Emmy Watch 2026 Phase Three Conclusion: 2026 Dorian TV and TCA Awards Announced

 

We are in the final countdown of pre-Emmy Awards. This week the last two groups that give awards that are relevant to this year's Emmys announced their winners. In fact one of them did so on the same day as the Astras. (I don't think that's the reason almost no one was there.)

On Saturday GALECA gave its relatively new Dorian TV Awards for 2026. As you might expect some of the awards are more influenced by the fact that it is primarily an LGBTQ+ group but as has been the case throughout its short history, less than you might think. Here are the relevant winners:

BEST TV DRAMA: Heated Rivalry

BEST TV COMEDY: Hacks

BEST LGBTQ TV SHOW: Heated Rivalry

BEST TV MOVIE OR LIMITE SERIES: Half Man

BEST NON-ENGLISH LANGUAGE TV SHOW: Squid Game

BEST WRITTEN TV SHOW: Hacks

BEST TV PERFORMANCE – DRAMA: Rhea Seehorn, Pluribus

BEST SUPPORTING TV PERFORMANCE – DRAMA: Francois Arnaud –

Heated Rivalry

BEST TV PERFORMANCE COMEDY : Jean Smart, Hacks

BEST SUPPORTING TV PERFORMANCE – COMEDY: Kate O'Flynn, Widow's Bay

BEST GENRE TV SHOW – Widow's Bay

BEST ANIMATED SHOW – South Park

MOST VISUALLY STRIKING TV SHOW (tie) Alien: Earth/ Pluribus

CAMPIEST TV SHOW: The Hunting Wives

Throw in the fact that Hannah Einbinder was given the Wilde Wit Award and it seems that Hacks and Widow's Bay got the boosts in comedy while Pluribus got a boost in drama. Personally I have give props to GALECA for recognizing shows that the Emmys didn't like Half Man and The Hunting Wives, considering how much I advocated for both in my predictions for the Emmys.

Then yesterday the Television Critics Association gave their awards for 2026. Again I will highlight the relevant awards.

PROGRAM OF THE YEAR: Heated Rivalry

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN COMEDY: Widow's Bay

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMA: The Pitt

OUTSTANIND ACHIEVEMENT IN MOVIES, MINI SERIES OR SPECIALS:

Death by Lightning

INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMA: Rhea Seehorn, Pluribus

INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN COMEDY, Kate O'Flynn, Widow's Bay

OUTSTANDING INTERNATIONAL SERIES: Squid Game

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN ANIMATION: Long Story Short

For the record both groups also gave Outstanding Reality Show to The Traitors and both of them honored Stephen Colbert: The Dorians did so for current affairs; the TCA with late night and talk

Aside from the fact that Heated Rivalry is ineligible for Emmys we do get a sense of certain awards being locked down. The race between Hacks and Widow's Bay would appear to be tightening, though the fact the Astras also honored the final season would appear to think it still has the edge. The Pitt is more or less putting the icing on its inevitable Best Drama win.

These last two awards in my opinion make it clear that the award for Emmy in Best Drama is officially Rhea Seehorn's to lose. Keri Russell might have built some momentum at the Astras but Seehorn just snatched it back.

The biggest change is that both these awards demonstrate is in Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy. With Kate O'Flynn taking both awards from both organizations and beating Smart at the TCA, I think the momentum for her winning Best Supporting Actress has shifted away from the favorite Hannah Einbinder. We'll have to see it holds up but it's pretty clear there's an edge.

That's it for all the pre-Emmy Awards. I'll be dealing with the Emmys themselves the next three weeks. Keep watching this space.