‘Succession,’ ‘Mare of Easttown,’ ‘Evil’ Lead 27th Annual Critics’ Choice Awards TV Nominations

Michael Schneider
·8 min read
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Critics Choice Association members can’t get enough of the dysfunctional Roy family. Two years after it won the Critics Choice Award for best drama series, HBO’s “Succession” is back, and its third season leads this year’s Critics Choice TV contenders with eight nominations.

The Critics Choice Awards nominations for TV were announced on Monday morning, and besides “Succession,” top nominees included another HBO program, “Mare of Easttown” — which is still competing in the limited series field since a potential second season has not yet been announced. And then perhaps there’s the biggest surprise of them all: A tremendous showing for Paramount Plus’ “Evil,” the drama from Robert and Michelle King that previously ran on CBS. Both “Mare” and “Evil” scored five nominations each.

More from Variety

HBO led the network pack with 20 nominations, ahead of rival Netflix (which scored 18). And that’s even without adding in HBO Max. Had HBO and HBO Max’s tallies been combined — like they were earlier this year at the Primetime Emmys, in a controversial move by the TV Academy — that number would have added up to an even more dominant 29.

In history-making news, Netflix’s “Squid Game” became the first non-English language series to score a drama series nomination at the Critics Choice, and it also pulled off the rare feat of landing nominations both in drama and best foreign language series. The South Korea-based phenomenon also pulled in a drama actor nomination for star Lee Jung-jae.

Shows picking up four noms include last year’s best comedy winner, “Ted Lasso” (Apple TV Plus), as well as “Only Murders in the Building” (Hulu), “This Is Us” (NBC), “WandaVision” (Disney Plus) and another Paramount Plus entry from the Kings, “The Good Fight.”

Roku landed its first-ever Critics Choice nom, thanks to its TV movie “Zoey’s Extraordinary Christmas,” a sequel to the NBC series “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist.”

Multiple nominees include “Jean Smart,” for both “Hacks” and “Mare of Easttown,” and William Jackson Harper, for “The Underground Railroad” and “Love Life.”

As for “Succession,” which wraps up this season later this month, the show’s nods include both Brian Cox and Jeremy Strong for drama actor. Nicholas Braun, Kieran Culkin and Matthew Macfadyen will all compete in supporting actor in a drama, while J. Smith-Cameron and Sarah Snook are both up for supporting actress in a drama.

“Mare of Easttown” ended up with limited series honors, while Kate Winslet was nominated for limited series/TV movie actress, while Evan Peters, Julianne Nicholson and Jean Smart receiving supporting nods. “Evil” is nominated for drama, along with Mike Colter for drama actor, Katja Herbers for drama actress, and both Andrea Martin and Christine Lahti in drama supporting actress.

This year’s major categories both experienced a big shakeup from last year, due to various reasons (including some of last year’s nominees either ending their run or taking a break due to COVID or other reasons). In drama, last year’s winner, “The Crown,” isn’t back yet, and only two of last year’s nominees return: “The Good Fight” and “This Is Us.” And in comedy, just “Ted Lasso” and “What We Do in the Shadows” are back.

“Although the industry is still recovering from the COVID-19 lockdown, you wouldn’t know it from the wealth of amazing television programs our nomination committees pored through to come up with this year’s nominees,” said Critics Choice Association TV Branch president Ed Martin. “We have even more choices than we did before the pandemic, for critics and viewers to embrace. While the streamers continue to break new ground with some wonderfully unexpected offerings, it has been an unusually strong year for all areas of television. We look forward to honoring the year’s finest shows at what promises to be our most exciting awards ceremony yet.”

Film category nominations for the 27th Annual Critics Choice Awards will be announced on December 13. The telecast, produced by Bob Bain Productions and Berlin Entertainment, airs live from the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel on Sunday, Jan. 9, 2022, via a simulcast on The CW and TBS.

Here are the nominees for the TV categories at the 27th Annual Critics Choice Awards:

BEST DRAMA SERIES

“Evil” (Paramount Plus)
“For All Mankind” (Apple TV Plus)
“The Good Fight” (Paramount Plus)
“Pose” (FX)
“Squid Game” (Netflix)
“Succession” (HBO)
“This Is Us” (NBC)
“Yellowjackets” (Showtime)
[Last year’s winner: “The Crown” (Netflix)]

BEST COMEDY SERIES

“The Great” (Hulu)
“Hacks” (HBO Max)
“Insecure” (HBO)
“Only Murders in the Building” (Hulu)
“The Other Two” (HBO Max)
“Reservation Dogs” (FX on Hulu)
“Ted Lasso” (Apple TV Plus)
“What We Do in the Shadows” (FX)
[Last year’s winner: “Ted Lasso” (Apple TV Plus)]

BEST LIMITED SERIES

“Dopesick” (Hulu)
“Dr. Death” (Peacock)
“It’s a Sin” (HBO Max)
“Maid” (Netflix)
“Mare of Easttown” (HBO)
“Midnight Mass” (Netflix)
“The Underground Railroad” (Amazon Prime Video)
“WandaVision” (Disney Plus)
[Last year’s winner: “The Queen’s Gambit” (Netflix)]

BEST MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION

“Come From Away” (Apple TV Plus)
“List of a Lifetime” (Lifetime)
“The Map of Tiny Perfect Things” (Amazon Prime Video)
“Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia” (Lifetime)
“Oslo” (HBO)
“Zoey’s Extraordinary Christmas” (The Roku Channel)
[Last year’s winner: “Hamilton” (Disney Plus)]

BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

Sterling K. Brown – “This Is Us” (NBC)
Mike Colter – “Evil” (Paramount Plus)
Brian Cox – “Succession” (HBO)
Lee Jung-jae – “Squid Game” (Netflix)
Billy Porter – “Pose” (FX)
Jeremy Strong – “Succession” (HBO)
[Last year’s winner: Josh O’Connor – “The Crown” (Netflix)]

BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES

Uzo Aduba – “In Treatment” (HBO)
Chiara Aurelia – “Cruel Summer” (Freeform)
Christine Baranski – “The Good Fight” (Paramount Plus)
Katja Herbers – “Evil” (Paramount Plus)
Melanie Lynskey – “Yellowjackets” (Showtime)
MJ Rodriguez – “Pose” (FX)
[Last year’s winner: Emma Corrin – “The Crown” (Netflix)]

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

Nicholas Braun – “Succession” (HBO)
Billy Crudup – “The Morning Show” (Apple TV Plus)
Kieran Culkin – “Succession” (HBO)
Justin Hartley – “This Is Us” (NBC)
Matthew Macfadyen – “Succession” (HBO)
Mandy Patinkin – “The Good Fight” (Paramount Plus)
[Last year’s winner: Michael K. Williams – “Lovecraft Country” (HBO)]

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES

Andrea Martin – “Evil” (Paramount Plus)
Audra McDonald – “The Good Fight” (Paramount Plus)
Christine Lahti – “Evil” (Paramount Plus)
J. Smith-Cameron – “Succession” (HBO)
Sarah Snook – “Succession” (HBO)
Susan Kelechi Watson – “This Is Us” (NBC)
[Last year’s winner: Gillian Anderson – “The Crown” (Netflix)]

BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES

Iain Armitage – “Young Sheldon” (CBS)
Nicholas Hoult – “The Great” (Hulu)
Steve Martin – “Only Murders in the Building” (Hulu)
Kayvan Novak – “What We Do in the Shadows” (FX)
Martin Short – “Only Murders in the Building” (Hulu)
Jason Sudeikis – “Ted Lasso” (Apple TV Plus)
[Last year’s winner: Jason Sudeikis – “Ted Lasso” (Apple TV Plus)]

BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES

Elle Fanning – “The Great” (Hulu)
Renée Elise Goldsberry – “Girls5eva” (Peacock)
Selena Gomez – “Only Murders in the Building” (Hulu)
Sandra Oh – “The Chair” (Netflix)
Issa Rae – “Insecure” (HBO)
Jean Smart – “Hacks” (HBO Max)
[Last year’s winner: Catherine O’Hara – “Schitt’s Creek” (Pop TV)]

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES

Ncuti Gatwa – “Sex Education” (Netflix)
Brett Goldstein – “Ted Lasso” (Apple TV Plus)
Harvey Guillén – “What We Do in the Shadows” (FX)
Brandon Scott Jones – “Ghosts” (CBS)
Ray Romano – “Made for Love” (HBO Max)
Bowen Yang – “Saturday Night Live” (NBC)
[Last year’s winner: Daniel Levy – “Schitt’s Creek” (Pop TV)]

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES

Hannah Einbinder – “Hacks” (HBO Max)
Kristin Chenoweth – “Schmigadoon!” (Apple TV Plus)
Molly Shannon – “The Other Two” (HBO Max)
Cecily Strong – “Saturday Night Live” (NBC)
Josie Totah – “Saved By the Bell” (Peacock)
Hannah Waddingham – “Ted Lasso” (Apple TV Plus)
[Last year’s winner: Hannah Waddingham – “Ted Lasso” (Apple TV Plus)]

BEST ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION

Olly Alexander – “It’s a Sin” (HBO Max)
Paul Bettany – “WandaVision” (Disney Plus)
William Jackson Harper – “Love Life” (HBO Max)
Joshua Jackson – “Dr. Death” (Peacock)
Michael Keaton – “Dopesick” (Hulu)
Hamish Linklater – “Midnight Mass” (Netflix)
[Last year’s winner: John Boyega – “Small Axe” (Amazon Prime Video)]

BEST ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION

Danielle Brooks – “Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia” (Lifetime)
Cynthia Erivo – “Genius: Aretha” (National Geographic)
Thuso Mbedu – “The Underground Railroad” (Amazon Prime Video)
Elizabeth Olsen – “WandaVision” (Disney Plus)
Margaret Qualley – “Maid” (Netflix)
Kate Winslet – “Mare of Easttown” (HBO)
[Last year’s winner: Anya Taylor-Joy – “The Queen’s Gambit” (Netflix) ]

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION

Murray Bartlett – “The White Lotus” (HBO)
Zach Gilford – “Midnight Mass” (Netflix)
William Jackson Harper – “The Underground Railroad” (Amazon Prime Video)
Evan Peters – “Mare of Easttown” (HBO)
Christian Slater – “Dr. Death” (Peacock)
Courtney B. Vance – “Genius: Aretha” (National Geographic)
[Last year’s winner: Donald Sutherland – “The Undoing” (HBO)]

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION

Jennifer Coolidge – “The White Lotus” (HBO)
Kaitlyn Dever – “Dopesick” (Hulu)
Kathryn Hahn – “WandaVision” (Disney Plus)
Melissa McCarthy – “Nine Perfect Strangers” (Hulu)
Julianne Nicholson – “Mare of Easttown” (HBO)
Jean Smart – “Mare of Easttown” (HBO)
[Last year’s winner: Uzo Aduba – “Mrs. America” (FX)]

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE SERIES

“Acapulco” (Apple TV Plus)
“Call My Agent!” (Netflix)
“Lupin” (Netflix)
“Money Heist” (Netflix)
“Narcos: Mexico” (Netflix)
“Squid Game” (Netflix)

BEST ANIMATED SERIES

“Big Mouth” (Netflix)
“Bluey” (Disney Plus)
“Bob’s Burgers” (Fox)
“The Great North” (Fox)
“Q-Force” (Netflix)
“What If…?” (Disney Plus)

BEST TALK SHOW

“The Amber Ruffin Show” (Peacock)
“Desus & Mero” (Showtime)
“The Kelly Clarkson Show” (Syndicated)
“Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” (HBO)
“Late Night with Seth Meyers” (NBC)
“Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen” (Bravo)
[Last year’s winner: “Late Night with Seth Meyers” (NBC)]

BEST COMEDY SPECIAL

“Bo Burnham: Inside” (Netflix)
“Good Timing with Jo Firestone” (Peacock)
“James Acaster: Cold Lasagne Hate Myself 1999” (Vimeo)
“Joyelle Nicole Johnson: Love Joy” (Peacock)
“Nate Bargatze: The Greatest Average American” (Netflix)
“Trixie Mattel: One Night Only” (YouTube)
[Last year’s winners (tie): “Jerry Seinfeld: 23 Hours to Kill” (Netflix) and “Michelle Buteau: Welcome to Buteaupia” (Netflix)]

Network Tally

HBO – 20
Netflix – 18
Hulu – 11
Apple TV Plus – 9
HBO Max – 9
Paramount Plus – 9
Peacock – 8
FX – 7
NBC – 7
Disney Plus – 6
Amazon Prime Video – 4
Lifetime – 3
Showtime – 3
CBS – 2
Fox – 2
National Geographic – 2
Bravo – 1
Freeform – 1
The Roku Channel – 1
Syndication – 1
Vimeo – 1
YouTube – 1

Best of Variety

Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.