Director Zack Snyder finally got to finish and release his version of “Justice League” earlier this year on HBO Max, after an online campaign spearheaded by fans to allow the filmmaker to complete his original vision. 

However, even with the release of his vision for “Justice League,” there are still pieces of “what if?” moments because of the budget and time restraints that WarnerMedia levied on Snyder such as not allowing him to include the John Stewart incarnation of Green Lantern played by Wayne T.

Continue reading Zack Snyder Asked ‘Chernboyl’ Creator Craig Mazin To Help With ‘Justice League’ Before Joss Whedon Took Over at The Playlist.

The British Academy of Film and Television announced the winners of the 2020 British Academy Television Awards and, like their counterparts across the pond a year ago, HBO and Sky’s “Chernobyl” was the big winner. That being said, there were some major surprises. And we’re not just talking about the awkwardness of a televised ceremony where winners chimed in via zoom.

READ MORE: Primetime Emmys are officially going virtual for 2020

While “Chernobyl” took nine BAFTA TV honors including seven from the BAFTA TV Craft Ceremony on July 17.

Continue reading ‘Chernobyl’ & ‘When They See Us’ Win Key 2020 BAFTA TV Awards at The Playlist.

For those looking for any Emmy Awards trends in the 2020 BAFTA Television Awards, there were decidedly few. Thanks to a different qualification calendar, the HBO mini-series “Chernobyl” and Amazon Prime and BBC’s “Fleabag” dominated the proceedings. Oh, “The Crown,” which is once again major Emmy player this year, also snagged some jewels, but wasn’t that expected?

READ MORE: “Chernobyl” avoids a genre meltdown and is one of the year’s best series [Review]

“Chernobyl” led all programs with 14 nominations with “Fleabag” and “The Crown” earning seven nods each.

Continue reading ‘Chernobyl,’ ‘Fleabag’ & ‘The Crown’ Top 2020 BAFTA TV Nominations at The Playlist.

The race for Best Picture took an interesting turn tonight as Sam Mendes took the top DGA Award prize for Best Director of a Feature Film for “1917.” The Universal Release has now won both the PGA Award and the DGA Awards top honor. The third major guild honor, the Best Ensemble Award at the SAG Awards, went to “Parasite.” The last time a film won both the PGA and the DGA and didn’t win Best Picture was when “Moonlight” triumphed over “La La Land” 2017.

Continue reading Sam Mendes Wins Top 2020 DGA Award For ‘1917’ at The Playlist.

As we noted and suggested in our Best TV & Mini-Series of The Decade feature, it was a pretty nutty decade for television. The advent of streaming, peak TV, prestige TV, and now, in late 2019, the new 2nd age of the Streaming Wars— thanks to the arrival of Disney+, Apple TV+, and soon, HBO Max—is going to make the content deluge even more difficult to navigate for audiences and TV critics, trying to discern what’s what and keeping up.

Continue reading The Best TV Shows & Mini-Series Of 2019 at The Playlist.

The now-ubiquitous phrase “Peak TV”—coined by FX networks chief John Landgraf— only first appeared in 2015, but it certainly defined the entire decade of television in the 2010s. The streaming wars are upon us now, really taking off in November 2019 for anyone wanting to keep track— with the arrival of Disney+ and Apple TV+, and the debuts of HBO Max, Peacock, and others in the near future.

Continue reading The Best TV Shows & Mini-Series’ Of The Decade [2010s] at The Playlist.

The Recording Academy announed the 2020 Grammy Nominations on Wednesday morning and history was made. Lizzo led all nominees with eight, but both she Billie Eilish landed nods in the top four categories: Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Album of the Year and Best New Artist. They become the first two artists to ever pull that unique feat off.

READ MORE: Beyonce’s “Homecoming” chronicles her iconic Coachella performance [Review]

Eilish and Lil Nas X earned six nominations overall.

Continue reading Lizzo, Lil Nas X & Billie Eilish Lead 2020 Grammy Nominations at The Playlist.

Someone better save some tables at the 2019 Gotham Awards for A24 because the independent distributor dominated the nominations earning 14 film nominations and 15 overall.  A24 films’ “The Farewell,” “Uncut Gems” and “Waves” all landed Best Feature nominations and “The Last Black Man in San Francisco,” “Midsommar” and “The Lighthouse” earned key nominations.  The other two Best Feature nominees are Netflix’s “Marriage Story” and, in a slight surprise, STX Entertainment’s “Hustlers.”

READ MORE: “The Last Black Man in San Francisco” is a haunting triumph [Review]

For those wondering why “Parasite” or other acclaimed international films are not part of the mix, nominees must be primarily funded in the United States to qualify for the Gotham Awards.  

Continue reading ‘Marriage Story,’ ‘Uncut Gems,’ ‘The Farewell’ Top 2019 Gotham Awards Nominations at The Playlist.

The 2019 Primetime Emmy Awards were handed out Sunday night in a ceremony broadcast on FOX and “Game of Thrones,” “Chernobyl,” “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and “Fleabag” took the top awards.  The host-less telecast was the final night of Emmys after two different Creative Arts shows last weekend.  The following nominees and winners were announced during the ceremony.

READ MORE: “Game of Thrones and “Chernobyl” rules the Creative Arts Emmys night one

Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series
Barry (Episode: “ronny/lily”), Written by Alec Berg and Bill Hader (HBO)
Fleabag (Episode: “Episode 1”), Written by Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Prime Video) – WINNER
The Good Place (Episode: “Janet(s)”), Written by Josh Siegal and Dylan Morgan (NBC)
PEN15 (Episode: “Anna Ishii-Peters”), Written by Maya Erskine, Anna Konkle, and Stacy Osei-Kuffour (Hulu)
Russian Doll (Episode: “Nothing in This World Is Easy”), Written by Natasha Lyonne, Leslye Headland and Amy Poehler (Netflix)
Russian Doll (Episode: “A Warm Body”), Written by Allison Silverman (Netflix)
Veep (Episode: “Veep”), Written by David Mandel (HBO)

Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
Better Call Saul (Episode: “Winner”), Written by Peter Gould and Thomas Schnauz (AMC)
Bodyguard (Episode: “Episode 1”), Written by Jed Mercurio (Netflix)
Game of Thrones (Episode: “The Iron Throne”), Written by David Benioff and D.

Continue reading ‘Game Of Thrones,’ ‘Fleabag’ & ‘Chernobyl’ Triumph At 2019 Primetime Emmy Awards at The Playlist.

And so it ends. After, effectively, seven months of campaigning, the 2019 Emmy Season is about to reveal its primetime champions. What was once thought of a year with few races beyond the Limited Series categories has morphed into an unexpected Comedy Series showdown and questions over whether a “Game of Thrones” sweep truly is in the works (don’t worry, it’s a lock for Drama Series). Genuine tension over the winners during an awards broadcast?

Continue reading Final 2019 Primetime Emmy Awards Predictions: ‘Game of Thrones,’ ‘Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’ & ‘Chernobyl’ at The Playlist.

After handing out 46 winners last night, the Television Academy bestowed another 49 winners on Sunday night for the second and final night of the Creative Arts Emmy Awards.  The remaining honors will be announced on Sunday, Sept. 22nd during a primetime telecast on FOX.  Tonight’s winners, in particular, showed a potentially fierce battle brewing for Comedy Series between “Fleabag” (two wins tonight), “Barry” (2 sound wins tonight)“Marvelous Mrs.

Continue reading ‘Game of Thrones,’ ‘Chernobyl’ & ‘Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’ Dominate Creative Arts Emmys Night Two at The Playlist.

We’ve now reached the halfway point in the voting period for the 71st Emmy Awards. At this point, any additional FYC ads, screening events or publicity stunts will only do so much.  There are 24,000 or so members of the Television Academy and you’ve either reached them or you haven’t.  HBO, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, FX and Showtime, in particular, have a lot on the line. Let’s dive into some of the big questions that these major networks or streaming services with Emmys hauls on the line will lose sleep over before the awards are handed out at three different ceremonies beginning Saturday, Sept.

Continue reading Emmy Voting Halfway Mark: ‘Fleabag,’ ‘Game of Thrones,’ Beyonce & That Limited Series Race at The Playlist.

Television Academy voters don’t get to vote until August 15, but the nation’s television critics had their say Saturday night in awarding the best in episodic content over the past year.  The TCA Awards have always been slightly ahead of the curve, but they made a major statement honoring “Fleabag” with three major wins including the prestigious Program of the Year.  In a year where “Veep’s” inevitable Emmy win for Outstanding Comedy Series seems less and less inevitable and “The Marvelous Mrs.

Continue reading ‘Fleabag’ Gets Emmy Boost After Major TCA Awards Wins at The Playlist.

The nominations for the 2019 Primetime Emmy Awards were announced on Tuesday and “Game of Thrones” was the big winner. The HBO Series earned 32 nominations including Creative Arts Emmys which is a new overall record for a program in one year. Amazon’s “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” took 20 while the HBO mini-series “Chernobyl” landed 19.

Among other programs, “Saturday Night Live” earned 18 nods and both “Barry” and “Fosse/Verdon” took 17.  

Continue reading ‘Game of Thrones’ & ‘Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’ Dominate 2019 Primetime Emmy Nominations at The Playlist.

Here’s the thing. When considering the Emmy nomination races this year, there are a lot of insanely competitive categories we already know of. Limited Series is a wealth of riches. Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama and Outstanding Lead Actress in a Mini-Series or Movie are so packed they will likely provide a ton of our snubs and surprises candidates. That being said, it all really comes down to this: Will the Television Academy embrace “Fleabag” or not?

Continue reading Emmy Nomination Predictions: ‘Fleabag,’ ‘Game of Thrones,’ ‘When They See Us’ at The Playlist.

The Television Critics Association announced their 2019 TCA Awards nominees this morning and, in the eyes of many, these are the programs and performances that Emmy should reward next month.  In something of a surprise, “Pose” and “Russian Doll” led all programs with four nominations followed by “Fleabag” with three nods and eleven other shows with two. Those three shows were joined in the coveted Program of the Year category by “Chernobyl,” “Game of Thrones” and “When They See Us.”  

READ MORE: “Pose” Season 2: All these houses are family except on the runway [Review]

Outside of “Pose,” “Russian Doll” and “Fleabag’s” haul, there were some notable nominations including “Schitt’s Creek” landing an Achievement in Comedy and Individual Achievement for Catherine O’Hara.

Continue reading ‘Pose,’ ‘Russian Doll’ & ‘Fleabag’ Lead All 2019 TCA Awards Nominees at The Playlist.

Let’s face it, Peak TV peaked a long time ago. With the advent and explosion of streaming services and channels, television reached a new golden age of content. It was great at first, especially when filmmakers like David Lynch were coming back to TV and the stigma of slumming-it TV was over, with top-shelf directors and actors all being lured to the prospect of an Emmy-winning, actually well-respected TV series (or often mini-series).

Continue reading The Best TV Shows Of 2019… So Far at The Playlist.

Without a doubt, HBO’s “Chernobyl” is one of the best series of the year, and if you believe some people, one of the best of the decade, century, or all time. Regardless, everyone can agree that it’s really damn good, and deserves all of the praise coming its way. And now that the series has caught on with audiences, it appears that the actual site of the tragedy is seeing a rise in popularity, as well.

Continue reading ‘Chernobyl’ Creator Asks Fans To “Comport Yourselves With Respect” After Tourism Spikes & “Influencers” Post Selfies at The Playlist.

It’s hard to imagine that just two years ago the Emmy world was aghast watching star-fueled contenders battle for the Limited Series honor.  Eventual winner “Big Little Lies” faced what seemed like historic odds versus “Feud: Bette and Joan,” “Fargo” season 3 and “The Night Of” in every possible category.  Now, with the Emmy nomination voting gates swung open, there isn’t a question that a great piece of content will be snubbed.  

Continue reading Emmy Braces For A Limited Series Race For The Ages at The Playlist.

Viewers have gone completely crazy for HBO’s recent, harrowing limited series, “Chernobyl.” Our own review, calling the series one of the best of the year, was criticized on social media for not saying “Chernobyl” is one of the “best series ever.” Its popularity has reached historic levels, as the HBO drama is now the #1 ranked series of all time on IMDB, beating out shows like HBO’s own “Band of Brothers,” “Planet Earth” (and its sequel), “Breaking Bad,” and “The Wire.”

But there is one group that is very displeased with “Chernobyl” — the Russian government.

Continue reading Russia Is So Upset About HBO’s “Caricature” Series ‘Chernobyl’ That The Country Is Making Its Own Version Featuring An Evil CIA Agent at The Playlist.

Deliberate in its approach, precise in its execution, and devastating long after its departure, “Chernobyl” encapsulates the purest essence of good television despite a rejection of that genre’s most notable tropes. There are no action set-pieces, lessons don’t come easy, and the characters never crackle with an engaging familiarity that invites sympathy. What remains, then, is a treacherously difficult exploration of humanity’s most reprehensible instincts, along with some of the best, with both ends of this dichotomy bleeding into a middle ground where they mingle like so much boron, sand, and radioactive material.

Continue reading ‘Chernobyl’ Avoids A Genre Meltdown & Is One Of The Year’s Best Series [Review] at The Playlist.

Series or films about real tragedies will always be working with the difficulties of balancing the need to honor the real-life victims of said events while simultaneously. Johan Renck, the director of HBO’s latest mini-series “Chernobyl” tackles the subject matter along with screenwriter Craig Mazin with grace and curiosity, fearless in presenting the true to life horrific atrocities that took place while never falling into exploitative territory.

Continue reading ‘Chernobyl’: Director Johan Renck Talks About His Harrowing HBO Mini-Series [Interview] at The Playlist.

Every month starting from here on out there’s always something — a festival or tentpole film/pop-culture event (see: “Game of Thrones” or “Avengers: Endgame“) that dominates the cultural conversation. May is no different featuring the upcoming Cannes Film Festival which is always ready to stir up headlines and controversy (as well as adding a few must-see’s to our year list), but that doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty to watch when you’re not making it out to the theater.

Continue reading 10 TV Shows To Watch In May: ‘Fleabag,’ ‘When They See Us’ & More at The Playlist.

To play a broken record: there’s absolutely no rest for the wicked. The film industry rarely takes a break. The SXSW Film Festival dominated March, we’ve had a few cons and festivals in between (CinemaCon, True/False Festival), the Cannes Film Festival is on its way in May and spring in New York is always about the Tribeca Film Festival.

The 18th annual iteration of the Festival, which runs April 24 to May 5, will showcase debut works from emerging talent and new works from notable filmmakers.

Continue reading Tribeca Film Festival: 15 Must-See Movies at The Playlist.

For decades, film fans have been trained about what to expect from disaster films. The film will start out with scientists trying to warn idiotic bureaucrats about the impending doom, using the scariest language possible to effectively convey the danger. These bureaucrats ignore the warnings and, of course, disaster strikes. Then the fallout occurs with normal people being affected by the danger and ultimately the world is saved by the bravery of some middle-aged action star.

Continue reading ‘Chernobyl’ Trailer: HBO’s Horrifying Limited Series Tackles The Untold True Story Of The Nuclear Disaster at The Playlist.