‘Handmaid’s Tale,’ ‘Atlanta’ Feted As TCA Awards Gets Political

The Handmaid’s Tale, Hulu’s dystopian drama about women as state property in totalitarian America, was crowned Program of the Year and feted for Outstanding Achievement in Drama, FX’s Atlanta snagged nods for best comedy and best comedy acting, and Leah Remini’s look at Scientology took the best reality TV series trophy at the Television Critics Association annual awards ceremony.

Hulu celebrated its first TCA Award wins on the strength of its freshman thriller, based on Margaret Atwood’s 1985 novel, that’s become the darling of Donald Trump protesters around the world.

And yet, Trump-centricity did not prevail in the TCA Awards news/information derby. After several years in which the TCA Award in this category went to a late night political satire show, this year ESPN’s O.J.: Made In America won this honor, besting CNN’s Jake Tapper-hosted The Lead, TBS’s Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, and HBO’s Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, as well as Showtime’s Anthony Weiner doc Weiner, and BBC America’s Planet Earth II.

FX’s Atlanta earned the trophy for best comedy series, while series creator/star Donald Glover was singled out for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Comedy.

Rounding out that network’s big night, FX’s Fargo police chief Carrie Coon took the win for drama-series acting. But FX is sharing that win, Coon having made TCA awards history being “double nominated” for her FX role and her role in HBO’s The Leftovers as Nora Durst.

HBO’s celebrity-strewn suburban murder mystery Big Little Lies came away with the award for Outstanding Achievement In Movies, Miniseries, and Specials. A&E’s series Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath snagged the win for Outstanding Achievement In Reality Programming.

TCA looked to the broadcast networks for feel-good programming. NBC’s This Is Us was recognized as the season’s Outstanding New Program, and ABC’s family comedy Speechless won in the category of Outstanding Achievement In Youth Programming.

And NBC’s long-running much-feted comedy series about nothing, Seinfeld received this year’s Heritage Award.

PBS documentary filmmaker Ken Burns was presented the Career Achievement Award, honoring a body of work that includes The Civil War, Jazz, Baseball, The War, and upcoming The Vietnam War.

The 2017 TCA Award recipients are as follows:

Individual Achievement in Drama: Carrie Coon (THE LEFTOVERS & FARGO, HBO & FX)
Individual Achievement in Comedy: Donald Glover (ATLANTA, FX)
Outstanding Achievement in News and Information: O.J.: MADE IN AMERICA (ESPN)
Outstanding Achievement in Reality Programming: LEAH REMINI: SCIENTOLOGY AND THE AFTERMATH (A&E)
Outstanding Achievement in Youth Programming: SPEECHLESS (ABC)
Outstanding New Program: THIS IS US (NBC)
Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries and Specials: BIG LITTLE LIES (HBO)
Outstanding Achievement in Drama: THE HANDMAID’S TALE (Hulu)
Outstanding Achievement in Comedy: ATLANTA (FX)
Program of the Year: THE HANDMAID’S TALE (Hulu)
Career Achievement Award: Ken Burns
Heritage Award: SEINFELD (NBC)