Emmy Watch: "Made-for-Television Movie"

by Abe Fried-Tanzer

El Camino

The Emmy race for made-for-television movie hasn’t exactly been the most interesting category in recent years. This category was merged with Best Miniseries in 2011 for three years, during which only six of the nominees were TV movies, and then it was unmerged. Actors in made-for-TV movies still compete with actors in mini-series though in shared categories. Last year marked the first time that not a single acting nominee came from a TV movie. That will definitely not happen this year given the quality of the contenders...

Click to read more ...

Review: Dead to Me (Season 2)

By Spencer Coile 

We’re living in a strange time right now. Yet if these past few weeks have taught us anything, it’s that it’s a good time to acknowledge feelings - anxiety, anger, disillusionment - and find ways to channel them into healthier outlets. Personally, I’ve been using this time to catch up on TV I’ve been missing out on. And what I’ve found is that, in their own strange way, these shows have helped me tap into my own complicated emotions - something that may not have happened without the circumstances surrounding it. 

Dead to Me, returning for its second season on Netflix, is exactly the type of show I needed during this time...

Click to read more ...

Emmy Watch: Contenders for "Limited Series"

by Abe Fried-Tanzer

We’re turning today to a new category of Emmy races: limited series and TV movies. Limited series is an entirely different ballgame, though changing rules and eligibility make this category just as fascinating as any. For instance, Big Little Lies, which won this prize three years ago, is now a potential contender for Best Drama Series. A number of shows featuring different storylines and characters each season, including American Crime Story, Fargo, and Genius, continue to be nominated, though all three of their latest iterations won’t premiere until after this season ends as a result of delays in filming and postproduction. American Horror Story earned four bids here before its eighth season got reclassified as a regular series with overarching threads. With no high-profile returning shows eligible this year, we have a whole slew of new contenders… 

Click to read more ...

Review: "Normal People" on Hulu

By Spencer Coile 

To adapt a work of fiction is to play with fire. I can only imagine that nimbly capturing the spirit of the original text while imbuing it with new levels of creativity is no easy feat. Discourse surrounding literary adaptations usually focuses on how the movie or series fails the original text - either it doesn’t cover everything sufficiently (like The Time Traveler’s Wife, a personal tragedy), it overstays its welcome (The Handmaid’s Tale), or an abundance of creative liberties are taken (recently Little Fires Everywhere). Comparisons are easy to make, and book lovers are quick to critique. 

On its surface, Normal People, now streaming on Hulu, masquerades as a straightforward adaptation. Born from Sally Rooney’s novel of the same name, it follows Connell (Paul Mescal) and Marianne (Daisy Edgar-Jones), two Irish secondary students who forge a connection despite their uneven social standings. The novel,  and now the BBC/Hulu limited series, chronicles their years-long relationship in all its complexities...

Click to read more ...

Emmy Watch: Supporting Actress in a Comedy

by Abe Fried-Tanzer

We’re looking at another Emmy Awards category today – Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. This category has been overstuffed recently, offering a whopping eight nominees for two years in a row but half of last year’s slate isn’t eligible this time around, with six-time nominee Anna Chlumsky (Veep) and new additions Sian Clifford and Olivia Colman (Fleabag) out as a result of their shows ending and Sarah Goldberg (Barry) off the ballot until whenever her show returns...

Click to read more ...