The Television Critics Association Announces The 2020 TCA Award Winners, Handing Out Trophies To “Watchmen,” “Schitt’s Creek,” And Others
by Anne Easton
Today The Television Critics Association (TCA) announced today the winners of the organization’s 36TH Annual TCA Awards, honoring the absolute best programs and performances from the 2019-2020 television season.
The awards are traditionally held in August and given out during a ceremony in Beverly Hills, CA. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the TCA Summer Press Tour and the Awards could not be held in person.
The 2020 TCA Awards put the spotlight on a diverse lineup of stars and series across 13 categories including Program Of The Year, Outstanding Achievement in Reality Programming, Individual Achievement in Drama, Outstanding Achievement In News & Information, Outstanding Achievement in Sketch/Variety Shows, and Outstanding Achievement in Youth Programming, as well as the prestigious Heritage Award and Career Achievement Award, among others.
HBO amassed the most awards in 2020, taking home a total of six trophies.
The strong showing was fueled by the riveting limited series Watchmen, which captured an Individual Achievement in Drama honor for series star Regina King, as well as Outstanding Movie, Miniseries, Or Special, Outstanding New Program, and the coveted Program Of The Year award,
The network also garnered awards for Succession, which won the award for Outstanding Achievement in Drama, and first-year comedy series A Black Lady Sketch Show which earned Outstanding Achievement in Sketch/Variety Show.
Other notable winners include Pop TV’s riches-to-rags hit Schitt’s Creek, which earned awards for Outstanding Achievement in Comedy and Individual Achievement in Comedy for fan-favorite Catherine O’Hara.
The ESPN Michael Jordan docuseries The Last Dance was cited for Outstanding Achievement in News and Information, while Netflix’s college pep squad profile Cheer landed Outstanding Achievement in Reality Programming. PBS Kids’ animated series Molly Of Denali added Outstanding Achievement in Youth Programming to its growing collection of accolades.
Additionally, the TCA was proud to bestow its Heritage Award upon Gene Roddenberry’s landmark 1966 sci-fi epic Star Trek, in recognition of the groundbreaking series which brought the future to life—illustrating a unique vision that is equal parts hopeful and cautious as it explored issues such as bigotry, religion, politics, sexism, and human rights through timeless stories of love, war, intrigue, and adventure in outer space—with the help of a strong cast that was among the first to feature an African-American in a significant leading role.
The TCA also presented television icon Alex Trebek with the Career Achievement Award for his unparalleled legacy as one of television’s most enduring and best-loved personalities. The long-time host of the Peabody Award-winning game show Jeopardy! is also a seven-time Emmy® winner for Outstanding Game Show Host, a Guinness World Record®-holder, and has a star on both the Hollywood and Canadian Walk of Fame.
Many of the award recipients provided tape acceptance speeches, available for viewing only by TCA members, among those were Catherine O’Hara and Eugene Levy of Schitt’s Creek, Robin Thede of A Black Lady Sketch Show, Damon Lindelof and Regina King of Watchmen, with an actual video shoutout from the Cheer pep squad.
In his acceptance speech, Trebek remarked that he was humbled and most appreciative upon receiving the Career Achievement Award. Lindelof, Executive Producer of Watchmen, said that critics reviews are an incredible resource and are, “thoughtful, insightful and painful, but always instructive and, even more importantly, always written by someone who cares.” And Thede, after thanking her team, was curious about when she would get the actual trophy from the TCA.
“Entertainment and culture are intertwined and in this challenging year, never has that intersection been more crucial as both a mirror to examine tough reflections and a rabbit hole to escape the noise and scares outside our homes. The 2019-2020 television season was both a challenge and a balm,” said Sarah Rodman, TCA President and executive editor at Entertainment Weekly. “This year offered up many high-quality options appealing to a wide swath of audiences with eclectic subjects ranging from sports and superheroes, to side-splitting sitcoms, darkly fascinating dramas, insightful documentaries, kid-friendly series, and more. We are excited to see what the future of television has in store, and we look forward to celebrating in-person next year as we come together to honor this medium that means so much to all of us.”
The winners of the TCA awards are determined by votes cast by the TCA’s broad network of more than 250 professional TV critics and journalists in the United States and Canada.
The Television Critics Association (TCA) represents more than 250 professional journalists who cover television for publications across the United States and Canada. The members reach tens of millions of consumers each week, and are considered experts within the industry, representing their employers as moderators, panelists, radio/TV guests and more. The prestigious organization honors outstanding achievements in television and enduring contributions to the medium’s heritage through the TCA Awards each year. For additional information about the TCA, visit www.tvcritics.org; Facebook; and Twitter.
The 2020 TCA Award recipients are as follows:
● Individual Achievement in Drama: Regina King (WATCHMEN, HBO)
● Individual Achievement in Comedy: Catherine O’Hara (SCHITT’S CREEK, Pop TV)
● Outstanding Achievement in News and Information: THE LAST DANCE (ESPN)
● Outstanding Achievement in Reality Programming: CHEER (Netflix)
● Outstanding Achievement in Youth Programming: MOLLY OF DENALI (PBS Kids)
● Outstanding Achievement in Sketch/Variety Shows: A BLACK LADY SKETCH SHOW (HBO)
● Outstanding New Program: WATCHMEN (HBO)
● Outstanding Achievement in Movie, Miniseries, Or Special: WATCHMEN (HBO)
● Outstanding Achievement in Drama: SUCCESSION (HBO)
● Outstanding Achievement in Comedy: SCHITT’S CREEK (Pop TV)
● Program of the Year: WATCHMEN (HBO)
● Career Achievement Honoree:Alex Trebek
● Heritage Award: STAR TREK (CBS)