Game on
Louie, LouieSaturday night, as it does each summer, the Television Critics Association (a group comprised of over 200 professional TV critics and journalists who cover the industry) named the winners of the 28th Annual TCA Awards in an invitation-only ceremony hosted by Bryan Cranston of Breaking Bad, itself a winner in the best drama category.
Awards were once again handed out in a dozen categories, including one for career achievement and another for a classic series from the past. Last year's program of the year winner Friday Night Lights obviously could not repeat this year, which cleared the way for HBO's fan-favorite Game of Thrones to take the organization's top award this year. There were a pair of shows recognized twice: Showtime's first-year drama Homeland (winning for best newcomer and for Claire Danes' performance), and FX comedy Louie (for best comedy and for Louis C.K. as an individual).
While these awards aren't typically a good predictor of the eventual Emmy winners, they do seem a bit more satisfying, rewarding shows and performances that, for the most part, deserve recognition. (And So You Think You Can Dance.)
| Winner | Other Nominees | |
|---|---|---|
 |
Breaking Bad (AMC) Homeland (Showtime) Mad Men (AMC) Downton Abbey (PBS) |
|
 Game of Thrones |
Previous Year's Winner: | |
| Friday Night Lights (NBC) |
| Winner | Other Nominees | |
|---|---|---|
 |
The Big Bang Theory (CBS) Community (NBC) Modern Family (ABC) Parks and Recreation (NBC) |
|
 Louie |
Previous Year's Winner: | |
| Modern Family (ABC) |
| Winner | Other Nominees | ||
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Game of Thrones (HBO) Homeland (Showtime) Justified (FX) Mad Men (AMC) |
||
 Breaking Bad |
Previous Year's Winner: | ||
| Mad Men (AMC) | |||
| Winner | Other Nominees | |
|---|---|---|
 |
Girls (HBO) New Girl (Fox) Revenge (ABC) Smash (NBC) |
|
 Homeland |
Previous Year's Winner: | |
| Game of Thrones (HBO) |
| Winner | Other Nominees | |
|---|---|---|
 |
Game Change (HBO) Hatfields & McCoys (History) Hemingway & Gellhorn (HBO) Sherlock: Masterpiece (PBS) |
|
 Downton Abbey |
Previous Year's Winner: | |
| Sherlock (PBS) |
| Winner | Other Nominees | |
|---|---|---|
 |
Anderson Cooper 360 (CNN) The Daily Show (Comedy Central) Frontline (PBS) The Rachel Maddow Show (MSNBC) |
|
 60 Minutes |
Previous Year's Winner: | |
| Restrepo (Nat Geo) |
| Winner | Other Nominees | |
|---|---|---|
 |
The Amazing Race (CBS) Dancing with the Stars (ABC) The Glee Project (Oxygen) The Voice (NBC) |
|
 So You Think You Can Dance |
Previous Year's Winner: | |
| The Amazing Race (CBS) |
| Winner | Other Nominees | |
|---|---|---|
 |
iCarly (Nickelodeon) Phineas and Ferb (Disney) Sesame Street (PBS) Yo Gabba Gabba (Nick Jr.) |
|
 Switched at Birth |
Previous Year's Winner: | |
| Sesame Street (PBS) |
| Winner | Other Nominees | |
|---|---|---|
|
Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad, AMC) Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones, HBO) Jon Hamm (Mad Men, AMC) Jessica Lange (American Horror Story, FX) |
|
| Claire Danes Homeland |
Previous Year's Winner: | |
| Jon Hamm (Mad Men, AMC) |
| Winner | Other Nominees | |
|---|---|---|
|
Lena Dunham (Girls, HBO) Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Veep, HBO) Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory, CBS) Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation, NBC) |
|
| Louis C.K. Louie |
Previous Year's Winner: | |
| (tie) Ty Burrell (Modern Family, ABC) / Nick Offerman (Parks & Rec, NBC) |
| Winner | Other Nominees | |
|---|---|---|
 |
Dick Clark Andy Griffith Regis Philbin William Shatner |
|
| David Letterman | Previous Year's Winner: | |
| Oprah Winfrey |
| Winner | Other Nominees | |
|---|---|---|
 |
Lost (ABC) Saturday Night Live (NBC) Star Trek (NBC) Twin Peaks (ABC) |
|
| Cheers (NBC) | Previous Year's Winner: | |
| The Dick Van Dyke Show |
What do you think?
Do you agree or disagree with the critics' choices this year? Let us know in the discussion section below, and don't forget to make your picks for the upcoming Emmy Awards.
