Show summary Hide summary
Hollywood’s award season kicked into high gear as critics, stars and presenters gathered at Santa Monica’s Barker Hangar for the 31st Critics Choice Awards. Chelsea Handler emceed a glittering night that crowned the year’s standout films and TV shows and sent many favorites toward Oscar and Emmy conversations.
Quick highlights from Critics Choice Awards 2026
- Location: Barker Hangar, Santa Monica, California.
- Host: Chelsea Handler.
- Most-nominated film: Sinners (17 nominations).
- Most-nominated TV show: Adolescence (6 nominations).
- Notable attendees: Timothée Chalamet, Ariana Grande, Leonardo DiCaprio and other A-list talent.
Knicks superfan Ben Stiller skips Oscars to watch gritty win over Warriors
U.S. embassies warn: 5 new travel alerts after demonstrations spread
Top film honors and nominees
Best Picture contenders and winner
- Bugonia
- Frankenstein
- Hamnet
- Jay Kelly
- Marty Supreme
- Winner: One Battle After Another
- Sentimental Value
- Sinners
- Train Dreams
- Wicked: For Good
Director awards: nominees and winner
- Winner: Paul Thomas Anderson — One Battle After Another
- Ryan Coogler — Sinners
- Guillermo del Toro — Frankenstein
- Josh Safdie — Marty Supreme
- Joachim Trier — Sentimental Value
- Chloé Zhao — Hamnet
Lead performances that stood out
- Best Actor — Timothée Chalamet — Marty Supreme
- Leonardo DiCaprio — One Battle After Another
- Joel Edgerton — Train Dreams
- Ethan Hawke — Blue Moon
- Michael B. Jordan — Sinners
- Wagner Moura — The Secret Agent
- Best Actress — Jessie Buckley — Hamnet
- Rose Byrne — If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
- Chase Infiniti — One Battle After Another
- Renate Reinsve — Sentimental Value
- Amanda Seyfried — The Testament of Ann Lee
- Emma Stone — Bugonia
Supporting film performances
- Benicio del Toro — One Battle After Another
- Best Supporting Actor — Jacob Elordi — Frankenstein
- Paul Mescal — Hamnet
- Sean Penn — One Battle After Another
- Adam Sandler — Jay Kelly
- Stellan Skarsgård — Sentimental Value
- Elle Fanning — Sentimental Value
- Ariana Grande — Wicked: For Good
- Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas — Sentimental Value
- Best Supporting Actress — Amy Madigan — Weapons
- Wunmi Mosaku — Sinners
- Teyana Taylor — One Battle After Another
Rising talent and animation accolades
- Everett Blunck — The Plague
- Best Young Actor/Actress — Miles Caton — Sinners
- Cary Christopher — Weapons
- Shannon Mahina Gorman — Rental Family
- Jacobi Jupe — Hamnet
- Nina Ye — Left-Handed Girl
- Arco
- Elio
- In Your Dreams
- Best Animated Feature — KPop Demon Hunters
- Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
- Zootopia 2
Television winners and notable nominees
Drama series and lead TV acting
- Alien: Earth
- Andor
- The Diplomat
- Paradise
- Best Drama Series — The Pitt
- Pluribus
- Severance
- Task
- Sterling K. Brown — Paradise
- Diego Luna — Andor
- Mark Ruffalo — Task
- Adam Scott — Severance
- Billy Bob Thornton — Landman
- Best Actor in a Drama Series — Noah Wyle — The Pitt
- Kathy Bates — Matlock
- Carrie Coon — The Gilded Age
- Britt Lower — Severance
- Bella Ramsey — The Last of Us
- Keri Russell — The Diplomat
- Best Actress in a Drama Series — Rhea Seehorn — Pluribus
Supporting stars in drama
- Patrick Ball — The Pitt
- Billy Crudup — The Morning Show
- Ato Essandoh — The Diplomat
- Wood Harris — Forever
- Tom Pelphrey — Task
- Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series — Tramell Tillman — Severance
- Nicole Beharie — The Morning Show
- Denée Benton — The Gilded Age
- Allison Janney — The Diplomat
- Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series — Katherine LaNasa — The Pitt
- Greta Lee — The Morning Show
- Skye P. Marshall — Matlock
Comedy series and performance winners
- Abbott Elementary
- Elsbeth
- Ghosts
- Hacks
- Nobody Wants This
- Only Murders in the Building
- The Righteous Gemstones
- Best Comedy Series — The Studio
- Adam Brody — Nobody Wants This
- Ted Danson — A Man on the Inside
- David Alan Grier — St. Denis Medical
- Danny McBride — The Righteous Gemstones
- Alexander Skarsgård — Murderbot
- Best Actor in a Comedy Series — Seth Rogen — The Studio
- Kristen Bell — Nobody Wants This
- Natasha Lyonne — Poker Face
- Rose McIver — Ghosts
- Edi Patterson — The Righteous Gemstones
- Carrie Preston — Elsbeth
- Best Actress in a Comedy Series — Jean Smart — Hacks
- Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series — Ike Barinholtz — The Studio
- Paul W. Downs — Hacks
- Asher Grodman — Ghosts
- Oscar Nuñez — The Paper
- Chris Perfetti — Abbott Elementary
- Timothy Simons — Nobody Wants This
- Danielle Brooks — Peacemaker
- Hannah Einbinder — Hacks
- Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series — Janelle James — Abbott Elementary
- Justine Lupe — Nobody Wants This
- Ego Nwodim — Saturday Night Live
- Rebecca Wisocky — Ghosts
Limited series and TV movies — winners and nominees
Best limited series and standout performances
- Best Limited Series — Adolescence
- All Her Fault
- Chief of War
- Death by Lightning
- Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy
- Dope Thief
- Dying for Sex
- The Girlfriend
- Michael Chernus — Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy
- Best Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie — Stephen Graham — Adolescence
- Brian Tyree Henry — Dope Thief
- Charlie Hunnam — Monster: The Ed Gein Story
- Matthew Rhys — The Beast in Me
- Michael Shannon — Death by Lightning
- Jessica Biel — The Better Sister
- Meghann Fahy — Sirens
- Best Actress in a Limited Series or TV Movie — Sarah Snook — All Her Fault
- Michelle Williams — Dying for Sex
- Robin Wright — The Girlfriend
- Renée Zellweger — Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy
Supporting honors in limited series
- Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie — Owen Cooper — Adolescence
- Wagner Moura — Dope Thief
- Nick Offerman — Death by Lightning
- Michael Peña — All Her Fault
- Ashley Walters — Adolescence
- Ramy Youssef — Mountainhead
- Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or TV Movie — Erin Doherty — Adolescence
- Betty Gilpin — Death by Lightning
- Marin Ireland — Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy
- Sophia Lillis — All Her Fault
- Julianne Moore — Sirens
- Christine Tremarco — Adolescence
Animation on television
- Bob’s Burgers
- Harley Quinn
- Long Story Short
- Marvel Zombies
- Best Animated Series — South Park
- Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man
