Critics’ Choice TV Awards give BERT!, other deserving TV people their due
The Critics’ Choice TV Awards—the wackier, more unpredictable cousin of the Television Critics Association Awards—released the nominees for its June 19 ceremony today, correcting wrongs perpetrated by the TCA and the American Broadcasting Company by giving a Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series nod to the year’s most electrifying comedic performance. Albert Tsai, known across the land for portraying BERT! on the prematurely canceled Trophy Wife, was rightfully acknowledged with the first of what’s sure to be a long line of accolades for his revelatory portrayal of an adopted elementary schooler who randomly spouts Yiddish phrases. Elevating Tsai to the level of peers such as Andre Braugher and the late Christopher Evan Welch, this Critics’ Choice TV Award nomination is recognition of a bold new voice in TV comedy, one that dared to coat corn on the cob in ketchup and declare with utter conviction “Drinking soda’s so much fun. I feel like my teeth are shrinking.”
A list of non-BERT! actors and shows that do not feature BERT!, but were nonetheless nominated—including The Americans, Breaking Bad, True Detective, Orange Is The New Black, Hannibal, Louie, Enlisted, and Broad City (the inclusion of which is almost as cool as BERT! being nominated for an acting award)—can be found below. Strangely absent from the list is Mad Men, probably because the first half of season seven ended with a song-and-dance routine from the wrong Bert.
BEST COMEDY SERIES
• The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
• Broad City (Comedy Central)
• Louie (FX)
• Orange Is the New Black (Netflix)
• Silicon Valley (HBO)
• Veep (HBO)
BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
• Louis CK, Louie (FX)
• Chris Messina, The Mindy Project (FOX)
• Thomas Middleditch, Silicon Valley (HBO)
• Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
• Adam Scott, Parks and Recreation (NBC)
• Robin Williams, The Crazy Ones (CBS)
BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
• Ilana Glazer, Broad City (Comedy Central)
• Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep (HBO)
• Wendi McLendon-Covey, The Goldbergs (ABC)
• Amy Schumer, Inside Amy Schumer (Comedy Central)
• Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation (NBC)
• Emmy Rossum, Shameless (Showtime)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
• Andre Braugher, Brooklyn Nine-Nine (FOX)
• Keith David, Enlisted (FOX)
• Tony Hale, Veep (HBO)
• Albert Tsai, Trophy Wife (ABC)
• Christopher Evan Welch, Silicon Valley (HBO)
• Jeremy Allen White, Shameless (Showtime)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
• Mayim Bialik, The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
• Laverne Cox, Orange Is the New Black (Netflix)
• Kaley Cuoco, The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
• Allison Janney, Mom (CBS)
• Kate Mulgrew, Orange Is the New Black (Netflix)
• Merritt Wever, Nurse Jackie (Showtime)
BEST GUEST PERFORMER IN A COMEDY SERIES
• Uzo Aduba, Orange Is the New Black (Netflix)
• Sarah Baker, Louie (FX)
• James Earl Jones, The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
• Mimi Kennedy, Mom (CBS)
• Andrew Rannells, Girls (HBO)
• Lauren Weedman, Looking (HBO)
BEST DRAMA SERIES
• The Americans (FX)
• Breaking Bad (AMC)
• Game of Thrones (HBO)
• The Good Wife (CBS)
• Masters of Sex (Showtime)
• True Detective (HBO)
BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
• Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad (AMC)
• Hugh Dancy, Hannibal (NBC)
• Freddie Highmore, Bates Motel (A&E)
• Matthew McConaughey, True Detective (HBO)
• Matthew Rhys, The Americans (FX)
• Michael Sheen, Masters of Sex (Showtime)
BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
• Lizzy Caplan, Masters of Sex (Showtime)
• Vera Farmiga, Bates Motel (A&E)
• Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife (CBS)
• Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black (BBC America)
• Keri Russell, The Americans (FX)
• Robin Wright, House of Cards (Netflix)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
• Josh Charles, The Good Wife (CBS)
• Walton Goggins, Justified (FX)
• Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad (AMC)
• Peter Sarsgaard, The Killing (AMC)
• Jon Voight, Ray Donovan (Showtime)
• Jeffrey Wright, Boardwalk Empire (HBO)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
• Christine Baranski, The Good Wife (CBS)
• Anna Gunn, Breaking Bad (AMC)
• Annet Mahendru, The Americans (FX)
• Melissa McBride, The Walking Dead (AMC)
• Maggie Siff, Sons of Anarchy (FX)
• Bellamy Young, Scandal (ABC)
BEST GUEST PERFORMER IN A DRAMA SERIES
• Beau Bridges, Masters of Sex (Showtime)
• Walton Goggins, Sons of Anarchy (FX)
• Allison Janney, Masters of Sex (Showtime)
• Joe Morton, Scandal (ABC)
• Carrie Preston, The Good Wife (CBS)
• Diana Rigg, Game of Thrones (HBO)
BEST MOVIE
• An Adventure in Space and Time (BBC America)
• Burton and Taylor (BBC America)
• Killing Kennedy (National Geographic Channel)
• The Normal Heart (HBO)
• Sherlock: His Last Vow (PBS)
• The Trip to Bountiful (Lifetime)
BEST MINI-SERIES
• American Horror Story: Coven (FX)
• Bonnie & Clyde (A&E/History/Lifetime)
• Dancing on the Edge (Starz)
• Fargo (FX)
• The Hollow Crown (PBS)
• Luther (BBC America)
BEST ACTOR IN A MOVIE OR MINI-SERIES
• David Bradley, An Adventure in Space and Time (BBC America)
• Benedict Cumberbatch, Sherlock: His Last Vow (PBS)
• Chiwetel Ejiofor, Dancing on the Edge (Starz)
• Martin Freeman, Fargo (FX)
• Mark Ruffalo, The Normal Heart (HBO)
• Billy Bob Thornton, Fargo (FX)
BEST ACTRESS IN A MOVIE OR MINI-SERIES
• Helena Bonham Carter, Burton and Taylor (BBC America)
• Minnie Driver, Return to Zero (Lifetime)
• Whoopi Goldberg, A Day Late and a Dollar Short (Lifetime)
• Holliday Grainger, Bonnie & Clyde (A&E/History/Lifetime)
• Jessica Lange, American Horror Story: Coven (FX)
• Cicely Tyson, The Trip to Bountiful (Lifetime)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MOVIE OR MINI-SERIES
• Matt Bomer, The Normal Heart (HBO)
• Warren Brown, Luther (BBC America)
• Martin Freeman, Sherlock: His Last Vow (PBS)
• Colin Hanks, Fargo (FX)
• Joe Mantello, The Normal Heart (HBO)
• Blair Underwood, The Trip to Bountiful (Lifetime)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MOVIE OR MINI-SERIES
• Amanda Abbington, Sherlock: His Last Vow (PBS)
• Kathy Bates, American Horror Story: Coven (FX)
• Ellen Burstyn, Flowers in the Attic (Lifetime)
• Jessica Raine, An Adventure in Space and Time (BBC America)
• Julia Roberts, The Normal Heart (HBO)
• Allison Tolman, Fargo (FX)
BEST REALITY SERIES
• Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey (FOX/National Geographic Channel)
• Deadliest Catch (Discovery)
• Duck Dynasty (A&E)
• Mythbusters (Discovery)
• Top Gear (BBC America)
• Undercover Boss (CBS)
BEST REALITY SERIES – COMPETITION
• The Amazing Race (CBS)
• Project Runway (Lifetime)
• Shark Tank (ABC)
• Survivor (CBS)
• Top Chef (Bravo)
• The Voice (NBC)
BEST REALITY HOST
• Tom Bergeron, Dancing With the Stars (ABC)
• Carson Daly, The Voice (NBC)
• Cat Deeley, So You Think You Can Dance (FOX)
• Gordon Ramsay, MasterChef (FOX)
• RuPaul, RuPaul’s Drag Race (Logo)
• Neil deGrasse Tyson, Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey (FOX/National Geographic Channel)
BEST TALK SHOW
• Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC)
• The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (NBC)
• The Ellen DeGeneres Show (Time Telepictures)
• The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (Comedy Central)
• The Colbert Report (Comedy Central)
• Conan (TBS)
BEST ANIMATED SERIES
• Archer (FX)
• Bob’s Burgers (FOX)
• The Simpsons (FOX)
• Family Guy (FOX)
• Phineas and Ferb (Disney XD)
• Adventure Time (Cartoon Network)