What We Do in the Shadows 
My absolute favorite nomination from the reveal of the 2020 Emmy Award nominees this morning (July 28) was FX’s wacky vampire mockumentary “What We Do in the Shadows” being nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series. I figured it might be a longshot to make the cut and was genuinely happy to see it did. “What We Do in the Shadows” follows the lives of four vampires who are roommates in a Staten Island home and is truly one of the biggest laughs per minute producers of any comedy currently on television. I was also giddy to see the episode “On the Run,” where my favorite character of Laszlo leaves the house on the run from a pissed off vampire and creates the alter ego Jackie Daytona, was one of an incredible three episodes from the series to be nominated for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series. 

​Cast of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
While season three of Amazon Prime Video’s “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” was certainly the weakest of the show’s output so far, it’s still nice to see the incredibly talented and hilarious cast receive so much love from the Emmy voters. Rachel Brosnahan (who won two years ago for season one) was once again nominated for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series, Tony Shalhoub (who won last year for season two) got another nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in Comedy Series, Alex Borstein (who’s won twice) was nominated again for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy and Marin Hinkle received her second straight nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy. Sterling K. Brown who guest starred in season three also received a nomination for Reggie, the tour manager of crooner Shy Baldwin in the show, but I think this just shows how much Emmy voters love Brown and I would’ve preferred to see Michael Zegen, the only full-time cast member who’s never received a nomination, in his place. Luke Kirby, who portrays comedy Lenny Bruce and won the Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy last year, was also once again nominated. You’d think with a cast having this much love there wouldn’t be room for any snubs, but Jane Lynch really should’ve been nominated for her portrayal of Sophie Lennon, as well. I would’ve been fine had the Emmys substituted her for Hinkle this year. 

Andre Braugher
It shouldn’t come as a secret to anybody who’s been following The Word for a while that Andre Braugher’s stoic, deadpan performance as Capt. Raymond Holt on NBC’s sitcom “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”  is one of my – if not my – favorite performance over the last decade on television. It’s nice to see Braugher back in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series category after missing out the last three years after receiving nominations in the two years prior to that. I doubt Braugher would be considered the favorite in the category, but I will likely leap from my couch and through my roof if his name is read come Emmy night. 

D'Arcy Carden and William Jackson Harper
It’s really nice to see the Emmy voters give a little extra love to NBC’s “The Good Place” after its swan song season. I’ve been essentially begging for D’Arcy Carden’s performance as the human-like robot Janet to be nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for years – and I truly hope she steals the honor. Carden has been a usual suspect on my snubs list since the show began. It’s also nice to see William Jackson Harper nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy for his performance as Chidi on the show. It probably wouldn’t make my top half of favorite performances on “The Good Place,” but it’s at least a nice nod to Harper’s job on the show. 

​Eddie Murphy
Of everything that makes this particular list this was the biggest shoo-in for a nomination. The moment Eddie Murphy said his goodnights at the end of the December episode of “Saturday Night Live” he hosted it was a cinch he would be nominated for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series and he’s probably the favorite to win it. That doesn’t temper my excitement any though as Murphy’s hosting stint on ‘SNL’ was an instant classic – something terribly hard to do these days – and the best episode from start-to-finish of the show in quite some time. 

Paul Mescal
I’m thrilled Paul Mescal was nominated for Outstanding Actor in a Limited Series for his wonderful, truly future star-making performance as Connell on Hulu’s “Normal People,” but the excitement is tempered by the fact that his exquisite co-star Daisy Edgar-Jones doesn’t join him on the Outstanding Actress in a Limited Series side and the show as a whole wasn’t nominated either. Still Mescal was amazing in a role of a popular high school student falling in love with a social outcast and not really knowing how to handle its affect on his social standing and then kind of having things flip on him when leaving his small hometown for college. 

Ramy Youssef
If I’m not mistaken Hulu’s “Ramy” was in the unique situation where both its first and second seasons were eligible for this year’s Emmys, but it seems the second season received the nominations (I preferred the first season, which seems to put me in the minority). Many believe the show to have been snubbed in the Outstanding Comedy Series category, but Ramy Youssef himself received a much deserved nomination for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series. Youssef is terrific in portraying at least some version of himself in dealing with trying to be a good Muslim in the modern world. Further congratulations are due to Youssef who is the first Muslim-American to ever receive an acting nomination at the Emmys. 

Late Show with Stephen Colbert
It’s certainly not a shock that “Late Show with Stephen Colbert” on CBS has been nominated for Outstanding Variety Talk Series as it’s the fourth straight nomination for the show in the category. I’m still happy for the series, which I consider to at least be the best variety talk show on broadcast network television – I still haven’t gotten around to watching Emmy darling “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” on HBO. Colbert’s mixture of comedy – mostly of the political variety – and interviews are among the funniest and smartest on television. His predecessor David Letterman was also the best interviewer of any variety talk show host and it’s nice to see Colbert fill those shoes admirably. Colbert’s also done yeoman’s work from home during the COVID-19 pandemic without a live audience to admire his work. 

Seth Meyers: Lobby Baby
While I continue to be irritated that NBC’s “Late Night with Seth Meyers” has never broken into the Outstanding Variety Talk Show category, despite annually receiving a very well-deserved nomination for its writing staff I was most happy to see Meyers nominated for his writing of his stand-up comedy special “Lobby Baby” for Netflix this year. Meyers is terrific at navigating topics such as his home life – most notably his wife giving birth to their second son in the lobby of their apartment building – with stuff you typically see on his late night show like politics. He’s almost certainly going to lose in this category to Dave Chappelle, but it’s nice to see him included. 

Aberfan (Peter Morgan/The Crown)
The best episode of the third season of “The Crown” on Netflix was its third episode entitled “Aberfan,” written be the show’s creator and lead writer Peter Morgan, which told of the tragic Aberfan mining town disaster of October 21, 1966 in South Wales and the absolutely horrible reaction afterward by the royal family, in which Queen Elizabeth II considers her biggest regret of her long reign. The episode includes terrific performances all around by Olivia Colman (Queen Elizabeth II), Tobias Menzies (Prince Philip), Prime Minister Harold Wilson (Jason Watkins) and Lord Snowdon (Ben Daniels) and as an American truly taught me a bit of English history that I’d previously had no knowledge on. “Aberfan” is “The Crown” at its absolute best. 

by Julian Spivey
There’s so many great TV shows on in this era of prestige television in which there are more ways than ever to watch television (the days of three networks are LONG gone) that the word “snub” almost doesn’t even exist anymore when it comes to the Emmy Award nominations because it’s a foregone conclusion there are more worthy series and performance that nominee slots available. But because of more quality than nominee positions the term snub still gets thrown around because there’s always people and shows we hoped would be nominated.
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These are my 10 biggest Emmy snubs for 2020 … 

Ken Burns’ Country Music
I realize the Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series category isn’t typical one of the favorites for folks tuning into the Emmy Awards, but when I saw the nominees this morning it provided the biggest jaw-dropper for me. I absolutely can’t believe Ken Burns’ latest docuseries “Country Music” for PBS wasn’t nominated. And the fact that it didn’t receive a single nomination in any of the other documentary categories honestly makes me wonder if it was even submitted because Burns has been such an Emmy darling in the past (surely it had to have been?). I know Netflix’s ‘Tiger King’ and ESPN’s “The Last Dance” caught more of the mainstream attention this year and you have to go back to last September for “Country Music,” but this is a huge shocker for me. 

Brooklyn Nine-Nine
NBC’s “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” not receiving a nomination for Outstanding Comedy Series is in no way a shock. The incredibly funny sitcom revolving around a New York police precinct has never been nominated in this category (despite winning a Golden Globe for its first season) over its seven seasons and that’s truly a crime in which Andy Samberg’s Det. Jake Peralta needs to be on the case. Year-in-and-year-out “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” is one of the most hilarious shows on TV and desperately deserves more love. I guess I should just be happy Andre Braugher has rejoined the Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series race after a few years of being snubbed. 

Normal People
2019-2020 was a hard year for any limited series to break into the Emmy category of Outstanding Limited Series and Hulu’s outstanding “Normal People” ended up on the outside looking in, as I feared it might. I haven’t yet seen Hulu’s “Little Fires Everywhere,” which did get a nomination in the category, but it seems the star power of Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington may have pushed it over the top against “Normal People” when it comes to Emmy voters because when it comes to TV critics it was “Normal People” that was better reviewed. 

Daisy Edgar-Jones
The one Emmy nomination highlight for Hulu’s “Normal People” was Paul Mescal receiving a nomination for Outstanding Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for her terrific role as Connell. But it really just seems as a half win for me, as his co-star Daisy Edgar-Jones couldn’t fit into the Outstanding Actress in a Limited Series or Movie category and the two just seem like they belong together at the Emmys, as they did in the series. Edgar-Jones played social outcast going through her first real relationship and dealing with the hardships that can be life in your late teens to early twenties so incredibly well. I hate that she’s not honored. 

Tobias Menzies
Tobias Menzies portrayal of Prince Philip in the third season of Netflix’s “The Crown” was the best thing about the season, in my opinion, but Menzies couldn’t fit into the Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series category. His co-stars Olivia Colman (Queen Elizabeth II) and Helena Bonham-Carter (Princess Margaret) were nominated. Prince Philip is at times in season three more of a focus than the actual Queen in “The Crown” and Menzies just absolutely knocks the role out of the park. His predecessor Matt Smith wasn’t nominated for the first season of “The Crown,” but was for its second season, so maybe the same will be true for Menzies.  

David Harbour
Hey, do you remember season three of Netflix’s “Stranger Things” was in the eligibility period for the 2020 Emmys? It might be hard because the show debuted more than a year before the Emmy nominees were announced today (July 28), but the voting body didn’t forget nominating the series for Outstanding Drama Series. However, the voters couldn’t find room in an always jam-packed Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series category for David Harbour (who was nominated for each of the first two seasons) for his great portrayal as Sheriff Jim Hopper. 

Matt Berry
Potentially my favorite nominee and biggest surprise of the Emmy Award nominations this morning was the inclusion of FX’s wacky vampire mockumentary “What We Do in the Shadows” in the Outstanding Comedy Series category, but damn I was really hoping (though I knew it was unlikely) that Matt Berry could sneak into the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for his brilliant performance as English nobleman turned vampire Laszlo. Berry’s comedic reading of lines is out of this world and his performance in the Emmy nominated for writing episode “On the Run” where he develops the alter-ego Jackie Daytona is one of the most hilarious things I’ve seen in a while.

Christine Baranski
Maybe Emmy voters just refuse to acknowledge the existence of CBS All-Access as a streaming service? That’s really the only reason I can think of for consistently snubbing Christine Baranski’s performance as attorney Diane Lockhart in “The Good Fight,” especially after equally consistently nominating her for the same character, but in the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series category for her role on “The Good Wife.” Many critics seem to actually prefer “The Good Fight” to “The Good Wife” (I don’t), but it doesn’t seem Emmy voters share that sentiment. 

Kristen Bell
There’s a lot to be excited about the 2020 Emmy Awards if you’re a fan of NBC’s “The Good Place,” which wrapped its final season earlier this year, as Ted Danson was once again nominated for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series and supporting performers William Jackson Harper and D’Arcy Carden (who’s been a regular on my Emmys snubs list) were finally given some love. But it is a big bummer that Kristen Bell’s lead performance of Eleanor Shellstrop is one that will go down in history as never having been nominated for an Emmy. 

Jane Levy
Of all of the “snubs” on my list this year Jane Levy for her wonderful performance as the title character in NBC’s comedy-musical “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist” is the one I knew had absolutely zero chance at actually being nominated. But my god Levy does it all in this series – incredible deadpan, sarcastic humor, tear-jerking dramatic scenes, dancing, singing – it was just a wonderful experience watching her in this wacky, but also heart-tugging and heartwarming series. 

Brooklyn Nine-Nine for Outstanding Comedy Series
“Brooklyn Nine-Nine” has just never gotten the love from the Emmy Awards it deserves. It’s only two Emmy wins have come in the Outstanding Stunt Coordination for a Comedy Series category. The show has never been nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series despite it’s incredibly solid run and both critical acclaim and loyal fan-base that saved it from cancellation, so it’s unlikely it’ll ever receive a nomination in the category. But when it comes to my dream nominees it’s the first one on top of my list. JS

Big Brother for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program
Despite delivering 22 seasons of alliances, betrayals, showmances and Zingbot, "Big Brother" (CBS) has failed to garner an Emmy nomination every year since the Academy introduced the Best Reality-Competition Program category in 2003. "Big Brother" has always been a very interesting show because it is not always about being the best player because houseguests have to have a strategy for jury management (which has hurt some strong competitors in recent years). Aside from the compelling dynamics of the game, many houseguests have been held accountable in recent years for comments that were deemed racist or sexist. Instead of avoiding the topic, "Big Brother" has put them on the spot and held them accountable. In 2020, this definitely makes the show relevant and worthy of an Emmy nomination. TG

Saturday Night Live for Outstanding Variety Sketch Series
This is the one absolute lock on my entire list to be nominated. Not only is NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” always nominated for Outstanding Variety Sketch Series, but it’s won the last three consecutive years (this category has only been around five years). So, while I know it’s going to be nominated, I’m still including it on my wish list because I was so damn impressed with ‘SNL’ this year. Not only was the comedy more hit than miss than it has been in the last few years when it was winning this award, but the cast and crew of the show were thrown the biggest curveball they’ve ever had in the show’s 45 years with the COVID-19 pandemic coming in the show’s final months of the season and still knocked it out of the park with pre-recorded sketches and bits in three special ‘At Home’ episodes. They could’ve packed it in and gone home and called it a season, but they came together for the fans and it’ll always be appreciated. JS

Phoebe Waller-Bridge for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
Phoebe Waller-Bridge's breakout performance in "Fleabag" netted her three Emmys last year for starring, writing and producing. However, another Emmy is needed for her extremely hilarious hosting gig on "Saturday Night Live" this past season. Phoebe Waller-Bridge has been very busy ever since wrapping "Fleabag" by also executive producing "Killing Eve" and working on the new James Bond film, "No Time To Die." This performance is just more proof of why Phoebe Waller- Bridge is one of the busiest women in entertainment these days. TG

David Harbour for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
It’s hard to believe because it’s been more than a full year since season three of “Stranger Things” dropped on Netflix, but it is eligible for the 2020 Emmy Awards having just missed the deadline for last year’s honors. David Harbour is always so strong as Sheriff Jim Hopper on the series and definitely gave some of his best performances throughout season three. Harbour was nominated in this category for seasons one and two so it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see him garner a third nomination … as long as voters haven’t forgotten about it in what seems like the longest almost 13 months in world history. JS

Snowpiercer for Outstanding Drama Series
Based off of the 2013 film, "Snowpiercer," the television series is set in a dystopian world where everything in the world has frozen over, leaving the only survivors aboard the 1,001 car-long train, Snowpiercer. This show examines the politics of survival and deals with class struggle as a revolution is brewing. Daveed Diggs plays Andre Layton, a tailee train passenger whose previous career as a detective helps him get bumped to first class when a murder is needing solved. However, as secrets are revealed, he becomes a threat to the mysterious Head of Hospitality Melanie Cavill. This show is addictive and leaves viewers wanting more every week. The finale set up what will be a very exciting second season. I would love to see the Emmys give some attention to what truly was a thrilling ride aboard "Snowpiercer" this season. It would be great for a show like "Snowpiercer" to fill the void of fantasy sci-fi that "Game of Thrones" has left since it ended last year. Even though it’s set in a dystopian world, this show feels incredibly relevant today. TG

Daveed Diggs for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series
Daveed Diggs' performance as Andre Layton, the detective that helps start a revolution aboard Snowpiercer is absolutely captivating. We see a man who is everything we need in our world today. We need people who will stand up for what is right and take risks to ensure a better future for not only themselves but for others. What this show really succeeded at is throwing Andre into situations where he was forced to make similar decisions as the show's villains. However, he always chose the right thing to do. This truly is what we all need right now and Diggs delivered flawlessly. TG

Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal for Outstanding Actress and Actor in a Limited Series
This is basically a two-for-one for me, but I’d like to see both Daisy Edgar Jones (Outstanding Actress in a Limited Series) and Paul Mescal (Outstanding Actor in a Limited Series) both nominated for their outstanding performances in Hulu’s “Normal People,” based on the novel by Sally Rooney. These two portrayed a late teens, early twenties relationship exquisitely and incredibly were both unknown prior to their work here. Based on the oddsmakers at Gold Derby it seems Mescal is probably a more likely nominee than Edgar-Jones, but it just wouldn’t quite seem right for one to be nominated without the other. JS

Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist for Outstanding Comedy Series 
"Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist" was an exciting new show this past season on NBC that was "Glee" meets "Touched By An Angel" meets "What Women Want." Zoey is a young woman working to get a promotion, dealing with a parent sick from a neurological disease, and has a crush on someone unavailable. During an MRI to make sure she is not developing the same disease as her father; an earthquake causes Zoey to wake up to people singing their innermost thoughts and desires to her. She decides to use it as a way to help people. It is such a sweet show that is hilarious but also really honest and heartbreaking in other moments. This show helps us understand that sometimes, people are hurting and need help but everything appears fine on the outside. This show manages to be very entertaining with great musical performances but also highlights an important issue: mental health. TG

This one’s definitely a wish because I imagine Jane Levy in NBC’s musical-comedy “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist” to be an extreme longshot at garnering a nomination for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series. But Levy’s performance as Zoey Clarke, a computer programmer who has the ability to hear the inner-thoughts of those around her through popular songs, was such a breath of fresh air as she aptly did a bit of everything with the performance making the viewer cry tears both via laughter and from sheer heartbreak. Levy especially deserves a nomination for her zany performance in “Zoey’s Extraordinary Glitch,” the eighth episode of the season, in which her power flips and she uncontrollably sings her inner-thoughts and everybody can hear her. JS

Christine Baranski for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series
Christine Baranski has essentially played Chicago attorney Diane Lockhart for more than a decade now between the critically-acclaimed CBS drama “The Good Wife” (2009-2016) and its spinoff “The Good Fight” (2017-present) on CBS All-Access and hasn’t won an Emmy for her terrific performance, despite six consecutive nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a drama for ‘Good Wife.’ She’s yet to be nominated for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series for ‘Good Fight’ and that’s a crime. It’s time.  JS

Jennifer Aniston for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series
Starring in an insanely popular television show and creating an iconic character can be a blessing and a curse. It can be a blessing for what it is but it is hard sometimes, for fans and executives to imagine these actors as anyone else and can lead to similar roles always being offered to the star. After 10 seasons on the insanely popular sitcom, "Friends," the same could have happened to Jennifer Aniston and I fear it did for many years. However, Aniston is finally getting the chance to leave Rachel's shoes and create a role that is very different. In AppleTV+’s "The Morning Show," Aniston stars as Alex Levy, a TV news anchor whose world is turned upside down when her co-host is fired for sexual assault allegations. Aniston has a commanding presence in this series while also showing a very vulnerable side. We see a woman in private who is really worried about the future but in public, she is confident and ready to take on the world. If it wasn't for Olivia Colman's performance as Elizabeth II in "The Crown," I feel Aniston would have this Emmy in the bag. TG

Evil for Outstanding Drama Series
Very rarely does a drama series on a broadcast network receive a nomination for Outstanding Drama Series at the Emmys anymore. NBC’s “This Is Us” has received nominations for its first three seasons over the last few years, but before that you have to go back to the second season of CBS’ “The Good Wife” in 2012. “The Good Wife” was created by Robert and Michelle King, who’s newest CBS drama series “Evil,” which follows a religious skeptic and a Catholic priest attempting to solve abnormalities, was my favorite new drama series from the last year. Maybe since the Kings have been here before Emmy voters will pay attention, but I still have to believe a nomination for “Evil” in this category is a huge longshot. I guess that makes me the skeptic in need of a bit of faith. JS

“Room 320” (Evil) for Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series
Robert and Michelle King got some Emmy love for their CBS legal drama “The Good Wife” with five Emmy wins (all in acting categories). The Kings were also nominated twice themselves in the Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series category, the first for the Pilot episode of the series and the second for the series finale. While critics seemed to enjoy the first season of their newest CBS drama “Evil” it seems unlikely it’ll have the same kind of love from Emmy voters as “The Good Wife” did. That’s a shame because the drama about a religious skeptic teaming up with a Catholic priest to investigate strange religious phenomenon is excellent. “Room 320” from the show’s debut season was the high point for me as a viewer and I would love to see writer Aurin Squire receive a nomination in this category. JS

The Masked Singer for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program
"The Masked Singer" just wrapped up its third season on FOX and it is mind boggling that this show has not been nominated for the Best Reality-Competition Program Emmy yet. The show adds a new dynamic to the singing competition show by having celebrities disguised in cute costumes leaving America to guess every week who is under the mask. This show successfully has something for the whole family and has brought my family together. Plus, who doesn’t love Ken Jeong? His insanely off projections for who a celebrity is always starts with a "I know EXACTLY who this is." His incorrect answers provide so much comedy to the show. The show is definitely getting more traction because the celebrities revealed in season three were definitely more widely known than in previous seasons. Hopefully, this will help it become more known to Emmy voters when they fill out their ballots. TG

Matt Berry for Outstanding Supporting Actor in Comedy Series
I recently binged the first two seasons of FX’s vampire comedy “What We Do in the Shadows” and my God it is glorious. The show uses the frequent documentary crew follows our characters style of comedy to follow the lives of vampire roommates in Staten Island and my favorite of the group is Laszlo, an English nobleman who was turned into a vampire by his now wife Nadja (played by Natasia Demetriou), and Matt Berry’s performance and especially line delivery is side-splittingly funny. I particularly think Berry should be nominated for the outrageously hilarious “On the Run” episode of season two in which he develops the alter-ego Jackie Daytona. JS

Ken Burns’ Country Music for Outstanding Documentary or Non-Fiction Series
Ken Burns is the Michael Jordan of documentarians for television and has proven as much by winning five Emmys for his PBS documentaries, including “The Civil War” (1990) and “Baseball” (1994). His latest PBS documentary “Country Music,” which debuted last fall, should be a shoo-in for a nomination in the Outstanding Documentary or Non-Fiction Series and I hope it wins, but he might have stout competition from ESPN’s “The Last Dance” documentary on Michael Jordan’s final championship winning season with the Chicago Bulls. JS

Big Little Lies for Outstanding Drama Series
"Big Little Lies" was originally supposed to be a limited series. In fact, in 2017 it won the Emmys for Best Limited Series, Best Actress, Supporting Actor and Supporting Actress. However, fans were eager to see what would happen next after the finale ended very abruptly. All of the questions were answered and all the twists were revealed but with little knowledge of what this would all mean for our beloved Monterey Five. I was concerned that since the first season relied so heavily on figuring out a mystery (who was murdered at the high school?) that the second season could prove to be a little dull. I was optimistic upon learning of the casting of Meryl Streep as Nicole Kidman's mother-in-law but still had my doubts. Nothing could have been further from the truth. The Monterey Five dealing with their shared secret and its' impact on their lives showcased so many great performances from all of its cast (Kidman, Shailene Woodley, Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern, Streep and Zoe Kravitz). If there was an Emmy for Best Ensemble In A Drama Series, this would be theirs to lose. I really hope to see "Big Little Lies" on the shortlist for Best Drama Series for an awesome season that leaves this viewer wanting a season three. TG

Nicole Kidman for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series
Even though Nicole Kidman recently won an Emmy for playing Celeste Wright in "Big Little Lies" for the first season in 2017, I would argue she deserves another one. Kidman's performance of an abused mother trying to keep her family together takes on a new dynamic in season two. Celeste is trying to deal with the conflicted emotions of relief that the abuse is over but missing her husband at the same time. Celeste finds herself fighting for her children by the end of the season and the courtroom scenes from Kidman should be enough to secure her an Emmy nomination. Kidman has an impeccable ability of playing the roles of mothers. She always has you rooting for her and on Emmy night, I certainly will be too. TG

Meryl Streep for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
In a career that has spanned five decades, Meryl Streep has managed to deliver performances that have made us laugh, made us cry, and challenged us to think. In a career that has roles ranging from a nun to a Holocaust survivor to Margaret Thatcher and Julia Child, it can feel like she’s has done it all already. However, as Mary Wright in "Big Little Lies," we see her deliver another unforgettable performance as a mother who continues to believe her son's innocence despite the evidence mounting against him. As the season progresses and the excuses are harder to believe, Streep shows how masterful she is at her craft by making us feel Mary's pain at the realization that just because she tries so hard to believe it, it doesn't make it true. TG

by Julian Spivey
With another month comes yet another streaming service debut and despite the fact that some streaming service fatigue seems to be setting in for many there are certainly some things about the new service Peacock (I know terrible name, but it is the longtime logo of parent company NBC) that many will enjoy.
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Peacock launches today (Wednesday, July 15) with 20,000 hours or programming and the best part about it is about two-thirds of that programming is absolutely free. Free is almost unheard of in the streaming world, but if you’re OK sitting through ads for a few minutes per episode (you know, like we all used to have to before the advent of DVRs and pay streaming services) it’ll likely be worth not having to add another service to your pile of bills.

If you just absolutely can’t do commercials there, of course, is a paid tier which will allow you to avoid the ads. That tier is $9.99 per month and will also feature that other one-third of programming mentioned above, which will mostly consist of originals that won’t be found anywhere else. If you don’t mind ads and still want all the content Peacock offers there is a middle tier that’s $4.99. Both the paid tiers are noticeably cheaper than competition like Netflix ($12.99 per month) and HBO Max ($14.99 per month).

What are some of the other differences between the tiers?

Both the free and premium tiers will feature current-season episodes from NBC’s televised series like “This Is Us,” “The Blacklist,” “Superstore” and anything else you watch on the network. The only difference will be when you receive these episodes. If you’re using the free service, you’ll get the newest episodes one week after they air on NBC, if you’re a paying customer you’ll have access to the episode the next day.

The biggest draw to Peacock won’t be coming to the service until January of 2021, but next year it’ll be the new streaming home of “The Office,” after its current streaming deal on Netflix runs out at the end of the year. “The Office” as well as other classic NBC sitcoms like “30 Rock,” “Parks & Recreation” and terrific drama series like “Friday Night Lights,” “Parenthood” and more will be available on the free tier. Non-NBC original shows like “Battlestar Galactica,” “Monk” and “Downton Abbey” will also be available.

Some of the shows that will be available on the premium tiers are “Yellowstone,” “Everybody Loves Raymond,” “Cheers,” “Frasier” and “Law & Order.”

Shows that will be coming to Peacock sometime in the near future include “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” “Bates Motel,” “Chicago Fire,” “Chicago P.D.,” “Chicago Med,” “Magnum, P.I.,” “Roseanne,” “The Mindy Project,” “Will & Grace” and a lot more.

Unlike most streaming services Peacock will include sporting events as part of its programming. The free tier will feature U.S. Open golf starting with this year’s tournament, an NFL Wild Card Playoff game in January and future Summer and Winter Olympic events. Peacock was set to launch in time for this year’s Tokyo Summer Olympics, but those games have been postponed until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The premium tier of Peacock will feature 175 Premiere League soccer matches, which is reportedly the most English soccer ever available to U.S. viewers.

Among the Peacock Originals that will be available on the premium tier are “Brave New World,” based on Aldous Huxley’s dystopian novel, which will star Demi Moore, the conspiracy thriller “The Capture” starring Ron Perlman, a workplace comedy “Intelligence” starring David Schwimmer and a reboot of the ‘90s high school sitcom “Saved by the Bell.”

Like most streaming services Peacock will be adding in a mixture of films to go along with its television programming. The premium tier will feature more films than the free tier. According to Variety, films appearing on Peacock include “Do the Right Thing,” “Jurassic Park,” “The Matrix,” “Psycho” and many more.

Movies that will be coming to Peacock in the near future include: “A Beautiful Mind,” “American Beauty,” “Back to the Future,” “The Big Lebowski,” “Fields of Dreams,” “The Godfather,” “Jaws,” “Schindler’s List” and much more.

How can you watch Peacock?

Peacock’s streaming app will be available at launch on Apple and Google devices, Xbox and on Vizio and LG Smart TVs. It was just announced on Tuesday, July 14 that Peacock will be ready for streaming on PlayStation on July 20, the week after it launches. As of now there has not been a deal finalized for Peacock with Roku and FireTV, which was one of the biggest complaints viewers had when HBO Max launched in late May, as well.