Predicting This Year’s Emmys Is More Fraught Than Anticipated

This week at the Water Cooler, Joey and Megan tackle predictions for next week’s 2022 Emmy Award nominations!

As always, we close with the Flash Forward to the media we’re most anticipating in the upcoming week.

Thanks for listening and thank you, in advance, for subscribing and rating us on Apple Podcasts!

 

 

 

Music from https://filmmusic.io
“Cheery Monday” by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Another Podcast Favorite: If We Had an Emmy Ballot…

With the Television Academy’s Phase 1 voting window closed, the Water Cooler Podcast gang takes a breather and has their say on what they would nominate for the 2022 Emmy Awards. They looked at this exactly as the Television Academy would. By closely reviewing the ballots for Program and Performer, Joey, Megan, and Clarence all made their (sometimes difficult) choices in the categories of Drama Series, Comedy Series, and Limited Series plus the associated Lead and Supporting performances. Sometimes, it truly was a Sophie’s Choice moment as many categories are clearly stacked, while some categories need some padding. Have a listen as we reveal our top choices in our annual If We Had an Emmy Ballot segment!

As always, we close with the Flash Forward to the media we’re most anticipating in the upcoming week.

Thanks for listening and thank you, in advance, for subscribing and rating us on Apple Podcasts!

 

 

 

Music from https://filmmusic.io
“Cheery Monday” by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Breaking Down Comedy Actor: Will Bill Hader Three-Peat?

This week, the Water Cooler Podcast gang looks at the 2022 Comedy Actor Emmy race. It’s looking like a 3-way race between previous winners Bill Hader (Barry) and Jason Sudeikis (Ted Lasso) plus either Martin Short or Steve Martin from Only Murders in the Building. Will Bill Hader win a third performance Emmy for his turn as hired-assassin-turned-actor Barry? Can Jason Sudeikis follow up from last year’s Ted Lasso sweep? Or will someone new break in? We look at the race and try to figure out where it’s headed on this week’s podcast.

As always, we close with the Flash Forward to the media we’re most anticipating in the upcoming week.

Thanks for listening and thank you, in advance, for subscribing and rating us on Apple Podcasts!

 

 

 

Music from https://filmmusic.io
“Cheery Monday” by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Dear Television Academy: Hear Our Emmy Wishes!

It’s that time of year again! Each year, before the Emmy Phase 1 ballots go out, we at the Water Cooler Podcast throw out positive thinking into the world (for a change)! We give our Emmy Wishes of the series, crafts, or performances we believe the Television Academy should strongly consider before marking their ballots. Call it Emmy Manifestation. So, what do Joey, Megan, and Clarence want the Television Academy to remember on Thursday? Have a listen and find out!

And what are your Emmy Wishes? Sound off in the comments below!

As always, we close with the Flash Forward to the media we’re most anticipating in the upcoming week.

Thanks for listening and thank you, in advance, for subscribing and rating us on Apple Podcasts!

 

 

 

Music from https://filmmusic.io
“Cheery Monday” by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Talking About the Ladies… Limited Ladies… Not In Terms of Talent, But Series…

Two Gays Watch podcast co-host Zacary Landolt joins the Water Cooler Gang to talk out the Limited Series Lead Actress Emmy race. Does Toni Collette belong in this race with an arguably supporting performance? Are there any more than three locked contenders? Can anyone beat The Dropout‘s Amanda Seyfried? These are but a few of the questions we pose the Cooler this week.

As always, we close with the Flash Forward to the media we’re most anticipating in the upcoming week.

Thanks for listening and thank you, in advance, for subscribing and rating us on Apple Podcasts!

 

 

 

Music from https://filmmusic.io
“Cheery Monday” by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

What Do We Make of ‘Stranger Things’ Season 4?

Stranger Things released its fourth season last Friday in advance of the Memorial Day weekend holiday. The move proved astute as audiences, free from school and work, consumed the latest entry en masse. It helped give Netflix some sorely needed good publicity after a rough few months. Although to be fair, it also had Disney+’s Obi-Wan and Tom Cruise’s Top Gun: Maverick nipping at its heels. Nonetheless, Stranger Things and Netflix claimed the title of streaming champ. That’s all well and good, but how is the show? Does season four measure up to previous seasons? Is it worse? Or does it set the stage for a triumphant final season, filming in early 2023? We dive into the latest Hawkins adventure and spitball its Emmy chances.

As always, we close with the Flash Forward to the media we’re most anticipating in the upcoming week.

Thanks for listening and thank you, in advance, for subscribing and rating us on Apple Podcasts!

 

 

 

Music from https://filmmusic.io
“Cheery Monday” by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

‘Hacks,’ ‘Flight Attendant,’ and What Defines Comedy

What defines comedy? Outside of traditional network sitcoms such as ABC’s current smash hit Abbott Elementary, premium cable and streaming services long toyed with the boundaries of what makes a comedy. For example, HBO’s Barry‘s status as a dark comedy (we’re talking pitch black) still works as its sense of humor works for many. FX’s Atlanta‘s third season seeks a more surrealist comedy slant. Hulu’s The Great takes an absurdist approach to his vaguely biographical tale of Catherine the Great. So, with the advent of two recent HBO Max series — Hacks and The Flight Attendant — we look at what makes a comedy series work. When can it stray from traditional laughs to discuss deeper, more emotionally resonant topics? And when does that dramatic turn go too far?

As always, we close with the Flash Forward to the media we’re most anticipating in the upcoming week.

Thanks for listening and thank you, in advance, for subscribing and rating us on Apple Podcasts!

 

 

 

Music from https://filmmusic.io
“Cheery Monday” by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

It’s Our Summer Movie Preview: 2022 Edition!

Movie theaters have sprung to life over the past few months with Doctor Strange, The Northman, Everything Everywhere All At Once, and more seeing healthy box office returns. Well, healthy for a pandemic-inflicted box office, that is. We’re probably looking at a new box office model where shrinking theatrical windows seem to be curtailing ultimate box office revenue. Plus, are Americans even ready to return to theaters following a 2-year hiatus? This week, the Water Cooler Gang looks forward to the summer movie season with our 2022 Summer Movie Preview. Will there be enough major films to keep that slight momentum going? What titles will continue to pull audiences back into movie theaters? Finally, what films are we most eagerly anticipating? We tackle all of this and more as we release our 2022 Summer Movie Preview!

As always, we close with the Flash Forward to the media we’re most anticipating in the upcoming week.

Thanks for listening and thank you, in advance, for subscribing and rating us on Apple Podcasts!

 

 

 

Music from https://filmmusic.io
“Cheery Monday” by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Two Crime: We’re Climbing a ‘Staircase’ to ‘Heaven’ With the Latest True Crime Limited Series Entries

Looking back at the 2022 Emmy season, one thing will be abundantly clear: the television industry (network, cable, and streaming alike) loves the true crime genre. We’ve already seen at least a dozen this year in Emmy contention. The Dropout. The Girl from Plainville. Dopesick. Impeachment. Hell, even Pam & Tommy technically qualifies. So, this week, we’re talking about two MORE major entries in the genre. First up is FX’s Under the Banner of Heaven, starring recent Oscar nominee Andrew Garfield. He plays a Mormon police detective whose exploration of a heinous and grisly murder, plus some discord in his personal life, causes a serious crisis of faith. Then, dropping this Thursday, HBO Max presents The Staircase, the retelling of the Kathleen Peterson murder case starring Toni Collete, Colin Firth, and Michael Stuhlbarg. What do we think of these new series? Will they factor into the 2022 Emmy season? And are we reaching true-crime fatigue?

As always, we close with the Flash Forward to the media we’re most anticipating in the upcoming week.

Thanks for listening and thank you, in advance, for subscribing and rating us on Apple Podcasts!

 

 

 

Music from https://filmmusic.io
“Cheery Monday” by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Does ‘Gaslit’ Light a Fire That Only Emmy Can Extinguish?

This week, the Water Cooler Gang kicks back with a cocktail to discuss Starz’s political thriller Gaslit. The limited series tells the story of Watergate from some lesser-known perspectives. Julia Roberts stars as Martha Mitchell, the “Mouth of the South,” whose marriage with Nixon Attorney General John Mitchell (Sean Penn) gave her key inside information. Downton Abbey’s Dan Stevens and Glow’s Betty Gilpin play John and Mo Dean, and Shea Whigham shocks, entertains, and terrifies in equal measure as G. Gordon Liddy. June marks the 50th anniversary of Watergate. Does the Matt Ross-directed limited series justify another look at the scandal? What Emmy consideration does the series potentially offer as we head into the end of the 2022 eligibility window?

As always, we close with the Flash Forward to the media we’re most anticipating in the upcoming week.

Thanks for listening and thank you, in advance, for subscribing and rating us on Apple Podcasts!

 

 

 

Music from https://filmmusic.io
“Cheery Monday” by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)