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The best TV of 2018 so far

The Assassination Of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (FX)

The Assassination Of Gianni Versace didn’t seize the zeitgeist the way its predecessor did, but it still made for a focused tragedy told in novel fashion a visual flair fit for the late fashion icon of its title. Played with tremendous warmth by Édgar Ramírez, Versace is ultimately a supporting character here, the spotlight falling on Darren Criss, doing the best work of his career as Versace’s murderer, Andrew Cunanan. At turns magnetic and terrifying, Criss plays Andrew as a creature of pathological confidence and need, forged from the pressures of the American dream and an internalized homophobia whose external manifestations allowed his crimes to go overlooked and under-investigated for months. In the mixed-up chronology of Tom Rob Smith’s scripts, The Assassination Of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story shows not how the monster was once a man, but how the man always had some bit of monstrousness impressed upon him, an ugliness that festered in Cunanan and claimed the lives of others, until it snuffed out one of the world’s true champions of beauty. [Erik Adams]

The best TV of 2018 so far

20 Best New TV Shows of 2018 So Far

#16 (tie): The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story: Season 1

Ryan Murphy originally planned for a Hurricane Katrina-themed season of his American Crime Story anthology series to follow 2016’s wildly acclaimed The People v. O.J. Simpson. But with the Katrina season now being retooled (it should air in 2019), the anthology’s second installment instead focuses on a series of murders in the 1990s, culminating in the shocking 1997 killing of fashion designer Gianni Versace (played by Edgar Ramirez) in Miami.

Despite the title, the series mostly focuses on the life of serial killer Andrew Cunanan (Glee’s Darren Criss), and his story (based on Maureen Orth’s book Vulgar Favors) is told in reverse, beginning with Versace’s assassination and then moving backwards to fill in the details.

“Assassination may not be as enjoyable to watch as O.J., but it’s striking to see how thoughtfully all involved approach a very different story in a way that gives it its own tone, its own themes, and its own grandeur. This is a more difficult but more ambitious work, and it stands as a worthy companion.” —Todd VanDerWerff, Vox

20 Best New TV Shows of 2018 So Far

Imagen Foundation Announces Nominees for the 33rd Annual Imagen Awards

Los Angeles, CA, June 28, 2018 – The Imagen Foundation today announced 103 nominations in 18 categories for the 33rd Annual Imagen Awards to be presented Saturday evening, August 25, at the JW Marriott Los Angeles at LA Live.

The Imagen Awards is the only premier Latino entertainment awards program dedicated to honoring the positive portrayal and creative excellence of Latinos and Latino cultures in television and film. For over 30 years The Imagen Foundation has honored and celebrated inclusion and diversity in the entertainment industry. Recognizing actors/actresses, studios, executives, etc. with their forefront performances and contributions to diversity in Hollywood.

The Imagen Awards nominees are determined by an independent panel of entertainment industry executives and Latino community leaders.

Best Primetime Program – Specials, Movies & Mini-Series

The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (FX Networks; Fox 21 Television Studios and FX Productions)

Genius: Picasso (National Geographic; National Geographic presents an Imagine Television & Fox 21 Television Studio Production)

The Long Road Home (National Geographic; Phoenix Pictures, Finngate Television, and Fuzzy Door for National Geographic)

Oprah at the Apollo (OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network; Harpo)

Best Actor – Television

Antonio Banderas, Genius: Picasso (National Geographic; National Geographic presents an Imagine Television & Fox 21 Television Studio Production)

E.J. Bonilla, The Long Road Home (National Geographic; Phoenix Pictures, Finngate Television, and Fuzzy Door for National Geographic)

Joaquim de Almeida, Queen of the South (USA Network; Fox Television and Universal Cable Productions)

Alfonso Herrera, The Exorcist (FOX; 20th Century Fox Television/Morgan Creek Productions)

Christian Navarro, 13 Reasons Why (Netflix; Paramount Television/Netflix)

Sergio Peris-Mencheta, Snowfall (FX Networks; FX Productions)

Edgar Ramirez, The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (FX Networks; Fox 21 Television Studios and FX Productions)

Miles Gaston Villanueva, Law and Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders (NBC; NBCUniversal and Wolf Entertainment)

Imagen Foundation Announces Nominees for the 33rd Annual Imagen Awards

Watch Julia Roberts, Connie Britton, and Sarah Paulson Honor Ryan Murphy

Prolific producer and director Ryan Murphy will be recognized at VH1’s Trailblazer Honors for highlighting queer stories in projects like The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, The Normal Heart, and his latest hit, Pose. He has also launched the Half Initiative, a program designed to create equal opportunities for women and minorities behind the camera.

Watch Julia Roberts, Connie Britton, and Sarah Paulson Honor Ryan Murphy

Top 6 Emmy hopefuls I’m rooting for: Peter Capaldi, Rami Malek, Finn Wittrock …

I’m the patron saint of lost Emmy causes — is it still too late for “Buffy” and “The Wire”? — so while my colleague Marcus James Dixon recently singled out actors and actresses he’s rooting for who are on the bubble based on our racetrack odds, I’m focusing on the deep bench of 100/1 long shots who deserve recognition this year. But sometimes long shots pay off. […]

Cody Fern and Finn Wittrock (“The Assassination of Gianni Versace”) — Best Movie/Mini Supporting Actor

Darren Criss and Edgar Ramirez are currently expected to win Emmys as killer Andrew Cunanan and slain fashion designer Gianni Versace, respectively. But for me the heart of the series was in the middle episodes that focus on Cunanan’s earlier victims. The stories of Jeff Trail and David Madson— and the actors who play them, Finn Wittrock and Cody Fern — illustrate with great insight the psychological toll of homophobia and sexual shame. Cunanan was able to exploit that to ingratiate himself with both of them. He was the monster in their closet.

Top 6 Emmy hopefuls I’m rooting for: Peter Capaldi, Rami Malek, Finn Wittrock …

Samira Wiley and Ryan Eggold to Announce 70th Emmy Nominations

The Television Academy announced today that Samira Wiley and Ryan Eggold will present the nominations for the 70th Emmy Awards from the Wolf Theatre at the Television Academy’s Saban Media Center on Thursday, July 12 at 8:30 AM PT /11:30 AM ET.

Television Academy Chairman and CEO Hayma Washington will join Wiley and Eggold at the nominations ceremony, which will stream live on Emmys.com.

“It has been another exceptional year in television marked by extraordinary storytelling from a wealth of diverse and innovative content creators,” said Washington. “We are pleased to have these two talented performers join us to announce this year’s Emmy nominees and to celebrate television excellence.”

Samira Wiley and Ryan Eggold to Announce 70th Emmy Nominations

The Top 10 TV Shows of 2018 (So Far)

07. THE ASSASSINATION OF GIANNA VERSACE: AMERICAN CRIME STORY (FX)

Season: two, following The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story. Nine episodes. Finale aired March 21st.

Who’s In It? Darren Criss, Edgar Ramirez, Penelope Cruz, Cody Fern, Finn Wittrock, Ricky Martin, Judith Light, Mike Farrell, Max Greenfield

Best Outing: Episode 5, “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell”

Must-See TV: If David Lynch reigned over television in 2017, this year belongs to Ryan Murphy. But, we already knew that back in January, when the second season of American Crime Story swept everyone away to the lascivious ’90s. On the surface, it’s a total distillation of Murphy’s worst trademarks — his hit-or-miss brand of melodrama, his ensemble of larger-than-life caricatures, and his manic, sweeping gesticulations at cultural commentary — only it’s made pure through execution. Stylish, sensual, and curiously affecting, The Assassination of Gianni Versace feels like a genuine statement from the veteran producer (and from writer Tom Rob Smith).

Much like the first season wasn’t really about the OJ Simpson, this series is hardly about Versace. Instead, it’s a lavish and sobering portrait of queer culture, not just for yesterday, but today. Through the eyes of spree killer Andrew Cunanan, played to dizzying spectacle by Darren Criss, we witness a thriving scene hampered by society around it. It’s a tricky line Murphy toes, and one that hasn’t been without its share of controversy, but he nails it. And thanks to a saucy soundtrack that ranges from Phil Collins to Laura Branigan to Aimee Mann covering the goddamn Cars, Murphy makes it an event. –Michael Roffman

Extra! Extra! Read Allison Shoemaker’s review here.

The Top 10 TV Shows of 2018 (So Far)

The Best TV of 2018 (So Far)

2. The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story

Just as The People vs. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story wasn’t just about the OJ case, The Assassination of Gianni Versace isn’t just about the fashion icon’s murder at the hands of Andrew Cunanan. Showrunner Ryan Murphy uses Versace’s death as the jumping off point to assess the ripple effects of homophobia in the United States, while still telling the gripping true story it’s based on with impeccable casting, pacey scripts, and slick production values. Murphy takes bold risks with the storytelling structure too, opening with the killing and reversing through Cunanan’s meltdown to trace the trail of destruction he wreaked.

The Best TV of 2018 (So Far)