TV 'Critics Choice' Winners
Friday, June 20, 2014 at 6:00PM 
Allison Janney wins twiceThe TV critics really rolled out the red carpet for Ryan Murphy who took the non-competitive "Genius" award while two of his shows (American Horror Story: Coven and The Normal Heart) won prizes. Alison Janney also got the deluxe treatment winning supporting actress for "Mom" and guest actress for "Masters of Sex," both first season series, at this still fairly green awards show.
The new organization, an off shoot of the BFCA, mostly stuck with their favorites from last year repeating several wins like Tatiana Maslany from Orphan Black and almost everything Breaking Bad. Bryan Cranston had to step aside for Matthew McConaughey in True Detective, though. We knew that was coming and the Emmys will (probably) follow suit. Everybody in Hollywood loves a winner (a phenom we've previously discussed) so when you're winning no one wants to break your streak.
I suppose I should really watch Orphan Black. I've seen the first 4 episodes and found Maslany technically scarily gifted but the the show and supporting characters I enjoyed much much much less so. Does it improve?
The complete list of winners is after the jump....
Best Drama Series: Breaking Bad
Best Actor in a Drama Series: Matthew McConaughey, True Detective
Best Actress in a Drama Series: Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black
Best Comedy Series: Orange is the New Black
Best Lead Actress in a Comedy Series: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
Best Lead Actor in a Comedy Series: Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory
Best Movie: The Normal Heart
Best Mini-Series: Fargo
Best Reality Host: Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey
Best Talk Show: The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Best Actress in a Movie or Mini-Series: Jessica Lange, American Horror Story
Best Actor in a Movie or Mini-Series: Billy Bob Thornton, Fargo
Best Animated Series: Archer
Best Reality Series: Competition: Shark Tank
Best Reality Series: Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey
Critics' Choice Louis XIII Genius Award: Ryan Murphy
Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series: Tie -- Allison Janney, Mom and Kate Mulgrew, Orange is the New Black
Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series: Andre Braugher, Brooklyn Nine Nine
Best Supporting Actress in a Movie or Mini-Series: Allison Tolman, Fargo
Best Supporting Actor in a Movie or Mini-Series: Matt Bomer, The Normal Heart
Best Guest Performer in a Drama Series: Allison Janney, Masters of Sex
Best Guest Performer in a Comedy Series: Uzo Aduba, Orange is the New Black
Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series: Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad
Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series: Bellamy Young, Scandal
Reader Comments (22)
So surprised by Bellamy Young's win!
J-Lange better win the emmy next
And Breaking Bad is so weirdly overrated imo
Jim Parson was the big revelation for me in "The Normal Heart" (He sure broke mine). So instead of giving him a trizillion other award for the oh! sooooo over "Big Bang zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz ..." reward him for the right thing! I'll just add this: Amy Poehler (sigh...)
I kinda hate some of these wins.
If anything from The Normal Heart was to be congratulated, it should've been Jim Parsons' lovely and charming underplayed performance.
Ditto with AHS. This was Lange's weakest outing so far and Frances Conroy's strongest.
I wonder how Cosmos will factor into the Emmy race. So many people LOVED it.
I'm already tired of JLD on Veep winning. She's great but let's not pretend she's the only comic actress on tv delivering gold. And with such an unlikable monster!
Everyone who's in the prison on Orange Is The New Black are all supporting characters, big and small, not guest performances but whatever. I need those qweens to clean up at the Emmys!
Nathaniel - The only reason to see Orphan Black is because of Tatiana. The show in general has kind of a pulpy/popcorn sci-fi feel, something you'd possibly see on FOX. The overall mystery connecting everything works well. But since she's in practically every scene, it definitely helps wash down all the uninteresting or unsavory elements. I say just go for it. It's also very queer friendly and an equal-opportunity nudity exposer and occasionally very funny, like in the second season when Allison, the suburban mom clone, is performing the lead role in this ridiculous musical about anxiety and the perils of crime scene cleaning. You'll wanna watch a whole episode about just that.
Happy to see Kate Mulgrew being recognized for that amazing character. I'm also glad that Allison Janney won for Masters of Sex (in the wrong category).
I personally adore Orphan Black. Definitely keep going with it.
Ryan Murphy being mentioned in the same sentence as "genius" does not compute.
Orphan Black is great - although I enjoyed the first few episodes, so I may not be the best reference point for you. From season 1 - episode 6 is one of the best. And season 1 definitely ends on a high note. And you are really missing out at a couple of Tatiana's best creations, who elevate the show quite a bit, by dropping it so soon.
Although of the 'newish' great dramas - Orphan Black, House of Cards, Orange is the New Black, The Americans, Hannibal and The Originals - The Americans is definitely my favorite and has a whole cast of compelling performers. So if you haven't checked that out, you should.
You make it sound like they went overboard in awarding Breaking Bad!
Hardly! Two awards is not overkill for the final season of a beloved show that arguably had it's best season ever with a killer send-off. Most shows don't stick the landing (i.e. Lost, Battlestar Galactica, The Sopranos..etc.). This one did.
Anonny - hey, not everyone agrees that Lost, BG and Sopranos whiffed the landing, y'know. I admire their willingness to go sharply against expectations at least as much as Breaking Bad's admittedly impeccable fan service.
I'm working my way through Orphan Black's first season too. I'm enjoying it beyond Maslany's performance, but it has that over-produced British/Canadian TV thing going on that I don't much like.
What do folks around here think of Fargo? I never quite got past the feeling that I was watching the world's most elaborate fan fiction ("what if a young Marge Gunderson went up against Anton Chigurgh?!") but that aside I thought it was pretty great.
Also, Bellamy Young power. Well deserved. She has been Scandal's MVP for a long time, IMO.
I agree it would have been great to see Jim Parsons awarded for "The Normal Heart." He did a fine job, and somehow I can't stop thinking about him in it.
Orphan Black and The Americans, both underwatched and stellar. Among my top shows for each of their two seasons.
And, lest we forget: DANGER ZONE!!!!!!!!!!!
Nate you should definitly watch some more Orphan Black The show kind of changes a bit after episode 4 so I would watch one more at least, but episode 7 contains one of the most brilliant Maslany creations yet.
While personally I LOVE the show, I think I would watch it just for her. And she's even better in season 2.
Happy to see Kate Mulgrew get recognized. I'm only season 6 of the 1st season of OINTB (I have a new roommate! With Netflix!), and on a show in which EVERYONE'S flashbacks seem designed to break your heart, hers was the most stirring to me.
@Roark: I like Fargo a lot - it's a very well written, acted and directed show with some great dark humor. It's like nothing else on tv really and there wasn't a single bad or average episode in the first season (which is super rare for TV in general much less first seasons!).
However, it is missing something IMO. A strong central character with a nice emotional character arc that I can root for maybe. I like to be really invested in my TV show characters and their emotional journeys and never really was with Fargo's characters.
I also preferred Jim Parsons over Matt Bomer in The Normal Heart. I found Parsons to be doing really lovely, subtle, nuanced work. His scenes, especially the story about reuniting the dying man with his mama, were some of the most touching for me, and played without maudlin sentimentality.
Bomer was fine, but I didn't think he did anything special with it. But we all knew the role that requires drastic weight loss would be the one getting awards traction.
They stick with their favs, but are a bit more inclusive than The Emmy's. If they were around during Mad Men's peak -- they would've swept like Bad.
anonny -- i kind of feel that it is overrewarded yaeh. because it really wasn't two seasons. it was one. i am so annoyed with all this splitting of things these days. it is such a cheap ploy for more statues and money.
A propos: http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/funniest-fake-ad-cannes-year-all-about-porn-or-it-158465#.U6UBVh9U5-w.twitter
Nathaniel, I really would check out Orphan Black again. I think it does some remarkable stuff, but I suspect that it's thematic resonance will appeal to you.
re: splitting
Heh. It doesn't bother me as much, but given how obvious it is in some case (BB = MONEY!!!!, MM = AWARDS!!!) it's rather amusing.
quite surprised Cicely Tyson hasn't won but very happy for MATT BOMER...I hope he receives (at least) an Emmy nom...
Orange is the new Black was a sweet surprise for me. I thought it would be a silly girrllyy series which is not. There are so many interesting female characters and the casting is superb! Kate Mulgrew and Danielle Brooks are awesome, but the girl who impressed me the most in the second season is Uzo Aduba. Also the great manipulative villain in season 2 portraited by Lorraine Toussaint, is delicious
There are lots of great one liners in this show. And some truly funny moments as well
Thanks to Orange is the new Black, the series has introduced me to a whole bunch of female actors I have never heard of in my life. Especially the African American ones. I hope that they will land great roles in the future