Published Date: 08-21-14

Television’s big night is just days away, but don’t worry – there’s still time to binge-watch your favorite Emmy-nominated shows.

The 66th Primetime Emmy Awards, hosted by Seth Meyers, air on Monday, August 25, at 8 ET/5 PT on NBC. And just about all of the top nominated shows that everyone is talking about – from Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones, to Mad Men, House of Cards, and Veep – are available to U.S. audiences on a variety of legal digital platforms that support creativity (as opposed to pirate sites). Services like Amazon Prime, iTunes, Netflix, HBO Go, Hulu, and Vudu are providing audiences with unprecedented access when, where, and how they want it. That’s good news for audiences. It’s also good for creators. When audiences get their creative content from a legitimate site, it supports the overall creative economy . . . that helps fund even more creative content . . . and that is more good news for audiences.

  1. Amazon Prime: Find out what turn-of-the-century life was like on Downton Abbey. All four seasons of the Emmy-nominated show are available on Amazon Prime.
  2. Apple iTunes: Get your nerd on anytime you want with all seven seasons of The Big Bang Theory. iTunes also has all five seasons of Breaking Bad and Modern Family, all four seasons of Downton Abbey, all eight episodes of True Detective, all three seasons of Veep, and the first three seasons of Game of Thrones.
  3. Cinema Now: Best Buy’s online streaming platform has a long list of award-nominated television titles including Game of Thrones (first three seasons), Masters of Sex (first season), and Nurse Jackie (first five seasons). You can also watch every episode of every season of American Horror Story, Breaking Bad, Fargo, Girls, Homeland, House of Cards, Louie, Mad Men, Mike & Molly, Modern Family, Mom, Shameless, The Americans, The Big Bang Theory, The Newsroom, The White Queen, Treme, True Detective, and Veep.
  4. Google Play: Mad Men fans are dying to know how things will turn out for Don Draper. Before Mad Men’s conclusion, make sure you’re all caught up – including the first half of season seven (the second half hasn’t aired yet). On Google Play, you can also watch the first season of The Newsroom, the first three seasons of Game of Thrones, and both seasons of House of Cards.
  5. HBO GO: Support Selina Meyer and her campaign of misfits for President on Veep. Or get caught up on True Detective and Silicon Valley. HBO GO also offers favorites like The Sopranos, Eastbound and Down, and Entourage, among others. You can find HBO GO online or on the app with any device. You can also access it using AppleTV, Roku, connected televisions, or game consoles.
  6. Hulu: Before the Emmys, you can watch Cam and Mitchell’s two-episode wedding or get the family together and watch the entire fifth season of Modern Family.
  7. M-GO: Learn about the life of William H. Master with the first season of Masters of Sex. Or watch Julianna Margulies in her hit series The Good Wife.
  8. Netflix: Dark, dangerous characters like Tony Soprano exposed our inner villain, opening the door for characters like Breaking Bad’s Walter White. Our depravity clearly knows no bounds. When season four was released on Netflix, 50,000 people binge-watched all 13 episodes in one day. Sick of politics as usual? Escape into Rep. Frank Underwood’s corrupt political world in House of Cards on Netflix. Hey, at least it’s fiction! Netflix also has both seasons of Orange is the New Black and FX’s hit comedy series Louie.
  9. OnDemand Cable and Satellite: If you have a cable or a satellite subscription, a ton of Emmy-contending shows are available on demand to watch at your convenience. Check your listings.
  10. Showtime Anytime: Through the premium channel’s online platform, Showtime subscribers can watch all seasons of Homeland, Masters of Sex, and Ray Donovan where and when they want – online or on any device.
  11. Starz Play: Starz subscribers who use this app can watch all episodes of the Emmy-nominated mini-series White Queen, a drama set in 15th Century England about three women vying for the throne.
  12. Target Ticket: Target’s website has many Emmy-nominated titles available for digital purchase, including The Big Bang Theory (season seven), Breaking Bad (season six), Fargo (season one), Game of Thrones (season three), Homeland (first two seasons), House of Cards (season one), Louie (season three), Mad Men (seasons six and the half of seven that has aired), Modern Family (season five), The Newsroom (season one), Shameless (season three), True Detective (season one), and Veep (season one).
  13. Vudu: This digital service is the new kid on the block, but it offers the entire Breaking Bad, Downton Abbey, Louie, Mad Men, Modern Family, and True Detective catalogues – plus the first three seasons of Game of Thrones.
  14. Libraries: Here’s yet another legal way to watch movies and TV shows that some people may overlook: the local library. They have a lot more than just books and magazines. Check out your local branch’s TV selection…and their movies, too!

Lots of choices – how to keep track of them all? Well, there are websites to help you find your way through all the choices – check out WhereToWatch.org, CanIStream.it, or GoWatchit.com. Why does it matter? Why not just go to a pirate site and grab these great shows off of there? – because where you watch has a real impact on individual creators and the overall creative economy. Go to one of the legitimate sites in this article and enjoy all this great creativity – in a way that rewards creativity and hard work.