Awards Circuit Column: With no more semi-annual press tours, the TCA Awards are a crucial calling card for the Television Critics Association.
The Television Critics Association last week announced nominations for this year’s TCA Awards, and I love that the categories are simple and to the point. We’re choosing the outstanding individual achievement in drama (Noah Wyle vs. Rhea Seehorn!) and comedy (the Harrison Ford-Jean Smart smackdown of our dreams), in addition to best new show and overall program of the year (“The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” beating out its scripted rivals? Could happen!).
It’s a nice antidote to the Emmys and other TV awards shows. Too bad an actual TCA Awards ceremony doesn’t exist at the moment. Like many events, the TCA Awards went press-release-only during the pandemic, and then in 2023 due to the Hollywood strikes.
Finally, the awards returned to an in-person event during the org’s 2024 summer press tour, just in time for its 40th edition. It was a dynamic evening, with the producers and stars of FX’s “Shōgun,” HBO Max’s “Hacks” and Netflix’s “Baby Reindeer” among those in attendance.
Because they weren’t televised, the TCA Awards were always a fun, pressure-free night for the folks behind some of TV’s biggest shows — and getting recognition from the country’s most influential TV critics and reporters meant something extra special.
The TCA Awards traditionally took place during the summer press tour. But the 2024 edition also was, sadly, what appears to have been the final one (after four decades!) for the group. Last year, with networks and streamers dropping their participation in the press tour, and members outside Los Angeles finding it increasingly tough to find the funds to travel here for several weeks, the event was again scrapped.
So what happens in 2026? I phoned TCA president Andy Dehnart, who told me that like last year, winners will be announced via social media. In prerecorded videos, TCA members will present the awards to honorees.
“Our No. 1 idea is to make sure that the TCA Awards are being seen by a much broader audience, and to make sure that people know about the shows that we’re highlighting,” says Dehnart, who also runs the indispensable Reality Blurred website.
So is that it? Will TCA Awards ever be in person again? Without a press tour acting as an anchor, it’s financially difficult. Unlike many other awards shows, TCA doesn’t charge submission fees (which is how most of the smaller organizations are still able to put on a show). And as of now, the TCA doesn’t want to appear compromised by accepting sponsorship from the very networks and streamers it’s supposed to be impartially judging.
And yet … if the Television Critics Association is to survive long term without any more press tours, I think it’s crucial that the TCA Awards return to an in-person event. And it needs to come back soon.
To Dehnart and the TCA’s credit, he says they’re open to suggestions. And I have quite a few! First off, the awards should take place during the Emmys Phase 1 time frame to take advantage of the campaigning — and available talent — occurring during those months. I’d also suggest the TCA ask for advice from two nonprofits that manage to pull off classy events honoring the best in TV: Peabody and Humanitas.
Meanwhile, several TV festivals and groups could benefit from underwriting a TCA Awards ceremony — and have the infrastructure to recruit sponsorship partners beyond those in the entertainment biz. How about a partnership with the Hollywood Radio & Television Society — aka the HRTS, run by former journo (and my one-time Variety colleague) Melissa Grego? Or maybe alliances with ATX TV Festival (which has already started partnering with TCA), SeriesFest and yes, even the Paley Center.
The TCA Awards taking place during PaleyFest would be a win-win — giving Paley a marquee awards event to pair with its nightly show panels, and the TCA a visible, financially viable platform. HRTS has a legacy of luncheons and galas, and maybe a TCA Awards would fit right in.
I truly hope we can bring the TCA Awards back as an in-person event, and give the TCA a new annual tradition to keep its foundation strong.
“I’m all about TCA experimenting, trying new things, having conversations, partnering with new people,” Dehnart tells me. “We are not locked into any one mode of doing things, and for me that’s really exciting.”
