The beleaguered Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced its 2022 Golden Globe Awards nominations Monday (December 13) as the organization continues to operate with no TV home for its January 9 awards ceremony and under a cloud of controversy that threatens to undermine its relevance

With Snoop Dogg reading the names of the nominees — often incorrectly, to humorous effect — the Golden Globes will forge ahead even as the HFPA continues to face criticism over the lack of diversity among its board members. In a release, the HFPA said it had admitted “their largest and most diverse class to date of 21 new members, all of whom are first-time Golden Globe voters.” Still, it’s unclear if the January 9 show will air on traditional television after longtime distributor NBC announced earlier in the year that it will not televise the Globes ceremony due to the controversy.  

This year’s Golden Globes nominations in the television categories featured more diversity than last year’s nomination class. Nods for Uzo Abdula (HBO’s In Treatment) and Michaela Jae Rodriguez (FX’s Pose) in the best actress drama category, as well as Issa Rae (HBO’s Insecure) and Tracee Ellis Ross (ABC’s Black-ish) for best comedy/movie actress, and Cynthia Erivo (National Geographic’s Genius: Aretha) for best actress in a television motion picture come one year after no actresses of color were nominated in any major TV category for 2021. That was despite industry recognized performances from Emmy-nominated actress Jurnee Smollett in HBO’s Lovecraft Country and Critics Choice Awards-nominated Michaela Coel in HBO’s drama series I May Destroy You.

Also, the HFPA recognized shows featuring people of color in lead roles such as Netflix’s Squid Game and Lupin as well as FX’s Pose (best drama series), Amazon’s The Underground Railroad (best television motion picture) and FX’s Reservation Dogs (best musical/comedy series). 

The HFPA gravitated to streaming services in a big way in its nomination choices. Hulu and Netflix were the big standouts with 10 nominations each — behind only the 15 nods from the combined HBO/HBO Plus — with Apple TV Plus coming in with eight nods. 

In addition, seven of the top 10 most-nominated shows were from streaming services, led by Apple TV Plus'sThe Morning Show and Ted Lasso with four nominations each, followed by three nominations each for Hulu’s Dopesick, The Great and Only Murders in the Building, HBO Max’s Hacks, and Netflix’s Maid and Squid Game.

Also, the HFPA has often been lauded — and at times criticized — for its penchant for nominating shows that are considered outside of Hollywood’s mainstream, but this year’s list of nominations seemed to have fewer surprise nominations than in previous years. With the exceptions of Netflix’s Lupin and Squid Game along with FX’s Reservation Dogs, many of its nominations were given to the industry’s most high-profile and most talked-about shows, from top-nominated series, HBO’s Succession, to Apple TV Plus's Ted Lasso.  ■  

The main headline coming out of the Television Academy’s Emmys nomination announcement Tuesday is the dominance of the streaming services. With shows from streaming services representing eight of the top 10 most nominated shows, it’s clear that the online platform resonated with viewers, critics and Emmy voters.

With that said, there were a few highlights that traditional television distributors can hang their hats on heading into the Sept. 19 Emmy Awards show telecast. Here are several takeaways for cable and broadcast networks from Tuesday’s 73rd Emmys nominations announcement.

Read Also: Streaming Shows 'The Crown,' 'The Mandalorian,' 'WandaVision' Lead Emmy Awards Nominations 

• Along with 18 nominations, HBO’s recently cancelled Lovecraft Country became the first series ever to have Black actors nominated in both the drama best actor (Jonathan Rogers) and best actress (Jurnee Smollet) categories. The horror-themed show also has the distinction of having Black actors nominated in six of the seven drama acting categories. Overall, actors of color drew four of the six nominations in the best actor in a drama series category and half of the nominations for the best actress in a drama series award. 

Read Also: 'Lovecraft Country' Creator Outlines New Season Plot Despite Series Cancellation

• NBC’s Saturday Night Live continues to rack up Emmy nominations. The late-night series drew 21 nominations — one off its record 22 nods for a variety show garnered in 2017— and now has a record 306th Emmy nominations overall. It was one of the few bright spots for the broadcast networks, which found itself either shut out or with only one nomination in the outstanding drama, comedy and limited series categories. NBC led all broadcast networks with 46 nominations.

• HBO’s A Black Lady Sketch Show is the only show that stands in the way of Saturday Night Live winning its fifth straight Emmy in the Outstanding Variety Sketch Series category as only two shows qualified for the award.  

• FX was the most nominated basic cable network with 16, nine of which were generated by Pose, including a lead actress in a drama nomination for MJ Rodriguez — the first ever in the category for a lead trans person. VH1 (11) and National Geographic (10) also generated double-digit nominations. Overall 16 cable networks garnered Emmy nominations, matching the number of online services with Emmy nods. 

• HBO’s Last Week Tonight with John Oliver will look to make it six Emmy wins in a row in the Outstanding Talk Series category, while VH1’s RuPaul’s Drag Race will go for four straight wins in the Outstanding Competition Program category.  

The return of several long-running series help usher in the month of May on television this week. 

Hulu on April 28 will bring back its Emmy-winning series Handmaid’s Tale for its fourth season. Star Elisabeth Moss returns to the series, which has already been renewed for a fifth season. 

Returning for its third and final season is Fx’s drama series Pose. The series about New York City’s drag ball culture scene debuts May 2. Also debuting that day is the third season of Starz’s provocative anthology series The Girlfriend Experience.

Below are video trailers and premiere dates for several shows debuting the week of April 26 to May 2 on cable networks and streaming services (for some videos, viewer discretion is advised):

 April 26 -- Exposure (reality) -- Hulu

April 26 -- In Search of Darkness: Part 2 (documentary) -- Shudder

April 29 -- The Big Show with Bethenny (reality) -- HBO Max

April 29 -- Things Heard and Seen (movie) -- Netflix

April 30 -- The Mosquito Coast (drama) -- Apple TV Plus

April 30 -- The Mitchells vs The Machines (animation) -- Netflix

April 30 -- Without Remorse (action) -- Prime Video

FX Tuesday released the official video trailer for the third and final season of its Emmy-winning drama series Pose.

The series, which returns May 2, follows the lives of the leaders and icons of New York’s underground ball culture in the 1980s. Season three advances the storyline to 1994 as the show’s characters deal with the changing ballroom culture as well as the crippling AIDS epidemic, but remain steadfast in their love and support of one another, according to the network. 

Pose, co-created by Ryan Murphy, Bread Falchuk and Steven Canals, has featured the largest-ever cast of transgender actors in series regular roles, including Michaela Jaé, Dominique Jackson, Indya Moore and Hailie Sahar, who star alongside Billy Porter, Dyllón Burnside, Angel Bismark Curiel, Sandra Bernhard and Jason A. Rodriguez. 

The third and final season of Pose starts on FX May 2. Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Steven Canals created Pose, about underground ball culture in New York decades ago. The series wraps June 6. 

“In this final season, it’s now 1994 and ballroom feels like a distant memory for Blanca, who struggles to balance being a mother with being a present partner to her new love, and her latest role as a nurse’s aide,” said FX. “Meanwhile, as AIDS becomes the leading cause of death for Americans ages 25 to 44, Pray Tell contends with unexpected health burdens. Elsewhere, the emergence of a vicious new upstart house forces the House of Evangelista members to contend with their legacy.”

“Words cannot truly express my gratitude and appreciation for those who have given FX and the world the gift that is Pose,” said John Landgraf, chairman, FX. “Ryan Murphy, Steven Canals, our incomparable cast and their collaborators created a masterpiece and, in doing so, have left an indelible legacy that will open doors, new doors, for the trans community. Pose is proof that Ryan's, Dana’s [Dana Walden, Walt Disney Television chairman of entertainment] and our commitment to giving more opportunities to underrepresented writers, directors, producers, actors and craftspeople was not done to signal our virtue—but because our world is literally filled with untapped geniuses looking for nothing more than a chance to prove their extraordinary talent, beauty and value in the marketplace of stories. Pose has always been a family drama—one about acceptance and inclusion, pain and joy, struggle and perseverance and, most of all, love. The third and final season is a fitting and beautiful ending to this story.”

Pose has featured the largest-ever cast of transgender actors in series regular roles, including Michaela Jaé, Dominique Jackson, Indya Moore and Hailie Sahar, who star alongside Billy Porter, Dyllón Burnside, Angel Bismark Curiel, Sandra Bernhard and Jason A. Rodriguez. 

Murphy, Falchuk and Canals executive produce with Nina Jacobson, Brad Simpson, Alexis Martin Woodall, Sherry Marsh and Janet Mock. The show is produced by 20th Television and FX Productions.

“Pose represents a great source of pride for all of us inside Disney Television Studios,” said Walden. “We are incredibly grateful to Ryan, Steven, Brad, Janet, Nina and Brad for delivering an artistically superb, socially relevant, wildly entertaining and groundbreaking series. This show demonstrates the power of our industry to shine a light on the underrepresented and point to our common humanity—and to do it with glitter, gusto and sheer fabulousness! A special thanks to Ryan for introducing us to voices like Steven Canals and Janet Mock, and then for clearing the way for them to do their best work. Thanks also go to John Landgraf and the talented team at FX, who have been the best possible partners. And while we are sad to bid the show farewell at the end of this season, audiences are in for a beautiful and emotional final ride.” 

Murphy called Pose “one of the creative highlights of my entire career. From the very beginning when Steven Canals and I sat down to hear his vision and ideas for the show, it has been a passion project. To go from the beginning of my career in the late ‘90s when it was nearly impossible to get an LGBTQ character on television to Pose — which will go down in history for having the largest LGBTQ cast of all time — is a truly full circle moment for me.”

Murphy added, “We got to tell the exact story we wanted, as we wanted to tell it, and I'm incredibly honored and grateful. Pose’s story may end in 1996, but its impact will go on forever."

Pop TV’s Schitt’s Creek and FX’s Pose were the big winners among television programs  during the 31st annual GLAAD Media Awards ceremony.

Schitt’s Creek took home the Outstanding Comedy Series trophy, while FX’s Pose was the top choice in the Outstanding Drama Series category during the July 30 virtual ceremony of the awards, which honor media for fair, accurate, and inclusive representations of LGBTQ people and issues.

“During this era of political and cultural division, LGBTQ images in media are crucial in accelerating acceptance for the LGBTQ community and countering the dangerous rise in anti-LGBTQ rhetoric,” said GLAAD President & CEO Sarah Kate Ellis in a prepared statement. “This year’s award recipients, including Pose and Schitt’s Creek, continue to bring necessary mainstream visibility to diverse voices within the LGBTQ community, ultimately raising the bar for LGBTQ inclusion and representation in media.”

Cable network Logo on Aug. 3 will air a taped version of the GLAAD Media Awards.

Below are 31st annual GLAAD Awards winners in the television category:

Outstanding Drama Series: Pose (FX)

Outstanding Comedy Series: Schitt’s Creek (Pop)

Outstanding Individual Episode (in a series w/o a regular LGBTQ character): "Two Doors Down" Dolly Parton's Heartstrings (Netflix)

Outstanding TV Movie:Transparent: Musicale Finale (Amazon)

Outstanding Limited Series:Tales of the City (Netflix)

Outstanding Documentary:State of Pride (YouTube Originals)

Outstanding Kids & Family Programming [TIE]: The Bravest Knight (Hulu) and High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (Disney+)

Outstanding Reality Program: Are You the One? (MTV)

Outstanding Variety or Talk Show Episode: “Jonathan Van Ness: Honey, She's An Onion With All Sorts of Layers” The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (CBS)

Outstanding TV Journalism – Newsmagazine: “Am I Next? Trans and Targeted” Nightline (ABC)

Outstanding TV Journalism Segment: “One-on-One with Mayor Pete Buttigieg” The Rachel Maddow Show (MSNBC)

Special Recognition: Special (Netflix)

Outstanding Spanish-Language Scripted Television Series: El Corazón Nunca Se Equivoca (Univision)

Outstanding Spanish-Language TV Journalism – Newsmagazine [TIE]: “Después de Stonewall” (CNN en Español) and “Orgullo” Despierta América (Univision)

Outstanding Spanish-Language TV Interview: “Cómo y Cuándo Salir del Clóset” Un Nuevo Día (Telemundo)

Outstanding Spanish-Language TV Journalism Segment: “Amor Sin Condición” Noticiero Univision 33 (Univision)

Two surprise winners took home awards in the best actor and actress in a drama categories.

Pose’s Billy Porter took home the Emmy award for lead actor in a drama series for his role in FX’s Pose, besting Better Call Saul’s Bob Odenkirk, Game Of Thrones’ Kit Harington, Ozark’s Jason Bateman, This is Us’ Milo Venrimiglia and Sterling K. Brown.

Killing Eve’s Jodie Comer won for best actress in a drama series, topping series co-star and category favorite Sandra Oh, Game Of Thrones’ Emilia Clarke, House Of Cards’ Robin Wright, How to Get Away With Murder’s Viola Davis; Ozark’s Larua Linney and This Is Us’ Mandy Moore. 

Related: 'Game of Thrones' Triumphs in Best Drama Category

HBO easily regained its title as the top Emmy-nominated service, drawing a whopping 137 Emmy nominations, the TV Academy announced Tuesday morning (July 16). 

Leading HBO’s charge was Game Of Thrones, which drew an Emmy-record 32 Emmy nominations in its last year of eligibility, wiping out NYPD Blue’s 25-year record, according to the Academy.

Other shows garnering multiple nominations include Amazon’s The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (20 Emmy nominations), HBO’s Chernobyl (19), NBC's Saturday Night Live (18), HBO’s Barry and FX’s Fosse/Verdon (17).

Video streaming service Netflix - which was the most nominated service last year for the first time in its history --  finished a distant second this year with 117 nominations, led by its documentary series When They See Us, with drew 16 nominations. NBC finished third with 58 nods, followed by Amazon Prime video (47) and CBS (43).

Game Of Thrones will vie for its second straight Emmy for best drama against a host of first time-nominated shows such as Netflix’s Bodyguard, BBC America’s Killing Eve, FX’s Pose, Netflix's Ozark and HBO’s Succession. AMC’s Better Call Saul and NBC’s This Is Us rounded out the category.

HBO's Veep will look to win one more Emmy in the best comedy category after not being eligible for the award last year. Veep star Julia Louis-Dryefus will also look to add to her Emmy collection of wins for best performance by an actress in her last year of eligibility as politician Selina Meyer. 

The 71st annual Emmy Awards will air live on Fox Sept. 22, while the Creative Arts Emmy Awards will air Sept. 21 on FXX.

A complete list of Emmy shows can be found here.

HBO drew the most 2019 TCA Award nominations while FX’s Pose and Netflix’s Russian Doll topped nominations for individual shows, according to the Television Critics Association.

HBO picked up 15 nominations to lead all cable, broadcast and streaming services, with Netflix following close behind with 14, according to the TCA. FX finished third with eight nods, with Amazon, CBS, PBS, NBC, Showtime, BBC America and Pop TV all garnering multiple nominations.

Dramas Russian Doll and Pose (pictured) each drew four TCA Awards nominations, according to the organization.

The 35th annual TCA Awards will be held Aug. 3 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

The full list of TCA nominations is as follows:

INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMA

Amy Adams, "Sharp Objects" - HBO

Patricia Arquette, "Escape at Dannemora" - Showtime

Christine Baranski, "The Good Fight" - CBS All Access

Jodie Comer, "Killing Eve" - BBC America

Billy Porter, "Pose" - FX

Michelle Williams, "Fosse/Verdon" - FX

INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN COMEDY

Pamela Adlon, "Better Things" - FX

Bill Hader, "Barry" - HBO

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, "Veep" - HBO (2014 Winner in Category)

Natasha Lyonne, "Russian Doll" - Netflix

Catherine O'Hara, "Schitt's Creek" - Pop TV

Phoebe Waller-Bridge, "Fleabag" - Amazon

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN NEWS AND INFORMATION

"60 Minutes" - CBS 

"America To Me" - Starz

"Leaving Neverland" - HBO

"Our Planet" - Netflix

"The Rachel Maddow Show" - MSNBC

"Surviving R. Kelly" - Lifetime

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN REALITY

"The Great British Baking Show" - PBS

"Making It" - NBC

"Nailed It!" - Netflix

"Queer Eye" - Netflix

"Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat" - Netflix

"Tidying Up with Marie Kondo" - Netflix

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN YOUTH PROGRAMMING

"Arthur" - PBS Kids

"Carmen Sandiego" - Netflix

"Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood" - PBS Kids (2016 Winner in Category)

"Muppet Babies" - Disney Junior

"Odd Squad" - PBS Kids

"Sesame Street" - HBO (2018, 2011, 2001 Winner in Category)

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN SKETCH/VARIETY SHOWS

"Desus & Mero" - Showtime

"Full Frontal with Samantha Bee" -TBS

"I Think You Should Leave" - Netflix

"Last Week Tonight with John Oliver" - HBO (2018 Winner in Category)

"Late Night with Seth Meyers" - NBC

"The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" - CBS

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN MOVIE OR MINISERIES

"Chernobyl" - HBO

"Deadwood: The Movie" - HBO

"Escape at Dannemora" - Showtime

"Fosse/Verdon" - FX

"Sharp Objects" - HBO

"When They See Us" - Netflix

OUTSTANDING NEW PROGRAM

"Dead to Me" - Netflix

"The Other Two" - Comedy Central

"Pose" - FX

"Russian Doll" - Netflix

"Succession" - HBO

"What We Do in the Shadows" - FX

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMA

"Better Call Saul" - AMC

"The Good Fight" - CBS All Access

"Homecoming" - Amazon

"Killing Eve" - BBC America

"Pose" - FX

"Succession" - HBO

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN COMEDY

"Barry" - HBO

"Fleabag" - Amazon

"The Good Place" - NBC (2018 Winner in Category)

"The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" - Amazon

"Russian Doll" - Netflix

"Schitt's Creek" - Pop TV

"Veep" - HBO 

PROGRAM OF THE YEAR

"Chernobyl" - HBO

"Fleabag" - Amazon

"Game of Thrones" - HBO 

"Pose" - FX

"Russian Doll" - Netflix

"When They See Us" - Netflix

A slew of new and returning series on deck this week to premiere on cable and streaming services.

On June 16 HBO premieres its new drama Euphoria starring Zendaya, while Showtime debuts its crime drama City On The Hill. The first episode of the series, which stars Kevin Bacon and Aldis Hodge (pictured), is already available online.

With regard to returning shows, OWN debuts the fourth season of its drama series Queen Sugar on June 12 while Netflix premieres the third and final season of Netflix’s series Marvel’s Jessica Jones.

Below are video trailers and premiere dates for several shows debuting this week on cable networks and streaming services:

June 10 -- Straight Forward (drama series) – Acorn Tv

June 11 – Pose (returning series) –FX

June 11 – Ice On Fire (documentary) – HBO

June 12 – Krypton (returning series) – Syfy

June 12 – Younger (returning series) – TV Land

June 13 – Baskets (returning series) – FX

June 13 – Strange Angel (drama series) – CBS All Access

June 14 – Absentia (retuning series) – Prime Video

June 14 – 16 Shots (documentary) – Showtime

June 14 – Jett (drama series) – Cinemax

June 14 – Los Espookys (comedy series) – HBO

June 14 – Murder Mystery (comedy movie) – Netflix

The Peabody Board of Jurors today named nine entertainment shows and one children's program released during 2018 as award winners, and said Sesame Street would be honored for 50 years of entertaining and educating kids. They will be celebrated as part of the May 18 awards ceremony, as will documentaries that were named earlier. 

Rita Moreno will receive the Peabody Career Achievement Award, and winners in News/Radio & Podcast/Web/Public Service programming will be announced on April 23, completing the Peabody 30. 

The programs announced as Peabody Award winners Thursday are:

Steven Universe from Cartoon Network Studios (Cartoon Network). "On its surface, Rebecca Sugar’s animated series develops a complex mythology centering around the Crystal Gems—“polymorphic sentient rocks” who protect young Steven and his human friends from cosmic threats. But in this earnest fantasy epic and superhero saga, empathy is perhaps the most important superpower, something our real-world human society needs now more than ever."

Barry from HBO Entertainment in association with Alec Berg and Hanarply (HBO). "Saturday Night Live alum Bill Hader has built a dark comedy off the unlikely premise of a hitman who really wants to be an actor and earnestly pursues his dream under the guidance of his has-been acting teacher played by Henry Winkler. Even as one of the quirkiest and entertaining series on TV, “Barry” asks serious questions about emotional connection, the nature of violence, and the cost of doing whatever it takes to keep a secret."

Hannah Gadsby: Nanette from Netflix (Netflix). "Comedian Hannah Gadsby makes a major statement about the social costs of laughing at someone, and about what it means to be the brunt of a joke. She brilliantly finds the tragedy in comedy, in the process breaking apart and reconstructing the standup comedy special format. Throughout, she delivers the thunderous message of the destructive power of heteronormativity, toxic masculinity and male sexual violence, and how easily society tolerates each."

Killing Eve, by Sid Gentle Films Ltd. for BBC America (BBC America). "The tense cat-and-mouse spy thriller—serving as a vehicle for amazing performances by Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer—is also a masterful, playful recalibration of the genre, creating room not just for two women at the helm, but also for women’s interests and circumstances in almost every inch of the plot. Like its psychopathic assassin, Villanelle, it is equal parts terrifying, hilarious, slick, playful, and surprisingly soulful."

Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj, by Netflix (Netflix). "Hasan Minhaj has created the perfect model for engaging his fellow millennials in contemporary politics and public life. With his trademark high-octane energy, the first Indian-American and Muslim late-night host brings a welcome voice to political entertainment television. He’s also bold and fearless, taking on the ruthless Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman just weeks after the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi."

Pose, Fox 21 Television Studios and FX Productions (FX Networks). "Set in 1980s New York, Pose follows the ongoing rivalry between the established House of Abundance and the upstart House of Evangelista in an honest telling of trans and gay people of color at a critical time in history. Presided over by Billy Porter’s Pray Tell, the competition and its delicious melodrama serves as backdrop for the burgeoning LGBTQ community and family, doing important representational work and storytelling both on and off the ballroom floor."

Random Acts of Flyness, HBO Entertainment in association with A24 and MVMT (HBO). "Breaking the mold of what we think television is and can be, Random Acts of Flyness ponders what it means to be young and black in America and produces a layered, complex experience of wonder, joy, and insight. The series brilliantly assembles black sonic, visual, and literary worlds into a 21st century cut ‘n’ mix of black aesthetic of absurdity, critique, affirmation, and fun. Most importantly, it does so without a preoccupation with white gaze or desire, centering blackness as a complex, productive historical fact and contemporary lived experience rather than a phobic-obsessed reaction to whiteness."

The Americans, Fox 21 Television Studios and FX Productions (FX Networks). "If a great drama series is judged—at least, in part—by the way its story ends, then The Americans can easily be counted among the best TV shows in history. Over six seasons, the 1980s-set thriller centered on two Soviet spies deeply undercover as middle-class American parents in a Virginia suburb. In 2018, creators brought the acclaimed story to a masterful conclusion, forcing spies Elizabeth and Philip Jennings to make impossible choices as their carefully constructed lives imploded on multiple fronts."

The End of the F***ing World, Clerkenwell Films/Dominic Buchanan Productions for Channel 4 Television and Netflix (Netflix). "Teenage angst collides with dark British humor in this series about a self-identified psychopath and a wily high school rebel who seek adventure outside their boring suburban town. Based on a graphic novel by Charles Forsman, the British-American co-production features deeply funny and moving performances by Jessica Lawther and Alex Barden that capture the confusion of adolescence with intelligence and depth. A wonderfully unorthodox coming-of-age story for 21st century realists and hopeless romantics alike."

The Good Place, Universal Television, Fremulon and 3 Arts Entertainment (NBC). "A Peabody nominee last year, Michael Schur’s fantasy-comedy about the afterlife keeps refusing to follow the formulas of broadcast network sitcoms, constantly renegotiating its format as our favorite contemporary morality play. The energies of Kristin Bell, Ted Danson, Jameela Jamil, and D’Arcy Carden, in particular, keep the show moving with virtuosity in every unexpected laboratory from the Good Place to the Bad Place, the afterlife to the Medium Place, and of course, to Earth."

Of HBO and PBS trailblazing children's show Sesame Street, the Peabody Award organization said: "Conceived by Joan Ganz Cooney and Lloyd Morrisett, Sesame Street premiered in 1969 with wide-eyed optimism and determination to make a difference. Structured on the belief that a children’s TV show could help close an achievement gap in preparation for school, while also teaching about the values of diversity, mutual respect, and empathy, it remains one of the 1960s greatest offerings. Its central messages are about appreciating locality, accepting and valuing difference, and learning how to be a massive bird’s friend when you’re a green trash monster. And yet it teaches these lessons, day in and day out, alongside functional lessons about basic math, spelling, logic, patterns, and a love of music, art, and dance. Sesame Street is also honored for its advocacy role in reminding citizens and politicians why public broadcasting is necessary and valuable, challenging us to make a difference and to be good, caring people while we do so."

Pictured: Bill Hader and Henry Winkler in HBO's Barry.

The drama building this summer for a potential nuclear weapons summit between the United States and North Korea, the continuing discovery of malfeasance related to the #MeToo social movement, and a U.S.-less FIFA World Cup will have a tough time measuring up to the sizzling, dramatic tales in new series that cable networks and streaming services are set to unveil over the next few months.

Cable networks have traditionally used broadcast television’s summer hiatus to launch new drama series, but this year, there are more such offerings on the docket than in the past.

And most of these new shows are not traditional, garden variety dramas with clear-cut winners and losers, obvious heroes and villains or plot lines that tie up neatly at the end of each episode.

Shows Get Topical

The unique new scripted dramas reflect many of the issues facing society today. For instance, AMC’s Dietland is the story of an overweight journalist learning to love herself and her body amid a string of vigilante murders committed in the name of women’s empowerment. FX’s Pose follows characters set in the 1980s New York glamour scene, with a cast that includes an industry-first five transgender actors in starring roles.

“We are definitely living in a time with a lot of drama,” Jason Smilovic, executive producer for AT&T Audience Network’s new espionage-themed drama series Condor, said. “I think that it’s certainly timely with regards to what’s going on in the world. A lot of these shows are asking the big question of our time: Can we find common ground with each other, or are we going to fall back to the tribalism that will ultimately destroy us?”

In June alone, 10 new scripted drama series are set to premiere just on cable networks, with an additional nine launching on OTT services.

Last year, cable networks debuted 17 drama series from June through August.

Added to June’s new shows is a batch of returning drama series, including final episodes of Freeform’s teen-targeted series The Fosters; Syfy’s fantasy series 12 Monkeys; AMC’s artificial intelligence-based show Humans; Showtime’s Golden Globe-winning limited series The Affair; Netflix’s superhero series Marvel’s Luke Cage and women’s wrestling-themed GLOW; and TNT’s salon-set drama Claws.

TNT and TBS president Kevin Reilly said the summer still presents the best opportunity to generate the most noise for high-profile cable drama series, even as TNT, for one, has employed a strategy of launching shows on a year-round basis.

“It’s not like the broadcast shows are intimidating ratings-wise — because they’re not — but there is a lot of messaging [when shows premiere in the fall], so it becomes a lot harder to get people’s attention,” Reilly said. “We’re starting to push a little more toward the fall, but we continue to heavy up in the summer with our drama launches.”

In an era when a successful drama series can go a long way in defining a network’s brand, National Public Radio TV critic Eric Deggans said cable networks and streaming services this summer are tackling new, dramatic themes they hope will catch fire with viewers. This summer’s lineup also comes at a time when broadcast networks are dialing back on shows that deal with heavy subject matters in favor of more emotional dramas that almost serve as comfort food for viewers.

“There are a lot of shows coming to the fore where cable networks are taking a chance and trying to do something unique and different,” he said. “The summer is a good time for an HBO, AMC, Netflix or Hulu to try some unconventional dramas during a time when there’s less competition from the broadcast networks.”

Network executives said the summer is also a fertile time to generate strong ratings returns, particularly in delayed viewing, as viewers tend to be out of the house more enjoying the warmer temperatures.

Last year’s most-watched scripted cable series on a Nielsen live-plus-7 basis, HBO’s Game of Thrones, and cable’s top new scripted series, The Sinner on USA Network, debuted between June 1 and Aug. 31.

While the summer months can provide opportunities to launch new shows, network executives said the increase in new shows from cable and streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu and Amazon has made it more difficult to break through the clutter.

“I think we’ve known that the idea that there could be a safe space to launch something doesn’t exist anymore between broadcast, other cable networks and the OTT services — there’s no place where you have free rein anymore,” FX co-president of original programming Nick Grad said. “We’re less competition-focused with regard to when we launch shows. Right now, it’s just make a great show, market it really well, and let the chips fall where they may.”

For many networks, that means delivering content with a unique perspective or storyline that will capture viewers’ attention or super-serve a targeted demo. AMC is hoping to accomplish both tasks with Dietland, based on the novel by Sarai Walker.

The series is set in the world of high fashion and beauty, and stars Joy Nash as Plum Kettle, an overweight ghostwriter for a fashion magazine, struggling with her self-worth, who gets caught up with a bizarre vigilante group that violently targets people who mistreat women.

Dietland executive producer Marti Noxon said the series is timely, given the #MeToo and women’s empowerment movements. The show addresses such topics as misogyny and body-shaming while depicting an unlikely heroine who ultimately seeks personal comfort and acceptance within her own skin.

“It’s like Devil Wears Prada meets the Fight Club,” said Noxon, who has served as executive producer for such hit series as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, E!’s UnREAL and Bravo’s Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce. “For these characters, no matter how out of the world they are, you can relate to them, and you see the world through their eyes.”

Other dramas set to debut in June tackle themes of big, out-of-control government, as well as hot-button social issues. Epix’s Deep State is about a family man fighting to escape his past and the dark excesses of government and corporate power; Paramount Network’s Yellowstone stars Kevin Costner as a rancher trying to protect himself, his family and his land from border fights and attempted takeovers from large oil and lumber corporations; and Facebook Watch’s Five Points, in which five Chicago high-school students tell the story of a life-changing event from different perspectives, delves into gun violence and bullying.

Epix president Michael Wright said the network is betting Deep State, which stars Mark Strong (Zero Dark Thirty), will provide viewers relevant and appealing content that will stand out in a crowded summer marketplace. 

"I think you’re hoping that anything you put on today has something relevant about it,” Wright said. “In this era, whatever you put on has to be loud and it has to speak to people. We’re hoping with Deep State there is a contemporary relevance to the subject matter that gives it something that will pop and help people notice it.”

Audience Network will look to capitalize on a reboot of a successful espionage-themed movie with Condor, based on Three Days of the Condor, the 1975 thriller starring Robert Redford and Faye Dunaway.

The series follows a low-level CIA employee who seeks to find out who killed his co-workers while uncovering a plan that threatens millions Along with fans of the movie, Condor’s Smilovic said there are numerous similarities between the show’s plot and the events developing around the world that will intrigue younger viewers who are unfamiliar with the film.

“Characters are getting more complicated and gray, whereas they used to be black and white, and good and bad,” he said. “In Condor, our supposedly good characters do bad things, and our supposedly bad characters do good things.

“Television for a long time was unable to tell stories with that type of complexity of character,” Smilovic added. “Now audiences demand it.”

FX’s latest Ryan Murphy project, Pose, is a dance/musical series set in the ball culture of 1980s New York. It features transgender characters in lead roles, a rarity on television.

Grad said Pose provides an inspirational storyline that the network hopes will play well with traditional as well as underserved audiences. “It feels really different and unique and it’s incredibly inspiring,” he said. “It really takes the marginalized, underdog characters … and puts them in the lead.”

More Room for Storytelling

The arrival of new distribution outlets has afforded show producers new opportunities to tell differentiated, unique stories, even if it has also become more difficult for content to break through the clutter.

“It’s both wonderful because there is more opportunity, but it’s also harder to break through,” Noxon said. “People’s attention is so pulled in different directions — they have their phone, video games, television and movies — so the exciting thing about Dietland is that I can’t imagine anyone saying, ‘I’ve seen that story before.’ ”

Added Condor’s Smilovic: “Five years ago, we were still talking about brands, and now we no longer think about brands but about content. People will migrate to any platform for the right content, and so, being given that opportunity, I think there are way more opportunities than there were four or five years ago.”

FX will remain a formidable player in the original scripted programming arena despite prolific show producer Ryan Murphy's new Netflix deal, according to FX Networks and FX Productions CEO John Landgraf.

Landgraf, in a statement reacting to Monday night’s (Feb. 12) bombshell news that Murphy – who produced several successful FX series including Nip/Tuck and American Horror Story -- has signed an exclusive, multi-year deal with Netflix, said that FX has more than 20 scripted original series on its schedule or coming up that will continue to keep the network among the cable industry's leaders.

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He added that the network looks forward to continuing to work with Murphy for the four FX shows currently on air or in development: anthology series American Horror Story (renewed through season nine), and American Crime Story (renewed for a third season), Feud (renewed for a second season) and the upcoming series Pose.

“For more than 15 years, we have enjoyed an outstanding partnership with Ryan Murphy and we look forward to continuing that relationship on our four shows under his creative leadership,” Landgraf said. “With more than 20 scripted original series on our schedule or upcoming, FX has a very successful track record of identifying and developing talented writers who have produced award-winning hit shows and it will continue to do so.  The network has an outstanding slate of development and FX Productions has the finest roster of producers in our history.  We will continue to provide creative freedom and support for artists of all backgrounds to tell diverse stories and do their best work.”