The annual Critics’ Choice Awards were given out last night and there were a number of surprises like no nomination for Tatiana Maslany this year, and awards for FX shows that come a bit later than maybe they should have, just for two.
It was a light year for broadcast TV once again – only three awards to network shows, but basic cable did better than okay with eight. Online productions nabbed as many awards as broadcast. Hmmmm…
Follow the jump for the complete list of winners – with a brief commentary where it occurs to me.
Critics’ Choice TV Awards: Winners List
BEST DRAMA SERIES
The Americans (FX) — WINNER
Empire (Fox)
Game of Thrones (HBO)
The Good Wife (CBS)
Homeland (Showtime)
Justified (FX)
Orange Is the New Black (Netflix)
One of the best shows you’re not watching – only critical love and network support seems to be keeping this show on the air. Given the competition, this came as a surprise. It’s also much deserved.
BEST COMEDY SERIES
Silicon Valley (HBO) — WINNER
Broad City (Comedy Central)
Jane the Virgin (The CW)
Mom (CBS)
Transparent (Amazon)
Veep (HBO)
You’re the Worst (FX)
The big surprise here is not that Silicon Valley won, but that Transparent and/or Jane the Virgin lost.
BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Taraji P. Henson, Empire (FOX) — WINNER
Eva Green, Penny Dreadful (Showtime)
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife (CBS)
Keri Russell, The Americans (FX)
Vera Farmiga, Bates Motel (A&E)
Viola Davis, How to Get Away with Murder (ABC)
This came as a surprise to me only because Viola Davis and Eva Green were so damned good in their respective roles. The votes had to be really close here. And where was Tatiana Maslany…?
BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul (AMC) — WINNER
Aden Young, Rectify (Sundance)
Charlie Hunnam, Sons of Anarchy (FX)
Freddie Highmore, Bates Motel (A&E)
Matthew Rhys, The Americans (FX)
Timothy Olyphant, Justified (FX)
I had pegged Matthew Rhys or Charlie Hunnam here. They had really bravura seasons – especially Hunnam.
Odenkirk, though, demonstarted even more range on Better Call Saul than he did in Breaking Bad, so this more of a pleasant surpise than a WTF moment.
BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Jeffrey Tambor, Transparent (Amazon) — WINNER
Anthony Anderson, Black-ish (ABC)
Chris Messina, The Mindy Project (FOX)
Johnny Galecki, The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
Thomas Middleditch, Silicon Valley (HBO)
Will Forte, The Last Man on Earth (FOX)
There was no way anyone else was winning here – not even Will forte in his best role ever.
BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Amy Schumer, Inside Amy Schumer (Comedy Central) — WINNER
Constance Wu, Fresh Off the Boat (ABC)
Gina Rodriguez, Jane the Virgin (The CW)
Ilana Glazer, Broad City (Comedy Central)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep (HBO)
Lisa Kudrow, The Comeback (HBO)
I had figured that Gina Rodriguez would win, but looking back at some of the best moments of Inside Amy Schumer, it’s easy to see why she won.
BEST LIMITED SERIES
Olive Kitteridge (HBO) — WINNER
24: Live Another Day (FOX)
American Crime (ABC)
The Book of Negroes (BET)
The Honorable Woman (Sundance)
Wolf Hall (PBS)
I was pulling for The Book of Negroes. It was truly unique and utterly fascinating. Olive, sad to say, put me to sleep.
BEST MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Bessie (HBO) — WINNER
Killing Jesus (National Geographic Channel)
Nightingale (HBO)
A Poet in New York (BBC America)
Stockholm, Pennsylvania (Lifetime)
No doubt at all here. Bessie wasn’t fl;awless, but Queen Latifah was.
BEST ACTRESS IN A MOVIE OR LIMITED SERIES
Frances McDormand, Olive Kitteridge (HBO) — WINNER
Aunjanue Ellis, The Book of Negroes (BET)
Felicity Huffman, American Crime (ABC)
Jessica Lange, American Horror Story: Freak Show (FX)
Maggie Gyllenhaal, The Honorable Woman (Sundance)
Queen Latifah, Bessie (HBO)
Again, huge surprise – in this case, that Queen Latifah didn’t win. Or Aunjanue Ellis, who also superb.
BEST REALITY SERIES HOST
Cat Deeley, So You Think You Can Dance (FOX) — WINNER
Anthony Bourdain, Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown (CNN)
Betty White, Betty White’s Off Their Rockers (Lifetime)
James Lipton, Inside the Actors Studio (Bravo)
Phil Keoghan, The Amazing Race (CBS)
Tom Bergeron, Dancing with the Stars (ABC)
I only ever watched Inside The Actors Studio, so whatever…
BEST REALITY COMPETITION SERIES
Face Off (Syfy) — WINNER
The Amazing Race (CBS)
America’s Got Talent (NBC)
Dancing With the Stars (ABC)
MasterChef Junior (FOX)
The Voice (NBC)
Okay, hands up if you saw this coming! I sure didn’t – and couldn’t be happier. It’s about time.
BEST REALITY SERIES
Shark Tank (ABC) — WINNER
Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown (CNN)
Deadliest Catch (Discovery Channel)
Married at First Sight (A&E)
MythBusters (Discovery Channel)
Undercover Boss (CBS)
Did the sun come up in the east this morning. Okay then.
BEST GUEST PERFORMER IN A DRAMA SERIES
Sam Elliott, Justified (FX) — WINNER
Cicely Tyson, How to Get Away with Murder (ABC)
Julianne Nicholson, Masters of Sex (Showtime)
Linda Lavin, The Good Wife (CBS)
Lois Smith, The Americans (FX)
Walton Goggins, Sons of Anarchy (FX)
Yup. Ma’am.
BEST GUEST PERFORMER IN A COMEDY SERIES
Bradley Whitford, Transparent (Amazon) — WINNER
Becky Ann Baker, Girls (HBO)
Josh Charles, Inside Amy Schumer (Comedy Central)
Laurie Metcalf, The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
Peter Gallagher, Togetherness (HBO)
Susie Essman, Broad City (Comedy Central)
Did. not. see. this. coming.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Allison Janney, Mom (CBS) — WINNER
Carrie Brownstein, Portlandia (IFC)
Eden Sher, The Middle (ABC)
Judith Light, Transparent (Amazon)
Mayim Bialik, The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
Melanie Lynskey, Togetherness (HBO)
At least Edie Falco wasn’t incorrectly nominated again (Nurse Jackie is so not a comedy).
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
T.J. Miller, Silicon Valley (HBO) — WINNER
Adam Driver, Girls (HBO)
Cameron Monaghan, Shameless (Showtime)
Jaime Camil, Jane the Virgin (The CW)
Tituss Burgess, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Netflix)
Tony Hale, Veep (HBO)
Tony Hale just gets no respect.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Lorraine Toussaint, Orange Is the New Black (Netflix) — WINNER
Carrie Coon, The Leftovers (HBO)
Christine Baranski, The Good Wife (CBS)
Joelle Carter, Justified (FX)
Katheryn Winnick, Vikings (History)
Mae Whitman, Parenthood (NBC)
Can’t complain about this – though Shaw cable, who run A&E up here in the Great White North, cut into Toussaint’s acceptance speech just as she started to thank Jenji Kohan, ran two commercials and then cut back to the Awards show just Archer, in time for the awards show to go to commercial. There’s no excuse for that! (But I watched the encore presentation and caught the rest of her speech – and it was a good one. Shame on you Shaw Cable!)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Jonathan Banks, Better Call Saul (AMC) — WINNER
Ben Mendelsohn, Bloodline (Netflix)
Christopher Eccleston, The Leftovers (HBO)
Craig T. Nelson, Parenthood (NBC)
Mandy Patinkin, Homeland (Showtime)
Walton Goggins, Justified (FX)
I wanted Walton Goggins to win. Not only is the man a great actor, he’s a great interview. On the other hand, Banks was certainly my second choice.
BEST ACTOR IN A MOVIE OR LIMITED SERIES
David Oyelowo, Nightingale (HBO) — WINNER
James Nesbitt, The Missing (Starz)
Kiefer Sutherland, 24: Live Another Day (FOX)
Mark Rylance, Wolf Hall (PBS)
Michael Gambon, The Casual Vacancy (HBO)
Richard Jenkins, Olive Kitteridge (HBO)
Only Nesbitt even came close to Oyelowo’s intensity.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MOVIE OR LIMITED SERIES
Bill Murray, Olive Kitteridge (HBO) — WINNER
Cory Michael Smith, Olive Kitteridge (HBO)
Elvis Nolasco, American Crime (ABC)
Finn Wittrock, American Horror Story: Freak Show (FX)
Jason Isaacs, Stockholm, Pennsylvania (Lifetime)
Jonathan Pryce, Wolf Hall (PBS)
No comment.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MOVIE OR LIMITED SERIES
Sarah Paulson, American Horror Story: Freak Show (FX) — WINNER
Claire Foy, Wolf Hall (PBS)
Cynthia Nixon, Stockholm, Pennsylvania (Lifetime)
Janet McTeer, The Honorable Woman (Sundance)
Khandi Alexander, Bessie (HBO)
Mo’Nique, Bessie (HBO)
Good choice.
BEST ANIMATED SERIES
Archer (FX) — WINNER
Bob’s Burgers (FOX)
Gravity Falls (Disney Channel)
The Simpsons (FOX)
South Park (Comedy Central)
Star Wars (Disney XD)
I’ve been saying since season one, Archer is the best animated series on TV. It’s always nice to be right.
BEST TALK SHOW
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart (Comedy Central) — WINNER
The Graham Norton Show (BBC America)
Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC)
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)
The Late Late Show with James Corden (CBS)
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (NBC)
Next year it’s all yours James! (Maybe…)
MOST EXCITING NEW SERIES
(Every nominee is a winner.)
American Crime Story (FX)
Aquarius (NBC)
Blindspot (NBC)
Minority Report (Fox)
The Muppets (ABC)
Scream Queens (Fox)
Supergirl (CBS)
UnREAL (Lifetime)
Isn’t it nice to have a category where everybody wins?