One year ago, the 2025 Television Critics Association (TCA) Awards were announced, and it became evident that “The Pitt” would win Outstanding Drama Series at the Emmys that year. The show had a clean sweep, winning Program of the Year, Outstanding Achievement in Drama, Individual Achievement in Drama, and Outstanding New Program. The passion for this series had extended to critics despite the show’s first season boasting solid but unimpressive critical scores; if it could win at the TCAs, it could win everywhere.
Today, the 2026 TCA Awards were announced, and there is no such slam dunk takeaway. However, there is nonetheless quite a bit to draw from these winners, even if some of the signals are a lack of passion rather than a presence of it.
“Heated Rivalry” Wins Program Of The Year
“Heated Rivalry” winning Program of the Year is quite the get for a series that wasn’t even eligible at the Primetime Emmys. Curiously, this was the only award it was able to snag, losing Outstanding Achievement in Drama to “The Pitt,” Individual Achievement in Drama to Rhea Seehorn’s masterclass in “Pluribus,” and Outstanding New Program to “Widow’s Bay.” Still, it must be said that “Heated Rivalry” is one of the biggest success stories of the cycle. A low-budget queer Canadian series having the viewership and cultural relevance it did is sincerely impressive, so even if it couldn’t win any other categories, it makes perfect sense that “Heated Rivalry” was deemed Program of the Year for its achievements. It does make the case for “Widow’s Bay” pulling off the upset over “Hacks” a bit weaker, as many suspected it would follow a similar trajectory to “The Pitt” at the TCAs and then at the Emmys, but devoid of context, this Program of the Year win is fairly understandable.
“Widow’s Bay” Wins Three TCAs, Including Outstanding Achievement In Comedy
That being said, I remain convinced that “Widow’s Bay” will ultimately win Comedy Series after its performance today. While “Hacks” has blanked at the TCAs before — seasons 2 and 4 were goose-egged — critics aligning themselves with “Widow’s Bay” to this degree does not bode well for this show. The horror-comedy won Outstanding Achievement in Comedy over “Hacks,” Outstanding New Program over Program of the Year winner “Heated Rivalry” and critics’ darling “Pluribus,” and most shockingly, Individual Achievement in Comedy for its supporting standout Kate O’Flynn. Matthew Rhys and Kate O’Flynn were both nominated in this category, and many expected the pair to split votes. If anything, Rhys should have had the advantage here as the reliable lead actor of the series. O’Flynn’s win here as a supporting performance shows that critics agreed with the fans’ consensus: the show’s best character is Patricia. If the show’s intense audience passion has spread to critics, who’s to say it hasn’t spread to the industry, too?
“Death by Lightning” Wins Outstanding Achievement In Movies, Miniseries, Or Specials Despite Emmys Snub
If the Comedy Series race is one with an abundance of passion, the Limited Series race feels like quite the opposite. It is shameful that the Emmys have not yet reversed their decision to subjugate half of the Miniseries awards to the Creative Arts Emmys. Still, it was unfortunately made with the perception that audiences do not care about the shows nominated in Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series. Neither “DTF St. Louis” nor “Beef” were able to beat out the critically acclaimed “Death by Lightning” here. While the Netflix series is phenomenal, it is telling that neither presumed frontrunner in the Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series race had the passion with critics to eke out a win here. This is especially a blow for “DTF St. Louis,” which seemed like the frontrunner here after David Harbour’s nomination in Individual Achievement in Drama. If this truly is a passionless race, I suspect “Beef,” with its combination of pedigree, viewership, and critical acclaim, may just take it home.
Rhea Seehorn Wins Her Second TCA Award For “Pluribus”
After winning Individual Achievement in Drama for the final season of “Better Call Saul,” Rhea Seehorn has picked up TCA #2 for her performance in “Pluribus. Notably, her main competitor for the Emmy, Keri Russell in “The Diplomat,” was not nominated here. Additionally, critics on Seehorn’s side felt it was a given after the Critics’ Choice and Golden Globe wins. Her challenge will be winning over the industry voters, as her only loss thus far was at the Actor Awards. Nevertheless, any win for Seehorn boosts her argument for the Emmy.
“The Pitt” Repeats Its Outstanding Achievement In Drama Win
While Comedy Series and Limited Series are almost frustratingly confusing, Drama Series is fairly obvious. Once again, “The Pitt” wins Outstanding Achievement in a Drama Series. It will likely repeat its sweep of the Emmys, the Golden Globes, the Critics’ Choice, and the guilds. If any other show had a path to win, it would have started here. Had something like “Pluribus” won this category, it might have had a fighting chance, as you could make the argument that the second season of “The Pitt” was not as beloved as the first. No such case can be made.
Who/what upsets are you hoping and/or predicting will happen at this year’s Emmy Awards? Please let us know in the comments section below or over on our X account and check out our latest Emmy winner predictions here.
