Welcome to my Monday newsletter! This week, I am making my Tony Award predictions, looking at the finale of Imperfect Women and the most recent episodes of Hacks and Margo's Got Money Troubles. Also, I am counting down my Top 5 Shows Starting with L and taking a look at the Emmy race for Lead Actor and Actress in a Comedy Series!
WHAT'S NEW
I didn't have anything new to review this week (I sampled Widow's Bay and thought there were some interesting things but it wasn't for me) so I'll use this space to give my Tony Award nomination predictions. The nominations are announced tomorrow morning and it's a light year for musicals but a stacked year for plays. Here are my predictions for the major categories:
Best Musical: The Lost Boys, Schmigadoon!, Titanique, Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)
Best Revival of a Musical: Cats: The Jellicle Ball, Ragtime, The Rocky Horror Show
Best Play: The Balusters, The Fear of 13, Giant, Liberation
Best Revival of a Play: Becky Shaw, Bug, Death of a Salesman, Marjorie Prime, Oedipus
Lead Actor in a Musical: Nicholas Christopher (Chess), Luke Evans (The Rocky Horror Show), Joshua Henry (Ragtime), Sam Tutty (Two Strangers...), Brandon Uranowitz (Ragtime)
Lead Actress in a Musical: Sara Chase (Schmigadoon!), Caissie Levy (Ragtime), Lea Michele (Chess), Marla Mindelle (Titanique), Christiani Pitts (Two Strangers...)
Lead Actor in a Play: Adrian Brody (The Fear of 13), Nathan Lane (Death of a Salesman), John Lithgow (Giant), Daniel Radcliffe (Every Brilliant Thing), Mark Strong (Oedipus)
Lead Actress in a Play: Rose Byrne (Fallen Angels), Carrie Coon (Bug), Ayo Edebiri (Proof), Susannah Flood (Liberation), Lesley Manville (Oedipus)
Direction of a Musical: Cats: The Jellicle Ball, The Lost Boys, Ragtime, Schmigadoon!, Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)
Direction of a Play: Becky Shaw, Death of a Salesman, Giant, Liberation, Oedipus
Original Score: Death of a Salesman, The Lost Boys, The Queen of Versailles, Schmigadoon!, Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)
Book of a Musical: The Lost Boys, Schmigadoon!, Titanique, Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)
LAST WEEK ON...
I don't have too much to say about this show except it had a lot of people I like in the show I didn't really like. I did watch the whole season but it never quite came together for me. I thought Kerry Washington and Elisabeth Moss were both pretty underwhelming in the main roles. My favorite performance on the show was Kate Mara, who was very underused though she stood out in her showcase episode. I feel like since I started getting more into prestige TV, there have been so many shows like this - star-studded but very hollow. I think a year or two from me, I will basically remember nothing about this show.
Margo's Got Money Troubles
I'm still very much enjoying Margo's Got Money Troubles and its brilliant cast. But I'm worried the show is a bit narratively inert and I don't quite know what can be done to fix it. If this show is about a season-long arc, I'm not sure it has enough of a story to tell. It had a lot of momentum the first three episodes but now I'm not sure where it can go to justify a season-long arc. Sure, there could be ups and downs with OnlyFans or the relationship with her parents but the stakes are feeling lower than they did in the first couple episodes. But at the same time, I also don't quite know what this looks like as a regular series for a hypothetical second or third season. I will definitely keep watching, no question on that, but I just hope it can regain its momentum from the three episode premiere.
Hacks
I've been a little mixed on Hacks so far this season but I think it's rounding more into form with each passing episode. This week's double dose had some great moments. Even with no connection to The Amazing Race, Kaitlin Olsen makes any episode of Hacks better and she and Jean Smart have really crafted a great and complicated mother-daughter relationship across five seasons. I actually thought the previous episode, which also aired this week, was the strongest of the final season so far. It felt like the right kind of "Deborah's back against the wall" type of episode where Smart always shines. And I also think the archived footage of her ex's interview had shades of the dynamic between Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, which I'm always here for.
THE BEST TV ALPHABETICALLY: LETTER L
In honor of 2026, I am looking at the 26 letters of the alphabet and listing my Top 10 TV Shows of All Time that start with that letter (no "The" or "A" don't count as the first letter of a show). This week, I am looking at letter L.
It's nowhere close to I Love Lucy but The Lucy Show is not without its charms, especially those early years before Vivian Vance left the show. Lucy and Viv recall a bit of that I Love Lucy magic and its certainly better than Here's Lucy.
9. Little Fires Everywhere (Hulu, 2020)
I always associate this show with when I watched it, which was in the very early days of COVID. I thought Kerry Washington and Reese Witherspoon along with the supporting cast were very strong and I may revisit it sometime. It felt fresh at the time before these limited series with big stars got overdone. I wonder if it would feel that way watching it back.
8. The Lowdown (FX, 2025-Present)
The newest entry to the list, I was completely enamored by The Lowdown by the time it got to the end of its first season. With an instantly iconic performance by Ethan Hawke leading the way, it has a very unique voice and I'm thrilled it's coming back for a second season.
7. Little America (Apple TV, 2020-2022)
Another show I associated with the early lockdown days in 2020, the Apple TV anthology was heartwarming and uplifting at a time we all really needed it. The second season didn't work quite as well for me but it had such a noble intent and a few of those first season installments would probably make me cry again if I watched them now.
6. Laverne & Shirley (ABC, 1976-1983)
A real zany show that was definitely dumb but also fun to watch. Say what you want about this show, it was never a critical or awards darling for good reason, but Penny Marshall, Cindy Williams and the cast were willing to do anything for a laugh and there were slapstick situations galore.
5. Late Night with Seth Meyers (NBC, 2014-Present)
And now we enter the late night portion of this list with three of the Top 5 being late night shows. I don't watch Seth Meyers every night anymore (just too busy) but I always find his decisive commentary to be the best of the current late night hosts (yes, better than Colbert). His Closer Looks are a must watch. In fact, I must watch them more before he's the next late night show to go.
4. Law & Order: SVU (NBC, 1999-Present)
A mainstay on Broadcast TV. Who would have guessed when a more tawdry version of the acclaimed Law & Order debuted in 1999 that it would become the longest running TV Drama of all time? The main reason is the mainstay - Mariska Hargitay - who has made this show a mission as much as a job. It almost always stays on the right side of not being exploitative.
3. The Last of Us (HBO, 2023-Present)
I have never been a fan of post-apocalyptic shows or zombie shows but The Last of Us changed that. The first season was fantastic and I liked the second season more than many it seemed. The production values are incredible and the storytelling, while sometimes inconsistent, aims high and frequently clears the bar.
2. The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (CBS, 2005-2014)
A real underrated gem in late night TV history. At first, Craig Ferguson kind of did what every late night host did. Then about halfway through the fun, he stopped caring about those standards and got real weird and the show was better for it. The second half of his run is as funny as any late night show has ever been.
1. The Late Show with David Letterman (CBS, 1993-2015)
Yes, I know his original Late Night with David Letterman is considered the more ambitious and more impactful on what came later in late night but I am too young to remember that era. Instead, Dave was a mainstay for me towards the end of his run and I would watch him before I went to bed the way generations before me watched Johnny. When a major event happened, I wanted to hear what Dave had to say and while he wasn't always into his own show, when he cared about a guest or a topic, there was and is no one better.
AWARDS CORNER
The Lead Actor and Actress races figure to see a lot of familiar faces but the winners are less certain. On the Actress side, the favorite is four-time winner Jean Smart for the final season of Hacks but I wouldn't count out Lisa Kudrow's return to The Comeback. On the Actor side, there is no Seth Rogen this year so will it finally be Martin Short's turn? Or could Jason Segel take the crown? These are two categories that feel like they'll be tough to predict once the nominees come out. Here are my current forecasts for the two races:
Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
1. Martin Short, Only Murders in the Building
2. Jason Segel, Shrinking
3. Adam Brody, Nobody Wants This
4. Steve Martin, Only Murders in the Building
5. Jeremy Allen White, The Bear
6. Steve Carell, Rooster
Just Missing: Tim Robinson, The Chair Company
Also in the Mix:
Ethan Hawke, The Lowdown
Glen Powell, Chad Powers
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Wonder Man
Dan Levy, Big Mistakes
Tracy Morgan, The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins
Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
1. Jean Smart, Hacks
2. Lisa Kudrow, The Comeback
3. Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary
4. Elle Fanning, Margo's Got Money Troubles
5. Ayo Edebiri, The Bear
6. Kristen Bell, Nobody Wants This
Just Missing: Selena Gomez, Only Murders in the Building
Also in the Mix:
Jenna Ortega, Wednesday
Kristen Wiig, Palm Royale
Maya Rudolph, Loot
Carrie Preston, Elsbeth
Rose Byrne, Platonic
COMING UP
As we head towards the end of the Emmy eligibility window, things get a lot quieter. On Wednesday, Prime Video has the second season of Citadel. The first season, which aired in Spring 2023, got a lot of promotion as an attempt from Prime Video to build a franchise. But after mixed reviews and a shrug from audiences, the second season doesn't seem to have any attention at all. On Thursday, Peacock has the binge drop of M.I.A., a thriller/crime drama set in South Florida and starring Shannon Gisela and Cary Elwes among others. The premiere will also get an airing on NBC a week after its premiere. Also premiering Thursday is the third season of The Terror on AMC+ and Shudder. Subtitled "Devil in Silver," the series was revived for this third installment after last airing in 2019. A couple other shows worth noting are not American productions but could get some attention: Netflix's four episode limited series adaptation of Lord of the Flies, dropping today, and Starz's Amadeus, a show that got a decent amount of attention when it premiered on Sky in the UK back in December.
If you are looking for my Pilot Re-Reviews that have been in this newsletter before, I am now a contributor to The TV Ratings Guide and posting them there on Tuesdays!
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