TCA Awards 2015: Empire, Jon Hamm, Amy Schumer, Americans, Fosters and John Oliver Among Winners
Emmy-snubbed Empire enjoyed a little kudos vindication Saturday, taking home top honors at the 2015 Television Critics Association Awards.
Fox’s freshman smash was named Program of the Year, besting FX’s The Americans, HBO’s Game of Thrones, AMC’s Mad Men and Amazon’s Transparent.
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Amy Schumer also had a big night, snagging trophies for Outstanding Achievement in Comedy and Outstanding Individual Achievement in Comedy (both for Comedy Central’s Inside Amy Schumer).
Other noteworthy winners at the non-televised ceremony, hosted by Late Late Show’s James Corden, include AMC’s Better Call Saul (Outstanding New Program), FX’s The Americans (Outstanding Achievement in Drama) and Mad Men‘s Jon Hamm (Outstanding Individual Achievement in Drama).
Here’s the full list of nominees (* denotes winner).
PROGRAM OF THE YEAR
The Americans, FX
* Empire, Fox
Game of Thrones, HBO
Mad Men, AMC
Transparent, Amazon
OUTSTANDING NEW PROGRAM
* Better Call Saul, AMC
Empire, Fox
The Flash, The CW
Jane the Virgin, The CW
Transparent, Amazon
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN COMEDY
The Big Bang Theory, CBS
* Inside Amy Schumer, Comedy Central
Jane the Virgin, The CW
Transparent, Amazon
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Netflix
INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN COMEDY
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep (2014 winner)
Gina Rodriguez, Jane The Virgin
* Amy Schumer, Inside Amy Schumer
Jeffrey Tambor, Transparent
Constance Wu, Fresh Off the Boat
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMA
* The Americans, FX
Empire, Fox
Game of Thrones, HBO
Justified, FX
Mad Men, AMC
INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMA
Viola Davis, How to Get Away With Murder
* Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Taraji P. Henson, Empire
Matthew Rhys, The Americans
Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN MOVIES, MINISERIES AND SPECIALS
Bessie, HBO
The Honorable Woman, SundanceTV
* The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst, HBO
Olive Kitteridge, HBO
Wolf Hall, PBS
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN REALITY PROGRAMMING
The Amazing Race, CBS
* The Chair, Starz
Dancing With the Stars, ABC
RuPaul’s Drag Race, Logo (2014 Winner)
Shark Tank, ABC
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN YOUTH PROGRAMMING
Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, PBS
* The Fosters, ABC Family (2014 winner)
The Legend of Korra, Nickelodeon
Sesame Street, PBS
Switched at Birth, ABC Family
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN NEWS AND INFORMATION
60 Minutes, CBS
CBS Sunday Morning, CBS
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart, Comedy Central
Frontline, PBS
* Last Week Tonight With John Oliver, HBO
HERITAGE AWARD
Friends
* Late Show/Late Night with David Letterman
The Shield
Star Trek
Twin Peaks
It makes no sense how Better Call Saul isn’t nominated for Program of the Year but is able to beat Empire which won Program of the Year
I believe that it was explained that program of the year is for the program that makes the biggest cultural impact.
I just saw that the Program of the year is for both quality and the cultural impact.
And you would be correct. .You are the recipient of 175 TVLine Power User points. (No cash value)
Yay, John Oliver!
I really don’t understand the critical acclaim aspect of Empire. Tarji is great, but the writing is ridiculous. I wish I could get into it, but I just can’t. How could Empire beat GOT or Mad Men? Silly to me.
What people like is subjective. There no need to act like Game of Thrones or Mad Men is high art. I’m glad to have variety, I would be seriously depressed if everything on television was like Empire or Mad Men.
Taste is subjective but there’s a limit to that. Most people can agree the Secret Life of the American Teenager isn’t quite on the same level as The Sopranos. Empire is entertaining yes but I don’t see much of an argument as to why it deserves critical and awards acclaim outside of lead performances. The writing is recycled from several much better soaps and most of the acting (save for Cookie, Luscious and maybe Jamal) is amateur at best. If this show wasn’t such a ratings success and didn’t have the hype surrounding it that it does, no one would even consider this show as an awards contender.
I saw articles listing why the show should have been nominated for an Emmy Award, including one listed on this site. Before the nominations announced, most critics thought that the show would receive a nomination for best drama. Go to the gold derby website, which listed the pre nomination ballots of the top critics, and Empire was on all of them.
I’m not sure what rehashed drama is, since nothing under the sun is new. Every storyline has been done before. For Empire, I would point to the acting of Trai Byer’s in episode 9 as being Emmy worthy.
Not to nitpick, but if you really can’t say why people tune in. There is a length conversation on the season 2 trailer about Jamal’s relationship with his father, and how that has lead to him being at odds with his mother. There are many reasons why people like the show.
Yeah this is my thought process as well. I think it got into the Emmy conversation because it has had such impact and because Tarji is a force to be reckoned with; however, the quality of the writing, imo, is not there compared to other programming on television. Doesn’t mean it’s not entertaining and that people don’t like it. In fact, some of my favorite shows on television are Nashville and Grey’s Anatomy – I love them but I wouldn’t nominate the shows for any series writing awards. Maybe acting, but that’s about it. Doesn’t mean I don’t think they’re good and entertaining.
But I understand now that the award is based of cultural impact – makes sense that Empire won.
The fact that Empire is telling complicated stories about people of colour and Mad Men & GoT are exceptionally white is one reason.
Program of the Year is about impact, not quality.
Then this makes sense then. Empire was definitely one of the most impactful shows of the year.
Why is the TCA giving into hype and trends over quality? Isn’t that what the Golden Globes are for? Buzz aside, Empire is the worst show nominated. Taraji and Terrence are awesome but the show itself is nothing more than tired soap cliches and melodrama. I adore Amy Schumer and I love her show but Gina Rodriguez/Jane the Virgin has her beat on both accounts. Better Call Saul is also pretty mediocre.
Empire received great reviews from the critics even before it aired. It was one of the hottest shows at the Upfronts. The critics aren’t buying into the hype, they helped create the buzz, by writing great reviews for Empire before the first episode aired.
Justified was one of the best programs on television an should have received some sort of recognition for the work they did. The people who put these awards out have no clue as to what is good programing.
Happy Fosters won but wish Switched would’ve and disappointed Gina/Jane didn’t win
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMA
* The Americans, FX
YES!!!!!!!!!!
I just love the TCA Awards!
Good:
– It’s NOT televised. (so no company or fan pressure)
– They know what they are doing (all critics who actually work in the business)
– They don’t give in to the hype, they are creating it ;)
– They don’t distinguish between male and female actors, they are just ACTORS!
(I never understood why anybody should make a difference based on gender!
And the BEST Actor/Actress wins regardless of gender!)
Bad:
– It doesn’t get the fame it should get! Emmys & Golden Globes are still considered as the “better” award! ;(
I guess there’s no accounting for taste
It just drives me nuts that Justified has never received any love anywhere. I so miss the characters played by Timothy Olyphant, Joelle Carter and Walton Goggins and their performances were phenomenal. Not to mention the unique and diverse supporting characters as well as the entire cast and crew. The writing was excellent although I could have lived without season 5.
Maybe it has something to do with if you live in Canada you cannot even get on the FX website and it didn’t even air on FXCanada but rather another channel, albeit a week later. I didn’t see one ounce of promotion for the show in Canada.
Not a single show has kept my interest like this show, although Breaking Bad came close and I love Better Call Saul.
Search for John Oliver’s response to this award. Although he worked for years as a writer and a correspondent on the “fake news” show, he has decided to go with news rather than fake. It ends with a comment about Morley Safer leaving a burning bag of dog crap at his office door.
lol empire program of the year but better call saul best new program lol both program are new so it dont make no sense one is best of the year and the other is best new program
Mad Men, GoT, Better Call Saul, and The Flash are all better shows than Empire. Hamm deserves some recognition. Amy Schumer isn’t all that funny.
ummm hello Empire should have taken both I am so glad that Empire made Program Of The Year!! Seriously who watches Better Call Who?? I rather watch Empire Over That Anyday Of The Week!!! And Taraji P. Henson, Empire Should have Won She is a Awesome Actress..To Empire!!
To all Empire haters don”t hate:Terrence Howard You The Man So Sexy!!! Please Give Us More Empire!!!