23rd Critics Choice Awards Nominations

The history of the Critics Choice Awards has been interesting, to say the least. At one point, they were well on their way to becoming one of the most important televised awards shows, alongside the Golden Globes, the SAG Awards, and even the Oscars. However a series of controversial decisions has dampened the overall spirit of the show in the eyes of both its members and the public, including controversially overruling the voting process in order to add Star Wars to the Best Picture lineup in order to gain viewers and a shoddily assembled combination with the television awards. As we reach the 23^rd ceremony in the group’s history, we see that things are still not fully together, as some categories were unceremoniously deleted at the last minute while there doesn’t seem to be a set number of nominees, due to rules on ties and a qualifying number of votes (some have five, some have seven, most have six). Nevertheless, this is still a major award overall, and our first conclusive look at how the Academy will end up voting in a few short weeks.

I’m excited to report that, when it came to my personal predictions for Best Picture, I went 10/10 for the first time in my history of predicting these sorts of things. That’s probably because these ten are, for all intents and purposes, amongst the very best of an already-strong year. Obviously, the biggest takeaway here is that the critics really love Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water, which broke La La Land’s nomination record with 14 total nominations. The closest number was eight, which was received by four films. They were Call Me By Your Name, Dunkirk (the frontrunner for Best Action Film), Lady Bird (the frontrunner for Best Comedy and maybe Best Film), and Steven Spielberg’s The Post. Other films that found some (much needed) success include Blade Runner 2049, which swept the sci-fi category and the technical categories, Get Out , which received a nomination for Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Horror, and the so-far unrecognized The Big Sick, which received nominations for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress, and across the board in the comedy categories. One of the biggest success stories was James Franco’s The Disaster Artist, which received nominations in the comedy categories as well as the major awards for Best Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay. However, I think the biggest successes came for two genre films. Tiffany Haddish continued her domination by receiving nods in not only Best Comedy Actress, but Best Supporting Actress itself. Meanwhile, Patrick Stewart continues a hot streak with a nomination for his truly heartbreaking work in Logan, and it is quite possible that that final monologue will propel the veteran actor to his first Oscar nomination. Time will tell. Oh, and I’m super excited that young McKenna Grace received a nomination for her role in Gifted. That is a charming little film, and she’s remarkable in it.

The television awards were a little bit less predictable, and a little bit more boring. Old-school favorites that have lost critical favor made a strange, doubtful comeback, including Modern Family (which I can respect) and The Big Bang Theory (which I cannot). I think I’m more surprised because both of these shows forced Master of None, which many people consider amongst the best of 2017, out of the Best Comedy race. However, they did respect some new shows and give them a chance to shine, including The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and GLOW, both of which are fairly solid little dramedies by some very funny women (yay Amy-Sherman Palladino!). Drama was fairly dominated by The Handmaid’s Tale and Game of Thrones, unsurprisingly, while the overall champion in nominations was Feud in the Limited Series/TV Movie categories with six overall. It outpaced Big Little Lies and Fargo, even without a nomination for Susan Sarandon (to which I say: how dare you). And in the most wonderful news, American Vandal, arguably the best show of the year, received two nominations, for best Limited Series and Best Actor for the wildly underrated Jeremy Tatro. I’m glad the Critics managed to get that right. Oh, and Hank Azaria received a nomination for his wildly hysterical and wildly depressing portrayal of Brockmire.

The 23^rd Annual Critics Choice Awards will be broadcast on January 11^th, 2018. You can see the full list of nominees below.

Film

BEST PICTURE

• The Big Sick
• Call Me by Your Name
• Darkest Hour
• Dunkirk
• The Florida Project
• Get Out
• Lady Bird
• The Post
• The Shape of Water
• Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

BEST ACTOR

• Timothée Chalamet – Call Me by Your Name
• James Franco – The Disaster Artist
• Jake Gyllenhaal – Stronger
• Tom Hanks – The Post
• Daniel Kaluuya – Get Out
• Daniel Day-Lewis – Phantom Thread
• Gary Oldman – Darkest Hour

BEST ACTRESS

• Jessica Chastain – Molly’s Game
• Sally Hawkins – The Shape of Water
• Frances McDormand – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
• Margot Robbie – I, Tonya
• Saoirse Ronan – Lady Bird
• Meryl Streep – The Post

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

• Willem Dafoe – The Florida Project
• Armie Hammer – Call Me By Your Name
• Richard Jenkins – The Shape of Water
• Sam Rockwell – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
• Patrick Stewart – Logan
• Michael Stuhlbarg – Call Me by Your Name

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

• Mary J. Blige – Mudbound
• Hong Chau – Downsizing
• Tiffany Haddish – Girls Trip
• Holly Hunter – The Big Sick
• Allison Janney – I, Tonya
• Laurie Metcalf – Lady Bird
• Octavia Spencer – The Shape of Water

BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS

• Mckenna Grace – Gifted
• Dafne Keen – Logan
• Brooklynn Prince – The Florida Project
• Millicent Simmonds – Wonderstruck
• Jacob Tremblay – Wonder

BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE

• Dunkirk
• Lady Bird
• Mudbound
• The Post
• Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

BEST DIRECTOR

• Guillermo del Toro – The Shape of Water
• Greta Gerwig – Lady Bird
• Martin McDonagh – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
• Christopher Nolan – Dunkirk
• Luca Guadagnino – Call Me By Your Name
• Jordan Peele – Get Out
• Steven Spielberg – The Post

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

• The Shape of Water – Guillermo del Toro and Vanessa Taylor
• Lady Bird – Greta Gerwig
• The Big Sick– Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani
• The Post – Liz Hannah and Josh Singer
• Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri – Martin McDonagh
• Get Out – Jordan Peele

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

• Call Me by Your Name – James Ivory
• The Disaster Artist – Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber
• Mudbound – Dee Rees and Virgil Williams
• Molly’s Game – Aaron Sorkin
• Wonder – Jack Thorne, Steve Conrad, Stephen Chbosky

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

• Blade Runner 2049
• Dunkirk
• The Shape of Water
• Mudbound
• Call Me By Your Name

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

• The Shape of Water
• Murder on the Orient Express
• Dunkirk
• Blade Runner 2049
• Beauty and the Beast
• Phantom Thread

BEST EDITING

• The Post
• Driver
• Dunkirk
• Blade Runner 2049
• The Shape of Water

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

• Blade Runner 2049
• Phantom Thread
• Beauty and the Beast
• Wonder Woman
• The Shape of Water

BEST HAIR AND MAKEUP

• Beauty and the Beast
• Darkest Hour
• I, Tonya
• The Shape of Water
• Wonder

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

• Blade Runner 2049
• Dunkirk
• The Shape of Water
• Thor: Ragnarok
• War for the Planet of the Apes
• Wonder Woman

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

• The Breadwinner
• Coco
• Despicable Me 3
• The LEGO Batman Movie
• Loving Vincent

BEST ACTION MOVIE

• Baby Driver
• Logan
• Thor: Ragnarok
• War for the Planet of the Apes
• Wonder Woman

BEST COMEDY

• The Big Sick
• The Disaster Artist
• Girls Trip
• I, Tonya
• Lady Bird

BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY

• Steve Carell – Battle of the Sexes
• James Franco – The Disaster Artist
• Chris Hemsworth – Thor: Ragnarok
• Kumail Nanjiani – The Big Sick
• Adam Sandler – The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)

BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY

• Tiffany Haddish – Girls Trip
• Zoe Kazan – The Big Sick
• Margot Robbie – I, Tonya
• Saoirse Ronan – Lady Bird
• Emma Stone – Battle of the Sexes

BEST SCI-FI OR HORROR MOVIE

• Blade Runner 2049
• Get Out
• It
• The Shape of Water

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

• BPM (Beats Per Minute)
• A Fantastic Woman
• First They Killed My Father
• In the Fade
• The Square
• Thelma

BEST SONG

• Evermore – Beauty and the Beast
• Mystery of Love – Call Me By Your Name
• Remember Me – Coco
• Stand Up for Something – Marshall
• This Is Me – The Greatest Showman

BEST SCORE

• The Shape of Water
• Phantom Thread
• Darkest Hour
• Blade Runner 2049
• The Post
• Dunkirk

Television

Best Drama Series

• American Gods (Starz)
• The Crown (Netflix)
• Game of Thrones (HBO)
• The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu)
• Stranger Things (Netflix)
• This Is Us (NBC)

Best Actor in a Drama Series

• Sterling K. Brown – This Is Us (NBC)
• Paul Giamatti – Billions (Showtime)
• Freddie Highmore – Bates Motel (A&E)
• Ian McShane – American Gods (Starz)
• Bob Odenkirk – Better Call Saul (AMC)
• Liev Schreiber – Ray Donovan (Showtime)

Best Actress in a Drama Series

• Caitriona Balfe – Outlander (Starz)
• Christine Baranski – The Good Fight (CBS All Access)
• Claire Foy – The Crown (Netflix)
• Tatiana Maslany – Orphan Black (BBC America)
• Elisabeth Moss – The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu)
• Robin Wright – House of Cards (Netflix)

Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

• Bobby Cannavale – Robot (USA)
• Asia Kate Dillon – Billions (Showtime)
• Peter Dinklage – Game of Thrones (HBO)
• David Harbour – Stranger Things (Netflix)
• Delroy Lindo – The Good Fight (CBS All Access)
• Michael McKean – Better Call Saul (AMC)

Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

• Gillian Anderson – American Gods (Starz)
• Emilia Clarke – Game of Thrones (HBO)
• Ann Dowd – The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu)
• Cush Jumbo – The Good Fight (CBS All Access)
• Margo Martindale – Sneaky Pete (Amazon)
• Chrissy Metz – This Is Us (NBC)

Best Comedy Series

• The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
• Black-ish (ABC)
• GLOW (Netflix)
• The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon)
• Modern Family (ABC)
• Patriot (Amazon)

Best Actor in a Comedy Series

• Anthony Anderson – Black-ish (ABC)
• Aziz Ansari – Master of None (Netflix)
• Hank Azaria – Brockmire(IFC)
• Ted Danson – The Good Place (NBC)
• Thomas Middleditch – Silicon Valley (HBO)
• Randall Park – Fresh Off the Boat (ABC)

Best Actress in a Comedy Series

• Kristen Bell – The Good Place (NBC)
• Alison Brie – GLOW (Netflix)
• Rachel Brosnahan – The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon)
• Sutton Foster – Younger (TV Land)
• Ellie Kemper – Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Netflix)
• Constance Wu – Fresh Off the Boat (ABC)

Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

• Tituss Burgess – Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Netflix)
• Walton Goggins – Vice Principals (HBO)
• Sean Hayes – Will & Grace (NBC)
• Marc Maron – GLOW (Netflix)
• Kumail Nanjiani – Silicon Valley (HBO)
• Ed O’Neill – Modern Family (ABC)

Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

• Mayim Bialik – The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
• Alex Borstein – The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon)
• Betty Gilpin – GLOW (Netflix)
• Jenifer Lewis – Black-ish (ABC)
• Alessandra Mastronardi – Master of None (Netflix)
• Rita Moreno – One Day at a Time (Netflix)

Best Limited Series

• American Vandal (Netflix)
• Big Little Lies (HBO)
• Fargo (FX)
• Feud: Bette and Joan (FX)
• Godless (Netflix)
• The Long Road Home (National Geographic)

Best Movie Made for TV

• Flint (Lifetime)
• I Am Elizabeth Smart (Lifetime)
• The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (HBO)
• Sherlock: The Lying Detective (PBS)
• The Wizard of Lies (HBO)

Best Actor in a Movie Made for TV or Limited Series

• Jeff Daniels – Godless (Netflix)
• Robert De Niro – The Wizard of Lies (HBO)
• Ewan McGregor – Fargo (FX)
• Jack O’Connell – Godless (Netflix)
• Evan Peters – American Horror Story: Cult (FX)
• Bill Pullman – The Sinner (USA)
• Jimmy Tatro – American Vandal (Netflix)

Best Actress in a Movie Made for TV or Limited Series

• Jessica Biel – The Sinner (USA)
• Alana Boden – I Am Elizabeth Smart (Lifetime)
• Carrie Coon – Fargo (FX)
• Nicole Kidman – Big Little Lies (HBO)
• Jessica Lange – Feud: Bette and Joan (FX)
• Reese Witherspoon – Big Little Lies (HBO)

Best Supporting Actor in a Movie Made for TV or Limited Series

• Johnny Flynn – Genius (National Geographic)
• Benito Martinez – American Crime (ABC)
• Alfred Molina – Feud: Bette and Joan (FX)
• Alexander Skarsgård – Big Little Lies (HBO)
• David Thewlis – Fargo (FX)
• Stanley Tucci – Feud: Bette and Joan (FX)

Best Supporting Actress in a Movie Made for TV or Limited Series

• Judy Davis – Feud: Bette and Joan (FX)
• Laura Dern – Big Little Lies (HBO)
• Jackie Hoffman – Feud: Bette and Joan (FX)
• Regina King – American Crime (ABC)
• Michelle Pfeiffer – The Wizard of Lies (HBO)
• Mary Elizabeth Winstead – Fargo (FX)

Best Talk Show

• Ellen (NBC)
• Harry (Syndicated)
• Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC)
• The Late Late Show with James Corden (CBS)
• The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (NBC)
• Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen (BRAVO)

Best Animated Series

• Archer (FX)
• Bob’s Burgers (FOX)
• BoJack Horseman (Netflix)
• Danger & Eggs (Amazon)
• Rick and Morty (Adult Swim)
• The Simpsons (FOX)

Best Unstructured Reality Series

• Born This Way (A&E)
• Ice Road Truckers (History)
• Intervention (A&E)
• Live PD (A&E)
• Ride with Norman Reedus (AMC)
• Teen Mom (MTV)

Best Structured Reality Series

• The Carbonaro Effect (truTV)
• Fixer Upper (HGTV)
• The Profit (CNBC)
• Shark Tank (ABC)
• Undercover Boss (CBS)
• Who Do You Think You Are? (TLC)

Best Reality Competition Series

• America’s Got Talent (NBC)
• Chopped (Food Network)
• Dancing with the Stars (ABC)
• Project Runway (Lifetime)
• RuPaul’s Drag Race (LOGOtv)
• The Voice (NBC)

Best Reality Show Host

• Ted Allen – Chopped (Food Network)
• Tyra Banks – America’s Got Talent (NBC)
• Tom Bergeron – Dancing with the Stars (ABC)
• Cat Deeley – So You Think You Can Dance (FOX)
• Joanna and Chip Gaines – Fixer Upper (HGTV)
• RuPaul – RuPaul’s Drag Race (LOGOtv)