“Shōgun” slayed at the revived TV Critics Association”s revived TCA Awards Friday, winning program of the year, new program of the year, outstanding achievement in drama for Anna Sawai.
The Japanese actress burst in tears upon receiving the award at the non-televised event at the Langham Huntington Hotel in Pasadena. “I wasn’t supposed to cry because I knew I was going to win ahead of time,” she said, but she added, but “This is the first award I’ve won for anything.”
Winners are notified ahead of time to ensure they’ll show up. But that didn’t help in terms of Jean Smart, who won outstanding achievement in comedy for the second season of “Hacks.” It fell to executive producer and co-star Paul W. Downs to accept the award, writing his jokey speech just before he went up. (“Hacks” also won outstanding achievement in comedy over “Abbott Elementary” and “The Bear”).
John Maloney, who won outstanding achievement in variety and talk for his six-episode Netflix experiment “Everybody’s in L.A.” had gotten married Thursday and sent in an iPhone video of brief thanks from an undisclosed rural locale that eventually focused on nearby horses.
Even the widow of lifetime achievement winner Andre Braugher thanked voting critics via video.
It was the first in-person TCA Awards event in five years after COVID and two Hollywood strikes, from an organization that drew fewer journalist members to its shortened summer press tour than before. It was also the first ceremony held in Pasadena after traditionally being held at the glitzier Beverly Hilton, home of the Golden Globes.
Still, the TCA Awards stand out for often being the first to recognize the year’s outstanding television. Not only in the case of FX’s lavish “Shōgun,” but Netflix’s recent hit “Baby Reindeer,” whose creator and star Richard Gadd flew in to accept, accompanied by co-star Nava Mau, who said it was important to be recognize the male trauma inspired it.
The emotional heart of the short evening may have been in the speech from Mark Frost in accepting the heritage award for the surreal “Twin Peaks” he created with director David Lynch (who was not present; nor were any members of the cast).
Two of the reality stars who participated on “The Traitors,” Mercedes Javid and Kevin Kreider, were there when that Peacock show won outstanding achievement in reality. But mostly it was an evening of producers accepting the awards, which included “Doctor Who” for family programming, “Bluey” for children’s programming and the documentary “Quiet on the Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV,” about lapses at Nickelodeon, winning achievement in news and information.
The TCA summer press tour continues through Wednesday.