A pair of powerhouse limited series—HBO’s Watchmen and Netflix’s Unbelievable—received the most nominations today as the Television Critics Association announced its 2020 TCA Awards nominees.
The TCA, which comprises more than 200 North American TV critics and journalists (including me), honors outstanding television programming. The organization often recognizes acclaimed shows that Emmy voters have overlooked—like CBS All Access’s The Good Fight—and can help freshman series like Hulu’s The Great and AppleTV+’s The Morning Show, which are hoping to break into the Emmy field when those nominations are announced on July 28.
In addition to Watchmen and Unbelievable—which each landed four nominations—the shows receiving multiple nods this year are also expected to score Emmy nominations later this month. AMC’s Better Call Saul, FX on Hulu’s Mrs. America, Pop TV’s Schitt’s Creek and HBO’s Succession were each nominated three times, while FX’s Better Things, Netflix’s Dead to Me, Hulu’s The Great and HBO’s Insecure received two nominations apiece.
This year’s nominees include two recent Adweek cover subjects: Ramy Youssef and Seth Meyers.
The acting categories, which are not separated by gender, feature Pamela Adlon (Better Things), Christina Applegate (Dead to Me), Cate Blanchett (Mrs. America), Kaitlyn Dever (Unbelievable), Elle Fanning (The Great), Regina King (Watchmen), Catherine O’Hara (Schitt’s Creek), Issa Rae (Insecure), Mark Ruffalo (I Know This Much Is True), Rhea Seehorn (Better Call Saul), Jeremy Strong (Succession), Merritt Wever (Unbelievable) and Youssef (Ramy).
The nominees for the most coveted award, Program of the Year, are Better Call Saul, Mrs. America, Schitt’s Creek, Succession, Unbelievable and Watchmen.
HBO led all networks with 16 nominations overall, followed by Netflix (10), FX/FX on Hulu (7), Hulu (6) and PBS/PBS Kids (6).
The winners are usually announced at a ceremony held during the TCA’s annual summer press tour in L.A., which was canceled this year due to Covid-19. Instead, this year’s winners will be revealed later this summer.
Here is the list of the 2020 TCA Awards nominees, except for the Career Achievement and Heritage Award winners, which will be announced later:
Individual Achievement in Drama
Cate Blanchett, Mrs. America (FX on Hulu)
Kaitlyn Dever, Unbelievable (Netflix)
Regina King, Watchmen (HBO)
Mark Ruffalo, I Know This Much Is True (HBO)
Rhea Seehorn, Better Call Saul (AMC)
Jeremy Strong, Succession (HBO)
Merritt Wever, Unbelievable (Netflix)
Individual Achievement in Comedy
Pamela Adlon, Better Things (FX)
Christina Applegate, Dead to Me (Netflix)
Elle Fanning, The Great (Hulu)
Catherine O’Hara, Schitt’s Creek (Pop TV)
Issa Rae, Insecure (HBO)
Ramy Youssef, Ramy (Hulu)
Outstanding Achievement in News and Information
60 Minutes (CBS)
Frontline (PBS)
Hillary (Hulu)
The Last Dance (ESPN)
McMillions (HBO)
The Rachel Maddow Show (MSNBC)
Outstanding Achievement in Reality
Cheer (Netflix)
Encore! (Disney+)
Holey Moley (ABC)
Making It (NBC)
Top Chef All-Stars L.A. (Bravo)
We’re Here! (HBO)
Outstanding Achievement in Youth Programming
Carmen Sandiego (Netflix)
Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood (PBS Kids)
Molly of Denali (PBS Kids)
Odd Squad (PBS Kids)
Wild Kratts (PBS Kids)
Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum (PBS Kids)
Outstanding Achievement in Sketch/Variety Shows
A Black Lady Sketch Show (HBO)
The Daily Show With Trevor Noah (Comedy Central)
Full Frontal With Samantha Bee (TBS)
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver (HBO)—2018 and 2019’s winner
Late Night With Seth Meyers (NBC)
Saturday Night Live (NBC)
Outstanding Achievement in Movie or Miniseries
Little Fires Everywhere (Hulu)
Mrs. America (FX on Hulu)
Normal People (Hulu)
The Plot Against America (HBO)
Unbelievable (Netflix)
Watchmen (HBO)
Outstanding New Program
The Great (Hulu)
The Mandalorian (Disney+)
The Morning Show (AppleTV+)
Never Have I Ever (Netflix)
Watchmen (HBO)
Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist (NBC)
Outstanding Achievement in Drama
Better Call Saul (AMC)—last year’s winner
The Crown (Netflix)
Euphoria (HBO)
The Good Fight (CBS All Access)
Pose (FX)
Succession (HBO)
Outstanding Achievement in Comedy
Better Things (FX)
Dead to Me (Netflix)
The Good Place (NBC)—2018’s winner
Insecure (HBO)
Schitt’s Creek (Pop TV)
What We Do in the Shadows (FX)
Program of the Year
Better Call Saul (AMC)
Mrs. America (FX on Hulu)
Schitt’s Creek (Pop TV)
Succession (HBO)
Unbelievable (Netflix)
Watchmen (HBO)
https://www.adweek.com/tv-video/watchmen-unbelievable-succession-top-2020-tca-awards-nominations/