Top 10 Emmy nominated shows to binge-watch

The 2014 Emmys are coming up on Monday night, and dozens of incredible shows are nominated. As much as we’d all like to be familiar with each of the nominees, it’s unlikely many of us will have seen every show that’s up for an award.

But although we might not be able to watch all 62 episodes of Breaking Bad before the big night, there are a number of nominees with a small number of episodes that can easily be consumed in time to be caught up with the Emmys. In fact, thanks to on demand services like Netflix, some of these shows are perfect for being consumed in a binge, either because the plot naturally carries over from one episode to another, or because they’re simply so entertaining, it’s impossible to watch just one at a time.

With a weekend ahead of us before the Emmys, here are the top 10 Emmy nominated shows to binge-watch.

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10. The Newsroom

The Newsroom doesn't quite live up to Aaron Sorkin’s finest work, The West Wing, but it still provides enough of Sorkin’s unique style of writing to be worth investing some time into.

The series follows Will McAvoy (Jeff Daniels), an anchor for a failing news station whose ratings suddenly spike when he starts going off book, committed to finding the truth in the news. What’s interesting about the series is that it covers actual news events. Where as The West Wing would revolve around fictional political scenarios, The Newsroom’s characters report on actual stories, like the killing of Osama Bin Laden, the trial of George Zimmerman, and the 2012 election.

Where the show really shines is with the performances, and with the actors' abilities to perform Sorkin’s monologues in a way that’s often emotional and inspired. Running in at just two short seasons seasons, and with the third season being the show’s last, it’s a perfect small commitment show to be worth binging through.

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9. Louie

There is absolutely nothing on television quite like Louie.

Comedian Louis C.K writes, directs, and stars in this FX series as Louie, an exaggerated version of himself. Completely different from your traditional comedy show, Louie is always trying new things, telling all different kinds of stories with varying structures that usually stand alone. Because of this, almost any episode of Louie can be watched by itself, with the exception of a few episodes divided into several parts.

One particularly inspired episode of the most recent season, called “In the Woods,” was a brilliant, movie length story about Louis’ real experience with drugs in high school, which his older self reflects upon as his daughter is coming of age. If this episode was considered as a movie, it would be one of the best movies of 2014. Even without having seen Seasons 1 through 3, some of these Season 4 episodes of Louie are absolutely worth binging on this weekend.

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8. Veep

Comedies are often even more worthy of binging on than dramas. Usually coming in at just 20 or 30 minutes, two or three episodes of a show like Veep can be consumed in the time it would take to watch one episode of True Detective.

Starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Vice President Selina Meyer, Veep is a brilliant political comedy which finds humor through an insane set of characters being put through ridiculous scenarios that arise on a politician’s staff, like having a lengthy debate about what ice cream flavor Selina should choose during a photo-op.

Each of Veep’s three seasons are only 10 episodes and, because it’s a half hour comedy, it’s so easily consumable and hilarious that’s it’s practically impossible to watch just one episode per sitting.

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7. American Horror Story: Coven

Though the series is going into its fourth season, because it’s an anthology show, any season of American Horror Story can be watched without watching the previous seasons. This makes the third season, nominated for Outstanding Miniseries, a perfect way to jump into the show for new viewers.

The third season, referred to as American Horror Story: Coven, follows a boarding school for young witches in New Orleans, with its history tracing back to Salem. One of the hooks of the first episode of Coven is the idea of the “supreme,” a witch born every generation who will take over control of the coven. As we’re introduced to our main characters, we try to figure out which one of these women will become the next supreme by the end of the season.

American Horror Story is a crazy, often very cheesy show, but its always wildly entertaining both for horror and non-horror fans alike.

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6. Silicon Valley

Created by the brilliant Mike Judge, best known for his work on the film Office Space, Silicon Valley is a hilarious satire of startup culture in San Francisco. It focuses on a programmer, played by Thomas Middleditch, who suddenly becomes worth millions when he develops a new music app.

The series is a hilarious portrayal of Silicon Valley, where our leads can’t even go to a doctor’s appointment without their doctor pitching his idea for an app. But even if you aren’t too into technology, it’s just a very funny and well written series with exactly what you’d want from any comedy: a strong cast which plays well off one another.
The series is up for Best Comedy Series and, clocking in at just about 4 hours total, is just entertaining and short enough to be worth checking out this weekend.

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5. Orange is the New Black

Along with House of Cards, Orange is the New Black is a show that it seems practically everyone experiences through a binge.

Some shows are basically made for binge-watching, with a story that naturally leads into the next episode and basically functions like a long movie. Orange is the New Black isn’t really like that. The story takes its time, each episode often focusing on one character in addition to the ensemble, and so its a series you watch for character, not plot. But even if you won’t always be dying to see what happens next, the show is still worthy of binging just because its so entertaining to spend time with these people.

The series follows Piper Chapman (Taylor Schilling), a woman sentenced to 15 months in prison for a crime she committed ten years ago. She’s uprooted from her upper middle class lifestyle and forced to adapt in a woman’s prison. But really, Piper is just the lens through which we view the series, and through which we meet one of the most incredible ensemble casts in any show these days. Each of these women is a fully fleshed out character, often with surprising and emotional back-stories. It’s not a show you’ll keep binging because of its plot, but its characters are so rich that you’ll simply never get enough of them.

[ new page = Sherlock ]

4. Sherlock

Sherlock is easily the best adaptation of the classic character we’ve seen on screen this century, but even putting aside all the baggage that comes with a beloved character that’s over 100 years old, it’s just a really great mystery show, and a whole lot of fun.

The series, which stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock and Martin Freeman as Watson, is very easily digestible at only 9 episodes total. Fitting into the trend of television becoming more like film, each episode of Sherlock is essentially a movie, clocking in at 90 minutes and usually being a standalone adventure.

Because of its unique format, Sherlock nominates one episode each year in the Miniseries or Movie category, this year nominating the Season 3 finale, “His Last Vow.” The series doesn’t quite receive the Emmys attention it deserves, but it’s still a fun, exciting adventure that’s more than worthy of binging.

[ new page = House of Cards ]

3. House of Cards

House of Cards is arguably the show that introduced binge-watching into popular culture. It popularized Netflix’s philosophy of releasing every episode of a show at one time, rather than on a week by week basis, and viewers soon found that the show was so entertaining, they just couldn’t resist watching the entire thing within a day or two of release.

Starring Kevin Spacey as Congressman Frank Underwood, a delightfully conniving politician who, when betrayed by the President, goes on a quest for revenge and for power. Like Walter White before him, Underwood is a character who you love to hate, and that all comes down to Spacey’s performance. He’s such a presence on the screen that you can’t take your eyes on him, as he breaks the fourth wall and glances at the camera like he’s Jim from The Office. There’s something just so entertaining about watching this arguably bad guy ruthlessly take down everyone around him.

All 26 episodes of House of Cards are currently available on Netflix, and if that seems like a lot, you’ll be surprised how many you’ll find yourself getting through in a single sitting.

[ new page = Fargo ]

2. Fargo

Sometimes getting into a new TV show can be a daunting process. If the show is successful, it’s likely you’re investing yourself in a story that will continue for 6 or 7 years.

Like the next show on this list, Fargo is perfect for a binge because the story has already ended. Coming in at 10 episodes, Fargo has a story that completes itself over that time, as Season 2 will be a completely new story with new characters.

Fargo is based on the Coen Brothers film in setting and tone, but following a completely unique story and characters. Like Breaking Bad, the story opens on an average guy, Lester (Martin Freeman), who gets caught up in a crime that soon becomes much bigger than him.

Easily the biggest takeaway from Fargo is the performance by Billy Bob Thornton, who plays the series’ villain. He is as chilling and unforgettable as any film villain we’ve seen in recent years. Fargo is full of magnificent performances though, also including Martin Freeman, Bob Odenkirk, Allison Tolman and Colin Hanks. It’s an unforgettable series which, best of all, is available in its entirety right now.

[ new page = True Detective ]

1. True Detective

True Detective is likely going to be huge at the Emmys this year, and the hype is well deserved. This is the show that proves once and for all that television can be just as good, if not better, than film.

The series stars Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson as homicide detectives investigating a grisly murder in Louisiana, which leads to the pursuit of a serial killer with a past slowly uncovered over the course of the eight episodes.

Despite being an HBO show, True Detective really feels more like an eight hour movie. Each episode flows very naturally into the next one, and because the series covers a new story every season, we don’t have to wait four of five seasons to see the conclusion of this story. We start True Detective knowing it has a definitive ending.

With beautiful cinematography, movie quality writing, and two unforgettable performances from Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson is a show so good that you really can’t help but to binge it, and now’s the perfect time to start.

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