What to Binge Before the 2018 Emmys: ‘Godless,’ ‘Killing Eve,’ ‘Barry’ & More
The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story: 487 minutes
The biggest commitment on this list happens to be one of the most-nominated series of the year. The FX drama, which tracks the events leading up to and following the titular murder, received 18 nominations — including nods for actors Darren Criss, Ricky Martin, and Penélope Cruz.
Godless: 452 minutes
A women-run town in the Wild West fends off a murderous gang of outlaws in this Netflix drama, which earned 12 nods this year — including nominations for Merritt Wever, Jeff Daniels, and Michelle Dockery. (If you ever wanted to see Lady Mary from Downton Abbey wield a rifle, now’s your golden opportunity.)
Blue Planet II: 394 minutes
Coming 16 years after the original Blue Planet, this BBC docu-series presents groundbreaking footage of marine life in stunning 4K resolution, taking us from the shallows of the world’s coral reefs to the depths of the Mariana Trench as Emmy nominee Sir David Attenborough narrates the wonder.
Killing Eve: 334 minutes
This cat-and-mouse thriller from BBC America earned high marks for casting women as the hero and the villain but also became the first show in more than 10 years to consistently gain viewers from week to week. Grey’s Anatomy alum Sandra Oh is nominated for an Emmy this year, and Vulture even deemed her “the best actress on TV” for her performance.
GLOW: 325 minutes
Meet the “Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling” in this Netflix dramedy based on a real-life women’s wrestling circuit. The cast includes Community’s Alison Brie as Ruth “Zoya the Destroya” Wilder and Master of Sex’s Betty Gilpin as Debbie “Liberty Belle” Eagan, and the latter actress’s performance earned her one of the show’s 10 nominations this year.
Patrick Melrose: 299 minutes
Can Benedict Cumberbatch do no wrong? The Sherlock star earned his sixth Emmy nomination for this Showtime miniseries, based a semi-autobiographical book series by Edward St. Aubyn, a story of familial trauma amid England’s upper crust. Cumberbatch’s “dazzling performance … reminds us why he’s become one of the internet’s most obsessive riddles,” raves The Daily Beast.
Barry: 243 minutes
A hit man becomes a community theater actor in this tragicomedy, which rocks a 98% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, thanks in no small part to the multi-talented Bill Hader. The Saturday Night Live vet netted four nominations this year for writing, directing, and acting in the Netflix series (and a fifth for his return to SNL).
The Tale: 115 minutes
HBO snapped up this film at Sundance, and the premium cabler is probably thanking its lucky stars it did. Like Patrick Melrose, The Tale focuses on the decades-long effects of childhood sexual abuse. Fresh off her Emmy win for Big Little Lies last year, Laura Dern is nominated again this year for her starring role in this film.
Fahrenheit 451: 101 minutes
Michael B. Jordan and Michael Shannon headline this HBO movie, the latest adaptation of Ray Bradbury’s classic 1953 novel about a totalitarian dystopia in which books are banned. It scooped up nominations for Outstanding Television Movie and Outstanding Fantasy Fantasy/Sci-Fi Costumes, among other nods.
Black Mirror, “USS Callister”: 76 minutes
Netflix anthology Black Mirror returned for its fourth season with a tour de force installment. “USS Callister” sees Friday Night Lights grad Jesse Plemons, who landed one of the episode’s seven nominations, as a programmer who exacts revenge on his coworkers through a Ready Player One-style virtual reality world.
Gay of Thrones: 32 minutes
Sure, Queer Eye got its well-deserved share of Emmy love this year, but we’re even happier that grooming guru Jonathan Van Ness got a nomination for his prior claim to fame, a Funny or Die web series in which he retells Game of Thrones episodes while working as a hairdresser. We’re recommending the Season 7 recaps — with episode titles like “Yeastwatch” and “The Sores of Whores” — but the whole series slays.
Grey’s Anatomy: B-Team: 19 minutes
Grey’s got its first Emmy nomination in six years for this short-form web-series, which follows the latest batch of Grey Sloan interns as they settle into their new jobs at the hospital. Fun fact: All six episodes were directed by departing Grey’s star Sarah Drew, marking her directorial debut.
How much TV viewing can you tackle in days leading up to the 70th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards?
Before the award show airs live on NBC on September 17, get acquainted with some of this year’s buzziest and best-received nominees with the viewing guide above. Don’t feel obligated to watch all of these shows and TV movies, but if you put in some hours every night and all day next weekend, you should be able to make a solid dent!
Click through the list above for series available to binge right now, from HBO’s Barry to BBC America’s Killing Eve and more!
