Each year, the Television Critics Association (also known as the TCA) polls its membership to nominate the best actors, series and more from the past year. Unlike the Emmys, which are voted on by peer groups, the TCA awards are voted on by over 200 critics who (like myself) choose to watch as many of the 500 scripted series and untold numbers of reality series that are released each year as we possibly can. We don't always act in solidarity, either, which makes the nominations a varied field of both deep-cuts and more popular favorites.
This year, I'm really happy with my fellow members for honoring BBC America's Killing Eve, which has come out on top with the most nominations (5), followed by FX's The Americans (4). Both series saw their two leads nominated in the individual drama category as well -- all hugely deserved. FX's Atlanta and Hulu The Handmaid's Tale, both winners from last year, also made strong showings, as did newcomer Barry, from HBO, as well as Netflix's GLOW. FX and Netflix had the most overall nominations (10 and 9, respectively), though networks like Starz, TBS, CNN, and The CW also made appearances. It's a great representation of the best of the past year. As TCA President Dan Fienberg, critic for the Hollywood Reporter, said of these nominees,
"The success of shows like 'Killing Eve' and 'The Americans' and 'Barry' all underline what a killer year this was for TV . My sincerest apologies for that pun. It's an exciting time for television and the TCA Awards nominations show how much great programming there is and how it can be found anywhere and for every audience. We've recognized shows from broadcast, cable, premium cable, streaming and PBS, series aimed for the youngest of children, the most mature of adults and for viewing by the entire family. From sexy assassins to brooding spies to babies who are Muppets, I’m excited to see which series will rise to the top when we gather together on August 4."
The 34th Annual TCA Awards will be hosted by Robin Thede in a private event on Saturday, August 4th 2018, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Check out the full list of nominations below:
Individual Achievement in Drama
Jodie Komer, Killing Eve – BBC America
Darren Criss, The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story – FX
Elisabeth Moss, The Handmaid’s Tale – Hulu
Sandra Oh, Killing Eve – BBC America
Matthew Rhys, The Americans – FX
Keri Russell, The Americans – FX
Individual Achievement in Comedy
Pamela Adlon, Better Things – FX
Rachel Bloom, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend – The CW
Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel – Amazon
Ted Danson, The Good Place – NBC
Donald Glover, Atlanta – FX
Bill Hader, Barry - HBO
Outstanding Achievement in News and Information
Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown – CNN
60 Minutes – CBS
Blue Planet 2 – BBC America
The Rachel Maddow Show – MSNBC
The Vietnam War – PBS
Wild Wild Country – Netflix
Outstanding Achievement in Reality
The Great British Baking Show – PBS
Nailed It! – Netflix
Project Runway – Lifetime
Queer Eye – Netflix
RuPaul’s Drag Race – VH1
Outstanding Achievement in Youth Programming
Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood – PBS Kids
Elena of Avalor – Disney Channel
Muppet Babies – Disney Junior
Odd Squad – PBS Kids
Sesame Street – HBO
Sofia the First – Disney Junior
Outstanding Achievement in Sketch/Variety Shows
Full Frontal with Samantha Bee – TBS
Jimmy Kimmel Live – ABC
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver – HBO
Late Night with Seth Meyers – NBC
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert – CBS
Saturday Night Live – NBC
Outstanding Achievement in Movie or Miniseries
Alias Grace – Netflix
The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story – FX
Howards End – Starz
Patrick Melrose – Showtime
The Tale – HBO
Twin Peaks: The Return – Showtime
Outstanding New Program
Barry – HBO
Counterpart – Starz
GLOW – Netflix
Killing Eve – BBC America
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel – Amazon
Mindhunter – Netflix
Outstanding Achievement in Drama
The Americans – FX
The Crown – Netflix
The Good Fight – CBS All Access
The Handmaid’s Tale- Hulu
Killing Eve – BBC America
This Is Us – NBC
Outstanding Achievement in Comedy
Atlanta – FX
Barry – HBO
GLOW – Netflix
The Good Place – NBC
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel – Amazon
One Day at a Time – Netflix
Program of the Year
The Americans – FX
Atlanta – FX
The Good Place – NBC
The Handmaid’s Tale – Hulu
Killing Eve – BBC America
This Is Us - NBC