TCA Awards: This is Us, The Handmaid's Tale, Atlanta...
Sunday, August 6, 2017 at 8:00PM 
The Television Critics Association have announced the winners of their 33rd annual awards at a ceremony hosted by Kristin Chenoweth. She sang, of course, but the surprise is that she pulled up Sterling K Brown for a duet. They sang "For Good" from Wicked! This is not a televised awards show but apparently his voice was good. That's a surprise to anyone who watched him "sing" in character on This is Us, the reveal there being that his character had no musical talent.
The TCA Awards don't do gendered acting* or supporting awards so there are only two acting winners a year. Congrats to Carrie Coon and Donald Glover for emerging as the lucky two. More winners after the jump...
Glover ends a three year streak of female winners in comedy (Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Amy Schumer, and Rachel Bloom).
Program of the Year - The Handmaid's Tale
New Program - This is Us
Drama Series - The Handmaid's Tale
Comedy Series - Atlanta
Miniseries/Special - Big Little Lies
Reality Program - Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath
News and Information - OJ Made in America
Youth Programming - Speechless
Individual Achievement in Drama - Carrie Coon, The Leftovers/Fargo
Individual Achievement in Comedy - Donald Glover, Atlanta
The juiciest tidbit from the night is that Elisabeth Moss apparently walked out when Leah Remini won (Moss being a Scientologist). It will never not be weird that Moss is a member of Scientology but so brilliant at spotlighting the corrupting oppressive power and emotional damage of cults in her TV show.
the stars of This is Us
Do you like the TCA's choices this year? I just started watching This is Us (due to all the nominations everywhere). I'm only six episodes in but so pleasantly surprised. It's very much an old school family drama where they are just focusing on people living their lives and their dynamics with each other. It's very earnest 'everyone trying to be a good person' theme runs the risk of being sappy but rewards you by being hugely refreshing especially given how cynical and depressing so much of the TV landscape is. Let's hope they don't cave to the ratings demands of trying to pack in tons of soap opera ridiculous life-or-death situations in every episode in the future. That's the usual thing that ruins once-strong family dramas like, oh, Brothers & Sisters in its day or The Fosters now.
* About gender in acting categories
TCA used to do what we fear all awards bodies will do if they dump gendered categories in that they used to give their prizes mostly to men. Their acting prizes date back to 1996 and male winners far outnumber female winners in both comedy and drama. But TCA seems to be being careful not to do that anymore as there have been a lot of female winners since 2011 in both drama and comedy. Nevertheless we hope Oscar never goes this route because a) we like the Best Actor and Best Actress tradition (like King & Queen of Hollywood for a year) and b) it wouldn't be a fair fight since sexism is too ingrained and the voting body too male. Another advantage of gendered categories: the acting branch in AMPAS is one of the only branches that's fairly well balanced gender-wise which makes a lot of sense since there are the same number of them nominated each year and nominees are often invited to join.
Reader Comments (11)
Third gender advocacy is pushing for gender neutrality in every area to make themselves feel comfortable. This only hurts cisgender women.
Elisabeth Moss' departure makes no sense to me. I could understand wanting to avoid reaction shots while the Reality Show winners give their speech, but this was not a televised ceremony.
By leaving, even if coincidentally, she becomes the story. She wisely avoided that attention for those years that she did MAD MEN, becoming that cool actress who happened to be a Scientologist but wasn't all about Scientology.
Haha I kinda wish Leah all of a sudden becomes a big name actress and starts getting nominated regularity against Moss
I'm having such weird feelings about Moss. I LOVE her acting but her comments/reactions recently have been very off putting, I know I'm only suppose to judge the art, not the artist but.. oh boy. I guess I'm just disappointed.
That is so disappointing about Moss. I do wonder if it will affect her Emmy chances... I think Claire Foy could be a tough competitor.
Was Elisabeth Moss this visible in her beliefs before? I don't recall hearing about her Scientology until recently.
I have never been a good Sci-Fi/Fantasy viewer on TV until This Is Us, so I'm grateful for my weekly dose.
I initially found it hard to warm to Moss (anyone who can be described as a "shameless scenery chewer" in Girl Interrupted when Angelina Jolie is stood there showing how it should be done? Well...)
However, she was super strong in Mad Men and pretty much perfect in The Handmaid's Tale. I'm very much at peace with her leading the latter - I'm sure that Margaret Atwood would have a pithy one-liner about her presence adding an extra layer of urgency to the themes of the show.
Remember when she said that The Handmaid's Tale "isn't a feminist story" and then was said to have clarified her comments? Reading headlines, I assumed that meant "I intended to say that it shouldn't be limited by being ghetto-ized as a show for 'feminists' when it is a show to educate all of us" and she then didn't clarify anything? That was weird.
MDA - is any scientologist "visible" in their beliefs these days (excluding those with waning careers?)
I think that journalists hadn't put "2 and 2 together" and that the massive global visibility of The Handmaid's Tale has resulted on it (and Moss) being focused on...
Ok just shut up and can we talk about the BRILLIANCE of CARRIE COON?! Yas queen won that award for all her tv shows and she is incredible in both. I wanted Nicole to win but this is so much better cause it meant awarding the leftovers too.
YES TO BLL WIN! Feud can go off to the sunset with that de Havilland lawsuit lol
If the Emmys are smart they'll televise Leah's Outstanding Informational Series or Special category. I think Bourdain keeps winning that one for Parts Unknown but Remini seems like an easy new contender/cause to vote for.
After these reports (about Moss) I'm sure Leah couldn't resist dialing up the drama of the moment if she wins.
Honestly I am not on the Handmaid's Tale bandwagon. After one episode I thought, "Yup, I see the contemporary political parallels, got it." But the thought of spending 2+ seasons and 20+ hours of my time...my god life is too short. And Moss is not *that* good.