7 Emmy-nominated shows to catch up on

The 72nd pandemic-set edition of TV’s biggest prize is now less than three weeks away, which means now is the time to start bingeing the Emmy-nominated titles you may have missed. This TV team has recommended seven series its members love from the pool of nominees.

‘A Black Lady Sketch Show’ (HBO)

Created by Robin Thede, former head writer of “The Nightly Show With Larry Wilmore” and host of “The Rundown With Robin Thede,” variety sketch series nominee “A Black Lady Sketch Show” is subversive, smart and above all a joy to watch. That is, of course, a testament to the talent and range of the stars — Thede, Ashley Nicole Black, Quinta Brunson and Gabrielle Dennis — who exemplify the revolutionary possibilities of a show that includes more than one funny Black woman. Additional “A Black Lady Sketch Show” nominations include directing in a variety series for Dime Davis and guest actress in a comedy series for Angela Bassett.

‘Insecure’ (HBO)

Among many other things, the fourth season of “Insecure” charts the gradual fracturing of a yearslong friendship, a unique kind of loss that most of us know all too well. And it’s so authentically illustrated thanks to brilliantly lean writing, thoughtful cinematography, insightful music supervision and understated performances by Issa Rae and Yvonne Orji, both of whom nabbed nominations this year.

‘One Day at a Time’ (Pop TV)

The updated version of the classic family sitcom, which is nominated for multicam picture editing for a comedy series at this year’s Emmys, centers on

Yvonne Orji and Issa Rae star in “Insecure.” Both actors received Emmy nominations for their performances.

Brian Cox and Jeremy Strong in the drama “Succession.”

the Alvarez family. Presenting the Alvarez clan as a typical American family, it will make you laugh, it will make you cry, it will make you think — and it will make you wonder how Rita Moreno and Justina Machado have not been nominated for an Emmy.

‘Ramy’ (Hulu)

Now in its second season, the Hulu series about a misguided Muslim American millennial (played by

series creator and star Ramy Youssef ) who’s looking for spiritual guidance and affirmation in suburban New Jersey dives deeper than most dramas into themes of identity, assimilation and good ol’ American self-loathing. Youssef is up for comedy director and performer. Mahershala Ali (who plays Sheikh Ali Malik) is up for his supporting performance. Taboos are tackled with humor and insight

Merritt Wever, left, and Toni Collette in “Unbelievable.”

across both seasons, inside a narrative that constantly challenges the norms of series TV.

‘Schitt’s Creek’ (Pop TV)

Up for 15 Emmys in its sixth and final year, this very funny Canadian smalltown comedy is an emotional refuge in a fretful time. There are nominations in all four comedy acting categories and for writing, directing, casting, hair, makeup and costume

— all crucial to the series, fans will know. And there is a nomination for the series itself, which began as a riches-to-rags, fish-out-ofwater comedy about a formerly wealthy family sharing adjoining rooms in a motel, and built into a surprisingly high-stakes story of acceptance, selfknowledge and love. The initial premise may seem familiar, but there is nothing trite about where they take it, and nothing stock about the characters. Their originality makes their quirks not just real, but really kind of moving.

‘Succession’ (HBO)

Blending the caustic humor of “Veep” and the bloodthirsty dynastic struggle of “Game of Thrones” into a lavishly produced drama, “Succession” is a viciously funny drama about the 1% that invites sympathy and stirs repulsion in equal measure. Created by Jesse Armstrong, the series follows the Roy family, headed by patriarch Logan (Brian Cox), founder of Waystar Royco, a vast media and entertainment conglomerate whose holdings include a right-leaning cable news network. When Logan is hospitalized after a nearfatal brain hemorrhage, his adult children — all of whom struggle with major daddy issues — scramble for control of the company.

‘Unbelievable’ (Netflix)

Netflix’s limited series, co-created by Susannah Grant, Ayelet Waldman and Michael Chabon, offers a revolutionary portrait of rape. Based on a true story, “Unbelievable” de-centers the perpetrator and instead turns its careful, empathic energies to the survivor. It also turns the case’s complex narrative, with two investigations in two states on two distinct timelines, into a forceful portrait of the additional trauma inflicted when we fail to believe those who come forward about being sexually assaulted. One focuses on Marie (Kaitlyn Dever), a young woman in the Seattle area who is charged with filing a false police report after being raped by a home invader, the other on a pair of tenacious Colorado cops (Merritt Wever and Emmy nominee Toni Collette) in pursuit of a serial rapist, but it is their deft intertwining, equal parts brutal and brilliant, that makes “Unbelievable” unforgettable.