At a time when network comedies are staggering, a couple of new ones managed to stand out.
ABC’s “Abbott Elementary” (shown here) leads all shows with five nominations for Television Critics Association awards. CBS’ “Ghosts” landed two.
For “Abbott,” that includes program of the year. It faces three other new shows – “Squid Game,” “Severance” and “Yellowjackets” — plus the returning “Hacks,” “Succession” and “Better Call Saul.”
Both “Abbott” (9 p.m. Wednesdays, sometimes ousted by sports) and “Ghosts” (9 p.m. Thursdays) were also nominated for new program and comedy. In addition, “Abbott” had individual nominations for Quinta Brunson (shown here) – who created the show and stars as a teacher – and Janelle Jones, who plays her self-obsessed principal. The nominations were officially released at noon ET today (June 16), with the awards in August. Here are some of the key program categories:
— PROGRAM OF THE YEAR: “Abbott Elementary,” ABC “Better Call Saul,” AMC; “Hacks,” HBO Max; “Severance,” Apple TV+; “Squid Game,” Netflix; “Succession,” HBO; “The White Lotus,” HBO; “Yellowjackets,” Showtime.
— NEW PROGRAM: “Abbott,” “Severance,” “White Lotus,” “Yellowjackets”; also, “Ghosts,” CBS; “Only Murders in the Building,” Hulu; “Pachinko,” Apple TV+; “Reservation Dogs,” FX.
— DRAMA: “Saul,” “Pachinko,” “Severance,” “Squid Game,” “Succession,” “Yellowjackets”; also. “The Good Fight,” Paramount+, and “This Is Us,” NBC.
— COMEDY: “Abbott”“Ghosts.” “Hacks,” “Only Murders” and “Reservation Dogs.” Also, “Barry: and two previous winners — “Atlanta,” FX, and “Ted Lasso,” Apple TV+.
— MOVIES, MINI-SERIES or SPECIALS: “Dopesick,” “The Dropout” and “The Girl from Plainville,” all Hulu; “Maid” and “Midnight Mass,” Netflix; “The Staircase” and “Station Eleven,” HBO Max; “Under the Banner of Heaven,” FX.
— VARIETY, TALK or SKETCH: HBO’s “A Black Lady Sketch Show” (a previous winner) and “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” (a three-time winner). Also, NBC’s “Saturday Night Live,” plus the Stephen Colbert (CBS), Ziwe Fumudoh (Showtime), Seth Myers (NBC), Tim Robinson (Netflix) and Amber Ruffin (Peacock) shows.