The Emmy-nominated shows you may have missed and where to stream them
Yes, there’s a lot of TV around. But if you’re looking for a curated list, then let the Emmy nominations guide you.
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The Emmy Awards are coming up on Monday and while it may be a little bit different this year – virtual! – some things remain the same.
Like, how it’s essentially a shopping list for all the great television you may have missed over the past year.
Make sure you’re all caught up on these deserving nominees.
WATCHMEN (Binge/Foxtel*)
The frontrunner with a whopping 26 nominations this year, Damon Lindelof’s limited series is a sequel to the seminal 1987 comic book.
You may not like superhero stuff, so be assured this series is much more attuned to present day race relations, framed in a wild story about police brutality, white supremacy, destiny and love.
RELATED: Watchmen review
SUCCESSION (Binge/Foxtel)
The favourite to win the Best Drama race, HBO series Succession is venomously delicious and cynical and yet so very, very watchable.
Centred on the toxic Roys, a media-empire family, there’s jostling for power and control from a father whose primary form of parenting seems to be withholding love. The writing is absolutely cracking and its key ensemble cast are all nominated.
RELATED: Succession review
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SCHITT’S CREEK (Netflix)
What was once a Canadian underdog is now a juggernaut, an absurdist comedy series about a rich family who loses their fortune and must find redemption in a small hick town.
Morphing from a tinder-dry show to something much more gooey, it’s a series that became better with age.
THE GOOD PLACE (Netflix)
Mike Schur’s existential comedy was forever reinventing itself each season and its valedictory season did the same. It was a beautiful, poignant and emotionally affecting send-off for Eleanor and her friends, who had finally proved themselves worthy of The Good Place.
This year’s seven nominations is the most the show has achieved.
RELATED: The Good Place and the very best finales
WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS (Binge/Foxtel)
Probably the most laugh-out-loud comedy around, What We Do In The Shadows is proof positive that you can do an American spin-off of a quirky, beloved New Zealand movie and have it kill.
Natasia Demetriou, Matt Berry and Kayvan Novak are perfectly cast as unambitious vampire housemates on Staten Island, whose petty misfortunes belie their immortal might.
RELATED: What We Do In The Shadows review
RAMY (Stan)
Growing up Muslim in America isn’t always easy, trying to balance your expectations with your flaws – something the fictional Ramy seems to fail at constantly.
Created by Ramy Youssef, it’s a thoughtful series that explores the myriad challenges of being young and a person of faith. The second season features guest star, two-time Oscar winner Mahershala Ali.
RELATED: Ramy season one review
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THE GREAT (Stan)
Wickedly funny, this revisionist portrayal of a young Catherine the Great was created by Tony McNamara, one of two writers on Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Favourite.
That biting satire you’d expect is laced throughout the series, which is elevated by two tremendous performances from Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult. Hoult, in particular, wild. Huzzah!
RELATED: The Great review
INSECURE (Binge/Foxtel)
A thoroughly underrated dramedy with Issa Rae’s strong authorial voice, Insecure is the story of a young black woman trying to find her path in Los Angeles.
The performances from Rae and Yvonne Orji are phenomenal and real while the series’ writing is sharp and insightful, offering a fresh, specific perspective on some universal challenges.
RELATED: Insecure season two review
THE MANDALORIAN (Disney+)
A throwback to classic Star Wars, The Mandalorian follows a bounty hunter who encounters a mysterious creature (BABY YODA!) that he’s compelled to protect.
Mixing genres such as the classic Western, action thriller and an old-fashioned road adventure, The Mandalorian charms as it plays in the lawless grey zone of a collapsed empire.
RELATED: The Mandalorian review
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EUPHORIA (Binge/Foxtel)
Kaleidoscopic to the point of hallucinogenic, this confronting and explicit series about American teenagers show a side that most parents wouldn’t be comfortable with – drugs and sex are only the start of it.
But it’s certainly a vibe, and Zendaya’s haunting performance earnt her a nod in Best Actress in a Drama.
RELATED: Everything you need to know about Zendaya
MORNING WARS (Apple TV+)
Morning Wars is a show of contradictions. The first few episodes are not great but the final two are explosive. It often feels like compulsive, guilty pleasure watching and then it pulls out a phenomenally great chapter.
Anchored by Jennifer Aniston’s pulsing performance and backed up by an inscrutable Billy Crudup, Morning Wars was well-recognised by Emmy voters. The glaring omission is not Reese Witherspoon (whose character was probably the weakest link), but Gugu Mbatha-Raw who was the emotional centre of the back end of the season.
RELATED: Morning Wars review
MARVELOUS MRS MAISEL (Amazon Prime Video)
Even in its third season, The Marvelous Mrs Maisel still dazzles with its sumptuous costuming, production design and snappy dialogue. As Midge Maisel, a 1950s housewife turned aspiring stand-up comic, Rachel Brosnahan is pure charisma.
But the emotional beats belong to Alex Borstein’s gruff Susie who doesn’t have the leg-up of Midge’s upper-middle-class privilege.
RELATED: Marvelous Mrs Maisel season three review
MRS AMERICA (Binge/Foxtel)
As the name says, this is very much a story about America, specifically a momentous slice of American feminist history, the Equal Rights Amendment.
On one side are the second wave feminists such as Gloria Steinem and Betty Friedan, leading a women’s movement demanding recognition and fairness.
On the other, Phyllis Schlafly, a conservative writer out to defeat what she sees as a threat to traditional values. The fireworks come from performances from the likes of Cate Blanchett, Uzo Aduba and Tracey Ullman. It may be history but it’s chillingly relevant still.
RELATED: Mrs America review
UNBELIEVABLE (Netflix)
Based on a harrowing true event detailed in a ProPublica and Marshall Project article, Unbelievable is the story of Marie. Marie woke up to find a rapist on top of her, but the police didn’t believe her and ended up charging her with a crime instead.
The miniseries starring Kaitlyn Dever, Toni Colette and Merritt Wever is a faithful, nuanced and powerful dramatisation of an all-too common crime, and the second wave of injustice that often follows.
RELATED: Unbelievable review
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Originally published as The Emmy-nominated shows you may have missed and where to stream them