The Television Critics Association (TCA) recognized the top programs and actors from the 2015-2016 television season last night at its 32nd Annual TCA Awards presentation. The event was held at the Beverly Hills Hilton hotel, hosted by THE CW’s "Jane the Virgin" Jaime Camil. Beloved telenovela icon Rogelio De La Vega, star of the hit dramas "The Passions of Santos" and "Tiago a Traves del Tiempo," was also on-hand making a cameo appearance.
The results were determined from votes cast by the TCA’s membership, comprised of more than 220 professional TV critics and journalists from the United States and Canada. The winners represented an eclectic blend of shows and stars in 12 distinct categories, putting the spotlight on the best of the best in comedy, drama, reality, miniseries, news, and youth programming. Highlights included USA’s first-year hacker hit " Mr. Robot" taking the crown for Outstanding New Program, and Netflix’s controversial docu-series "Making a Murderer" winning Outstanding Achievement in Reality Programming.
FX emerged as one of the evening’s biggest winners on the strength of its celebrated true crime thriller "The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story," which snagged three awards including Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries, and Specials; Individual Achievement in Drama, given to star Sarah Paulson for her stunning portrayal of troubled head prosecutor Marcia Clark; and the night’s top honor of Program of the Year. Rounding out the network’s big night was acclaimed Soviet spy thriller "The Americans," which captured the award for Outstanding Achievement in Drama for the second consecutive year.
Additionally, ABC’s "Black-ish" received the award for Outstanding Achievement in Comedy; Rachel Bloom, star of The CW’s "Crazy Ex-girlfriend," claimed the award for Individual Achievement in Comedy; TBS’ freshman comedy show "Full Frontal with Samantha Bee" earned top honors for Outstanding Achievement in News and Information; and the PBS animated series "Dniel Tiger's Neighborhood" won Outstanding Achievement in Youth Programming.
The TCA also bestowed a Heritage Award upon CBS’ groundbreaking 1970s sitcom "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" for the tremendous cultural and social impact it has had on society, and presented legendary comedy pioneer Lily Tomlin with a Career Achievement Award for her diverse television legacy that spans over 50 years and includes seven Emmy wins, and unforgettable roles in classic series such as "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-in," "Murhy Brown," "The Magic School Bus," "The West Wing," and "Grace and Frankie," among others.
“This was truly a landmark season—not just for television, but for women in television,” said Amber Dowling, TCA President. “We had an unprecedented amount of female winners this year, which is a testament to both the talented actresses who were honored tonight, as well as to the growing number of high-quality roles being created for and by women. It’s extremely encouraging to see this growing trend being embraced, accepted, and expanded upon, and I look forward to seeing even more of it in the future.”
2016 TCA Award recipients are as follows:
- Individual Achievement in Drama: Sarah Paulson "The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story" (FX)
- Individual Achievement in Comedy: Rachel Bloom "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" ( The CW)
- Outstanding Achievement in News and Information: "Full Frontal With Smantha Bee" (TBS)
- Outstanding Achievement in Reality Programming: "Making A Murderer" (Netflix)
- Outstanding Achievement in Youth Programming: "Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood" (PBS)
- Outstanding New Program: "Mr. Robot" (USA)
- Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries and Specials:"The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story" (FX)
- Outstanding Achievement in Drama: "The Americans" (FX) – second consecutive year
- Outstanding Achievement in Comedy: "Black-ish" (ABC)
- Career Achievement Award: Lily Tomlin
- Heritage Award: "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" CBS)
- Program of the Year: "The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story" (FX)
