
CREDIT (Clockwise from Top Left): Michael Gibson/FXX; Showtime; AMC; Kelsey McNeal/ABC
This ranking was originally posted on News Cult in December 2017.
In recent past best-of-year lists, I have pointed out the impossibility of watching every single program that airs on television. The medium is now saturated to the point that not only could one average viewer be watching a completely different set of shows than another average viewer, but so could one professional critic be similarly disconnected to another critic. It naturally follows then that no best-of is any more “correct” than any other. But this has been the case all along. The value of such year-end curating is not a matter of accuracy, but of insight and personal style. Thus, I encourage readers to seek out as many best-of lists as they find edifying, from as diverse a group of critics as possible. Think of each as the best according to a particular palette. Here is my contribution to that cornucopia.
(Shows that were top 10-worthy this year that I didn’t have enough room for include Baskets, BoJack Horseman, The Carmichael Show, Legion, Rick and Morty, Riverdale, Silicon Valley, Speechless, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, The Young Pope, and You’re the Worst.)
10. Review (Comedy Central)
If this list were determined by density of entertainment value alone, the three-episode final season of Review would easily take the top spot. Andy Daly’s career-defining work as “life reviewer” Forrest MacNeil brought his combination of explosive hilarity and existential despair to its logical eternally continuous endpoint. Great series finales tend to be either ambiguous or definitive; Review’s is somehow both open-ended and forcefully conclusive.
What Won TV? – June 11-June 17, 2017
June 18, 2017
Television, What Won TV? $100000 Pyramid, AFI Life Achievement Award, Better Call Saul, Diane Keaton, Downward Dog, Fargo, Leslie Jones, Orphan Black, RuPaul's Drag Race Leave a comment
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.
CREDIT: ABC/Lou Rocco
Sunday – The $100,000 Pyramid, for Leslie Jones’ reaction
Monday – Better Call Saul
Tuesday – Downward Dog
Wednesday – Fargo
Thursday – AFI Life Achievement Award for Actress, Director, and Climate Change Denier Diane Keaton
Friday – RuPaul’s Drag Race: Extra Stressful Reunion Edition
Saturday – Orphan Black
What Won TV? – June 4-June 10, 2017
June 11, 2017
Television, What Won TV? Better Call Saul, Downward Dog, Fargo, French Open, Jelena Ostapenko, Mike Tyson Mysteries, RuPaul's Drag Race, The AV Club Leave a comment
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 – Amidst all the prestige, I think I actually liked Mike Tyson Mysteries the most.
Monday – Better Call Saul
Tuesday – Downward Dog
Wednesday – Fargo
Thursday – The AV Club
Friday – RuPaul’s Drag Race
Sunday – French Open Ladies Final, especially the part when the winner asked if she could brush her hair before the trophy ceremony.
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