Don’t Sleep on These 18 Series This Emmys Season: ‘The Last of Us,’ ‘Forever’ and More

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Variety Critics Pick Emmys Righteous Gemstones Forever Andor

Everyone knows “The White Lotus,” “The Pitt,” “Severance” and “The Studio” are set to (deservedly) dominate this year’s Emmy Awards. But what about the other worthy shows that may not be as obvious — like Peacock’s lush assassin spy series “The Day of the Jackal,” or Bridget Everett’s quietly heart-wrenching “Somebody Somewhere”? Once again, Variety’s television critics Alison Herman and Aramide Tinubu have curated a list of series they believe most deserve the Television Academy’s appreciation this year, with an eye toward some underappreciated gems (though we still couldn’t resist praising “Presumed Innocent” and “Andor”).

Adolescence

Image Credit: Netflix

Created by Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham, Netflix’s limited series is a chilling examination of murder, toxic masculinity and what it has done to young men. The series follows 13-year-old Jamie (Owen Cooper), who is roused from his bed in the early morning hours and arrested under suspicion of murdering his female classmate. Helmer Philip Barantini uses his signature one-shot style throughout all four episodes, allowing the audience to follow Jamie’s arrest, the evidence against him and how this incident affects his classmates, friends, family members and even the child therapist (Erin Doherty) assigned to his case. Dark and brilliantly written, this show unpacks how the manosphere has so rapidly permeated young people’s lives through social media. — Aramide Tinubu
Andor

Image Credit: Lucasfilm

Tony Gilroy’s two-season Disney+ drama is so much more than a prequel to “Rogue One,” or even the best of the “Star Wars” TV series to roll out since “The Mandalorian” helped launch the service in 2019. It’s a nuanced, stirring, perceptive study of fascism and rebellion in its own right, drawing on real-world history and phasing out the supernatural aspects of its franchise to deliver a resonant ensemble drama. Diego Luna’s Rebel pilot may be the show’s namesake, but “Andor” is really a cross-section study of the ordinary people it takes to both run an empire and slowly shirk off its yoke. From spymaster Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgård) to Imperial inspector Dedra Meero (Denise Gough), “Andor” proves it doesn’t take lightsabers or the Force to make a story stick with us. — Alison Herman
A Thousand Blows

Image Credit: Robert Viglasky

“Peaky Blinders” creator Steven Knight returned with a Hulu drama series set in London’s East End in 1880. The series follows Hezekiah Moscow (Malachi Kirby) and Alec Munroe (Francis Lovehall), who
arrive to the U.K. searching for new opportunities. What they don’t anticipate is being caught between the rageful gangster Sugar Goodson (Stephen Graham), who looms over the East End, and Mary Carr (Erin Doherty), who leads a rag-tag group of women criminals called the Forty Elephants. A tale of sexism, racism, loyalty and revenge, Knight unveils this rarely seen underworld while centering on a group of outsiders determined to get more than the world is willing to
offer them. — A.T.
The Day of the Jackal

Image Credit: Courtesy of Peacock/Sky

From “Top Boy” creator Ronan Bennett, Peacock’s “The Day of the Jackal” is a dynamic drama depicting a cat-and-mouse game between an impeccable chameleon and the MI6 agent determined to stop him. Jackal (Eddie Redmayne) is an anonymous and highly sought-after assassin who finds himself on the radar of law enforcement after a job goes awry. With arms specialist Bianca Pullman (Lashana Lynch) on his tail, he does everything possible to evade capture. However, in doing so, he begins to make costly mistakes. A truly engaging drama, the series is a complex web of espionage and a story about two goal-obsessed people on a breathless adventure that neither will likely survive. — A.T.
Dying for Sex

Image Credit: Sarah Shatz/FX

A show about terminal cancer doesn’t sound like a comedy, but few shows this year have made me laugh more than “New Girl” collaborators Elizabeth Meriwether and Kim Rosenstock’s take on the hit podcast-as-memoir, driven by Michelle Williams’ triumphant performance as Molly, a woman whose diagnosis sparks a sexual odyssey. “Dying for Sex” is both deadly serious about the redemptive potential of embracing kink and slyly irreverent about everything else. But for all Molly’s erotic adventures with urine fetishes and cock cages, and Williams’ sweet, strange chemistry with Rob Delaney’s hunky neighbor, the true romance of the show is between Molly and her best friend Nicki (Jenny Slate). Both dying and sex, it turns out, are a form of intimacy. Molly may be gone, but her bond with Nicki is eternal. — A.H.
Everybody’s Live With John Mulaney

Image Credit: Adam Rose/Netflix

The comedian resurrected last year’s limited-run talk show and extended it into a more enduring, but no less whimsical, experiment in live comedy. “Everybody’s Live” got off to a rockier start than “Everybody’s in L.A.”; the call-in segments are still frequently awkward and generally hit-or-miss. But that’s the risk run by a show that’s so gleefully willing to try anything, and mercifully liberated from its guests’ promotional cycles. Mulaney has whoever he wants on his couch, from Joan Baez to an HR expert, and lets his writers pursue their interests, no matter how niche. A Christmas episode in April? Why not! A behind-the-scenes documentary about sidekick Richard Kind’s failed Charli XCX joke? The same! Mulaney’s stand-up is all meticulous control; it’s thrilling to watch the performer give himself over to zany anarchy. — A.H.
Forever

Image Credit: Courtesy of Elizabeth Morris/Netflix

Inspired by Judy Blume’s groundbreaking novel, Mara Brock Akil’s “Forever” is breathtaking television. Set in Los Angeles in 2018, the series follows track star Keisha Clark (Lovie Simone) and basketball player Justin Edwards (Michael Cooper Jr.) as they try to navigate their final high school years and their burgeoning romantic relationship. A nuanced and exceptional showcase of first romances, Brock Akil offers a tapestry of young Black love so rarely seen on television that it feels magical. Tender and vividly exquisite, with stunning cinematography and a perfect soundtrack, the series takes audiences on an emotional journey full of love, anguish and a slew of firsts. — A.T.
Industry

Image Credit: HBO

The Academy is historically loath to recognize series that fail to break through in its first season, but no show deserves a belated nod more than HBO’s finance drama, which has leveled up alongside its protagonists as they climb the ladder of London’s cutthroat banking scene. Amoral American Harper Stern (Myha’la) now shares the spotlight with Yasmin Kara-Hanani (Marisa Abela), a publishing heiress who ultimately chooses the comforting shield of money over confronting her generational trauma. Creators Mickey Down and Konrad Kay even ended the season by putting a stake through the heart of the bank that previously defined the show, giving “Industry” a thrillingly blank slate going into Season 4. If that doesn’t merit a plaudit or two, I’m not sure what does. — A.H
Joan

Image Credit: ITV

Based on Joan Hannington’s memoir, “I Am What I Am: The True Story of Britain’s Most Notorious Jewel Thief,” and adapted for television by Anna Symon, Sophie Turner stands at the center of the CW’s “Joan.” Set in London in the mid-1980s, the series follows Joan, who begins to use her obsession with wealth and jewels to pull off several cons to get her young daughter back in her care. Teaming up with Boisie (Frank Dillane), a criminally minded antiques dealer, the pair embark on a journey of terrifying choices fueled by an obsession with power, deception and wealth. Unpacking Joan’s emotional interior makes this narrative so distinct. — A.T.
The Last of Us

Image Credit: HBO

Fans of the original game knew the brutal twist in HBO’s marquee video game adaptation was coming, but that didn’t take the sting out of watching Pedro Pascal’s gruffly protective Joel succumb to the long-term consequences of his actions. America may be riddled with infected mushroom zombies, but “The Last of Us” remains a story about people, and the toll survival takes on their souls. Ellie (Bella Ramsey) has grown into a violent, vengeful adult, one who’s unable to see just how much she has in common with her new mortal enemy Abby (Kaitlyn Dever). With more runway to tell its story, afforded by a Season 3 renewal, “The Last of Us” is able to embrace both sides of the spectrum from intimate emotion to sweeping spectacle. Newcomers Isabela Merced and Young Mazino help fill the chasm left by Pascal, even if his absence will always loom. — A.H
Long Bright River

Image Credit: David Holloway/Peacock

Based on Liz Moore’s best-selling novel and adapted for Peacock by Moore and Nikki Toscano, “Long Bright River” is much more than a murder mystery. It’s a series about sisterhood, connections and the truths people would rather keep hidden. The series follows Philadelphia patrol cop Mickey Fitzpatrick (Amanda Seyfried), who has watched her community and her younger sister Kacey (Ashleigh Cummings) succumb to poverty, addiction and negligence. When unhoused sex workers start turning up dead, Mickey and her former partner Truman Dawes (Nicholas Pinnock) begin down a path that none of their colleagues care to follow. They uncover a haunting labyrinth created by cycles of disempowerment and despair. — A.T.
The Penguin

Image Credit: Macall Polay/HBO

Set one week after the events of Matt Reeves’ 2022 film “The Batman,” Lauren LeFranc’s “The Penguin” centers on the rise of Oz “the Penguin” Cobb (Colin Farrell), who uses the death of his boss as an opportunity to seize power in Gotham. However, the return of Carmine’s formally institutionalized daughter, Sofia Falcone (Cristin Milioti), throws him for a loop. As much as “The Penguin” is Oz’s story, it’s also Sofia’s. Molded by differing traumas, they are worthy adversaries. Twisted and disturbing, the series is a masterful examination of criminality. — A.T.
Presumed Innocent

Image Credit: Apple TV+

Based on Scott Turow’s 1987 novel of the same name, David E. Kelley’s miniseries offers a new and updated perspective, differentiating it from the 1990 film adaptation. This version follows Chicago’s chief deputy prosecutor, Rusty Sabich (Jake Gyllenhaal), who finds himself on trial for the gruesome murder of his colleague and lover, Carolyn Polhemus (Renate Reinsve). The Apple TV+ series paints a portrait of a man who can’t quite reconcile his image with his actions. Bending between narcissism and charm, Rusty is an enigma, and so is the crime he may or may not have committed. — A.T.
The Rehearsal

Image Credit: Allyson Riggs/HBO

Three years after its first season elevated his brain-bending performance art to new heights, Nathan Fielder has soared even higher for Season 2 of his HBO series — specifically, to the skies, where he decides to apply his signature technique to the pilot-on-pilot communication issues he’s convinced are responsible for the vast majority of plane crashes. That aviation safety is now very much in the news is just one of the many magic tricks Fielder pulls off on his namesake character’s voyage down the rabbit hole. It may not initially be clear how a supersized crib, a makeshift Nazi lair or a bogus singing competition connect to plane crashes, but with enough time spent in Fielder’s bizarre brain, it all starts to make strange, hilarious sense. — A.H.
The Righteous Gemstones

Image Credit: Connie Chornuk

Danny McBride’s magnum opus about a dysfunctional family of Southern televangelists hit a crescendo in its final season, ensuring the HBO comedy ended on a high note. Siblings Jesse (McBride), Judy (Edi Patterson) and Kelvin (Adam Devine) have faced their fair share of challenges: mourning their late mother Aimee Leigh (Jennifer Nettles), seeing Judy’s husband BJ (Tim Baltz) paralyzed in a freak pole dancing accident and sinking millions into a vanity project so their Uncle Baby Billy (Walton Goggins) could play “Teenjus” all caused some stress. But patriarch Eli (John Goodman) falling for family friend Lori (Megan Mullally) truly tested the kids, and not just because they caught the two in flagrante delicto. En route to the Gemstones’ happy ending, they had to accept their dad — and themselves — finally moving on, even as the show looked back with a bravura premiere starring Bradley Cooper in a Civil War flashback. Closure is hard to come by, but “The Righteous Gemstones” nailed it. — A.H.
Say Nothing

Image Credit: CR: Rob Youngson/FX

Patrick Radden Keefe’s nonfiction book on the Troubles in Northern Ireland was already essential reading. In dramatizing the true-life stories of IRA fighters Brendan Hughes (Anthony Boyle) and Dolours Price (Lola Petticrew), the FX limited series builds on Keefe’s reporting to show the human costs of fighting even a righteous cause. “Say Nothing” asks provocative questions about the relationship between violent resistance and legitimate politics, but grounds that inquiry in the experience of real human beings — both complicated figures like Brendan and Dolours as well as innocent bystanders like Jean McConville (Judith Roddy), the single mother whose disappearance casts a long shadow over her community. Most ambiguous of all is Gerry Adams (Josh Finan), a man who exemplifies the moral compromise of conflict resolution. “Say Nothing” understands the price of peace, and argues it’s still worth paying. — A.H.
Somebody Somewhere

Image Credit: HBO Max

HBO’s Peabody Award-winning dramedy “Somebody Somewhere” remained exceptional television throughout its three-season run. The series follows Sam Miller (Bridget Everett), who returns to her hometown of Manhattan, Kan., following her sister’s illness and subsequent death. The show centers on Sam’s grief and anger, her bond with her best friend, Joel (Jeff Hiller), and pushing forward despite her tendency to withdraw into old habits of isolation and self-loathing. In the final season, Sam bonds with her other sister, Tricia (Mary Catherine Garrison), and finds a connection with a new man, Iceland (Darri Ólafsson), as she continues to navigate all the rough and tumble that life throws her way. — A.T.
Your Friends & Neighbors

Image Credit: Apple TV+

Narratives centering on the dread of middle-aged men are rarely enticing. However, with Apple TV+’s “Your Friends & Neighbors,” creator Jonathan Tropper offers a complex narrative of Andrew “Coop” Cooper (Jon Hamm), a recently fired hedge fund manager struggling to cope as the fragments of his formerly “perfect” life begin slipping through his fingers. Still intensely bitter about his ex-wife Mel’s (Amanda Peet) affair that led to the end of their marriage, and increasingly distant from his children, “Coop” cooks up a scheme to maintain his lavish lifestyle: he begins stealing from his neighbors in his affluent Westmont Village community and finds himself going down a path of criminality from which he will likely never be able to recover. More than an assessment of the falsity of the American dream, the series examines what can be masked with money and influence. — A.T.