July 8, 2022
jmunney
Awards Shows, Emmys, Television
2022 Emmys, Beat Shazam, Conan, Emmy Wish List, Emmy wishlist, Emmys, Holey Moley, How to with John Wilson, I Think You Should Leave With Tim Robinson, Last Week Tonight, RuPaul's Drag Race, The Chase, The Masked Singer, Whose Line is it Anyway?
CREDIT: Netflix/Screenshot
Fun (or Frightening?) Fact: this year’s Emmy ballot includes nearly 3000 performers. We’ve all known for several years now just how overwhelming television has become, but somehow it still had room to launch into another level. So for my personal wish list, I decided not to think about it too hard. I’ll just include however many or however few selections per category I’d like to. I’ve probably forgotten some worthy contenders, but I won’t stress about it too much. We’ll find out what the TV Academy thinks when the nominations are announced on July 12!
When will Holey Moley become “The Multiple Emmy Award-Winning Holey Moley”? Hopefully very soon!
I was a little surprised to see Conan on the ballot again, as our orange-topped late night legend wrapped his TBS run over a year ago. But I suppose he did last into June, and the Emmy eligibility period does begin in the previous year’s June, and I’m certainly not going to complain about honoring our boy Conezy one more time!
And finally, hopefully How to with John Wilson can shine through in the weird category it’s been submitted in.
KEY:
Bold=My winner
*=I have placed this nominee in a different category than the Emmy ballot.
**=Not on the Emmy ballot
Variety Talk Series
Conan
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
Variety Sketch Series
I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson*
Whose Line is it Anyway?
More
April 29, 2022
jmunney
Cinema, Entertainment To-Do List, Music, Podcasts, Television, Video Games
A Beautiful Time, Alpha Games, Bloc Party, Duncanville, Girls5eva, Hatching, Holey Moley, Holey Moley Fore-Ever, Let's Eat Grandma, Marvel's Squirrel Girl: The Unbeatable Radio Show, Memory, Milana Vayntrub, Miranda Lambert, Palomino, Podcasts, Rammstein, Rifftrax, Rifftrax: The Game, Squirrel Girl, The Chase, Two Ribbons, Undone, Video Games, White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, Willie Nelson, Zeit, Ziwe
Holey Moley Fore-Ever (CREDIT: Christopher Willard/ABC)
Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.
Movies
–Hatching (Theaters)
–Memory (Theaters) – This looks like any other Liam Neeson action of the past ten years, but Martin Campbell is directing, so…
TV
–Undone Season 2 (April 29 on Amazon Prime Video) – One of my favorite new shows of 2019 is finally back!
-White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner (April 30 on C-SPAN) – Trevor Noah hosts.
–Duncanville Season 3 Premiere (May 1 on FOX)
–Ziwe Season 2 Premiere (May 1 on Showtime)
–Holey Moley Season 4 Premiere (May 3 on ABC) – The Muppets join Joe and Rob.
–The Chase Season Premiere (May 3 on ABC) – Featuring three new Chasers this season!
–Girls5eva Season 2 (May 5 on Peacock)
Music
-Bloc Party, Alpha Games
-Miranda Lambert, Palomino
-Let’s Eat Grandma, Two Ribbons – I don’t think I’ve listened to this band before, but I pretty much have to now with a name like that.
-Willie Nelson, A Beautiful Time
-Rammstein, Zeit
Podcasts
–Marvel’s Squirrel Girl: The Unbeatable Radio Show – Milana Vayntrub finally joins my regular podcast rotation!
Video Games
–Rifftrax: The Game (May 5 on Steam, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox One) – Now you can make monkeyshines at the picture show, too!
January 26, 2022
jmunney
Best of 2021, Best of TV 2021, Television
A Black Lady Sketch Show, A.P. Bio, American Crime Story, American Dad!, American Housewife, Animaniacs, Atypical, Best of 2021, Big Mouth, Big Shot, Bob's Burgers, Chad, Chucky, College Bowl, Conan, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Dickinson, Earth to Ned, Evil, Fantasy Island, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, Ghosts, History of Swear Words, Holey Moley, Home Economics, How to with John Wilson, I Think You Should Leave With Tim Robinson, Impeachment: American Crime Story, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Jeopardy!, Joe Pera Talks with You, Last Week Tonight, MacGruber, March Madness, Miracle Workers, Never Have I Ever, Only Murders in the Building, PEN15, Physical, Pose, reservation dogs, Resident Alien, Rick and Morty, RIverdale, Rugrats, RuPaul's Drag Race, Saturday Morning All Star Hits!, Saved by the Bell, Search Party, Sex Education, Solar Opposites, Succession, Superman & Lois, The Baby-Sitters Club, The Beatles: Get Back, The Chase, The Conners, The Good Fight, The Handmaid's Tale, The Kids Tonight Show, The Masked Singer, The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers, The Other Two, The Problem with Jon Stewart, The Sex Lives of College Girls, The Shrink Next Door, The Wonder Years, To Tell the Truth, Tuca & Bertie, Ultra City Smiths, WandaVision, Wellington Paranormal, What We Do in the Shadows, Whose Line is it Anyway?, Y: The Last Man, Young Sheldon, Ziwe, Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist
CREDIT (Clockwise from Top Left): Screenshot, Netflix, Screenshot, Screenshot
For the Year of Our Screens 2021, my list includes all the shows that I would recommend to my fellow viewers as “worth watching.” So that’s 77 shows! There’s a lot of TV nowadays, and a lot of it’s also pretty good.
I utilized a self-imposed rule in which I had to watch at least 50% of a show’s 2021 output for it to be eligible. However, there were some noteworthy shows that I watched less than 50% of, so I’ve spotlighted those in an honorable mention section:
More
July 9, 2021
jmunney
Awards Shows, Emmys, Television
American Utopia, Conan, Earth to Ned, Emmys, Eric Andre: Legalize Everything, Holey Moley, How to with John Wilson, Last Week Tonight, Match Game, Nate, RuPaul's Drag Race, Sherman's Showcase, The Chase, The Hustler, The Masked Singer, To Tell the Truth, What the Constitution Means to Me, Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, Whose Line is it Anyway?, Wilmore
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. Finally, on Day 4, we wrap things up with Variety and Reality.
Did you know that there’s a talk show hosted by an alien puppet on Disney+? If you didn’t before, you do now. And you’re going to want to watch all of it as soon as possible before you die. It’s called Earth to Ned, and it’s hilarious and boasts a lineup of fantastic guests. It’s got vibes of Jiminy Glick, but it’s much more kind-hearted. It’s a celebration of talk shows as an art form and general phenomenon, and that’s why I believe that it should win the Emmy for Variety Talk Series.
Variety Sketch Series is where the oddballs that don’t slot easily into any other category end up, and thus that’s where the inimitable How to with John Wilson deserves our love.
And as for Reality, my enthusiasm is much the same as it was last year, when I was demanding praise for the first season of mini-golf extravaganza Holey Moley while the second season was airing. And now this year, I’m demanding praise for Season 2 while we’re in the midst of Season 3.
KEY:
Bold=My winner
Variety Talk Series
Conan
Earth to Ned
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
WILMORE
More
June 11, 2021
jmunney
Cinema, Entertainment To-Do List, Music, Television
Big Mess, Censor, Danny Elfman, Garbage, Holey Moley, In the Heights, Michael Bolton, No Gods No Masters, Path of Wellness, Sleater-Kinney, The Celebrity Dating Game, The Hustler, Tuca & Bertie, Zooey Deschanel
The Celebrity Dating Game (CREDIT: Craig Sjodin/ABC)
Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.
Movies
–In the Heights (Theaters and HBO Max)
–Censor (June 11 in Theaters, June 18 On Demand)
TV
–Tuca & Bertie Season 2 Premiere (June 13 on Adult Swim) – Should I watch Season 1 first?
–The Celebrity Dating Game Series Premiere (June 14 on ABC) – Zooey Deschanel and Michael Bolton finally team up!
–Card Sharks Season Premiere (June 16 on ABC)
–Holey Moley 3D in 2D Season Premiere (June 17 on ABC)
–The Hustler Season Premiere (June 17 on ABC)
Music
-Danny Elfman, Big Mess
-Garbage, No Gods No Masters
-Sleater-Kinney, Path of Wellness
January 4, 2021
jmunney
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
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.
More
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
May 15, 2020
jmunney
Entertainment To-Do List, Music, Television
All Visible Objects, Brec Bassinger, Celebrity Escape Room, Charli XCX, Community, DC's Stargirl, Graduate Together, Graduate Together: America Honors the High School Class of 2020, Holey Moley, How I'm Feeling Now, Jack Black, Joel McHale, Luke Wilson, Moby, Red Nose Day, Stargirl, To Tell the Truth
CREDIT: The CW/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.
TV
-Graduate Together: America Honors the High School Class of 2020 (May 16 on Various Networks)
–DC’s Stargirl Series Premiere (May 18 on DC Universe and May 19 on The CW) – Starring Brec Bassinger as Stargirl; Luke Wilson and Joel McHale also appear.
–Community Cast Reunion Table Read and Q+A (May 18 on YouTube)
–Celebrity Escape Room (May 21 on NBC) – A Red Nose Day celeb goof-off hosted by Jack Black
–Holey Moley II: The Sequel Premiere (May 21 on ABC) – Mini-golf is so hot right now.
–To Tell the Truth Season Premiere (May 21 on ABC)
Music
-Charli XCX, How I’m Feeling Now
-Moby, All Visible Objects
September 10, 2019
jmunney
Game Shows, Television
$100000 Pyramid, ABC, ABC Summer Fun and Games, Battle of the Network Stars, Card Sharks, Celebrity Family Feud, Family Food Fight, Game Shows, Holey Moley, Match Game, Press Your Luck, Summer Fun and Games, The Gong Show, To Tell the Truth
CREDIT: Byron Cohen/ABC
Summer 2019 is winding to a close, which means we will soon have to say goodbye for now to one of my favorite programming blocks, ABC’s “Summer Fun & Games.” I’ve been meaning to do an appraisal of how well each show reaches its potential and how thoroughly they strike my particular pleasure centers, and that’s what I’ve done below. I’ve included all the shows that are currently on the block as well as those that have been cancelled or are on hiatus, organizing them into categories worthy of their status.
CREDIT: Heidi Gutman/ABC
The Titans
Celebrity Family Feud
Match Game
It’s your boy Steve Harvey hosting the stalwart program that all the fame-os want to be on. And it’s Master MC Alec Baldwin fully inhabiting the ringmaster role in the perfect venue where celebrity shtick comes to (blank).
More
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)
Jmunney's Blog 