TCA Nominations 2021
Thursday, July 15, 2021 at 4:52PM The Television Critics Association has announced its nominees for the season and they make an interesting parallel kudo-party with the Emmys both in their sameness and where they diverge. I'm told voting closed before the Emmy nominations were announced so these are simple disagreements as opposed to statement making...
INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMA
Michaela Coel, I May Destroy You – HBO
Ethan Hawke, The Good Lord Bird – Showtime
Thuso Mbedu, The Underground Railroad – Amazon
Elizabeth Olsen, WandaVision – Disney+
Mj Rodriguez, Pose – FX
Omar Sy, Lupin – Netflix
Anya Taylor-Joy, The Queen’s Gambit – Netflix
Kate Winslet, Mare Of Easttown – HBO
Far fewer nominees than the Emmys of course since they don't differentiate by gender or lead or supporting (so naturally supporting performances are almost never honored. sigh). Interesting that despite so many fewer nominations they still ended up honoring three people that Emmys ignored: Mbedu, Sy (was he Emmy eligible or was that too "foreign" for the Emmys), and Hawke who has not been all that lucky with industry honors given a rather enduring and excitingly varied career and numerous fine performances.
Bo Burnham, Bo Burnham: Inside – Netflix
Kaley Cuoco, The Flight Attendant – HBO Max
Maya Erskine, Pen15 – Hulu
Renée Elise Goldsberry, Girls5eva – Peacock
Charlotte Nicdao, Mythic Quest – Apple TV+
Jean Smart, Hacks – HBO Max
Jason Sudeikis, Ted Lasso – Apple TV+
Hannah Waddingham, Ted Lasso – Apple TV+
Wonderful list for comedy. Especially love seeing Nicdao here who gives the best performance in a show full of fine performances, none of which were honored at the Emmys.
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN NEWS AND INFORMATION
Allen V. Farrow – HBO
City So Real – NatGeo
Framing Britney Spears – FX/FX On Hulu
Frontline – PBS
I’ll Be Gone In The Dark – HBO
Oprah With Meghan And Harry: A CBS Primetime Special – CBS
The Rachel Maddow Show – MSNBC
60 Minutes – CBS
Frontline and 60 Minutes have won this award in the past. Seems odd to honor Allen V Farrow which is so obviously one-sided (which even some of its supporters admit). But we've always known that critics often vote for things they politically agree with just as Oscar and Emmy voters do, regardless of individual merit.
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN REALITY
Couples Therapy – Showtime
Deaf U – Netflix
The Great Pottery Throw Down – HBO Max
Legendary – HBO Max
Nailed It! Double Trouble – Netflix
The Real World Homecoming: New York – Paramount+
Taste The Nation – Hulu
Top Chef: Portland – Bravo
I have seen exactly one episode of one of these and did not enjoy it -- reality TV isn't my jam I freely admit -- so you tell me: Good list or lacking something important?
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN YOUTH PROGRAMMING
The Baby-Sitters Club – Netflix
Bluey – Disney Jr.
Donkey Hodie – PBS Kids
Emily’s Wonder Lab – Netflix
Odd Squad – PBS Kids
Sesame Street – HBO
Waffles + Mochi – Netflix
Xavier Riddle And The Secret Museum – PBS Kids
OUTSTANDING NEW PROGRAM
Bridgerton – Netflix
The Flight Attendant – HBO Max
Hacks – HBO Max
I May Destroy You – HBO
Mare Of Easttown – HBO
P-Valley – Starz
Ted Lasso – Apple TV+
WandaVision – Disney+
It's so funny to me to hear people complain about Bridgerton all the time when it pops up in awards but then critics themselves also honor it so who is it that's mad about its honors? Is it just the knee-jerk common reaction to "fluff" being honored in anyway anywhere? You can be quality or bad "fluff" just as you can be quality or bad drama. Bridgerton is quality fluff (but, yes, it's fluff).
In other words: End honors by genre and "importance" of subject matter/theme and instead celebrate quality of execution in whatever genre or form or subject matter/theme it appears and serves!
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN MOVIES, MINISERIES OR SPECIALS
Bo Burnham: Inside – Netflix
The Good Lord Bird – Showtime
I May Destroy You – HBO
It’s A Sin – HBO Max
Mare Of Easttown – HBO
The Queen’s Gambit – Netflix
The Underground Railroad – Amazon
WandaVision – Disney+
Small Axe was ignored here. Interesting but strange given the fervent religiosity of the critical raves. Nice to see It's a Sin though since it, too, was absent at the Emmys.
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMA
Bridgerton – Netflix
The Crown – Netflix
For All Mankind – Apple TV+
The Handmaid’s Tale – Hulu
Lovecraft Country – HBO
The Mandalorian – Disney+
Pose – FX
P-Valley – Starz
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN COMEDY
The Flight Attendant – HBO Max
Girls5eva – Peacock
Hacks – HBO Max
Mythic Quest – Apple TV+
Pen15 – Hulu
Superstore – NBC
Ted Lasso – Apple TV+
Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist – NBC
This is the list that veers most from the Emmy players with only half of their lineup matching.
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN VARIETY, TALK OR SKETCH
The Amber Ruffin Show – Peacock
A Black Lady Sketch Show – HBO
The Daily Show With Trevor Noah – Comedy Central
Desus & Mero – Showtime
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver – HBO
Late Night With Seth Meyers – NBC
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert – CBS
Saturday Night Live – NBC
Ziwe – Showtime
A Black Lady Sketch Show and Last Week Tonight have both won this prize in the past.
PROGRAM OF THE YEAR
Bridgerton – Netflix
Hacks – HBO Max
I May Destroy You – HBO
Mare of Easttown – HBO
The Queen’s Gambit – Netflix
Ted Lasso – Apple TV+
The Underground Railroad – Amazon
WandaVision – Disney+
"Program of the Year" is an odd category as it implies something zeitgeisty above and beyond whether a show is quality drama or quality comedy or quality whatever. So if it's meant to be about the zeitgeist shouldn't, oh, Framing Britney Spears have made the list given how much that's been discussed and that it's still being discussed daily?
Reader Comments (23)
Please, I hope Allen v Farrow doesn't win anything as that was just a bullshit, one-sided hit piece that distorts a lot of facts. Just like Leaving Neverland as that was also bullshit.
Small Axe, The Underground Railroad , The Get Down and the Eddy are all directed by great directors, and every episode looks like a movie, but as a whole, not a very engaging TV experience. These directors are not familiar with the pace and the audience of TV.
Happy to see Omar Sy recognized here. Lupin was a magical series.
Bluey is great. Give it all the awards
I honestly don't understand what happened with Small Axe.
LOL at critics considering the Oprah special a worthy news program.
Ethan Hawke overacts the hell out of his character. Not a fan.
As a longtime Woody Allen movie fan, I'm glad Allen v Farrow gets nominated everywhere. I have a lot of Woody Allen movie in my top 10 of the year, therefore it's my duty to see this documentary. I have no conclusion of his crime, but it's a moral lesson for me as a cinephile. I cannot choose to be blind just because I love someone's movies so much.
City So Real is one of the better docs/TV pieces I’ve seen this past year, so I really hope it wins.
They usually have less nominees, so it’s exciting to see them expand this quite a bit. Happy to see the love for P-Valley and Girls5Eva.
Peggy, that is not true at all.
Honestly shocked that not one actor from The Crown made it in Individual award.
Just goes to show that Leading Actress in Miniseries is where it is at now.
FOUR of the nominees are all included in Drama Individual category. WOW
Winslet for the win still.
Surprised at the weak showing for The Crown. No way Bridgerton deserves a Program nom over it.
And Bridgerton is not quality. It’s just fluff. Bad fluff.
Sorry, but describing Leaving Neverland, an incredibly thoughtful and sensitive piece of filmmaking as 'bullshit' is borderline offensive.
Lovely to see Omar Sy get in, who is giving a very fun, multi-faceted performance on Lupin that's not too dissimilar to what Kaley Cuoco is doing on The Flight Attendant.
I agree with Shmeebs that Bridgerton isn't good fluff either. I really struggled with it.
Nothing at the Emmys and nothing here for EXTERMINATE ALL THE BRUTES, which is an astonishing work from Raoul Peck (another black filmmaker that awards bodies just seem to have skirted around this season alongside Steve McQueen and not even Jenkins' Underground Railroad has done as well as people thought it should have). And to think the Oprah interview with Prince Harry got in instead! Extraordinary.
Interesting that only two of the acting/drama nominees are from regular series (Rodriguez and Sy). The rest are all from miniseries.
Thrilled for pen15 although it’s tough to see Anna Konkle miss out when Maya Erskine is nominated - what a duo! I’d like to think she was in 9th place and only missed by a handful of votes.
Bridgerton IS quality fluff, and I don't have any issue with it getting nominations for that reason. Some fluff is worthy! (And it is hard to produce quality fluff... look at all the bad fluff that gets churned out.)
I hope Ethan Hawke wins. Maybe the Emmy snub will help his chances?
Bridgerton is garbage with gorgeous dresses.
Program of the Year would be a tough choice for me. I loved every one of those programs. All quality TV (take a hike, Bridgerton haters).
For Outstanding New Program, why would Mare of Easttown and Wanda Vision be nominated? Aren't they both limited series?
@Sally. Yes - you can't have PEN15 without Anna Konkle. Just like you can't have HACKS without Hannah Einbinder They're CO-LEADS, people, and equally worthy of nominations.
Americans are so blind with Oprah. She only serves garbage with a gold ribbon.
Top Chef is excellent. No need to look down on it b/c it's lowly "reality" TV. Drag Race would have been deserving too, though many didn't like the most recent season, Legendary has its moments. The Real World reboot was a bust. I would have left that off. Nailed It is fun, but silly.
Yay Ethan Hawke! Screw the Emmys for snubbing him. Michaela Coel is the best nominee on here, Hope she wins big this season!
Why are Limited series competing in New Program? Dumb.
Lupin isn't eligible for Emmys as a foreign entity.
Yayyy Ziwe!!!
Say it again for the people in the back, "...celebrate quality of execution in whatever genre or form or subject matter/theme it appears and serves!" Amen.
Yancey -- i dont look down on it. I said i haven't seen those programs this season (except one episode of Legendary which bored me). I am just not a reality TV person. i have seen a few episodes of that one but many years ago.
I had the same complaint about Watchmen the year it won. It is dumb to have limited series in "new program". They're one and done and they have their own category anyway. It would be way more fascinating (and spread the wealth more) if it was actually a "first season" honor.
The Underground Railroad. What a piece of pretentious shit!
SMALL AXE hands down Film Cable Network Streaming is the best thing I saw all year