Newcomers top the TCA awards

Two first-year shows jumped to the top of this year’s Television Critics Association awards.
“Heated Rivalry” (shown here) was named program of the year; “Widow’s Bay” won for best comedy and for best new show.
Freshman shows also won the awards for individuals in a comedy (Kate O’Flynn in “Widow’s Bay”) and drama (Rhea Seahorn in “Pluribus”).
The list does have some familiar names, however: “The Pitt” repeated as best drama; “Traitors” had its third straight reality-show win. And for the fifth time, a Ken Burns film — this time “The American Revolution” — won for news and-information.
And after five previous nominations, “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” won for best variety, talk or sketch show. Colbert also won a career award.
The list is dominated by streaming networks, especially HBO Max and Apple. Broadcast networks had only Burns and Colbert … and Colbert’s show was canceled by CBS.
Clips and acceptance speeches are on TCA social media, including www.youtube.com/@tvcritics. The winners are:
— Program of the Year: “Heated Rivalry” (HBO Max, via the Canadian streamer Crave), the closeted romance of two hockey stars.
— Drama: “The Pitt” (HBO Max).
— Comedy: “Widow’s Bay” (Apple), about a New England island beset by supernatural woes.
— Movie, mini-series or special;: “Death by Lightning” (Netflix), about President James Garfield and his assassin.
— Individual in drama: Rhea Seehorn, “Pluribus” (Apple), as someone who has resisted a virus turning people into a hive mentality.
— Individual in comedy: Kate O’Flynn, “Widow’s Bay” (Apple), as the mayor’s eccentric secretary.
— News and information: “The American Revolution” (PBS).
— Variety, talk or sketch: “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (CBS).
— Reality: “Traitors” (Peacock).
— Family programming: “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” (Disney+).
— Children’s programming: “Snoopy Presents: A Summer Musical” (Apple).
— Animation: “Long Story Short” (Netflix).
— International series: “Squid Game” (Netflix).
— Career: Stephen Colbert.
— Heritage: “In Living Color,” the Fox sketch-comedy show that propelled Keenen and Damon Wayans, David Alan Grier, Jim Carrey, Jamie Foxx and many more.