April 28, 2023
jmunney
Cinema, Entertainment To-Do List, Music, Television
Are You There God? It's Me Margaret, Bebe, Bebe Rexha, Big George Foreman, Bupkis, First Two Pages of Frankenstein, Jessie Ware, Neil Gaiman, Peter Pan & Wendy, Polite Society, Return of the Jedi, Signs of Life, That! Feels Good!, The Goldbergs, The National, The Other Two
CREDIT: Peacock/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
–Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret (Theaters)
–Big George Foreman (Theaters) – I like sports, and I don’t care who knows.
–Peter Pan & Wendy (April 28 on Disney+) – I wish this were coming out in theaters, though.
–Polite Society (Theaters)
–Return of the Jedi 40th Anniversary Re-Release (April 28-May 4 in Theaters)
TV
–The Goldbergs Series Finale (May 3 on ABC)
–Bupkis Series Premiere (May 4 on Peacock) – Joe Pesci plays Pete Davidson’s grandfather.
–The Other Two Season 3 Premiere (May 4 on HBO Max)
Music
-Neil Gaiman, Signs of Life
-The National, First Two Pages of Frankenstein
-Bebe Rexha, Bebe
-Jessie Ware, That! Feels Good!
September 16, 2022
jmunney
Cinema, Entertainment To-Do List, Music, Television
Abbott Elementary, Andor, Asphalt Meadows, Blonde, Carving Canyons, Death Cab for Cuite, Hold the Girl, Home Economics, Lissie, Meet Cute, Moonage Daydream, Pearl, Quantum Leap, Reboot, Rina Sawayama, See How They Run, The Conners, The Goldbergs, The Masked Singer, The Woman King
Take a Leap? (CREDIT: NBC/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
–Blonde (September 16 in Theaters, September 28 on Netflix) – Rated NC-17, wow.
–Meet Cute (September 21 on Peacock)
–Moonage Daydream (Theaters)
–Pearl (Theaters)
–See How They Run (Theaters)
–The Woman King (Theaters)
TV
–Quantum Leap Reboot Series Premiere (September 19 on NBC) – Will it leap into Scott Bakula’s real life at some point?
–Reboot Series Premiere (September 20 on Hulu) – Reboot is not a reboot: discuss.
–Abbott Elementary Season 2 Premiere (September 21 on ABC)
–Andor Series Premiere (September 21 on Disney+) – They just keep fighting those Star Wars.
–The Conners Season 5 Premiere (September 21 on ABC)
–The Goldbergs Season 10 Premiere (September 21 on ABC)
–Home Economics Season 3 Premiere (September 21 on ABC)
–The Masked Singer Season 8 Premiere (September 21 on FOX)
Music
-Death Cab for Cutie, Asphalt Meadows
-Lissie, Carving Canyons
-Rina Sawayama, Hold the Girl
July 5, 2022
jmunney
Awards Shows, Emmys, Television
2022 Emmys, Abbott Elementary, Barry, Dickinson, Emmy Wish List, Emmy wishlist, Emmys, Girls5eva, Mr. Mayor, Never Have I Ever, Only Murders in the Building, Resident Alien, Saturday Morning All Star Hits!, Search Party, Single Drunk Female, The Afterparty, The Goldbergs, The Sex Lives of College Girls, What We Do in the Shadows, Young Sheldon
CREDIT: Netflix
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 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 that too much. We’ll find out what the TV Academy has to say when the nominations are announced on July 12!
My favorite Comedy of the season was Kyle Mooney’s singular Netflix show, Saturday Morning All Star Hits, but I can’t find it anywhere on the ballot! Not in Comedy, nor in Animation. Oh, well.
Anyway, there are a few other newbies that I’d really love to see all over the ballot, like Abbott Elementary, Girls5eva, Only Murders in the Building, and The Sex Lives of College Girls.
And one important note: Kevin Can F*** Himself is in the Drama field on the ballot, correctly. But I’ve got Eric Petersen (as the titular stereotypical thoughtless sitcom husband) down for Comedy, as the scenes with him function best as parody.
KEY:
Bold=My winner
*=I have placed this nominee in a different category than the Emmy ballot.
**=Not on the Emmy ballot
Comedy Series
Abbott Elementary
The Afterparty
Barry
Dickinson
Girls5eva
Only Murders in the Building
Resident Alien
Saturday Morning All Star Hits**
Search Party
The Sex Lives of College Girls
What We Do in the Shadows
Young Sheldon
More
September 17, 2021
jmunney
Cinema, Entertainment To-Do List, Music, Television
Alter Ego, Blue Bayou, Carrie Brownstein, Creative Arts Emmys, Cry Macho, Dear White People, Emmys, Home Economics, Lil Nas X, Lindsey Buckingham, Montero, Sex Education, St. Vincent, Star Wars Visions, Teenage Euthanasia, The Conners, The Eyes of Tammy Faye, The Goldbergs, The Masked Singer, The Nowhere Inn, The Wonder Years
The Wonder Years (CREDIT: Matt Sayles/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
–Blue Bayou (Theaters)
–Cry Macho (Theaters and HBO Max) – MACHOOOOOOOOOO!
–The Eyes of Tammy Faye (Theaters)
–The Nowhere Inn (Theaters and On Demand) – Carrie Brownstein and Annie Clark (St. Vincent) team up on screen.
TV
–Sex Education Season 3 (September 17 on Netflix)
-Creative Arts Emmy Awards (September 18 on FXX)
-73rd Primetime Emmy Awards (September 19 on CBS)
–Teenage Euthanasia Series Premiere (September 19 on Adult Swim) – Animated at a funeral home.
–Alter Ego Series Premiere (September 22 on FOX) – The “world’s first avatar singing competition.”
–The Conners Season 4 Premiere (September 22 on ABC) – Another live episode.
–Dear White People Season 4 (September 22 on Netflix)
–The Goldbergs Season 9 Premiere (September 22 on ABC)
–Home Economics Season 2 Premiere (September 22 on ABC)
–The Masked Singer Season 6 Premier (September 22 on FOX)
–Star Wars: Visions (September 22 on Disney+) – Anime-style.
–The Wonder Years Reboot Series Premiere (September 22 on ABC) – Don Cheadle takes over narrating duties from Daniel Stern.
Music
-Lil Nas X, Montero
-Lindsey Buckingham, Lindsey Buckingham
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
October 16, 2020
jmunney
Cinema, Entertainment To-Do List, Music, Podcasts, Television
American Utopia, black-ish, Card Sharks, Connor Ratliff, David Byrne, Dead Eyes, Miley Cyrus, Podcasts, Roald Dahl, Robert Zemeckis, Supermarket Sweep, The Conners, The Goldbergs, The Trial of the Chicago 7, The Witches, Tom Hanks, Who Wants to be a Millionaire?
The Trial of the Chicago 7 (CREDIT: Netflix)
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 Trial of the Chicago 7 (October 16 on Netflix)
–The Witches (October 22 on HBO Max) – Bobby Zemeckis takes on Roald Dahl.
TV
–Card Sharks Season Premiere (October 18 on ABC)
–Supermarket Sweep Reboot Premiere (October 18 on ABC) – Host Leslie Jones sends the contestants on their grocery hunts.
–Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Season Premiere (October 18 on ABC)
–black-ish Season 7 Premiere (October 21 on ABC)
–The Conners Season 3 Premiere (October 21 on ABC)
–The Goldbergs Season 8 Premiere (October 21 on ABC)
Music on TV
-Miley Cyrus Backyard Sessions (October 16 on MTV)
Music on Stage as a Movie on TV
–David Byrne’s American Utopia (October 17 on HBO)
Podcasts
–Dead Eyes Season 2 (Premieres October 22) – Connor Ratliff is still wondering why Tom Hanks fired him from Band of Brothers.
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
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
September 20, 2019
jmunney
Cinema, Entertainment To-Do List, Music, Television
Ad Astra, Between Two Ferns, Between Two Ferns: The Movie, black-ish, Brittany Howard, Crank Yankers, Creative Arts Emmy Awards, Disenchantment, Emmys, Evil, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Jaime, Loro, mixed-ish, Schooled, Single Parents, South Park, Superstore, The Conners, The Goldbergs, The Good Place, The Masked Singer, The Unicorn, Young Sheldon
CREDIT: Netflix
Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.
Movies
–Ad Astra (Theatrically Nationwide) – Dad Astra.
–Between Two Ferns: The Movie (Streaming on Netflix)
–Loro (Limited Theatrically) – Bunga bunga!
TV
It’s that time of year again!
–Disenchantment Season 1, Part 2 (September 20 on Netflix)
-Creative Arts Emmy Awards (September 21 on FXX)
-71st Primetime Emmy Awards (September 22 on FOX)
–The Conners Season 2 Premiere (September 24 on ABC)
–black-ish Season 6 Premiere (September 24 on ABC)
–mixed-ish Series Premiere (September 24 on ABC)
–The Masked Singer Season 2 Premiere (September 25 on ABC)
–The Goldbergs Season 7 Premiere (September 25 on ABC)
–Schooled Season 2 Premiere (September 25 on ABC)
–Single Parents Season 2 Premiere (September 25 on ABC)
–It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 14 Premiere (September 25 on FXX)
–South Park Season 22 Premiere (September 25 on Comedy Central)
–Crank Yankers Season 5 Premiere (September 25 on Comedy Central)
–Superstore Season 5 Premiere (September 26 on NBC)
–Young Sheldon Season 3 Premiere (September 26 on CBS)
–The Good Place Season 4 Premiere (September 26 on NBC)
–The Unicorn Series Premiere (September 26 on CBS)
–Evil Series Premiere (September 26 on CBS)
Music
-Brittany Howard, Jaime
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
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