ABC’s freshman comedy Abbott Elementary broke out of the pack to earn five nominations from the Television Critics Association (TCA), making it the rare broadcast show to lead an awards list in the age of streaming.

HBO and its streaming service HBO Max led amongst all platforms with a combined total of 21 nominations from the association, which includes more than 200 journalists and critics who cover television. HBO earned 12 nominations, while HBO Max earned nine.

Netflix was next with 13 total nominations, followed by Apple TV Plus with 10, Hulu with eight and Showtime with six. ABC, CBS and FX tied with five each, while AMC and NBC each scored four. Bravo, Paramount Plus and PBS came in with two each, while Disney Plus, Disney Junior, Peacock and PBS Kids grabbed one nomination each.

Abbott Elementary’s nominations include a pair of individual achievement in comedy nods for series creator, producer, writer and star Quinta Brunson, as well as co-star Janelle James. The show also was nominated for outstanding new program, outstanding achievement in comedy and program of the year.

Five of the program of the year nominees were freshman shows. Besides Abbott Elementary, nominees included Apple TV Plus’ Severance, Netflix’s Squid Game, HBO’s The White Lotus and Showtime’s Yellowjackets. The other three nominations were veterans, including AMC’s Better Call Saul, which is closing out its run after six seasons, HBO Max’s Hacks, which was just renewed for a third season, and HBO’s biting family drama Succession.

Of those, four were also nominated as outstanding new program – the aforementioned Abbott Elementary, Severance, The White Lotus and Yellowjackets. Squid Game was not mentioned in this category. Also scoring noms here were CBS’ Ghosts, Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building, Apple TV Plus’ Pachinko and FX’s Reservation Dogs.

Squid Game was joined by Pachinko, Better Call Saul, which won this category in 2019, Succession and Yellowjackets in the category of outstanding achievement in drama, along with Paramount Plus’ The Good Fight and NBC’s This Is Us, one of only three broadcast series to gain mention, along with CBS’ rookie comedy Ghosts.

Along with Abbott Elementary, Ghosts was joined by FX’s Atlanta, which won this category in 2017, HBO’s Barry, Hacks, Only Murders in the Building, Reservation Dogs and Ted Lasso, last year’s winner, as nominees for outstanding comedy achievement.

Nominated for outstanding achievement in movies, miniseries or specials were Hulu’s Dopesick, The Dropout and The Girl from Plainville; Netflix’s Maid and Midnight Mass; HBO Max’s The Staircase and Station Eleven and FX’s Under the Banner of Heaven.

Drama nominees were Lee Jung-jae for Squid Game, Michael Keaton for Dopesick, Melanie Lynskey for Yellowjackets, Bob Odenkirk and Rhea Seehorn for Better Call Saul, Margaret Qualley for Maid, Adam Scott for Severance, Amanda Seyfriend for The Dropout, Jeremy Strong for Succession and Mandy Moore for This Is Us.

Besides Brinson and James, nominees for individual achievement in comedy were Pamela Adlon for FX’s Better Things; Bridget Everett for HBO’s Somebody Somewhere; Bill Hader for HBO’s Barry; Jean Smart, last year’s winner, for Hacks; Steve Martin for Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building; and Jason Sudeikis for Apple TV Plus’ Ted Lasso. Smart and Sudeikis were 2021’s Emmy winners for best actor and actress in a comedy.

“The 2022 TCA Awards are an exciting landmark for the organization and its members, as it will be the first time in three years that we are finally able to celebrate together in person,” Melanie McFarland, TCA president and Salon TV critics, said in a statement. “It’s fitting, then, that we should ring in this long-awaited occasion with one of the most competitive, talented, and star-heavy nominee rosters in recent memory. This lineup is a testament to how diverse and innovative the modern television landscape has become.”

All of the TCA nominations – including outstanding achievement in news and information, reality, youth programming and variety, talk or sketch – can be seen on the association’s website.

The winners will be announced August 6 during the biannual gathering of the TCA at the Langham Huntington Hotel in Pasadena, Calif.

Tags: abbott elementary abc apple tv plus cbs disney plus fx networks ghosts hbo hbo max hulu nbc netflix tca awards this is us


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