TCA Awards: 'Heated Rivalry,' 'Widow's Bay' and 'Industry' Lead Nominations

The 2026 TCA Award nominations include new categories and a potentially big send-off for 'The Late Show.'

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TCA Awards: 'Heated Rivalry,' 'Widow's Bay' and 'Industry' Lead Nominations
'Heated Rivalry' (Crave), 'Industry' (HBO) and 'Widow's Bay' (Apple TV)

Nominations have been announced for the 42nd annual Television Critics Association (TCA) Awards, and Crave/HBO Max's Heated Rivalry, Apple TV's Widow's Bay and HBO's Industry lead the pack with five nods each.

Those three will all vie for the prestigious Program of the Year — which honors one show that had a major impact on the medium and culture — as will the farewell run of CBS' cancelled The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and five others (including HBO Max's The Pitt, the final season of HBO Max's Hacks, and Apple TV's Pluribus, all of which all netted four noms each).

In addition to Heated Rivalry, Widow's Bay and Pluribus, first-time TCA Award contenders include (but are not limited to) NBC's The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins, Apple TV's Margo’s Got Money Troubles, FX's The Lowdown and Alien: Earth, HBO's Task and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, and CNN's Have I Got News for You.

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This year's TCA Awards added two new categories, bringing the total to 14: Outstanding Achievement in Animation, and Outstanding International Series.

Winners will be announced later this summer.

Want scoop on any nominee? Email the Matt's Inside Line column!

Program of the Year
The Comeback, HBO
Hacks, HBO Max
Heated Rivalry, Crave/HBO Max
Industry, HBO
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, CBS
The Pitt, HBO Max (2025 Winner)
Pluribus, Apple TV
Shrinking, Apple TV
Widow’s Bay, Apple TV

Outstanding Achievement in Comedy
Abbott Elementary, ABC (2022 Winner)
The Comeback, HBO
The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins, NBC
Hacks, HBO Max (2024 Winner)
The Lowdown, FX
Margo’s Got Money Troubles, Apple TV
Shrinking, Apple TV
Widow’s Bay, Apple TV

Outstanding Achievement in Drama
The Gilded Age, HBO
Heated Rivalry, Crave/HBO Max
Industry, HBO
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, HBO
Paradise, Hulu
The Pitt, HBO Max (2025 Winner)
Pluribus, Apple TV
Task, HBO

Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries or Specials
All Her Fault, Peacock
The Beast in Me, Netflix
Beef, Netflix (2023 Winner)
Death by Lightning, Netflix
DTF St. Louis, HBO
Half Man, HBO
Lord of the Flies, Netflix
Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette, FX

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Outstanding New Program
Alien: Earth, FX
The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins, NBC
Heated Rivalry, Crave/HBO Max
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, HBO
The Lowdown, FX
Margo’s Got Money Troubles, Apple TV
Pluribus, Apple TV
Widow’s Bay, Apple TV

Individual Achievement in Drama
Marisa Abela, Industry
Sterling K. Brown, Paradise
David Harbour, DTF St. Louis
Katherine LaNasa, The Pitt
Ken Leung, Industry
Myha’la, Industry
Rhea Seehorn, Pluribus
Connor Storrie, Heated Rivalry
Hudson Williams, Heated Rivalry
Noah Wyle, The Pitt (2025 Winner)

Individual Achievement in Comedy
Hannah Einbinder, Hacks
Elle Fanning, Margo’s Got Money Troubles
Harrison Ford, Shrinking
Lisa Kudrow, The Comeback
Kate O’Flynn, Widow’s Bay
Matthew Rhys, Widow’s Bay
Jean Smart, Hacks
Tim Robinson, The Chair Company

Outstanding Achievement in News and Information
60 Minutes (2012 Winner)
The American Revolution
CBS This Morning
Disneyland Handcrafted
Frontline
(Eight-time Winner in Category)
Have I Got News for You
Marty, Life Is Short
Mr. Scorsese

Outstanding Achievement in Variety, Talk or Sketch
The Daily Show
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
(2018, 2019, 2021 Winner)
Late Night with Seth Meyers
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
The Muppet Show: Sabrina Carpenter
Saturday Night Live

Outstanding Achievement in Reality
Couples Therapy (2021 Winner)
Finding Mr. Christmas
The Great British Baking Show
Love on the Spectrum
RuPaul’s Drag Race
(2014 Winner)
Survivor
Top Chef
The Traitors
(2024, 2025 Winner)

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Outstanding Achievement in Family Programming
Disney Twisted-Wonderland: The Animation, Disney+
Electric Bloom, Disney+/Disney Channel
Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Disney+/Hulu
Phineas and Ferb, Disney+/Disney Channel
Stranger Things: Tales from ‘85, Netflix
Vampirina: Teenage Vampire, Disney+/Disney Channel
Wizards Beyond Waverly Place, Disney+/Disney Channel
WondLa, Apple TV

Outstanding Achievement in Children's Programming
Carl the Collector, PBS KIDS
The First Snow of Fraggle Rock, Apple TV
Mickey Mouse Clubhouse+, Disney+/Disney Jr.
Phoebe & Jay, PBS KIDS
Snoopy Presents: A Summer Musical, Apple TV
Sofia the First: Royal Magic, Disney+/Disney Jr.
Weather Hunters, PBS KIDS
The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball, Hulu

Outstanding Achievement in Animation (New Category)
Bob’s Burgers, Fox
Haunted Hotel, Netflix
Invincible, Prime Video
King of the Hill, Hulu
Long Story Short, Netflix
The Simpsons, Fox
South Park, Comedy Central
Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord, Disney+
Women Wearing Shoulder Pads, Adult Swim

Outstanding International Series (New Category)
The Boyfriend, Netflix
Crime Scene Zero, Netflix
Drops of God, Apple TV
The House of the Spirits, Prime Video
Last Samurai Standing, Netflix
Squid Game, Netflix

Matt Webb Mitovich is a longtime TCA member, and a Board member.

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