What a year, right? With people stuck at home more than ever before, television felt even more essential, and the best creators rose to the challenge. While there was concern that pandemic shutdowns would destroy the landscape, there was no dearth of titles to choose from when it was time to pick the best 25 programs of 2020. Great shows missed the cut. And the diversity of genres and networks felt broader than ever.

READ MORE: The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2021

Dramas, comedies, docuseries, mini-series, and genre-benders defined the year.

Continue reading The 25 Best TV Shows & Mini-Series Of 2020 at The Playlist.

Are you ready for some honest to goodness awards drama? It may be hard to believe, but the Emmys are set to reveal their 2020 nominations on Tuesday, July 28 at the shockingly reasonable hour of 8:30 AM PT/11:30 AM ET (someone shake me, I still can’t believe it’s real). And this year’s crop of nominees will find HBO and Netflix doing their best to hold on to their recent Emmy dominance with Hulu, FX, Apple TV+, Amazon and even Disney Plus taking increasingly larger bites out of their usually massive nomination tallies.

Continue reading Emmys 2020 Nomination Predictions: ‘Succession,’ ‘Ramy’ & ‘Schitt’s Creek’ Will Pop 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.

There are a little over three days left in Emmy nomination voting and the Television Critics Association (TCA) has given Television Academy members who haven’t completed their ballots yet something to think about. The nominations for the 2020 TCA Awards are out and featured a number of pleasant surprises. Not so surprising where the two programs that earned the most nominations, “Watchmen” and “Unbelievable” with four each.

READ MORE: “Watchmen,” “Dickinson” and “Stranger Things” among 2020 Peabody Awards winners

Damon Lindelof’s Peabody winner earned nods in the Movie or Miniseries, Individual Achievement in Drama (Regina King), New Program and Program of the Year categories.

Continue reading ‘Watchmen,’ ‘We’re Here,’ ‘Never Have I Ever’ Among Inspired Noms For 2020 TCA Awards at The Playlist.

As we’ve chronicled over the past few weeks, there are a lot of questions surrounding the Emmys in regards to the Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Drama Series nominations. Despite the news that there will be eight nominees in each category this year, there are still many deserving programs that will be snubbed. None of that drama, however, compares to the battle royale that once again is the Outstanding Limited Series race.

READ MORE: Will Emmy voters remember “Pose,” “Stranger Things” and “Handmaid’s Tale”?

Continue reading Emmys 2020: Expect Lots Of Shocking Snubs In The Limited Series Race 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.

Unless you are a hardcore Republican conservative or political junkie you probably have never heard of Phyllis Schlafly. She is one of the most influential women in American history and is known as the “First Lady” of the modern conservative movement. On the other hand, even if you barely paid attention in your history classes you should still know the name of the woman who was her polar opposite on Schlafly’s ideological spectrum, Gloria Steinem.  A key figure in the rise of feminism, Steinem has been a mainstay in pop culture for over 50 years.  How these two women became intertwined is one of the most fascinating aspects of the new FX mini-series “Mrs.

Continue reading ‘Mrs. America’: Cate Blanchett & Rose Byrne Are Stellar In ERA Fight Mini-Series [Review] at The Playlist.

Honestly, if HBO’s “Watchmen” doesn’t win this category the Television Academy has a problem. If its love for genre only goes as far as medieval fantasy (“Game of Thrones”) and slightly futuristic scenarios (“Westworld”), than Damon Lindelof’s modern classic will get screwed. In theory, it should win the top prize after landing 26 Emmy nominations. But, Netflix’s “Unbelievable” and “Unorthodox” are aiming to upset.

Continue reading Emmys 2020: Outstanding Limited Series Predictions at The Playlist.

One of the most controversial times in American history was fought in the ‘70s when a conservative woman was opposed to the Equal Rights Amendment and helped ratify the bill, and “Mrs. America” tells that story.

The leader of the ‘STOP ERA’ movement was Phyllis Schlafly, and she will be played by none other than Cate Blanchett (“The Lord Of The Rings” and “Blue Jasmine”) in what will be her first U.S.

Continue reading ‘Mrs. America’ Trailer: Cate Blanchett Opposes The Equal Rights Amendment In FX’s New Drama Series at The Playlist.

Yesterday, we highlighted a video that FX released that showcased some of the offerings the network has on tap for the first half of 2020. While we only really discussed four of the new series (some of the exclusives for the upcoming FX on Hulu initiative), the cable network has a ton of new programs that are worthy of checking out. And now that we know the dates you can begin watching, it’s clear that 2020 is going to be a very busy time for fans of quality TV series.

Continue reading FX Announces Premiere Dates For Its Spring 2020 Lineup Including ‘Devs,’ ‘Fargo,’ ‘Mrs. America’ & More at The Playlist.

As documented in our Best TV of The 2010 Decade feature, which you should read, the 2010s were the age of PeakTV, Prestige TV and the dawn of the streaming age. Now in this new decade of the 2020s, we enter the Streaming War era. Yes, Netflix is here and here to stay, HBO isn’t going anywhere and Showtime, FX and all the other major players are solidified in status.

Continue reading The 60 Most Anticipated TV Shows Of 2020 at The Playlist.

In a world already oversaturated with streaming services, the folks at FX have decided to do the right thing and ditch their own platform and join up with a bigger service thanks to the Disney purchase of Fox in 2019 and the eventual takeover of Hulu. So, instead of us talking about FX launching something called FX Max and charging $15 per month, we are happy to say that the network has instead decided to put all its eggs in the Hulu basket.

Continue reading FX Teases Its 2020 Lineup With New Looks At ‘Fargo,’ ‘Devs,’ ‘Mrs. America’ & More at The Playlist.

With HBO getting a prime slot on the upcoming HBO Max, FX is feeling a bit behind in the race to be the most respected place for curated, prestige TV. Well, thanks to the new Disney overlords, FX is now getting the prime streaming destination it was looking for, on Hulu. And to kick things off, some of the most anticipated FX series that were coming to TVs in 2020 are now going to be exclusively streaming on the platform.

Continue reading Alex Garland’s ‘Devs’ & More FX Series Moving Exclusively To Hulu In 2020 at The Playlist.

TORONTO – Over the past two years Sarah Paulson has arguably become the hardest working woman in the entertainment business. She’s shot four feature films, two season of “American Horror Story,” a new Netflix series, “Ratched”  (inspired by “One Flew Over The Cukoo’s Nest”) for old buddy Ryan Murphy and is currently in the process of filming an FX limited series, “Mrs. America” alongside her “Carol” co-star Cate Blanchett as well as Rose Byrne and Elizabeth Banks, among others.  

Continue reading Sarah Paulson On ‘Ratched,’ ‘Impeachment’ & A Well Deserved Vacation [Interview] at The Playlist.

Back in October of last year, it was revealed that actress Cate Blanchett would make the leap into the realm of prestige TV dramas with the limited series “Mrs. America.” And now, just under a year later, we have our first look at the FX series and how Blanchett and the rest of the cast plan to tell the story of one of the most controversial times in American history.

Continue reading ‘Mrs. America’ First Look: Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth Banks, Rose Byrne & More Battle Over Equal Rights In New FX Drama at The Playlist.

Cate Blanchett is making her way to TV in the new FX series “Mrs. America.” And when you have an actress on the level of that attached to a project, you better believe that some big names will follow.

According to Variety, Blanchett will co-star in “Mrs. America” alongside none other than Elizabeth Banks. For those that haven’t been following the development of the series, FX’s latest drama follows the incredible true story of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), which caused massive amounts of controversy during its ratification.

Continue reading Elizabeth Banks To Star Opposite Cate Blanchett In New FX Limited Series ‘Mrs. America’ at The Playlist.

Cate Blanchett is joining the ranks of just about every major filmmaker and actor in the world and making the jump to prestige TV. And she has picked a pretty good group of collaborators to join her in the new FX series “Mrs. America.”

Deadline reports that Blanchett has signed on to play Phyllis Schlafly, a conservative woman who unexpectedly opposed the attempts to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA).

Continue reading Cate Blanchett Makes The Leap To TV With The New FX Series ‘Mrs. America’ at The Playlist.