The Emmy-nominated TV shows you need to watch immediately. And where to watch them.

The 2021 Emmys are happening this Sunday night (Monday morning our time). 

The awards show recognises the best TV from the year, so you can bet the shows that receive awards are pretty damn good. 

Honestly, it's just been a bloody great year for TV. 

So, from gritty addictive thrillers to groundbreaking representation, here are the 7 Emmy-nominated shows you need to watch this weekend: 

Mare of Easttown

Image: Binge.  

It's hard to sum up the brilliance that is Mare of Easttown. 

It's a crime drama, and a mystery, and at times a comedy, but it's also a study of the human condition. 

The series stars a greasy pony-tailed Kate Winslet as Detective Mare Sheehan, Jean Smart as her mum, an unexpectedly attractive Evan Peters as her partner Detective Colin Zabel, and Guy Pearce as her mysterious silver fox love interest. 

Mare is juggling work with caring for her young grandson and grieving the loss of her own son, when a local girl's body is found in the woods. 

Her life begins to unravel as she gets closer and closer to the truth and discovers the secrets those closest to her are hiding. 

Watch it if you like: Greasy ponytails, silver foxes, your crime dramas with a side a lols, and brilliant twists. 

You can watch Mare of Easttown on Binge and On Demand on Foxtel now. 

I May Destroy You

Image: Binge.  

It's been over a year since I first watched I May Destroy You and I still think about it often. 

The series is created by and stars Michaela Coel, the brains behind the hit British comedy, Chewing Gum. 

The series - which took two and a half years and 191 drafts to complete - is a fictionalised version of Coel's own experience of sexual assault. 

In episode one, the show's heroine Arabella Essiedu (played by Coel) is drugged and sexually assaulted. She spends most of the 12-episode season unable to remember the night in question and attempting to put together the pieces of the puzzle to bring her assailant to justice. 

While I May Destroy You deals with serious topics, it's punctuated by scenes of pure humour and life-affirming moments. 

Watch it if you like: Anything Michaela Coel touches, British television at its best, and your trauma with a side of humour. 

You can watch I May Destroy You on Binge and On Demand on Foxtel. 

Hacks

Image: Stan.  

Hacks is one of those shows everyone should be talking about.

It's brilliantly funny and at times poignant and just a really enjoyable watch. 

The series stars Jean Smart (Mare's mum!) as veteran comedian Deborah Vance. Think Joan Rivers but with sparkling kimonos. 

Deborah has been at the top of her game for years, but when her regular Las Vegas show is in danger of being cancelled, she hires a 'woke' millennial to help write her jokes. 

What follows is a story about generational differences, female friendship and what happens after failure. 

Watch it if you like: Yelling at millennials, old school humour, Feel Good, and shows about female friendship. 

You can watch the entire first season of Hacks on Stan now. 

Ted Lasso

Image: Apple TV Plus.  

I think if I could choose what heaven looks like it would involve me sitting on a comfy couch, eating chips, while Ted Lasso gives me inspirational speeches and Roy Kent yells at me a little.

That is how much joy I get from watching Ted Lasso. 

The series stars Jason Sudeikis as Ted Lasso, an American college football coach who is unexpectedly recruited to coach an English Premier League team, AFC Richmond, despite having no experience in association football.

And knowing absolutely nothing about the game. 

What makes Ted Lasso such a brilliant TV show is the main character's relentless positivity in the face of adversity. And Roy Kent's relentless... swearing. 

It's heartwarming and funny and exactly what we need right now. 

Watch it if you like: Moustaches, being an underdog, calling tea 'hot brown water' and yellin' a lot. 

The entire first season of Ted Lasso is streaming on Apple TV+ now, and new episodes are dropping weekly. 

POSE

Image: Binge.  

POSE is a groundbreaking TV series that definitely doesn't get enough hype. 

The series was created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk (Gwyneth Paltrow's fella) and Steve Canals and it has received critical acclaim for all three seasons. 

The first season is set in New York City's African-American and Latino LGBTQ and gender-nonconforming drag ball culture scene in the 1980s. In the second season, it moves to the early 1990s, and the third season covers the mid to late 90s. 

It stars Billy Porter as Pray Tell, the emcee of the balls, as well as Evan Peters, Kate Mara and James Van Der Beek. 

Watch it if you like: A James Van Der Beek cameo, fabulous fashion, and stories that don't often get told on screen. 

You can watch all three seasons of POSE on Binge or On Demand on Foxtel. 

Shrill

Image: SBS on Demand.  

Shrill is the TV show I desperately needed growing up in the 1990s. 

The comedy-drama series is based on Lindy West's bestselling memoir Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman, which was one of the most talked about books when it was released in 2016. 

The series stars Saturday Night Live veteran Aidy Bryant as Annie Easton, a plus-size woman who sets out to change her life, but never her body.

Throughout the three season series, Annie finds her writing voice, becomes more comfortable with her body, and confronts her biggest troll. 

It's bold, at times confronting, and overall a bloody fun watch. 

All three seasons of Shrill are streaming on SBS On Demand. 

The Flight Attendant

Image: Binge.  

The Flight Attendant is an absolute joy to watch, if only for Kaley Cuoco's glorious curtain fringe. 

The series, which is based on the novel of the same name by New York Times best-selling author Chris Bohjalian, is part tongue-in-cheek millennial comedy and part dark psychological thriller.

With just a smidge of brutal murder and a smattering of exotic locations thrown in for good measure. 

After a one-night stand in Bangkok, flight attendant Cassie (Cuoco) wakes up with the man's dead body in bed next to her.

She spends the rest of the series trying to piece together what happened that night, while being pursued by a number of dangerous people, and also just being a bit of a sh*t person. 

It's funny and fast-paced and the perfect show for a weekend binge. 

You can watch the first season of The Flight Attendant on Binge and On Demand on Foxtel now. 

Keryn Donnelly is Mamamia's Pop Culture Editor. For more of her TV, film and book recommendations and to see photos of her dog, follow her on Instagram.

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