Tonight the Broadcast Television Journalists Association held its 5th Annual Critics’ Choice Television Awards. Just like its sister organization (Broadcast Film Critics Association) has its own award show now going on its 21st year, the BTJA honors the greatest in television, as its name implies. The ceremony honored programs and performances that aired between June 1, 2014 and May 31, 2015. HBO walked away tonight the big winner with seven awards while the rest of the board was pretty scattered due to the recently excellent year on the small screen. See the full winners list and some brief commentary after the jump.
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)
Out of all the shows that had gotten so much praise over the past year, I’m kind of surprised by this decision.
BEST COMEDY SERIES
• Broad City (Comedy Central)
• Jane the Virgin (The CW)
• Mom (CBS)
• Silicon Valley (HBO) (WINNER)
• Transparent (Amazon)
• Veep (HBO)
• You’re the Worst (FX)
I’m really happy to see this win and more so over the fact that The Big Bang Theory was not nominated in this category.
BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
• Eva Green – Penny Dreadful (Showtime)
• Julianna Margulies – The Good Wife (CBS)
• Keri Russell – The Americans (FX)
• Taraji P. Henson – Empire (FOX) (WINNER)
• Vera Farmiga – Bates Motel (A&E)
• Viola Davis – How to Get Away with Murder (ABC)
COOKIE!
BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
• Aden Young – Rectify (Sundance)
• Bob Odenkirk – Better Call Saul (AMC) (WINNER)
• Charlie Hunnam – Sons of Anarchy (FX)
• Freddie Highmore – Bates Motel (A&E)
• Matthew Rhys – The Americans (FX)
• Timothy Olyphant – Justified (FX)
BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
• Anthony Anderson, Blackish (ABC)
• Chris Messina, The Mindy Project (FOX)
• Jeffrey Tambor, Transparent (Amazon) (WINNER)
• Johnny Galecki, The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
• Thomas Middleditch, Silicon Valley (HBO)
• Will Forte, The Last Man on Earth (FOX)
Well deserved.
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)
Again, incredibly well deserved, but the other women in this category are also spectacular in their roles.
BEST LIMITED SERIES
• 24: Live Another Day (FOX)
• American Crime (ABC)
• The Book of Negroes (BET)
• The Honorable Woman (Sundance)
• Olive Kitteridge (HBO) (WINNER)
• Wolf Hall (PBS)
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)
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)
BEST ANIMATED SERIES
• Archer (FX) *WINNER
• Bob’s Burgers (FOX)
• Gravity Falls (Disney Channel)
• The Simpsons (FOX)
• South Park (Comedy Central)
• Star Wars Rebels (Disney XD)
After taking a second to recognize the fact that the critics love Star Wars Rebels, it’s great to see Archer back to its normal hijinks and strong form.
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)
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)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MOVIE OR LIMITED SERIES
• Claire Foy – Wolf Hall (PBS)
• Cynthia Nixon – Stockholm, Pennsylvania (Lifetime)
• Janet McTeer – The Honorable Woman (Sundance)
• Khandi Alexander – Bessie (HBO)
• Mo’Nique – Bessie (HBO)
• Sarah Paulson – American Horror Story: Freak Show (FX) (WINNER)
BEST ACTRESS IN A MOVIE OR LIMITED SERIES
• Aunjanue Ellis – The Book of Negroes (BET)
• Felicity Huffman – American Crime (ABC)
• Frances McDormand – Olive Kitteridge (HBO) (WINNER)
• Jessica Lange – American Horror Story: Freak Show (FX)
• Maggie Gyllenhaal – The Honorable Woman (Sundance)
• Queen Latifah – Bessie (HBO)
BEST REALITY SERIES HOST
• Anthony Bourdain – Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown (CNN)
• Betty White – Betty White’s Off Their Rockers (Lifetime)
• Cat Deeley – So You Think You Can Dance (FOX) (WINNER)
• James Lipton – Inside the Actors Studio (Bravo)
• Phil Keoghan – The Amazing Race (CBS)
• Tom Bergeron – Dancing with the Stars (ABC)
BEST REALITY COMPETITION SERIES
• The Amazing Race (CBS)
• America’s Got Talent (NBC)
• Dancing With the Stars (ABC)
• Face Off (Syfy) (WINNER)
• Master Chef Junior (FOX)
• The Voice (NBC)
How awesome is it that a non-singing, non-dancing, cable reality competition won?! I love it.
BEST REALITY SERIES
• Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown (CNN)
• Deadliest Catch (Discovery Channel)
• Married at First Sight (A&E)
• MythBusters (Discovery Channel)
• Shark Tank (ABC) (WINNER)
• Undercover Boss (CBS)
GUEST PERFORMER IN A DRAMA SERIES
• 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)
• Sam Elliott – Justified (FX) (WINNER)
• Walton Goggins – Sons of Anarchy (FX)
BEST GUEST PERFORMER IN A COMEDY SERIES
• Becky Ann Baker, Girls (HBO)
• Bradley Whitford, Transparent (Amazon) (WINNER)
• Josh Charles, Inside Amy Schumer (Comedy Central)
• Laurie Metcalf, The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
• Peter Gallagher, Togetherness (HBO)
• Susie Essman, Broad City (Comedy Central)
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)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
• Adam Driver, Girls (HBO)
• Cameron Monaghan, Shameless (Showtime)
• Jaime Camil, Jane the Virgin (The CW)
• T.J. Miller, Silicon Valley (HBO) (WINNER)
• Tituss Burgess, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Netflix)
• Tony Hale, Veep (HBO)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
• Carrie Coon – The Leftovers (HBO)
• Christine Baranski – The Good Wife (CBS)
• Joelle Carter – Justified (FX)
• Katheryn Winnick – Vikings (History)
• Lorraine Toussaint – Orange Is the New Black (Netflix) (WINNER)
• Mae Whitman – Parenthood (NBC)
A powerhouse of a performance not to be reckoned with.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
• Ben Mendelsohn – Bloodline (Netflix)
• Christopher Eccleston – The Leftovers (HBO)
• Craig T. Nelson – Parenthood (NBC)
• Jonathan Banks – Better Call Saul (AMC) (WINNER)
• Mandy Patinkin – Homeland (Showtime)
• Walton Goggins – Justified (FX)
He may not have won on Breaking Bad, but he definitely earned it here. Especially with this speech:
The 5th Annual Critics’ Choice Television Awards, hosted by the Broadcast Television Journalists Association (BTJA) were held live on A&E from the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
You can follow me on Twitter @TyRawrrnosaurus