THE HANDMAID’S TALE S4 | Binge now
21 nominations: Outstanding Drama, Actress (Elisabeth Moss), Supporting Actor (Bradley Whitford, Max Minghella & O-T Fagbenie), Supporting Actress (Ann Dowd, Madeline Brewer, Samira Wiley & Yvonne Strahovski), Guest Actress (Alexis Bledel, McKenna Grace), Casting, Directing, Writing, Editing, Production Design, Fantasy/Sci-Fi Costumes, Hairstyling, Makeup, Original Score & Sound Mixing
Season 4 of The Handmaid’s Tale picks up where we left off, with June’s fight for freedom against Gilead. But the risks she takes bring unexpected and dangerous new challenges, and her desire for justice and revenge threaten to consume her and destroy her most cherished relationships.
Based on Margaret Atwood’s acclaimed 1985 novel, The Handmaid’s Tale has won 74 awards to date, including 15 Emmy Awards as well as Golden Globes for Best Drama Series and Best Actress (Elisabeth Moss). The series holds an 8.4/10 score on IMDb and an 83% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes,
IndieWire says the fourth season “returns with a roar”’ while Collider says, “Those who have seen the previous three seasons and choose to come back for more, brace yourselves, because you can still expect this show to dig into the darkness, as much as ever. But you might be shocked as well, to also feel something rare and precious and new: Hope.”
LOVECRAFT COUNTRY S1 | Binge now
18 nominations: Outstanding Drama, Actor (Jonathan Majors), Actress (Jurnee Smollet), Supporting Actor (Michael K. Williams), Supporting Actress (Aunjanue Ellis), Guest Actor (Courtney B. Vance), Writing, Casting, Cinematography, Fantasy/Sci-fi Costumes, Main Title Design, Prosthetic Design, Original Score, Music Supervision, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, Special Visual Effects & Stunt Performer
Just weeks after HBO announced they had cancelled Lovecraft Country, the Emmys gave the hit sci-fi/fantasy series the send-off it deserved, with 18 nominations, including Best Drama.
In the 1950s, Atticus, a young African-American, sets out on a road trip with his friend and uncle to find his missing father. This catapults the three into a struggle for survival against the dual terrors of Jim Crow-era America and terrifying monsters that could be ripped from a paperback written by pulpy horror author HP Lovecraft.
Lovecraft Country has an 88% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes, their best-reviewed sci-fi/fantasy series of 2020. As Newsday put it, “To call Lovecraft Country ‘wildly original’ seems almost a quaint understatement. But it is wild. And original. Little doubt about that.”
Lovecraft Country won Critics Choice Super Awards for Best Horror Series and Best Actress: Horror (Jurnee Smollett from Birds of Prey), and took home a Critics Choice Award for Best Supporting Actor for Michael Kenneth Williams (When They See Us, The Night Of). The show was also nominated for Best TV Drama at the 2021 Golden Globes and Best International Show at the 2021 BAFTAs, as well as Screen Actors Guild, Writers Guild of America, and Black Reel awards, among other honours.
MARE OF EASTTOWN | Binge now
16 nominations: Outstanding Limited Series, Actress (Kate Winslet), Supporting Actor (Evan Peters), Supporting Actress (Julianne Nicholson & Jean Smart), Casting, Directing, Writing, Editing (x2), Production Design, Cinematography, Contemporary Costumes, Hairstyling, Makeup & Sound Mixing
HBO’s Mare of Easttown stars Oscar winner Kate Winslet (Mildred Pierce, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Titanic) as small-town detective Mare Sheehan, who must investigate a murder while trying to keep her life from falling apart.
Critics Choice nominee Julianne Nicholson (The Outsider, I, Tonya, August: Osage County), three-time Emmy winner Jean Smart (Watchmen, Fargo), Teen Choice nominee Evan Peters (American Horror Story, and X-Men’s Quicksilver) and Golden Globe nominee Guy Pearce (The Hurt Locker, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert) co-star.
The seven-episode series holds an 8.5/10 score on IMDb and a 94% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics consensus says Winslet is at her “career-best.” The Guardian hailed the series as “a stunning, harrowing success… a murder mystery that kept us guessing right to the profoundly moving end.”
I MAY DESTROY YOU | Binge now
9 nominations: Outstanding Limited Series, Actress (Michaela Coel), Supporting Actor (Paapa Essiedu), Casting, Directing (x2), Writing, Costumes & Music Supervision
Completely snubbing I May Destroy You may have been the final nail in The Golden Globes’ coffin: the Emmy’s more diverse voters didn’t make the same mistake, giving it nine nominations, including Outstanding Limited Series.
I May Destroy You centres on Arabella (BAFTA winner Michaela Coel from Chewing Gum), a carefree, self-assured Londoner with a group of great friends, a boyfriend in Italy, and a burgeoning writing career. But when her drink is spiked with a date-rape drug, she must question and rebuild every element of her life.
I May Destroy You was named the show of the year in 2020 by Time and has a 97% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics’ consensus says, “I May Destroy You is at once brave and delicate, untangling the trauma of sexual assault with dark humour and moments of deep discomfort, all held together on the strength of Michaela Coel’s undeniable talent.” In their five star review, The Guardian raved, “Michaela Coel’s exploration of consent, race and millennial life… works on every level… An extraordinary, breath-taking achievement without a false note in it, shot through with humour and with ideas, talent and character to burn at every perfectly plotted turn.”
I May Destroy You won five BAFTAs, including Best Mini-Series, and has been nominated for seven Black Reel awards, among other accolades.
THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT S1 | Binge from 12 August
9 nominations: Outstanding Comedy, Actress (Kaley Cuoco), Supporting Actress (Rosie Perez), Casting, Directing, Writing, Editing, Production Design & Theme Music
HBO comedy drama The Flight Attendant stars Critics’ Choice, People’s Choice and Teen Choice Award winner Kaley Cuoco (The Big Bang Theory) as reckless flight attendant Cassie Bowden, who wakes up in the wrong bed, with a dead guy beside her, and no idea what happened. Unable to piece the night together, she begins to wonder if she could be the killer…
The Flight Attendant was nominated as Best Comedy Series and Kaley as Best Actress at both the 2021 Golden Globe and Critics Choice Awards. The show also won a Director’s Guild award and picked up a Writers Guild nomination, among other honours, and has already been renewed for a second season. The Flight Attendant is #15 on the Best TV Shows of 2021 list on Rotten Tomatoes, with a 97% critics rating. As the critics consensus there says, “Kaley Cuoco shines as a hot mess in The Flight Attendant, an addictively intriguing slice of stylish pulp that will bring mystery aficionados to Cloud Nine.”
2021 Critics Choice Super nominee Michiel Huisman (The Haunting of Hill House, Game of Thrones), Oscar nominee Rosie Perez (Birds of Prey), Emmy nominee T. R. Knight (Grey’s Anatomy’s George O’Malley), BAFTA nominee Michelle Gomez (Doctor Who, Bad Education) and Zosia Mamet (Shoshanna from Girls) co-star.
https://youtu.be/OP_WC5oOCe8
ALLEN V. FARROW | Binge now
7 nominations: Outstanding Documentary Or Nonfiction Series, Directing, Writing, Editing, Original Score, Theme Music & Sound Editing
Co-directed by Oscar nominees Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering (The Invisible War), Allen v. Farrow goes behind the years of sensational headlines to reveal the private story of one of Hollywood’s most notorious and public scandals: the accusation of sexual abuse against four-time Oscar winner Woody Allen (Midnight in Paris, Hannah and her Sisters, Annie Hall) involving Dylan, his then seven-year-old daughter with Golden Globe winner Mia Farrow (Rosemary’s Baby, Hannah and Her Sisters); their subsequent custody trial; the revelation of Allen’s relationship with Farrow’s daughter, Soon-Yi; and the controversial aftermath in the years that followed.
Along with new investigative work — pieced together via intimate home movie footage, court documents, police evidence, revelatory videotapes, and never-before-heard audio tapes — HBO’s four-part documentary series includes exclusive interviews on the subject with Mia, Dylan and Ronan Farrow, family friend Carly Simon, and prosecutor Frank Maco, among others. Allen v. Farrow also examines the effects of trauma on a family, and features prominent cultural voices exploring Allen’s body of work in a broader context and reflecting on how public revelations about the personal lives of artists can lead to re-evaluations of their work.
Allen V. Farrow has an 82% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with The LA Times hailing it as “a comprehensive, convincing and ultimately devastating documentary… The story of the girl who spoke out against her dad, was silenced, lived in shame for decades and decided it was time to speak truth to power.”
A BLACK LADY SKETCH SHOW S2 | Binge now
5 nominations: Outstanding Variety Sketch Series, Outstanding Guest Actress: Comedy (Yvette Nicole Brown, Issa Rae), Writing & Editing
In May, HBO announced that A Black Lady Sketch Show has been renewed for a third season. “Making A Black Lady Sketch Show is a dream come true,” says creator and star Robin Thede. “I see this show as a budding comedy institution, where Black women can playfully realised, non-stereotypical characters, and I am so grateful for the opportunity to continue to create that space for today’s premiere comedians.”
In addition to its five Emmy nominations, A Black Lady Sketch Show has also just been nominated for six Black Reel Awards, including Best Comedy Series. “Robin Thede is as dynamic as ever,” New York Times says of the new season, while Paste described the series as “refreshing, sharp and funny,” and A.V. Club praised the show’s “excellent cast chemistry.”
Thede is nominated for Best Actress at the 2021 Black Reel Awards, where Ashley Nicole Black and Gabrielle Dennis both received Supporting Actress nominations. Issa Rae (Insecure) also executive produces and guests on A Black Lady Sketch Show.
ZOEY’S EXTRAORDINARY PLAYLIST S2 | Binge Season 1 now; Season 2 coming December 2021
5 nominations: Outstanding Guest Actress: Comedy (Bernadette Peters), Choreography (x2), Original Music and Lyrics & Music Direction
Jane Levy (Suburgatory, Castle Rock) was nominated for the 2021 Best Actress Golden Globe as Zoey, a young woman who suddenly gains the ability to hear other people’s innermost thoughts… in song.
Pitch Perfect star and Teen Choice winner Skylar Astin co-stars as her bestie Max, with Glee star and Grammy nominee Alex Newell nominated for a 2021 Critics Choice Best Supporting Actor award as Mo. Oscar winner Mary Steenburgen (The Last Man on Earth, Back to the Future III) plays her mom.
Exec produced by multiple Emmy-nominated producer Paul Feig (Love Life, Spy, The Office) and Emmy nominated Two and a Half Men producers Kim and Eric Tannenbaum, this quirky musical comedy’s first season won a 2020 Emmy for its Outstanding Choreography and has an 8.1/10 score on IMDb. Globe and Mail says it’s “brimming with both joy and compassion, this strange contrivance, and highly recommended.”
PERRY MASON S1 | Binge now
4 nominations: Outstanding Actor: Drama (Matthew Rhys), Best Supporting Actor: Drama (John Lithgow), Cinematography & Production Design
It’s 1932, and despite the Great Depression, LA is booming. But when the kidnapping case of the decade comes knocking on down-and-out detective Perry Mason’s door, his relentless pursuit of the truth reveals a fractured city and, just maybe, a pathway to redemption for himself.
Perry Mason reboots the award-winning 1950s-60s series based on Erle Stanley Gardner’s detective stories. Emmy winner and Golden Globe nominee Matthew Rhys (Brothers & Sisters, The Americans, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood) is Perry Mason. Tatiana Maslany, herself an Emmy winner and Golden Globe nominee for her leading role in Orphan Black, and Oscar nominee John Lithgow (The Crown, 3rd Rock from the Sun) co-star.
Indiewire calls Perry Mason “one of the most beautiful series ever made… One of the best I’ve ever seen. Really.”
Rhys’ Best Actor nomination builds on his nomination in the same category at the 2021 Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards, where Perry Mason was also up for Best Drama and Best Supporting Actor (Lithgow).
FRIENDS: THE REUNION | Stream now
4 nominations: Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded), Directing, Production Design & Lighting Design
Ladies and gentlemen, can we have an OMG? (And all the tissues!) It’s Friends: The Reunion, also known as “The One Where They Get Back Together.”
Join Jennifer Aniston (Rachel), Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe), Matt LeBlanc (Joey), Matthew Perry (Chandler), Courteney Cox (Monica), and David Schwimmer (Ross) for all the feels as they return to the iconic comedy’s original soundstage for a real-life unscripted celebration of the beloved show.
They’ll visit the original sets, do table reads from classic Friends scripts, re-enact some of the best moments from the show, and share behind-the-scenes footage as they look back at the legendary Friends years and the enduring pop culture phenomenon that’s still the ultimate go-to for those deep-binge long weekends.
Friends: The Reunion is hosted by James Corden and features guests like Lady Gaga, David Beckham, Justin Bieber, BTS, Kit Harington, and Reese Witherspoon.
PEN15 S2 | Binge now
3 nominations: Outstanding Comedy, Writing & Casting
PEN15 is a R-rated traumedy set in middle school as it really happened in the year 2000. Show creators Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle play versions of themselves as 13-year-old outcasts, surrounded by actual 13-year-olds.
Season 2 has a 100% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics consensus says, “An excellent showcase for Maya Erskine, Anna Konkle, and their well-cast classmates, PEN15‘s sophomore season goes deeper into the nuances of middle school life without losing any of its cringey charm.”
PEN15 was also up for Best Comedy Series at both the 2021 Critics Choice and Writers Guild of America awards. As The Washington Post put it, “If one has to choose only one millennial-made TV series that ventures into adolescent angst in the AOL era, please make it this one. PEN15… could be almost considered an act of communal therapy. In their unflinching and even brave willingness to re-enact the range of hair-trigger emotions that turn teenagers into the worst kind of people, Erskine and Konkle (along with co-creator Sam Zvibleman) are offering a kind of catharsis to the rest of us: Yes, you were as awful as you remember being, but guess what? You were in the throes of becoming you. PEN15 is both an exquisite wallow in hormonal chaos and a belated act of forgiveness.”
https://youtu.be/oFAHiU0g0xQ
EUPHORIA SPECIAL | Binge now
3 nominations: Outstanding Cinematography, Contemporary Costumes, & Makeup (Non-Prosthetic)
Zendaya’s triple-Emmy-winning HBO drama series Euphoria put a surprise in our Christmas stockings at the end of last year with a two-part special bridging the COVID-19-enforced gap as we wait for Season 2.
The first episode, Trouble Don’t Last Always, picked up directly after the Season 1 finale, following Rue into Christmas in the aftermath of the train station and falling back into old habits. The episode has a 96% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with Guardian saying, “Zendaya continues to demonstrate exactly why she so deserved the best actress Emmy.”
In Part 2, F*ck Anyone Who is Not a Sea Blob, we got Jules’s side of the story and caught up with her over the holidays. The episode has a 95% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics consensus says, “By centering on Jules’ journey, F*ck Anyone Who is Not a Sea Blob adds welcome depth to her character and gives Hunter Schafer plenty of room to shine.”
FARGO S4 | Binge now
3 nominations: Outstanding Cinematography, Original Score & Sound Editing
Created by Emmy winner Noah Hawley (Legion, the upcoming untitled Star Trek sequel) as a spin-off of the Coen brothers’ Oscar-winning classic movie, Fargo has won three Golden Globes, six Emmys and a Peabody Award. It’s #38 on IMDb’s Top Rated TV list, with an 8.9/10 score, and holds a 93% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Season 4, which was Complex’s TV show of the year in 2020, is set in Kansas City in 1950.Four-time Emmy-winning comedian Chris Rock stars as Loy Cannon, the head of the African American crime family, who trades sons with the head of the Italian mafia as part of a tenuous truce. BAFTA nominee Jessie Buckley (Chernobyl), Teen Choice nominee Jason Schwartzman (The Grand Budapest Hotel), and Golden Globe winner Ben Whishaw (A Very English Scandal, Mary Poppins Returns) co-star.
“Fargo, as in past seasons, manages to be both more dramatic, and more comic, than almost any other show on TV right now,” says NPR, while Complex hails it as “high art for TV lovers… There aren’t many shows shot this well, nor are there many shows taking this many risks between the first and last frames, seemingly without a care for convention or consideration… If only more TV series could operate at Fargo levels of greatness.”
OSLO | Stream now
2 nominations: Outstanding TV Movie & Music Composition
HBO’s riveting political drama Oslo is based on the true-life, previously secret, back-channel negotiations in the development of the pivotal 1990s Oslo Peace Accords between Israel and the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO).
Starring Golden Globe winner Ruth Wilson (Luther, The Affair) as Mona Juul, a Norwegian foreign minister, and Emmy nominee Andrew Scott (Fleabag, Sherlock) as Terje Rød-Larsen, a Norwegian sociologist and Mona’s husband, the film details the secret talks, unlikely friendships and quiet heroics of a small but committed group of Israelis, Palestinians and one Norwegian couple.
Rounding out the cast are Salim Dau (Fauda) as Ahmed Qurie, finance minister of the PLO; Waleed Zuaiter (Ramy) as Hassan Asfour, Qurie’s associate & PLO liaison; and Jeff Wilbusch (Unorthodox) as Uri Savir, director general of the Israeli Foreign Ministry.
THE UNDOING | Binge now
2 nominations: Outstanding Actor (Hugh Grant) & Production Design
The Undoing stars Oscar winner Nicole Kidman (Big Little Lies, Moulin Rouge) as therapist Grace Fraser, whose idyllic existence is shattered by a violent death and a very public scandal. With her husband Jonathan (Golden Globe winner Hugh Grant from A Very English Scandal) missing, Grace must face a chain of terrible revelations and try to build a new life for herself and her son (Critics’ Choice nominee Noah Jupe from Ford v Ferrari, and A Quiet Place).
In their five-star review, BBC hails the series as “a supremely gripping marriage thriller… a twisty delight.”
Based on the book You Should Have Known by Jean Hanff Korelitz, The Undoing is created by multiple-Emmy winner David E Kelley, the man behind Big Little Lies, Picket Fences and all your favourite legal dramas, from L.A. Law to Ally McBeal, The Practice to Boston Legal. Emmy winner Susanne Bier (The Night Manager, In A Better World) directs, with Academy Award Honorary winner and Golden Globe winner Donald Sutherland (Trust, The Hunger Games), Golden Globe nominee Edgar Ramírez (American Crime Story, The Girl on the Train) and Eswatini-born Noma Dumezweni (Black Earth Rising, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind) co-starring.
Grant’s Emmy nomination fellowship Best Actor nods at the Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild and Critics Choice Awards, where Sutherland won Best Supporting Actor.
PRIMAL S1 | Binge now, first on Showmax
1 nomination: OutstandingAnimated Program
The first half of Adult Swim’s Primal won three Outstanding Achievement In Animation Awards at the 2020 Emmys, for storyboard artist Genndy Tartakovsky, art director Scott Wills, and character designer Stephen DeStefano. Now the second half has cracked a coveted nomination for Outstanding Animated Program at the 2021 Emmys, for the episode, Plague of Madness, which also won Best Directing at the 2021 Annie Awards, where Primal also took home Best General Audience Animated Production.
From Genndy Tartakovsky (Samurai Jack, Hotel Transylvania), Primal follows a caveman at the dawn of evolution and a dinosaur on the brink of extinction. The two creatures, one on the way out and one on the way in, become each other’s only hope of survival in a treacherous world.
Primal has an 8.7/10 score on IMDb and a 100% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics’ consensus is, “Epic in every sense, Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal is a stunning feat of visual storytelling.”
ROBOT CHICKEN S10 | Stream now
1 nomination: OutstandingShort Form Animated Program
Robot Chicken has won six Emmys since debuting in 2005; now its 200th episode, Endgame, is nominated again for Outstanding Short Form Animated Program at the 2021 Emmys.
Robot Chicken uses stop-motion animation to bring pop-culture parodies to life in a modern take on the variety/sketch show format. In its decade of existence, the show has attracted A-list pop culture voiceover talent from George Lucas and Scarlett Johansson to South Africa’s very own Charlize Theron. The show includes both original characters and hundreds of parody characters from pop-culture franchises like Star Wars, The Walking Dead and now, Archie Comics too.
THE NEVERS S1 | Binge now
1 nomination: Outstanding Special Visual Effects
Billed as “The Magicians meets Bridgerton” by Refinery29, The Nevers drew over 1.4 million viewers to its premiere, the best-ever debut for an original series on HBO Max. The Los Angeles Times hails the show as “HBO’s next great fantasy series.. a joy to watch and a thrill to follow.”
In the last years of Victoria’s reign, London is beset by the Touched: people – mostly women – who suddenly manifest abnormal abilities – some charming, some disturbing. Among them are Amalia True (Olivier Award winner Laura Donnelly from Outlander), a mysterious, quick-fisted widow, and Penance Adair (Ann Skelly from Vikings), a brilliant young inventor. They are the champions of this new underclass, making a home for the Touched, while fighting the forces of… well, pretty much all the forces – to make room for those whom history as we know it has no place.
The Nevers’ ensemble cast also includes Monte-Carlo Golden Nymph nominees Olivia Williams (An Education, The Ghost Writer) and Eleanor Tomlinson (Poldark, The White Queen); BAFTA Cymru winner Tom Riley (Da Vinci’s Demons); BAFTA nominee James Norton (Grantchester, Happy Valley), BAFTA Scotland nominee Kiran Sawar (Black Mirror), British Independent Film Awards nominee Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead, Into The Badlands), Screen Actors Guild nominee Pip Torrens (The Crown), and three-time Emmy nominee Denis O’Hare (American Gods, True Blood), among others.
WARRIOR S2 | Binge now
1 nomination: Outstanding Stunt Coordination
Shot in Cape Town, Warrior is set in the ruthless world of late 19th-Century San Francisco, where rival Chinatown tongs fight for dominance amidst the growing anti-Chinese fervor that threatens to destroy them all.
“Warrior feels like if Peaky Blinders starred Bruce Lee and was set in 1870s Chinatown. It’s great,” says Vox – a claim backed up by an 8.4/10 rating on IMDb and a 100% critics’ rating for Season 2 on Rotten Tomatoes. Season 1 was named among Rolling Stone’s Best New Television Shows of 2019, with The Ringer calling it “a supremely kick-ass and criminally underappreciated martial arts Western” and Inverse hailing it as “the most underrated action series of the century.” Warrior was nominated for Best Action Series at the 2021 Critics Choice Super Awards, where lead Andrew Koji was also up for Best Actor. The show was also up for a 2021 Visual Effects Society Award.
Recently renewed for a third season, Warrior is based on the writings of martial arts icon Bruce Lee. The series is created by Jonathan Tropper (Banshee).
Look out for the likes of Olivia Cheng (The Stand), Dianne Doan (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Vikings), and multi-award-winner Jason Tobin (The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift), as well as South Africa’s own Langley Kirkwood (Inconceivable, Banshee). Local cast with recurring roles include SAFTA nominees Robert Hobbs (The Girl from St. Agnes, District 9) and Jacques Bessenger (Lioness, Dwaalster); Fleur du Cap winners Nicholas Pauling and Emily Child; and familiar faces like Kenneth Fok (Rogue, Five Fingers for Marseilles) and David Butler (Black Sails, Life is Wild).
GANGS OF LONDONS1 | Binge from 1 September 2021
1 nomination: Outstanding Stunt Performance
Nominated for the Best Drama BAFTA earlier this year, Gangs of London tells the story of London being torn apart after the assassination of the head of London’s most powerful crime family.
Created by Gareth Evans and Matt Flannery (The Raid), Gangs Of London stars BAFTA nominees Joe Cole (Peaky Blinders, Black Mirror), Paapa Essiedu (I May Destroy You), and Lucian Msamati (His Dark Materials, Game of Thrones), as well as 2021 Critics Choice Super nominee Sope Dirisu (His House) and multi-award-winners like Ray Panthaki (Away, Marcella) and Michelle Fairley (Catelyn Stark in Game of Thrones).
Gangs of London has an 8.1/10 rating on IMDb and a 91% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes, where the critics consensus says, “A modern crime family masterpiece, Gangs of London builds its own empire atop tried-and-true mafia turf — complete with engaging drama, exhilarating action, and fine performances all around.”
https://youtu.be/4CJ5p4XisHs
RAISED BY WOLVES S1 | Binge now
1 nomination: Outstanding Title Design
The biggest TV series ever shot in South Africa, Raised by Wolves is an HBO sci-fi show that centres on two androids tasked with raising human children on virgin planet Kepler-22b after Earth was destroyed in a great war.
Raised by Wolves has already been nominated for three 2021 Critics’ Choice Super Awards: Best Science Fiction/Fantasy Series, Best Actor: Sci-Fi for Travis Fimmel (Vikings’ Ragnar) and Best Actress: Sci-Fi for Danish actress Amanda Collin.
Four-time Oscar nominee Ridley Scott, who directed the sci-fi classics Alien, Blade Runner and The Martian, executive produces and directs the first two episodes. Inverse hails the show as “Ridley Scott’s best sci-fi since Alien… there’s no TV show quite like it.”
HBO has already renewed Raised by Wolves for a second season, with NME saying, “Ridley Scott’s AI stunner is on a different planet… one of 2020’s most unmissable TV experiences.”
THE GOOD LORD BIRD | Binge now
1 nomination: Outstanding Title Design
Four-time Oscar nominee Ethan Hawke (Before Sunrise, Boyhood) stars in The Good Lord Bird as militant slavery abolitionist John Brown, who is credited with instigating the American Civil War. The Guardian says Hawke is “astonishing as Brown, putting in what may be a career-best performance,” and Financial Times says, “Ethan Hawke’s grizzled Brown, equal parts crazy and endearing, erupts onto the screen with coat flapping and crusty eyes blazing.”
The Good Lord Bird has a 98% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes. As Salon says, “The series takes a brutish time in history frequently presented dryly out of respect, and dares successfully to capture the uproarious insanity of a righteous, outgunned rebel.”
The seven-part series is told from the point of view of Henry “Onion” Shackleford, an enslaved boy who joins Brown’s family of abolitionist soldiers. Onion is played by rising star Joshua Caleb Johnson, who co-stars along with Grammy winner Daveed Diggs (Blindspotting, Hamilton), Critcs Choice winner Ellar Coltrane (Boyhood), and Emmy winner Keith David (Community). The seven-part series is executive produced by Hawke, triple Oscar nominee Jason Blum (Blackkklansman, Get Out) and James McBride, who penned the National Book Award-winning novel it’s based on.
Earlier this year, Hawke was nominated for Best Actor at both the Screen Actors Guild and Golden Globe awards; Diggs and Johnson earned Supporting Actor nominations at the Critics’ Choice Awards; and The Good Lord Bird was up for Best Adapted at the Writers Guild of America Awards.
By Agencies
