‘Schitt’s Creek’ and ‘Watchmen’ top 2020 Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics Dorian Awards TV winners

Schitt’s Creek, the Pop TV comedy that went from cult favorite to mainstream hit, dominated the 2019/2020 Dorian Awards for Television winners, presented by the Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA). The, which aired its final season earlier this year, won five of its seven nominations including Best TV Comedy and acting prizes for Catherine O’Hara, Dan Levy and Annie Murphy. Levy also picked out the group’s Wilde Wit of the Year award, which goes to “a performer, writer or commentator whose observations both challenge and amuse.”

Watchmen was another big winner, taking home Best Limited Series and Most Visually Striking Show. Killing Eve was named Best TV Drama and Hugh Jackman was chosen as Best Actor for his performance Frank Tassone, the gay New York school superintendent who embezzled thousands of dollars from the school system.

A member myself, this was also the inaugural year for the Dorians TV Toast featuring a panel of GALECA members (even me!, full video here) talking about the last season of television including what defines ‘camp,’ what’s truly ‘unsung’ and where we see LGBTQ representation in media, both in front of and behind the camera, now and in the future.

Winners were announced by a superstar lineup that included Drag Race All Stars winner Chad Michaels, Laverne Cox (Orange is the New Black, Disclosure), Margaret Cho and more. Awards were accepted by Harvey Gullién (Most Unsung Show winner What We Do In the Shadows) Billy Porter and Janelle Monáe (Best TV Musical Performance for their opening number at the 92nd Academy Awards), Regina King (Watchmen). Porter is also featured in a segment from my recent interview with the Emmy winner discussing awards and what they mean to him and to the work. Rosanna and David Arquette also paid special tribute to their sister Alexis, who passed away in 2016, as they advocated for trans rights and in support of the Alexis Project and the Alexis Arquette Family Foundation.

Here is the full list of the nominees and winners below.

2019/2020 DORIAN TV AWARDS WINNERS (in bold)

BEST TV DRAMA

• Better Call Saul (AMC)
• Killing Eve (BBC America/AMC) – WINNER
• Ozark (Netflix)
• The Crown (Netflix)
• The Good Fight (CBS All Access)

BEST TV COMEDY

• Better Things (FX)
• Dead to Me (Netflix)
• Insecure (HBO)
• Schitt’s Creek (Pop) – WINNER
• The Good Place (NBC)
• What We Do in the Shadows (FX)

BEST TV MOVIE OR LIMITED SERIES

• Bad Education (HBO)
• Little Fires Everywhere (Hulu)
• Mrs. America (FX/Hulu)
• Normal People (Hulu)
• Watchmen (HBO) – WINNER

BEST TV PERFORMANCE – ACTRESS

• Christina Applegate, Dead to Me (Netflix)
• Cate Blanchett, Mrs. America (FX/Hulu)
• Linda Cardellini, Dead to Me (Netflix)
• Jodie Comer, Killing Eve (BBC America/AMC)
• Regina King, Watchmen (HBO)
• Laura Linney, Ozark (Netflix)
• Catherine O’Hara, Schitt’s Creek (Pop) – WINNER

BEST TV PERFORMANCE – ACTOR

• Hugh Jackman, Bad Education (HBO) – WINNER
• Eugene Levy, Schitt’s Creek (Pop)
• Paul Mescal, Normal People (Hulu)
• Jeremy Pope, Hollywood (Netflix)
• Ramy Youssef, Ramy (Hulu)

BEST SUPPORTING TV PERFORMANCE – ACTRESS

• Uzo Aduba, Mrs. America (FX/Hulu)
• Julia Garner, Ozark (Netflix)
• Allison Janney, Bad Education (HBO)
• Patti LuPone, Hollywood (Netflix)
• Annie Murphy, Schitt’s Creek (Pop) – WINNER
• Jean Smart, Watchmen (HBO)

BEST SUPPORTING TV PERFORMANCE – ACTOR

• Billy Crudup, The Morning Show (Apple TV+)
• Harvey Guillén, What We Do in the Shadows (FX)
• Dan Levy, Schitt’s Creek (Pop) – WINNER
• Joe Mantello, Hollywood (Netflix)
• Josh O’Connor, The Crown (Netflix)
• Jim Parsons, Hollywood (Netflix)

BEST TV MUSICAL PERFORMANCE

• Cynthia Erivo, “Stand Up”, 92nd Academy Awards (ABC)
• Jake Gyllenhaal, “Music, Music Everywhere!”, John Mulaney & the Sack Lunch Bunch (Netflix)
• Jennifer Lopez & Shakira, Halftime Show, Super Bowl LIV (Fox)
• Janelle Monáe & Billy Porter, Opening Number, 92nd Academy Awards (ABC) – WINNER
• Noah Reid, “Always Be My Baby”, Schitt’s Creek (Pop)

BEST LGBTQ TV SHOW

• Bad Education (HBO)
• Hollywood (Netflix)
• RuPaul’s Drag Race (VH1)
• Schitt’s Creek (Pop) – WINNER
• Vida (Starz)
• We’re Here (HBO)
• Work in Progress (Showtime)

BEST CURRENT AFFAIRS PROGRAM

• Cheer (Netflix)
• The Daily Show with Trevor Noah (Comedy Central)
• Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (TBS)
• Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO) – WINNER
• The Rachel Maddow Show (MSNBC)
• Visible: Out on Television (Apple TV+)

BEST UNSUNG TV SHOW

• Everything’s Gonna Be Okay (Freeform)
• Gentified (Netflix)
• The Good Fight (CBS All Access)
• Mrs. Fletcher (HBO)
• One Day at a Time (Pop)
• Vida (Starz)
• What We Do in the Shadows (FX) – WINNER
• Work in Progress (Showtime)

MOST VISUALLY STRIKING SHOW

• Hollywood (Netflix)
• The Crown (Netflix)
• The Mandalorian (Disney+)
• Watchmen (HBO) – WINNER
• Westworld (HBO)

CAMPIEST TV SHOW

• AJ and the Queen (Netflix)
• Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings (Netflix)
• The Great (Hulu)
• RuPaul’s Drag Race (VH1)
• Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness (Netflix) – WINNER

WILDE WIT AWARD

(Honoring a performer, writer or commentator whose observations both challenge and amuse)

• Dan Levy – WINNER
• Randy Rainbow
• Hannah Gadsby
• Cate Blanchett
• Trevor Noah