Dorian TV Awards: Horny Vampires, Queer Comedians, Fellow Travellers, and Baby Reindeers

by Nathaniel R

Fellow Travelers © Showtime

The Society for LGBTQ Entertainment Journalists have released the Dorian Award nominations for the 2023-2024 TV season in twenty-four categories. As per our usual disclaimer, multiple members of TFE are in the 500-wide membership of GALECA. It's a four way tie for the leading show between AMC's interpretation of Interview with the Vampire, perennial Emmy favourites Max's Hacks and FX/Hulu's The Bear, and Netflix sensation Baby Reindeer all grabbing six nods each. FX/Hulu's remake of classic period epic Shōgun and Showtime's thrilling romantic drama Fellow Travellers were not far behind with five nods each. 

After the list, the full nominations and a few scattered comments...

BEST TV DRAMA

• Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire (AMC)
• The Curse (Showtime/Paramount+)
• Fallout (Amazon Prime)
• The Gilded Age (HBO)
• Heartstopper (Netflix)
• Shōgun (FX/Hulu)

BEST TV COMEDY

• Abbott Elementary (ABC)
• The Bear (FX/Hulu)
• Hacks (Max)
• Reservation Dogs (FX/Hulu)
• What We Do in the Shadows (FX)

BEST LGBTQ TV SHOW

• Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire (AMC)
• Baby Reindeer (Netflix)
• Fellow Travelers (Showtime/Paramount+)
• Hacks (Max)
• Heartstopper (Netflix)

Sensational list. So many quality queer shows on television of late. 

BEST TV MOVIE OR MINISERIES

• Baby Reindeer (Netflix)
• Fellow Travelers (Showtime/Paramount+)
• Feud: Capote Vs. The Swans (FX/Hulu)
• Ripley (Netflix) 
• True Detective: Night Country (HBO)

BEST UNSUNG TV SHOW

• Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire (AMC)
• Chucky (Syfy/USA)
• Our Flag Means Death (Max)
• Reservation Dogs (FX/Hulu)
• We Are Lady Parts (Peacock)

BEST WRITTEN TV SHOW (new category)

• Abbott Elementary (ABC)
• Baby Reindeer (Netflix)
• The Bear (FX/Hulu)
• Fellow Travelers (Showtime/Paramount+)
• Hacks (Max)

BEST NON-ENGLISH LANGUAGE TV SHOW

• Elite (Netflix)
• Lupin (Netflix) 
• Shōgun (FX/Hulu)
• Tore (Netflix)
• Young Royals (Netflix)

No love for my fav international show of the past tv season, Uncanny Counter (Season 2)? But it was near the beginning of the eligibility period so I'll pretend that was the reason. 

BEST LGBTQ NON-ENGLISH LANGUAGE TV SHOW (new category)

• Drag Latina (Revry/LATV+)
• Elite (Netflix)
• Past Lies (Hulu)
• Tore (Netflix)
• Young Royals (Netflix)

BEST TV PERFORMANCE—DRAMA

• Jacob Anderson, Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire (AMC)
• Matt Bomer, Fellow Travelers (Showtime/Paramount+)
• Jodie Foster, True Detective: Night Country (HBO)
• Richard Gadd, Baby Reindeer (Netflix)
• Ncuti Gatwa, Dr. Who (Disney+)
• Lily Gladstone, Under the Bridge (Hulu)
• Tom Hollander, Feud: Capote Vs. The Swans (FX/Hulu)
• Anna Sawai, Shōgun (FX/Hulu)
• Andrew Scott, Ripley (Netflix)
• Emma Stone, The Curse (Showtime/Paramount+)

BEST SUPPORTING TV PERFORMANCE—DRAMA

• Jonathan Bailey, Fellow Travelers (Showtime/Paramount+)
• Christine Baranski, The Gilded Age (HBO)
• Elizabeth Debicki, The Crown (Netflix)
• Jessica Gunning, Baby Reindeer (Netflix)
• Moeka Hoshi, Shōgun (FX/Hulu)
• Jennifer Jason Leigh, Fargo (FX)
• Nava Mau, Baby Reindeer (Netflix)
• Jinkx Monsoon, Doctor Who (Disney+)
• Kali Reis, True Detective: Night Country (HBO)
• Benny Safdie, The Curse (Showtime/Paramount+)

Happy to see both Baby Reindeer actresses here! The Christine Baranski nomination feels so gay-fandom "extra"... if only that show were better written and actually challenged her; she could perform this role in her sleep and sometimes it feels like she is!  

BEST TV PERFORMANCE—COMEDY

• Matt Berry, What We Do in the Shadows (FX)
• Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary (ABC)
• Ayo Edebiri, The Bear (FX/Hulu) 
• Renée Elise Goldsberry, Girls5Eva (Netflix)
• Devery Jacobs, Reservation Dogs (FX/Hulu)
• Maya Rudolph, Loot (Apple TV+)
• Martin Short, Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)
• Jean Smart, Hacks (Max)
• Jeremy Allen White, The Bear (FX/Hulu)
• Kristen Wiig, Palm Royale (Apple TV+)

Very pleased to see Kristen Wiig here and only wish her very fun show had performed better overall. Yes, it was "padded" to stretch across so many episodes (a complaint I've heard multiple times), but that critique could well apply to many hit shows with filler that people seem to have no issue with. 

BEST SUPPORTING TV PERFORMANCE—COMEDY

• Joel Kim Booster, Loot (Apple TV+)
• Carol Burnett, Palm Royale (Apple TV+)
• Hannah Einbinder, Hacks (Max)
• Harvey Guillén, What We Do in the Shadows (FX)
• Janelle James, Abbott Elementary (ABC)
• Jamie Lee-Curtis, The Bear (FX/Hulu)
• Sheryl Lee Ralph, Abbott Elementary (ABC)
• Ebon Moss-Bachrach, The Bear (FX/Hulu)
• Megan Stalter, Hacks (Max)
• Meryl Streep, Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)

Megan Stalter was hilarious on the first season of Hacks but at this point it feels like they don't know quite what to do with her character. But at least she's an actual supporting player, unlike indisputable co-lead, Hannah Einbinder, by far the most egregious "category fraud" in mainstream television awards these days. Einbinder definitely deserves flowers -- so funny / inspired on the regular and her chemistry with Jean Smart remains perfectly judged -- but put her in the the correct category, please and thanks. 

BEST TV MUSICAL PERFORMANCE

• Miley Cyrus, “Flowers,” 66th Annual Grammy Awards (CBS / Paramount+)
• Billie Eilish & Finneas O'Connell, What Was I Made For?,” 96th Academy Awards (ABC)
• Ryan Gosling, “I’m Just Ken,” 96th Academy Awards (ABC)
• Steve Martin, “Which of the Pickwick Triplets Did It?,” Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)
• Maya Rudolph, “Mother,” Saturday Night Live (NBC)

Disappointed not to see Meryl Streep's Only Murders in the Building number represented though it's hard to fault these other nominees. "I'm Just Ken" should take this in a walk. 

BEST TV DOCUMENTARY OR DOCUMENTARY SERIES

• Black Twitter: A People’s History (Hulu)
• Girls State (Apple TV+)
• The Greatest Night in Pop (Netflix)
• Jim Henson Idea Man (Disney+)
• Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV (Investigation Discovery)

BEST LGBTQ TV DOCUMENTARY OR DOCUMENTARY SERIES

• Beyond the Aggressives: 25 Years Later (Showtime)
• Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show (HBO)
• Last Call: When A Serial Killer Stalked Queer New York (HBO)
• Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed (HBO)
• The Stroll (HBO)

BEST CURRENT AFFAIRS SHOW

• The Daily Show (Comedy Central)
• Hot Ones (YouTube)
• Late Night with Seth Meyers (NBC)
• The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (CBS)
• Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

BEST REALITY SHOW

• Rupaul's Drag Race (MTV)
• Queer Eye (Netflix)
• Top Chef (Bravo)
• The Traitors (Peacock)
• We’re Here (HBO)

BEST GENRE TV SHOW (new category)

• Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire (AMC)
• The Fall of the House of Usher (Netflix)
• Fallout (Amazon Prime)
• What We Do in the Shadows (FX)
• Chucky (SyFy/USA)

The most disappointing list for this viewer. Would happily swipe most of these out for Dead Boy Detectives, Resident Alien, or Uncanny Counter. 

BEST ANIMATED SHOW

• Blue Eye Samurai (Netflix)
• Bobs Burgers (Fox)
• Harley Quinn (Max) 
• Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (Netflix)
• X-Men 97 (Disney+)

MOST VISUALLY STRIKING TV SHOW

• Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire (AMC)
• Fallout (Amazon Prime)
• Palm Royale (Apple TV+)
• Ripley (Netflix) 
• Shōgun (FX/Hulu)
• True Detective: Night Country (HBO)

CAMPIEST TV SHOW

• Bridgerton (Netflix)
• Chucky (SyFy / USA)
• Feud: Capote Vs. The Swans (FX/Hulu)
• Palm Royale (Apple TV+)
• The Traitors (Peacock)

It feels strange to see Bridgerton's best season only represented in this one category. But I've never been a fan of this category -- and I don't vote on it -- since nobody ever agrees on what "camp" means. 

WILDE WIT AWARD—To a performer, writer or commentator whose observations both challenge and amuse

• Joel Kim Booster
• Quinta Brunson
• Ayo Edebiri
• Hannah Einbinder
• Julio Torres

Julio Torres fanboy here. Please see Problemista immediately, now streaming on Max. One of the best films of 2024 thus far.

GALECA TV Icon Award—To a uniquely talented star we adore

• Gillian Anderson
• Angela Bassett
• Carol Burnett
• LeVar Burton
• Julia Louis-Dreyfus

GALECA LGBTQIA+ TV Trailblazer Award—For creating art that inspires empathy, truth and equity

• RuPaul Charles
• Margaret Cho
• Alan Cumming
• Emma D'Arcy
• Ncuti Gatwa

Comments

[Cláudio Alves]

Oh, I'm sad to see you're so disappointed with the Genre TV lineup. Maybe I'm blinded by fanboy love, but the nominations for INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE and CHUCKY had me overjoyed. Still need to see all three series you mention as alternatives, so maybe I'll agree with you and be crestfallen by their absence here.

[Ryan T.]

Ugh, gay people have such AMAZING taste! The Emmys would never with some of these brilliant nominations.

Definitely agree with you that DEAD BOY DETECTIVES should've been shortlisted in Genre, but can't complain about VAMPIRE and SHADOWS in there (and I hear CHUCKY is good?).

Was this for BRIDGERTON's current season? If so, I agree. It was definitely a more queer season! And I maintain that Nicola Coughlan is as great as Rene-Jean Page was in S1.

Best LGBTQ Show is just a list of A-List Bangers. All of them!

[Peggy Sue]

I guess Nolly wasn't widely available because Helena Bonham Carter is sensational.

[DK]

Wait, they put out nominees for their Lifetime Achievement Awards and there are four losers in each category? Tacky...

[ScottC]

Love Dead Boy Detectives, but Interview is great (loving Assad Zaman; that 1970s episode was my favorite tv in months) and even if it's a relatively weak season of Chucky I still enjoy that show so I don't begrudge their nominations. But it is a shame Dead Boy Detectives didn't get attention here (I especially like George Rexstrew).

Here's hoping it becomes the Anna Sawaii awards season, generally. In Supporting I really like Jonathan Bailey and Jennifer Jason Leigh (I thought it was a very good season of Fargo, generally, and I hope Juno Temple's work is widely recognized).

[Tony L]

Yay for CHUCKY!! Would have loved to see Jennifer Tilly somewhere as she is FANTASTIC in it!!

And love seeing Julia Louis-Dreyfus too ;) love her! Hope she gets some traction for Tuesday since she didn’t last year for You Hurt My Feelings

[Frank Zappa]

I'm a fan of four of the five Genre nominees, so no complaints here. And I've never watched the fifth (Chucky) or any of three alternates Nathaniel mentioned, so I can't speak to their worthiness.

[Finbar McBride]

I was deeply moved by nominee Fellow Travelers. I recently watched a compilation interview where actors, designers and the director of Fellow Travelers all spoke of how being queer informed and enriched their work.

Then I read the recent interview with Sean Penn, While Penn earned critical acclaim and his second Oscar for best actor thanks to his portrayal of the openly gay politician Harvey Milk, he told The New York Times he could not star in the film today as straight actors playing queer characters has become too hotly debated in Hollywood. “No. It could not happen in a time like this,” Penn said about not playing Harvey Milk in 2024. “It’s a time of tremendous overreach. It’s a timid and artless policy toward the human imagination.”

I am still unsure where I fall in this current debate. I only am certan that I am grateful for exquisite art that moves me, educates me, and enriches me.

[Joe G.]

I'm actually fine with the Baranski nod. While I thought Cynthia Nixon and Denee Benton were just as good (if not better) than her this season, she's giving a really fun performance that has moments of real pathos. I thought the rift between her and Cynthia worked well this season, and she brought quite a bit of depth to it when she didn't have to.

I'm fairly happy to see Jacob Anderson here. He's great on his show and I wish he (and Sam Reid) would breakthrough more fully.

I do wish more of the fellow travelers supporting cast were here. Jelani Alladin was quite good. Much like Hannah Einbinder, I think Bailey is a lead.

[Mr Ripley79]

Ncuti Gatwa Really!