Television Critics Association nominations: Love for ‘Ted Lasso,’ ‘Hacks’ and ‘WandaVision’ mirrors Emmys but group also rights some wrongs

Erik Anderson July 15, 2021

Hot off the Emmy nominations this week, the Television Critics Association (TCA) added more love to Ted Lasso, Hacks, Mare of Easttown, WandaVision and much more, as well as highlighting shows and performances that the Emmys ignored.

Up for Program of the Year, which combines all program types, are Bridgerton, Hacks, I May Destroy You, Mare of Easttown, The Queen’s Gambit, Ted Lasso, The Underground Railroad and WandaVision. Ted Lasso topped all shows with five mentions with a four-way tie for second place as Hacks, I May Destroy You, Mare of Easttown and WandaVision came in with four apiece.

Several programs and performances showed up at the TCA that were snubbed by the Emmys including Thuso Mbedu (Amazon’s The Underground Railroad) and Ethan Hawke (Showtime’s The Good Lord Bird), both earning nominations for Individual Achievement in Drama. In comedy, the TCA found room for Maya Erskine (Hulu’s Pen15), Renée Elise Goldsberry (Peacock’s Girls5Eva) and Charlotte Nicdao (Apple TV+’s Mythic Quest) for their individual work. Starz’s P-Valley earned a nomination for Outstanding New Program and Outstanding Achievement in Drama, while For All Mankind from Apple TV+ also earned a Drama nomination. An inspired nomination came in with Omar Sy earning a nod for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Drama for Netflix’s Lupin. Sy was not eligible for the Primetime Emmy Awards, only the International Emmy Awards, which recognize the best television programs initially produced and aired outside the United States first.

“This was an incredible year for fresh, inclusive content and new creators, and our nominations are a reflection of that,” said Melanie McFarland, president, TCA. “The TCA membership selected from a wealth of original offerings that broke fresh ground and presented exciting, thought-provoking experiences that redefined the television landscape. Although we will not be able to honor these landmark achievements in-person, we look forward to celebrating 37 years of the TCA Awards and sharing our top picks when the winners are unveiled.”

Interesting misses or snubs by the TCA that the Emmys embraced were Amazon’s The Boys (which earned a Drama Series Emmy nomination) and any performances from Netflix’s The Crown. The royal drama earned just a single nomination here, Outstanding Achievement in Drama, while at the Emmys snagged an astonishing nine acting nominations, at least one in every acting category, and 24 overall. HBO’s Lovecraft Country suffered a similar fate, 18 Emmy nominations, including in every acting category, yet a single Drama mention here.

The combination of HBO and HBO Max earned the most nominations for a network or streamer overall with 24 (14 for HBO, 10 for HBO Max), followed by Netflix with 15 and Apple TV+ with 8.

The career achievement and Heritage Award will be announced at a later date

Here is the full list of nominations for the 37th Television Critics Association awards.

PROGRAM OF THE YEAR

“Bridgerton” – Netflix
“Hacks” – HBO Max
“I May Destroy You” – HBO
“Mare of Easttown” – HBO
“The Queen’s Gambit” – Netflix
“Ted Lasso” – Apple TV+
“The Underground Railroad” – Amazon
“WandaVision” – Disney+

INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMA

Michaela Coel, “I May Destroy You” – HBO
Ethan Hawke, “The Good Lord Bird” – Showtime
Thuso Mbedu, “The Underground Railroad” – Amazon
Elizabeth Olsen, “WandaVision” – Disney+
Mj Rodriguez, “Pose” – FX
Omar Sy, “Lupin” – Netflix
Anya Taylor-Joy, “The Queen’s Gambit” – Netflix
Kate Winslet, “Mare of Easttown” – HBO

INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN COMEDY

Bo Burnham, “Bo Burnham: Inside” – Netflix
Kaley Cuoco, “The Flight Attendant” – HBO Max
Maya Erskine, “Pen15” – Hulu
Renée Elise Goldsberry, “Girls5Eva” – Peacock
Charlotte Nicdao, “Mythic Quest” – Apple TV+
Jean Smart, “Hacks” – HBO Max
Jason Sudeikis, “Ted Lasso” – Apple TV+
Hannah Waddingham, “Ted Lasso” – Apple TV+

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN NEWS AND INFORMATION

“Allen v. Farrow” – HBO
“City So Real” – NatGeo
“Framing Britney Spears” – FX/FX On Hulu
“Frontline” – PBS (Eight-time Winner in Category)
“I’ll Be Gone in the Dark” – HBO
“Oprah with Meghan and Harry: A CBS Primetime Special” – CBS
“The Rachel Maddow Show” – MSNBC
“60 Minutes” – CBS (2012 Winner in Category)

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN REALITY

“Couples Therapy” – Showtime
“Deaf U” – Netflix
“The Great Pottery Throw Down” – HBO Max
“Legendary” – HBO Max
“Nailed It! Double Trouble” – Netflix
“The Real World Homecoming: New York” – Paramount+
“Taste the Nation” – Hulu
“Top Chef: Portland” – Bravo

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN YOUTH PROGRAMMING

“The Baby-Sitters Club” – Netflix
“Bluey” – Disney Jr.
“Donkey Hodie” – PBS Kids
“Emily’s Wonder Lab” – Netflix
“Odd Squad” – PBS Kids
“Sesame Street” – HBO
“Waffles + Mochi” – Netflix
“Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum” – PBS Kids

OUTSTANDING NEW PROGRAM

“Bridgerton” – Netflix
“The Flight Attendant” – HBO Max
“Hacks” – HBO Max
“I May Destroy You” – HBO
“Mare of Easttown” – HBO
“P-Valley” – Starz
“Ted Lasso” – Apple TV+
“WandaVision” – Disney+

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN MOVIES, MINISERIES OR SPECIALS

“Bo Burnham: Inside” – Netflix
“The Good Lord Bird” – Showtime
“I May Destroy You” – HBO
“It’s a Sin” – HBO Max
“Mare of Easttown” – HBO
“The Queen’s Gambit” – Netflix
“The Underground Railroad” – Amazon
“WandaVision” – Disney+

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMA

“Bridgerton” – Netflix
“The Crown” – Netflix
“For All Mankind” – Apple TV+
“The Handmaid’s Tale” – Hulu
“Lovecraft Country” – HBO
“The Mandalorian” – Disney+
“Pose” – FX
“P-Valley” – Starz

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN COMEDY

“The Flight Attendant” – HBO Max
“Girls5Eva” – Peacock
“Hacks” – HBO Max
“Mythic Quest” – Apple TV+
“Pen15” – Hulu
“Superstore” – NBC
“Ted Lasso” – Apple TV+
“Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist” – NBC

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN VARIETY, TALK OR SKETCH

“The Amber Ruffin Show” – Peacock
“A Black Lady Sketch Show” – HBO (2020 Winner in Category)
“The Daily Show with Trevor Noah” – Comedy Central
“Desus & Mero” – Showtime
“Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” – HBO (2019 & 2018 Winner in Category)
“Late Night with Seth Meyers” – NBC
“The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” – CBS
“Saturday Night Live” – NBC
“Ziwe” – Showtime

NETWORK TALLY
Netflix – 15
HBO – 14
HBO Max – 10
Apple TV+ – 8
Disney+ – 5
Showtime – 5
Hulu – 4
NBC – 4
Amazon – 3
CBS – 3
FX-3
PBS Kids – 3
Peacock – 3
Starz – 2
Bravo – 1
Comedy Central – 1
Disney Jr. – 1
MSNBC – 1
NatGeo – 1
Paramount+ – 1
PBS – 1

PROGRAMS WITH MULTIPLE NOMINATIONS
“Ted Lasso,” Apple TV+ – 5
“Hacks,” HBO Max – 4
“I May Destroy You,” HBO – 4
“Mare of Easttown,” HBO – 4
“WandaVision,” Disney+ – 4
“Bridgerton,” Netflix – 3
“The Flight Attendant,” HBO Max – 3
“The Queen’s Gambit,” Netflix – 3
“The Underground Railroad,” Amazon – 3
“Bo Burnham: Inside,” Netflix – 2
“Girls5Eva,” Peacock – 2
“The Good Lord Bird,” Showtime – 2
“Mythic Quest,” Apple TV+ – 2
“Pen15,” Hulu – 2
“Pose,” FX – 2
“P-Valley,” Starz – 2

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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), Hollywood Critics Association (HCA) 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.