The Television Critics Association (TCA) has unveiled the winners of the 36th Annual TCA Awards, honoring the best programs and performances from the 2019-2020 television season. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the TCA Summer Press Tour and the Awards could not be held in person.
HBO was the year’s biggest winner, doubling its win total from 2019 as the network took home six of the TCA’s top honors. The strong showing was fueled by the riveting limited series Watchmen, which captured an Individual Achievement In Drama honor for series star Regina King; Outstanding Movie, Miniseries, Or Special; Outstanding New Program, and the coveted Program Of The Year award, for taking the established mythos of the legendary "Watchmen" graphic novel to new heights with a timely story that paid homage to the original source while paving its own unique legacy. HBO also scored victories with the media dynasty tale 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 found new fortune earning awards for Outstanding Achievement In Comedy and Individual Achievement In Comedy for fan-favorite Catherine O’Hara. Additionally, ESPN’s Michael Jordan-focused docuseries The Last Dance dunked on the competition en route to hoisting up the trophy for Outstanding Achievement In News And Information; Netflix’s college pep squad profile Cheer landed Outstanding Achievement In Reality Programming; and PBS Kids’ Peabody Award-winning animated series Molly Of Denali added Outstanding Achievement In Youth Programming to its growing collection of accolades.
Additionally, the TCA was proud to bestow the 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, honoring the seven-time Emmy® winner for Outstanding Game Show Host, Guinness World Record®-holder, Hollywood and Canadian Walk Of Fame recipient, National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Broadcasting Hall Of Fame inductee, philanthropist, and long-time host of the Peabody Award-winning game show Jeopardy! for his unparalleled legacy as one of television’s most enduring and best-loved personalities.
“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 were 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.
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)