22nd Critics Choice Television Award Nominations

So funny story. Apparently, they were announcing the Television Critics Choice Awards this morning. I didn’t know they were announcing so early. I would have posted my predictions sooner, but c’est la vie. At any rate, the Critics Choice Awards, which recently-and controversially-teamed up with Entertainment Weekly, lowering the once-acclaimed awards show’s standards, has released the nominees for their television branch, and it’s…a mixed bag, to say the least. If you’re from HBO, ABC or named The People vs. OJ Simpson, you’re in a pretty good camp.

First, let’s look at how I did on my unposted predictions (you’re just gonna have to trust me. Overall, there weren’t TOO many shocks. Of the expected nominations, I think the biggest shock is that The Night Of, a miniseries that received massive acclaim earlier this year, earned zero nominations. It was a complete snub across the board, and I am shocked. Another snub was The Americans in Best Drama. However, to me, the most egregious blanks are the missing nominations for Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and especially You’re the Worst, which are both in the top five best shows on television right now. Meanwhile, surprises include the recent resurgence of Modern Family, which had fallen in the race in recent years, as well as The Crown receiving several nominations. I’ll admit that one’s a blind spot for me, since I haven’t started it yet, but I was still surprised at its level of love. Finally, I should note the love received in the acting categories for Outlander. I’ve had two friends trying their best to get me to watch it, and it seems like I might have to finally cave.

In terms of things I got right, the love for Mr. Robot and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt are still out in full force, as is the love for black-ish. I got all of the nominees for Best Animated Series correct. (mainly because South Park, Archer, BoJack Horseman and Bob’s Burgers are amongst the best shows on TV). And I even nailed the newcomers, like Atlanta, This Is Us, Westworld and Stranger Things (even if that last one didn’t get the widespread acclaim I expected.

A couple of other notes to make: the nomination for Alec Baldwin for Saturday Night Live is expected, but it’s worth wondering how many cast their ballots before knowing that performance will be around for the next four years. I’m surprised but excited by the nomination for Jeffrey Dean Morgan-I’m still disgusted by that Walking Dead premiere, but it’s undeniable that Morgan is doing some stellar work. And it’ll be interesting to see if Viola Davis and Mahershala Ali can win double awards that night, as they are also frontrunners in the Film Supporting categories. Time will tell. The 22^nd Annual Critics Choice Awards will be held on December 11^th, and we’ll learn which films will be nominated on December 1^st.

BEST COMEDY SERIES

• Atlanta – FX
• Black-ish  – ABC
• Fleabag – Amazon
• Modern Family – ABC
• Silicon Valley – HBO
• Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt – Netflix
• Veep – HBO

BEST DRAMA SERIES

• Better Call Saul – AMC
• Game of Thrones – HBO
• Robot – USA Network
• Stranger Things – Netflix
• The Crown – Netflix
• This Is Us – NBC
• Westworld – HBO

BEST MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION OR LIMITED SERIES

• All the Way – HBO
• Confirmation – HBO
• Killing Reagan – National Geographic
• Roots – History
• The Night Manager – AMC
• The People v. O.J. Simpson – FX

BEST ANIMATED SERIES

• Archer – FX
• Bob’s Burgers – FOX
• BoJack Horseman – Netflix
• Son of Zorn – FOX
• South Park – Comedy Central
• The Simpsons – FOX

BEST REALITY COMPETITION SERIES

• America’s Got Talent – NBC
• MasterChef Junior – FOX
• RuPaul’s Drag Race – Logo
• Skin Wars – GSN
• The Amazing Race – CBS
• The Voice – NBC

BEST STRUCTURED REALITY SERIES

• Chopped – Food Network
• Inside The Actors Studio – Bravo
• Penn & Teller: Fool Us – The CW
• Project Runway – Lifetime
• Shark Tank – ABC
• Undercover Boss – CBS

BEST UNSTRUCTURED REALITY SERIES

• Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown – CNN
• Chrisley Knows Best – USA Network
• Deadliest Catch – Discovery
• Ice Road Truckers – History
• Intervention – A&E
• Naked and Afraid – Discovery

BEST TALK SHOW

• Full Frontal with Samantha Bee – TBS
• Jimmy Kimmel Live! – ABC
• Last Week Tonight with John Oliver – HBO
• The Daily Show with Trevor Noah – Comedy Central
• The Late Late Show with James Corden – CBS
• The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon – NBC

BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES

• Ellie Kemper – Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt – Netflix
• Julia Louis-Dreyfus – Veep – HBO
• Kate McKinnon – Saturday Night Live – NBC
• Tracee Ellis Ross – Black-ish – ABC
• Phoebe Waller-Bridge – Fleabag – Amazon
• Constance Wu – Fresh Off the Boat  – ABC

BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES

• Anthony Anderson – Black-ish – ABC
• Will Forte – The Last Man on Earth  – FOX
• Donald Glover – Atlanta – FX
• Bill Hader – Documentary Now!  – IFC
• Patrick Stewart – Blunt Talk  – Starz
• Jeffrey Tambor – Transparent – Amazon

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES

• Julie Bowen – Modern Family  – ABC
• Anna Chlumsky – Veep – HBO
• Allison Janney – Mom – CBS
• Jane Krakowski – Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt – Netflix
• Judith Light – Transparent – Amazon
• Allison Williams – Girls  – HBO

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES

• Louie Anderson – Baskets – FX
• Andre Braugher – Brooklyn Nine-Nine – FOX
• Tituss Burgess – Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt – Netflix
• Ty Burrell – Modern Family  – ABC
• Tony Hale – Veep – HBO
• J. Miller – Silicon Valley  – HBO

BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES

• Caitriona Balfe – Outlander – Starz
• Viola Davis – How to Get Away with Murder – ABC
• Tatiana Maslany – Orphan Black – BBC America
• Keri Russell – The Americans – FX
• Evan Rachel Wood – Westworld – HBO
• Robin Wright – House of Cards – Netflix

BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

• Sam Heughan – Outlander – Starz
• Rami Malek – Mr. Robot – USA Network
• Bob Odenkirk – Better Call Saul – AMC
• Matthew Rhys – The Americans – FX
• Liev Schreiber – Ray Donovan – Showtime
• Kevin Spacey – House of Cards – Netflix

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES

• Christine Baranski – The Good Wife – CBS
• Emilia Clarke – Game of Thrones – HBO
• Lena Headey – Game of Thrones – HBO
• Thandie Newton – Westworld – HBO
• Maura Tierney – The Affair – Showtime
• Constance Zimmer – UnREAL – Lifetime

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

• Peter Dinklage – Game of Thrones – HBO
• Kit Harington – Game of Thrones – HBO
• John Lithgow – The Crown – Netflix
• Mandy Patinkin – Homeland – Showtime
• Christian Slater – Mr. Robot – USA Network
• Jon Voight – Ray Donovan – Showtime

BEST ACTRESS IN A MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION OR LIMITED SERIES

• Olivia Colman – The Night Manager – AMC
• Felicity Huffman – American Crime – ABC
• Cynthia Nixon – Killing Reagan – National Geographic
• Sarah Paulson – The People v. O.J. Simpson – FX
• Lili Taylor – American Crime – ABC
• Kerry Washington – Confirmation – HBO

BEST ACTOR IN A MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION OR LIMITED SERIES

• Bryan Cranston – All the Way – HBO
• Benedict Cumberbatch – Sherlock: The Abominable Bride – PBS
• Cuba Gooding Jr. – The People v. O.J. Simpson – FX
• Tom Hiddleston – The Night Manager – AMC
• Tim Matheson – Killing Reagan – National Geographic
• Courtney B. Vance – The People v. O.J. Simpson – FX

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION OR LIMITED SERIES

• Elizabeth Debicki – The Night Manager – AMC
• Regina King – American Crime – ABC
• Sarah Lancashire – The Dresser – Starz
• Melissa Leo – All the Way – HBO
• Anna Paquin – Roots – History
• Emily Watson – The Dresser – Starz

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION OR LIMITED SERIES

• Sterling K. Brown – The People v. O.J. Simpson – FX
• Lane Garrison – Roots – History
• Frank Langella – All the Way – HBO
• Hugh Laurie – The Night Manager – AMC
• John Travolta – The People v. O.J. Simpson – FX
• Forest Whitaker – Roots – History

BEST GUEST PERFORMER IN A COMEDY SERIES

• Alec Baldwin – Saturday Night Live – NBC
• Christine Baranski – The Big Bang Theory  – CBS
• Larry David – Saturday Night Live – NBC
• Lisa Kudrow – Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt – Netflix
• Liam Neeson – Inside Amy Schumer – Comedy Central

BEST GUEST PERFORMER IN A DRAMA SERIES

• Mahershala Ali – House of Cards – Netflix
• Lisa Bonet – Ray Donovan – Showtime
• Ellen Burstyn – House of Cards – Netflix
• Michael J. Fox – The Good Wife – CBS
• Jared Harris – The Crown – Netflix
• Jeffrey Dean Morgan – The Walking Dead – AMC

BEST REALITY SHOW HOST

• Ted Allen – Chopped – Food Network
• Tom Bergeron – Dancing with the Stars – ABC
• Anthony Bourdain – Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown – CNN
• Nick Cannon – America’s Got Talent – NBC
• Carson Daly – The Voice – NBC
• RuPaul – RuPaul’s Drag Race – Logo