September ended up being a tremendously entertaining month for new TV series, from the collective buzz shows such as “Midnight Mass” created to the surprise, super addictive, and mega-hit “Squid Game.” Due to the surplus of quality television last month, it makes October, on the surface at least, appear a little bare in comparison, though there’s always room for another” Squid Game” to completely monopolize audiences’ attention spans.

Continue reading 8 TV Shows To Watch in October: ‘Succession,’ ‘Maid’ & More at The Playlist.

While HBO doesn’t have the monopoly it once did on prestige TV series, with recent competition from Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, Apple, and other streaming services, that doesn’t mean the premium network doesn’t consistently release high-quality series, such as the comedy “Insecure.” And now’s probably a great time to catch up, if you haven’t already, as the final season of “Insecure” is arriving next month.

Continue reading ‘Insecure’ Final Season Trailer: Issa Rae’s Award-Winning Series Comes To An End Later This Fall at The Playlist.

Issa Rae has become a bit of a household name in recent years. But even though the actress has landed high-profile films such as “The Lovebirds,” “The Photograph,” and a supporting role in the upcoming “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse” sequel, she really broke out thanks to her series, “Insecure.” And like all great things, eventually “Insecure” has to come to an end.

Continue reading ‘Insecure’ Final Season Teaser: Issa Rae’s Breakthrough HBO Comedy Series Comes To An End This Fall at The Playlist.

Another year comes to a close, another overlong, ahem, thorough most anticipated list from your friends at The Playlist. This time, we’re talking television and yes, there’s a lot of TV to deal with. Frankly, however, with the explosion of streaming, the second age of PeakTV, now known as the Streaming Age, we’re somewhat surprised this list isn’t over 100 picks long. Disney+ and Apple TV+ may have launched in late 2019, but 2020 really brought us the full breadth of both those streaming services wares.

Continue reading The 65 Most Anticipated TV Shows & Mini-Series Of 2021 at The Playlist.

The long week of Creative Arts Emmys is finally over. After five nights of virtual ceremonies, the Television Academy has bestowed a heap of trophies to “Watchmen,” “Saturday Night Live,” “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “The Mandalorian,” “Succession” and “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” And there were a number of notable individual winners as well.

Maya Rudolph won her second Emmy in one week after taking the Guest Actress in a Comedy Series category for her portrayal of Kamala Harris on “Saturday Night Live.” “The Mandalorian” earned its sixth Emmy win so far after Ludwig Göransson took Music Composition (Original Dramatic Score) and following his Oscar and Grammy wins for “Black Panther” is now just a Tony Award away from EGOT.

Continue reading ‘Last Dance,’ Eddie Murphy & ‘Bad Education’ Top Creative Arts Emmys Final Night at The Playlist.

For the most part, the COVID-19 pandemic didn’t have the same impact on the television landscape that it did with film. Yes, a few seasons were truncated (“Billions,” “The Good Fight”) and a few others had to reschedule wholesale (“Fargo”), but most of the TV output for the first half of 2020 was set long before anyone knew about the latest coronavirus. The truth is that this ridiculous year has arguably made people more reliant on television than ever, needing an escape from reality and having more time to invest in shows that they might have otherwise missed.

Continue reading The Best TV Of 2020… So Far at The Playlist.

In a year that has felt like a decade, we’ve now reached the point where voting for the 2020 Primetime and Creative Arts Emmys is just three weeks away. And despite a global pandemic and nationwide protests, Emmy campaigning has continued (sort of). In that context, we’re going to take a closer look at some of the major categories as Television Academy members consider a multitude of options in yet another year of Peak TV.

Continue reading Emmys 2020: Comedy Series Category Is No Laughing Matter at The Playlist.

Perhaps, in these times of self-isolation and social distancing,and a non-stop, 24 hour news stream straight from hell, we’re not all in the mood to enlighten ourselves or enrich our lives. In my mind, if we get through all of this kinder than we were before then we’ve done the best we can.

READ MORE: ‘Mrs. America’: Cate Blanchett & Rose Byrne Are Stellar In ERA Fight Mini-Series [Review]

That being said, we need some distractions if possible and while new releases on the film side are relative slim pickings, there’s plenty of television coming out in the next month – both returning and new, that is well worth checking out.

Continue reading 10 Shows to Watch in April: ‘Defending Jacob,’ ‘Killing Eve,’ & More at The Playlist.

Just in case you’ve been sleeping under a rock for the past few years—which is possible given the show doesn’t get the love it deserves— Issa Rae has been killing it, and right now, she’s doing some of the most important work on television.  While seen in music videos for both Jay-Z and Drake, early on, she’s most notable for creating, producing, writing, and starring in her HBO comedy series “Insecure,” adapted from her career-catapulting web series ” The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl“— and we just got a trailer for Season 4.

Continue reading ‘Insecure’ Trailer: Issa Rae’s Brilliant HBO Comedy Returns For Season 4 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.

We have now reached the dogs days of summer, bringing with them a truly torturous heat.  No one needs that in their life! Thank goodness, the TV gods have bestowed upon us a plethora of quality binge-worthy content. Here’s the crop of new series August brings that you can watch indoors while cranking the air conditioning to the max and eating ice cream by the gallon to cool down.

Check out August’s top television premieres below:

“The Sinner”
Synopsis: Detective Harry Ambrose realizes there is nothing ordinary about the case of a young boy who is accused of murdering his parents.

Continue reading 9 TV Shows To Watch In August at The Playlist.

When Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson isn’t saving the world from giant-sized monsters or escaping large buildings with only one leg (yes, that’s a thing in “Skyscraper”), the movie star is starring on the hit HBO series “Ballers” as a former NFL star turned financial planner. “Ballers” is apparently coming back for a fourth season on the cable network, and now we have a release date and teaser for the new season.

Continue reading HBO’s ‘Ballers’ And ‘Insecure’ Release Teasers And Announce Return Dates For Upcoming Seasons at The Playlist.

The nominees for the 2018 Peabody Awards were announced this morning and a number of standout television series made the cut. FX’s “Legion,” Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale,” HBO’s “Insecure,” CBS’ “Star Trek: Discovery” and NBC’s “The Good Place” were all included in the Entertainment category while familiar award season docs “Stronger Island,” “Chasing Coral” and “City of Ghosts” also are up for honors in the Documentary category.

Continue reading ‘Legion,’ ‘Insecure’ And ‘Handmaid’s Tale’ Up For 2018 Peabody Awards at The Playlist.

Now it’s time for TV. Back at the start of December, we ran down the 100 films that we’re most looking forward to across 2018, and we picked out some festival favorites that we’ve already seen and know are worth checking out too. But even with 250 hours worth or so of promising art and entertainment, that barely scratches the surface of what people will be talking about in terms of moving images, because, well, we don’t know if you heard, but TV’s gotten really good.

Continue reading The Most Anticipated TV Shows Of 2018 at The Playlist.

It’s always difficult to tell ahead of time which of our year-end lists will prove the most divisive among the usually harmonious Playlist team. But perhaps reflecting the inarguable explosion of quality TV over the past decade, and therefore the fact that not any one of us has seen everything, and every one of us has their favorites among stuff that no one else saw, this year that dubious title may just fall to the feature you are about to read.

Continue reading The Best TV Shows Of 2017 at The Playlist.

“Insecure” was a hit when it debuted on HBO last year, turning its creator and star Issa Rae into an exciting and fresh mainstream voice. In addition to writing and directing, Rae stars in the series (her character’s name is also Issa) that follows the experiences of a modern-day African-American woman as she navigates her career, relationships, and racial tension, partially-based on her well-received 2011 web series “Awkward Black Girl.”

READ MORE: Issa Rae Grows Up In New Trailer For ‘Insecure’ Season 2

The success of “Insecure” was certainly a good look for HBO, offering viewers a more inclusive replacement for “Girls” and adding a much-needed diverse voice to their line of programming.

Continue reading HBO Renews ‘Insecure’ For Season Three at The Playlist.

In this era of Peak TV there is no way to make everyone happy. There are always going to be snubs when it comes to the Emmy nominations. There are always going to be deserving nominees who didn’t make the cut. The question this year was whether the Television Academy could continue their trend of rewarding those truly deserving of recognition as opposed to those shows they just love to watch every week. And, some might say that’s one and the same.

Continue reading Best And Worst Of The 2017 Emmy Awards Nominations: ‘Stranger Things,’ ‘Westworld,’ ‘The Leftovers’ at The Playlist.

The idea that summer was a television dead zone, a desert of reruns and TV movies, is now a laughably quaint idea. In the Age of Peak TV, June to August has simply become yet another space of prime real estate for cable and streaming services to drop new television series on unsuspecting audiences who are trying to catch up on “This Is Us.”

Overall, July is a pretty busy month for television with some juicy premieres dropping, including the 1,000-pound gorilla that is “Game of Thrones.” It’s seriously getting hard to keep up; this month alone we have two pairs of shows premiering on the same day.

Continue reading 10 TV Shows To Watch In July at The Playlist.

What may be the only HBO show that doesn’t have a massive budget for fake blood is returning this summer for season two. First coming to attention with her web series “Awkward Black Girl” that earned 25 million views, and then writing the NYT bestselling memoir “The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl,” Issa Rae created the fantastic HBO series “Insecure.” Tackling issues of race, identity, sexuality, and other complex matters with both sensitivity and wit, it’s a unique show with a powerful voice behind it.

Continue reading Issa Rae Grows Up In New Trailer For ‘Insecure’ Season 2 at The Playlist.

This is an interesting race. Is “Veep” still the powerhouse that can take this category for the third year in a row?  Or does the critically acclaimed newcomer “Atlanta” rise to the top?  Or does “Black-ish” finally break through after earning its second nomination?  The safe bet is “Veep” but… [Updated July 21]

READ MORE: ‘Atlanta’ Won’t Be Back Until 2018, But FX Looking For More Shows From Donald Glover

Outstanding Comedy Series

1.

Continue reading 2017 Best Comedy Series Emmy Awards Predictions at The Playlist.

The HFPA gives birth to awards season dreams and the HFPA crushes them. Well, that’s what they like to think. The Golden Globe Awards are nothing more really than a marketing exercise to get people to buy tickets for end of year prestige flicks and to get Academy members to put one or two films higher on that screener pile.  Keeping that in mind we’ve studied the nominees for the 74th Golden Globes announced earlier this morning and compiled a pretty fair best and worst list for your consideration.

Continue reading Best & Worst Of The 2017 Golden Globe Awards Nominations: Thandie Newton, ‘Deadpool,’ ‘Moonlight’ at The Playlist.

One of the most talked about shows on television, and easily the biggest series HBO has had on their schedule since “Game Of Thrones,” it was only a matter of time until the network renewed “Westworld” for season two. And following last night’s jaw-dropping episode (don’t worry, no spoilers) it’s a pretty good moment for them to make the announcement.

READ MORE: Anthony Hopkins’ Greatness in HBO’s ‘Westworld’ Explained In New Video Essay

HBO has confirmed that “Westworld” will be back for a second season, and critical accolades aside, the numbers for the show are great.

Continue reading HBO Gets Back In The Saddle, Renews ‘Westworld’ For Season 2 at The Playlist.

If you had told us a few years ago that making a web series would lead to a deal at HBO, we would’ve said you were crazy, but times have changed. The avenues for telling stories are as varied and multifaceted as ever, and the means of production getting cheaper by the day. So when Issa Rae broke out on YouTube with “Awkward Black Girl,” it was not a total surprise that the attention she received would land her a larger gig.

Continue reading Time To Feel ‘Insecure’ With Trailer For HBO’s Upcoming Comedy Series at The Playlist.

As you’ll know from our list of the best TV shows of the first half of 2016, and from our summer preview, it’s been a stacked year on the small-screen so far. There have been disappointments —chiefly, a show that starts with V and ends with -inyl— but also some surprises and triumphs, with “The Girlfriend Experience,” “Billions,” “Stranger Things,” “Lady Dynamite,” “The People Vs.

Continue reading The 30 Most Anticipated Fall TV Shows at The Playlist.

HBO are probably doing much better in terms of comedy than they are in drama right now — while “Game Of Thrones” is really their only quality hit on the hour-long side, they have “Girls,” “Veep,” and “Silicon Valley” as a killer trio (with “Ballers” less good, but performing better). But those first three, as good as they are, are decidedly white shows about decidedly white experiences, which must leave a fair chunk of the population feeling on the outside looking in.

Continue reading New HBO Comedy ‘Insecure’ From ‘Awkward Black Girl’ Creator Issa Rae Gets A Trailer at The Playlist.