The Television Critics Association (TCA) has been awarding excellence in television for over 40 years, with its inaugural awards ceremony in 1985 recognizing outstanding shows. This year, the TCA winners include ‘The Pitt’ and ‘The Studio’, raising questions about their implications for the upcoming Emmys.
Be Wary: ‘The Pitt’ and ‘The Studio’
The Television Critics Association (TCA) has been awarding excellence in television for over 40 years, with its inaugural awards ceremony in 1985 recognizing The Jewel in the Crown and The Cosby Show. Fast forward to this week, and the 2025 winners include The Pitt (four wins, including Best Drama Series) and The Studio (one win for Best Comedy Series). Since the TCA’s selections are announced before the Emmys each year and cover the same eligibility period from June 1 to May 31, awards prognosticators often view the organization as a crucial bellwether on the campaign trail.
However, this might be a misguided assumption.
Over the past 25 years, the TCA Awards and the Emmys have only aligned 40% of the time for Best Comedy Series and 56% for Best Drama Series. In other words, The Pitt and The Studio should be cautious about what their TCA victories might signify for the upcoming Emmy Awards.
Comedy
This is no laughing matter. For Best Comedy Series, the TCA’s top choice has only matched the Emmys’ selection 10 times since 2000, including the last two consecutive years for The Bear (2023) and Hacks (2024). The Studio hopes to make it a three-peat. Here are the 15 instances where they diverged in those 25 years:
- 2022: Abbott Elementary at TCA; Ted Lasso at Emmys
- 2018: The Good Place at TCA; The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel at Emmys
- 2017: Atlanta at TCA; Veep at Emmys
- 2016: Black-ish at TCA; Veep at Emmys
- 2015: Inside Amy Schumer at TCA; Veep at Emmys
- 2014: Louie and Veep (tie) at TCA; Modern Family at Emmys
- 2013: The Big Bang Theory and Parks and Recreation (tie) at TCA; Modern Family at Emmys
- 2012: Louie at TCA; Modern Family at Emmys
- 2009: The Big Bang Theory at TCA; 30 Rock at Emmys
- 2007: The Office at TCA; 30 Rock at Emmys
- 2005: Arrested Development at TCA; Everybody Loves Raymond at Emmys
- 2003: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart at TCA; Everybody Loves Raymond at Emmys
- 2002: The Bernie Mac Show at TCA; Friends at Emmys
- 2001: Malcolm in the Middle at TCA; Sex and the City at Emmys
- 2000: Malcolm in the Middle at TCA; Will & Grace at Emmys
Note that two of the critics’ comedy winners, Inside Amy Schumer and The Daily Show With Jon Stewart, competed in the variety categories at the Emmys, making it an unequal comparison for those particular years.
In other cases, the TCA Awards and the Emmys both honored the same comedies, but for different seasons. This occurred during a four-year period for Veep, with critics favoring the 2014 season while the Emmys recognized the 2015, 2016, and 2017 cycles.
Popular shows that impressed critics but failed to win Best Comedy Series with the TV Academy include Abbott Elementary, The Good Place, Atlanta, Black-ish, Louie, The Big Bang Theory, Parks and Recreation, The Bernie Mac Show, and Malcolm in the Middle. This raises questions about the Emmy voters’ choices regarding such outstanding series.
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Drama
For Best Drama Series, the results are slightly more favorable. The TCA Awards and the Emmys have matched 14 times over the past 25 years, including the last five in a row: Succession (2020, ’22, ’23), The Crown (2021), and Shōgun (2024). Is The Pitt poised to become the sixth? Here are the 11 instances where the groups did not align since the turn of the century:
- 2019: Better Call Saul at TCA; Game of Thrones at Emmys
- 2018: The Americans at TCA; Game of Thrones at Emmys
- 2016: The Americans at TCA; Game of Thrones at Emmys
- 2015: The Americans at TCA; Game of Thrones at Emmys
- 2014: The Good Wife at TCA; Breaking Bad at Emmys
- 2013: Game of Thrones at TCA; Breaking Bad at Emmys
- 2012: Breaking Bad at TCA; Homeland at Emmys
- 2010: Breaking Bad and Lost (tie) at TCA; Mad Men at Emmys
- 2006: Lost at TCA; 24 at Emmys
- 2003: Boomtown at TCA; The West Wing at Emmys
- 2002: Six Feet Under at TCA; The West Wing at Emmys
The most striking discrepancy between the two groups is regarding Game of Thrones. The HBO fantasy series won the top drama prize four times at the Emmys and once at the TCA, but never for the same season. Critics, much like viewers, preferred the earlier seasons, while the Emmys favored the later episodes.
Critics were evidently preoccupied with praising The Americans during those specific GoT years. The FX spy thriller received three overall drama victories from the group, while it was largely overlooked by the Television Academy, earning only two series nominations.
Other fan-favorite shows that garnered critics’ trophies but not Emmys for Best Drama Series include The Good Wife, Boomtown, and Six Feet Under. In these instances, TCA members seemingly opted for emotional resonance over logical choices.
Be sure to make or update your Emmy predictions at Gold Derby before the ceremonies take place on September 6 and 7 (Creative Arts) and September 14 (Primetime).
