Film and TV Picks: Catch up on Emmy-winning shows Rebel Ridge, Arcane and Andor
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Aaron Pierre as Terry Richmond in the Emmy-winning Netflix movie Rebel Ridge.
PHOTO: NETFLIX
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SINGAPORE – Adolescence, the Netflix crime series about a boy radicalised into misogyny, all but monopolised the media spotlight at the 2025 Emmy Awards on Sept 15. Here are three Emmy-winning shows that have not received as much attention as the British drama series, but deserve to be on your watch list.
Rebel Ridge (M18)
131 minutes, Netflix
★★★★☆
Winner of the Outstanding Television Movie award at the 2025 Emmys, this tense, wildly entertaining thriller follows former Marine Terry Richmond (Aaron Pierre), an innocent bystander caught by a small-town bureaucracy given unlimited powers of seizure.
Terry is robbed, in all but name, by cops using a legal process called civil asset forfeiture, a power that has been a godsend for impoverished American police departments defunded by the government.
Don Johnson is excellent as the sinister, smooth-talking police chief Sandy Burnne, who throws legalese at the vengeful Terry to keep him at bay. When that fails, the chief’s mask of civility slips and violence erupts.
Terry, a martial arts and weapons expert, is the worst opponent Sandy could have picked. The result is a guns-blazing chase through a broken system that views its weakest citizens as prey.
Arcane (M18)
Netflix
★★★★☆
(From left) Hailee Steinfeld voices Vi, while Katie Leung is Caitlyn in the Emmy-winning animated series Arcane.
PHOTO: NETFLIX
Since its first season in 2021, this fantasy animated series has built a following for its painterly art style and intricate world-building, qualities that earned it the 2025 Emmy for Outstanding Animated Programme for its second and final season.
Although based on the popular multiplayer game League Of Legends, Arcane stands well on its own, having gained recognition for how it weaves magic and monsters into a grounded story that appeals to players and non-players alike.
The story follows sisters Vi (Hailee Steinfeld) and Jinx (Ella Purnell) as they become embroiled in a civil war triggered by inequalities between the rich city of Piltover and the sisters’ impoverished home of Zaun. Season 2 concludes their arc with a finale that has won praise for its ambition.
Andor (M18)
Disney+
★★★★☆
Andor stars Diego Luna as the title character, a thief who becomes embroiled in a war against the Empire.
PHOTO: DISNEY+
Praised by critics as being the best Star Wars show ever for its writing, performances and cinematography, the two-season arc (2022 and 2025) earned several Emmy nominations during both seasons.
In 2025, it went home with several Emmys, including one for Outstanding Writing (Drama Series) for Dan Gilroy, making it the first Star Wars property to win an Emmy for writing.
The science-fiction fantasy, a prequel to movie Rogue One (2016), gets rid of the stuff that has made Star Wars a no-go for some, such as the Jedi Knight magic and the Skywalker family lore.
The story is grounded in the politics of imperial colonisation. The title character (played by Diego Luna, reprising his role as a rebel officer in Rogue One) is at the start of the series a thief who believes that staying off the Empire’s radar will lead to a peaceful life.
An absurd incident proves him wrong, forcing him to choose sides. The show peels back layers of pomp and military pageantry to show that the Empire is not a cult or ideology, but a bureaucracy staffed by ordinary people performing mundane jobs.
