8th African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) TV Honors: ‘Paradise,’ ‘Love Story’ and ‘Spider-Noir’ Among Top Winners

The African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) today announced the winners of the eighth annual AAFCA TV Honors, along with its annual AAFCA TV Top 10 list, celebrating the year’s most outstanding achievements in television and streaming. Paradise, Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette, and Abbott Elementary were among the top winners.

Hulu’s Paradise was named Best Drama as well as earning Sterling K. Brown Best Actor, FX’s Love Story was named Best Limited Series and won Best Directing (Drama) for Crystle Roberson Dorsey. Abbott Elementary was named Best Ensemble while Shrinking won Best Comedy. MGM+’s Spider-Noir was a double winner with Lamorne Morris winning Best Supporting Actor and Kris Bowers for Best Music.

This year’s awards also introduce two new competitive categories, Best Reality Series and Best Podcast, to recognize the expanding landscape of entertainment storytelling, which were won by Love & Marriage: Huntsville and All the Smoke with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson, respectively.

The invitation-only celebration will take place Saturday, August 8, at the City Club Los Angeles in downtown Los Angeles, where this year’s winners will be recognized alongside AAFCA’s previously announced Special Achievement honorees.

“The best television doesn’t simply entertain; it forces us to talk to one another and look closely at the world outside our own living rooms,” said AAFCA President and Co-Founder Gil Robertson. “This year’s winners represent the incredible depth and creative ambition driving our industry forward. Across every genre, these artists are telling bold, culturally rich stories that completely redefine what the medium can do. We are proud to celebrate the visionaries who are not only captivating audiences but making sure our communities are seen, heard, and remembered.”

The African-American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) is the largest collective of Black film critics in the world, dedicated to celebrating excellence in film and television. Founded in 2003, AAFCA presents a range of annual awards celebrations and special events that honor outstanding achievements in the entertainment industry. Since its inception, the organization has remained committed to amplifying Black voices in film criticism and arts and entertainment journalism across the African Diaspora. AAFCA’s mission has always been clear: to elevate diverse perspectives and create space for underrepresented voices in media.

Here is the complete list of winners.

Best Drama – “Paradise” (Hulu)

Best Comedy – “Shrinking” (Apple TV)

Best Limited Series – “Love Story” (FX/Hulu)

Best Actor – Sterling K. Brown, “Paradise” (Hulu)

Best Actress – Jurnee Smollett, “Smoke” (Apple TV)

Best Supporting Actress – Erika Alexander, “The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins” (NBC)

Best Supporting Actor – Lamorne Morris, “Spider-Noir” (MGM+)

Best Ensemble – “Abbott Elementary” (ABC)

Best Directing (Drama) – Crystle Roberson Dorsey, “Love Story” (FX/Hulu)

Best Directing (Comedy) – Anthony Hemingway, “All’s Fair” (Hulu)

Best Documentary – “Sean Combs: The Reckoning” (Netflix)

Best Writing – “Abbott Elementary” (ABC)

Best Music – Kris Bowers, “Spider-Noir” (MGM+)

Best Breakout Performance – Aaron Moten, “Fallout” (Prime Video)

Best Reality Series – “Love & Marriage: Huntsville” (OWN)

Best Podcast – “All the Smoke with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson”

AAFCA’s 2026 Top 10 Television Programs

1. “Paradise” (Hulu)
2. “The Pitt” (HBO Max)
3. “Shrinking” (Apple TV)
4. “The Madison” (Paramount+)
5. “Abbott Elementary” (ABC)
6. “The Chi” (Paramount+ with Showtime)
7. “Matlock” (CBS)
8. “The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins” (NBC)
9. “Beef” (Netflix)
10. “The ’Burbs” (Peacock)

Previously announced 2026 AAFCA TV Honors Special Achievement honorees

Flip Wilson Award: Tracy Morgan

TV Vanguard Award: Kathryn Busby

Impact Award: Celeste Hughey

Horizon Award: Lamar Chase

Salute to Excellence Award: Felicia Pride

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Erik Anderson

Erik Anderson is the founder/owner and Editor-in-Chief of AwardsWatch and has always loved all things Oscar, having watched the Academy Awards since he was in single digits; making lists, rankings and predictions throughout the show. This led him down the path to obsessing about awards. Much later, he found himself in film school and the film forums of GoldDerby, and then migrated over to the former Oscarwatch (now AwardsDaily), before breaking off to create AwardsWatch in 2013.

He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Critics Choice Association (CCA), San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SFBAFCC) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.

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