If you tuned into E! last night
watching the Critics Choice Awards hoping it would give you insight into the Oscar
nominations and awards later this year you might have been slightly
disappointed. Let me explain why.
Ever since December 2015 when the
Critic Choice Awards chose to merge its TV and film awards into a single ceremony
the ratio of film awards given to TV has usually been fifty-fifty and frequently
moving more on the film side. Over the last few years in particular the
supporting actor and actress awards in TV in every category have been giving by
both presenters in one breath with both winners having to come up on stage
simultaneously and give speeches after the other. This is an improvement from
earlier ceremonies when many times the presentation of supporting acting awards
were done off screen altogether but it has had the effect of diminishing TV in
favor of films.
This was not the case last night.
It wasn't just that all supporting actor awards were given their due it was
that movies, for the first time since the ceremonies merged, were given shorter
shrift despite having far more awards. During the first two hours of the
ceremony movies were more or less shunted aside with only awards for supporting
actors, Young actor and casting given. All the other awards were done offscreen
during that period and I'm not just talking about the technical awards: I mean
such usually bigger deals as the writing awards. It wasn't until the final hour
of the ceremony that they basically dealt with the majority of the important
movie awards. To be sure TV did get some short shrift, particularly when it
came to TV movie, foreign language series and sketch shows, but that paled in
comparison to movies.
Now if you are the kind of person
who tuned into this ceremony wanted to see more film awards given you might
have been disappointed. If, however, you were like me and have never truly
gotten over the merger that took place nearly a decade ago and has put the
superior job the Critics have done with TV short shrift, you might consider
this an improvement.
As always Chelsea Handler did her
usual funny and frequently overdriven sexual commentary throughout the night,
particularly in her monologue. She divided it between TV and film and went out
of her way to say how much she wanted to have sex with certain actors (including
Seth Rogen) who she also mocked. She went out of her way to praise Noah Wylie
and said that George Clooney had been holding him back all these years. She
also pointed out that these were all the TV shows we'd been talking about until
Heated Rivalry debuted. But there was also a fair amount of compassion
that was often lacking as she said paid tribute to Rob Reiner (who she called
the nicest guy in Hollywood) and came out dressed in a pantsuit to pay tribute
to Diane Keaton. It was the softer side of Handler that we rarely see (and that
she always went out of the way to puncture) but it was superb.
As I watched the awards unveil I
have come to reflect on how the Critics Choice Awards have evolved over time. Frequently
the nominations themselves are usually more enjoyable then the awards as
particularly in the last few years they have come to spiritually follow the
Emmys just past. (I'll explain that in a minute.) However you frequently can see
them as a foreshadowing of how the Emmys might play things out down the road.
Last year, for example, The Bear had just won a record 11 Emmys but had
lost Best Comedy to Hacks in 2024. At the end of 2024 The Bear received
just one nomination for Supporting Actress in a Comedy. This was a sign of what
was to come this past fall: The Bear was nominated for fifteen Emmys but
was essentially skunked in favor of The Studio. This year they didn't nominate it for anything
suggesting that The Bear's moment in the sun might have passed. When they nominated Reservation Dogs for
Best Comedy in its final season it foreshadowed the Emmys doing the same in
2024 and we saw a similar pattern with Somebody Somewhere.
Their track record has never been
perfect: they've never nominated The White Lotus as Best anything be
it comedy, drama or even limited series and Slow Horses has basically
been ignored even as it built a
following among Emmy voters. But they were the first group to nominate Andor
for Best Drama and they've always been willing to recognize actors in other
categories before the Emmys does (they gave Kieran Culkin and Sarah Snook
supporting actor and actress awards before the Emmys finally acknowledging them
in the final season of Succession) and they were the first group to give
Lee Jung-Jae Best Actor in a Drama for Squid Game, foreshadowing first
it and then the series domination of the Emmy nominations in 2022.
The last few years they have been
spiritually closer to the Emmy in that they frequently honor actors that the
Emmys ignore: they did so by giving both Supporting Acting awards to performers
in Shogun last year and did so by giving Maria Bello Best Supporting
Actress in Beef the year before. It's the little differences where
things play out and in that the Critics Choice Awards was little different but
that didn't make it any less marvelous. (For the purposes of this article I'll
go in the order they were presented.)
As expected in the Limited Series
category Adolescence was the big winner, for all of TV in fact. It took Best
Limited Series, Best Actor for Stephen Graham, Best Supporting Actor for Owen
Cooper and Best Supporting Actress for Erin Doherty. Even thought I predicted
all these wins I was not thrilled about the series dominance (my opinions are
known to their readers). But the acceptance speeches were suitably humble.
Doherty and Cooper went out of their way to thank Stephen Graham, saying that
he had come to them and said that they were a team in every episode. When
Graham accepted he was remarkably humble: "I'm the only one here I don't
recognize." He said it was a joke his wife didn't think was funny but for
a man whose been laboring in the trenches for so long it smacked of manifest
truth. He made it clear that acting was not a team sport but a community and quoted
John Lennon in regard to love: "All you need is love."
He was just as humble when he
spoke for Best Limited Series, grateful to Netflix and everything it had done
for him. He also finished with an appropriate note for the series: "If you
have a kid at home, hug them tight tonight."
The only award Adolescence couldn't
was Best Actress in a Limited Series. You can imagine how overjoyed I was when Sarah
Snook's name was read out for All My Fault and it had nothing to do with
my having predicted her win and most prognosticators choosing Michelle
Williamsn. (Well, maybe a little.) Snook's performance by the standard of the
ones in that category was by far the best of the lot and she earned it. Snook
seemed genuinely shocked, she had a deer in the headlights look that she had prepared
absolutely nothing and she never expected to win. (Considering this was her
third trophy from the Critics Choice Awards in five years you'd think she'd
have gotten past that.) But it was a joyous moment, like those the Critics can
do and it now moves her to front runner status in this category at the Emmys this
September. (We'll have to see if her luck holds at the Golden Globes.)
There was also a fair amount of
comic presenting as Tramell Tillman and Jessica Williams said that they were,
in keeping with current events, naming the supporting acting awards for them: the
Tramell and Jessica awards or "Tramessica" (Remember that.) Quinta
Brunson came out to present Best Limited Series and said that there's something
about limited that makes you want it more comparing these shows to Chanel bags
and air Jordans.
Then we moved on to Comedy and the
Supporting Awards did provide some shocks. I had expected Hannah Einbinder to repeat
in this category given her Emmy a few months earlier and how the competition
was less formidable in this category then when she won last year. Then they read Janelle James for Abbott
Elementary. Cue the audience and the table of Abbott nominees going
absolutely insane and Janelle walking up to stage with the calm Ava always has.
She made it clear that after four seasons she was used to these kinds of things
and she wasn't tired of her job, which meant she must really love her work and
the people she was with. I'd like to think James will now have an edge going
into next year's Emmy we'll have to wait and see.
It didn't shock me that Ike Barinholtz
won, nor that he thanked Sal Saperstein. As is his want he went out of his way
to mock Seth Rogen and say that only certain people there were responsible for
the show's success. However this award will do nothing to shake up the Emmy
race: The Studio will not be eligible for awards this coming fall. (That's
going to leave a lot of blanks going forward.)
The other awards did follow the
standards. When Smart prevailed (with Diego Luna speaking in Spanish when he
named the winner) Smart took the opportunity to actually thank critics, which
given how much recognition Hacks in general and she in particular have
received over the years was fitting. She began with knocks at the profession by
Shaw and pointed out how vicious Pauline Kael could be, pointing out a famous
anecdote about David Lean after one of her reviews (I've recounted it before)
and how George Roy Hill acted when he got similar treatment. But she made it
clear that they served an important job (I don't recognize whose quote she
read) and I felt seen again.
The rest of the awards went to The
Studio. Taking Best Actor Rogen seemed as much a fanboy of Pluribus when he
took it from Rhea Seehorn and joked that this award meant that he could cancel
therapy: "I'm cured!" There was similar humor when the show took Best
Comedy; one of the writers went out of their way to say just how hard Rogen
pushed everybody as well as himself and that when he went to the Galapagos he
was working. Hopefully we'll see the fruits of the labor soon enough.
Best Drama was closer to the
Emmys in body in most of the awards. Katherine LaNasa took Best Supporting Actress
for The Pitt and was less surprised then when she won the Emmy last September.
Tramell Tillman repeated his win for his work in Severance and did a
callback. "First you name this award for me, then you give it to me.
People are going to think the fix is in." Then he went on to thank
everybody. Noah Wyle continued what will almost certainly be a sweep of every
major acting award this season, this time giving a shoutout to Warner Brothers.
"Long may she reign!" a shout that echoes just as deep as the thanks
to first responders.
The biggest suspense was in Best
Actress category. William H. Macy came out and talked about how TV was once
called the small screen but there's nothing small about. He went out of his way
to praise every actress in this category for their humanity and skill. (And if
there's a guy who knows great actresses in TV, it's William H. Macy.) Then he
announced the winner: Rhea Seehorn for Pluribus.
It's difficult to tell at home but
I think Seehorn's win showed the most joyous reaction from the guests and
nominees when it came to television. I know that my hands were sore from
applauding. (To be clear they were already sore from some of the other surprise
winners but this just made it worse – and I didn't care.) Seehorn's first
reaction was: "I can't believe I got to meet William H. Macy." She
then said how honored she was by being in the present company of her nominees
and then name checked every single one. Of particular attention was Carrie
Coon, saying how inspired she been by her work ever since The Leftovers – for
which Coon took a Best Actress prize from the Critics Choice. She paid tribute
to Vince Gilligan, every regular, guest actor and crew member of the show and
spoke with our view of humanity in a way that resonated more from her.
On a personal note my readers
know how strongly I worship the ground that both Vince Gilligan and Rhea Seehorn
walk on and how I don't think I'll ever get over how the Emmys forced Better
Call Saul to endure the most dubious record TV history going 0-for-53. I
also know that the Critics Choice Awards were the most generous awards show
during that show's run and while they never gave Seehorn a trophy (which I can
forgive) they gave the show the grand prize, Giancarlo Esposito and Jonathan Banks
supporting actor awards and Bob Odenkirk three Best Actor awards during its
run. I have yet to see Pluribus but
judging from the incredible praise and response from critics and audiences
alike it is just as much a masterpiece as everything Gilligan has touched. In the
weeks to come I will actually watch and review the show. But sight unseen I
want Seehorn to get the Emmy this year. I may change my mind as the year
progresses but I feel it in my soul now and judging by the reaction Hollywood
wants it to.
The expected win for The Pitt for
Best Drama was almost an anti-climax but it was nonetheless joyous. The Pitt
has reimagined television in a way nearly as astonishing viewers have seen
in years and it does so by appealing to our humanity, not to the lesser angels
of our natures. The shout outs to first responders and emergency rooms don't feel
like fanservice or posturing in the way I've gotten with so many awards
speeches over the years but a genuine tribute from the cast and crew. The
second season starts this week and though it will take time for me to get to
it, I can't wait to see it.
For those of you looking to see
more of my reporting on Emmy Watch 2026 Phase One, you'll get your money's worth
this week. Wednesday you'll see my immediate reactions to the SAG Nominations
(now the Actors) for TV and a delayed one for the Spirit Awards in this
category. Friday I'll offer my predictions for the 2026 Golden Globe Awards in
TV. As always the Critics Choice Awards have set the bar high when it comes to
nominations, awards and presentation. Can the Golden Globes match it? Your move,
Nikki Glaser.
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