And the Emmy goes to …

For the first time in seven years, Game of Thrones isn’t nominated for the Emmy Award for best drama, and none of the contenders this year have won the category before. (Thrones, which won the past two years, likely would be a shoo-in if it hadn’t scheduled its season premier after the eligibility date.)

That means the field is wide open for the seven nominees going into Sunday night’s awards ceremony. Four shows up for best drama—Better Call Saul, Westworld, House of Cards, and The Handmaid’s Tale—are unofficially competing to take prime-time TV lower than it’s ever gone before. Just when it seems the shows’ characters have found the boundaries of their lust for power, they decide to take things a little farther.

But three shows in the category stand out for their portrayal of sacrificial love. The Crown shows a young queen setting aside her pride and comfort for love of her country. In Stranger Things, adolescents work together to save a friend in need. And in NBC’s This Is Us, the only broadcast network show on the list, adult children lean on their parents and siblings to get through everyday struggles such as weight loss, breakups, addiction, job changes, and the deaths of loved ones.

This Is Us was a breakout hit last fall—make that the breakout hit last fall amid a season of lackluster ratings. An Emmy would punctuate the show’s success and send a message to executives that viewers want more shows that lift up family as a good thing. The drama, which is often compared to Parenthood and Friday Night Lights, has things you won’t see elsewhere on TV: a father who takes his leadership role seriously, a couple committed to making their marriage the best it can be, a multidimensional portrayal of the challenges and triumphs of adoption, and a group of people who define success by the strength of their relationships, not the thickness of their wallets.

This Is Us is still mainstream TV. Homosexuality, premarital sex, drug use, and some funky New Age theology all play supporting roles. But the show’s overarching theme, while not explicitly Christian, comes from the Bible whether intentional or not: “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10).

Trace Adkins performs during a memorial service for country music singer Troy Gentry at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tenn. Associated Press/Photo by Mark Humphrey

Memorial in Nashville

Country music stars gathered Thursday at the Grand Ole Opry to remember Troy Gentry, who died a week ago in a helicopter crash at age 50. Gentry was half of the popular duo Montgomery Gentry, which rose to popularity in the late 1990s and early 2000s with a mix of Southern rock and country hits, including “Roll With Me,” “Back When I Knew It All,” “Lucky Man,” “Something to Be Proud Of,” and “If You Ever Stop Loving Me.” Gentry and Eddie Montgomery were inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 2009. During his memorial service Thursday, Gentry’s casket was placed in the famous circle in the middle of the Opry stage. Vince Gill, Charlie Daniels, Trace Adkins, and others sang some of his favorite songs, and a full-sized Batman costume stood beside the casket in honor of his favorite superhero. The Lexington (Kentucky) Herald-Ledger posted videos of several of the inspirational speeches and moving performances, which are worth watching. —L.L.

Trace Adkins performs during a memorial service for country music singer Troy Gentry at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tenn. Associated Press/Photo by Mark Humphrey

Paul comes to the silver screen

Sony’s AFFIRM Films is shooting a feature-length movie on the life of the Apostle Paul. It stars Jim Caviezel, who played Jesus in The Passion of the Christ, and James Faulkner, who had supporting roles in Downton Abbey and Game of Thrones. “This gripping film dives deep into the final months before Paul’s execution under Nero as he reconciles his faith with his past persecution of the church,” AFFIRM executive vice president Rich Peluso said. AFFIRM distributed other well-known faith-based films such as Soul Surfer, Heaven Is for Real, and War Room. The dramatization of the life of Paul is scheduled for release sometime in 2018. —L.L.

Is horror the future of Hollywood?

Movie theater owners are thanking their lucky stars for It, the Stephen King adaptation that’s on track to be one of the biggest blockbusters of the year. After disappointing summer returns at box offices, It debuted Sept. 6 with the best-ever opening weekend for a horror movie in North America. Vanity Fair chalked up the killer clown flick’s success partly to nostalgia marketing. It’s a remake and it’s set in the 1980s, both pay dirt with millennials. TV and film writer Joanna Robinson predicted Hollywood might shift more toward horror films in the future, since they draw a crowd to theaters better than other genres that viewers would rather watch home alone on the couch. WORLD Magazine reviewer Sophia Lee said the movie “merits no recommendation” and offers little more than a series of hair-raising gimmicks. —L.L.

Art for the ears

WORLD Radio has arts and entertainment covered this weekend. Listening In features an in-depth interview with Randall Goodgame, who specializes in writing children’s Bible songs and is also the mastermind of some of contemporary Christian music’s smash hits. On Friday’s The World and Everything in It, Megan Basham discusses her review of a documentary about the life and conversion of classic Hollywood icon Steve McQueen and Paul Butler talks about how the Reformation changed worship music. —L.L.