(MENAFN- Arab Times) The 5th annual Critics' Choice TV Awards took place Sunday at the Beverly Hilton hotel and aired live on A&E. "So You Think You Can Dance" host Cat Deeley emceed the proceedings - and also found time to accept the prize for best reality host midway through the show. Despite playfully jabbing rival host Tom Bergeron during her intro by joking she'd purposefully gotten him relegated to one of the back tables in the ballroom, she was spotted warmly embracing the "Dancing with the Stars" mainstay during the ad break.
The first prize of the night went to "Better Call Saul's" Jonathan Banks for best supporting actor in a drama, and the thesp also had the dubious honor of earning the ceremony's first (but far from the last) bleep during his acceptance speech. The "Breaking Bad" spinoff later won a second award for Bob Odenkirk's lead role as titular conman Saul Goodman (aka Jimmy McGill). "I'm in a drama? I'm trying to get laughs!" Odenkirk quipped, evidencing the increasingly blurry line between drama and comedy contenders. That trend continued with Lorraine Toussaint's win for best supporting actress in a drama for Netflix's "Orange is the New Black," which competed (and won) in the comedy categories last year.
Likewise, best actress in a drama winner Taraji P. Henson arguably earned just as many laughs during "Empire's" freshman season as the Critics' Choice comedic contenders, and Jeffrey Tambor, who won best actor in a comedy for "Transparent," had just as many moments of pathos in the Amazon series as his counterparts in the drama race.
Loudest
Henson had plenty of fans in the room among both critics and talent - applause for her win was some of the loudest of the night, and during every commercial break, her table was beset by well-wishers, including "The Americans" stars Holly Taylor and Alison Wright, who went over to express their admiration for the "Empire" scene-stealer. Likewise, Tambor's emotional win brought many attendees to their feet - including the cast and creative team of FX's "You're the Worst," who offered an extended standing ovation when Tambor's name was announced.
The night's top prizes went to shows that stayed true to their genres: HBO's "Silicon Valley" took home best comedy series, while FX's "The Americans" won best drama. It was a strong night for both cable networks: FX also scooped awards for best supporting actress in a movie or limited series for Sarah Paulson's latest "American Horror Story" performance; best guest actor in a drama thanks to Sam Elliott's role in "Justified"; and best animated series for "Archer," which was announced before the main show began. "Archer" star Judy Greer apparently wasn't impressed with the sandwich selection on their table and ordered room service pizza for her companions during the show instead - much to the envy of the other attendees.
HBO also scored three awards for "Olive Kitteridge" (best limited series, best actress for Frances McDormand and best supporting actor for Bill Murray); best movie made for television for "Bessie"; and best actor in a limited series or movie for David Oyelowo's starring role in "Nightingale."
Best actress in a comedy went to an absent Amy Schumer (who instead attended the Peabody Awards ceremony in New York, during which she locked lips with Tina Fey), while Allison Janney added to her overflowing awards shelf with the gong for best supporting actress in a comedy for "Mom" - and managed a memorable smooch of her own by planting a passionate kiss on presenter James Corden after taking the stage.
"Silicon Valley" also nabbed the best supporting actor prize thanks to T.J. Miller, who crammed his mouth full of food before his acceptance speech to illustrate how unexpected his win was, causing presenters Sarah Paulson and Ben McKenzie to burst into giggles just off-camera.
"Mad Max: Fury Road" star Charlize Theron was on hand to present Seth MacFarlane with the Louis XIII Genius Award. The self-deprecating "Family Guy" creator gave a typically risque acceptance speech that drew plenty of laughs even while toeing the boundaries of good taste. Among his targets were "Duck Dynasty," "The Simpsons" and the critics themselves: "Let's not forget I'm being declared a genius on a network that airs 'Duck Dynasty,' a show whose cast members believe hurricanes are created by gay marriage. I wish I was joking," he said during the live telecast.
Feast
After the show, guests headed outside to enjoy a more elaborate feast, including a pizza buffet (sorry, Judy Greer), beef and chicken skewers and a gelato bar, where the cast of "The Americans" celebrated their win by playing a game of oversized Jenga, "Face Off" judge Glenn Hetrick kicked back with a round of indoor ping-pong, and "Inside Amy Schumer" guest performer (and dearly departed "Good Wife" star) Josh Charles was overheard congratulating exec producer Vince Gilligan on "Better Call Saul's" success.
"I thought I was going to lose, so I ate a lot," "Silicon Valley" actor T.J. Miller said through a mouthful of macaroons when he accepted the award for best supporting actor in a comedy at the 2015 Critics' Choice Television Awards.
He might have been shocked, but his character is so brash and unruly that it's hard not to let him represent all members of that HBO comedy's stellar supporting cast of comedians. He stood a much better chance of winning than other nominees like "Girls'" Adam Driver and "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt's" Tituss Burgess, who maintain a sliver of the spotlight compared to their shows' more high-profile stars.
This isn't to say that the show was without its surprise moments.
Jonathan Banks finally received some recognition for AMC's "Better Call Saul." Always considered a beloved performer by critics, he was frequently overlooked on previous series "Breaking Bad" come awards season (Banks was nominated in this category in 2013, but lost to "Southland's" Michael Cudlitz and "Bad" co-star Aaron Paul won the category last year).
The full list of winner below:
n Best Drama Series: The Americans (FX)
n Best Comedy Series: Silicon Valley (HBO)
n Best Actress in a Drama Series: Taraji P. Henson, Empire (FOX)
n Best Actor in a Drama Series: Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul (AMC)
n Best Actor in a Comedy Series: Jeffrey Tambor, Transparent (Amazon)
n Best Actress in a Comedy Series: Amy Schumer, Inside Amy Schumer (Comedy Central)
n Best Limited Series: Olive Kitteridge (HBO)
n Best Movie Made for Television: Bessie (HBO)
n Best Actress in a Movie or Limited Series: Frances McDormand, Olive Kitteridge (HBO)
n Best Reality Series Host: Cat Deeley, So You Think You Can Dance (FOX)
n Best Reality Competition Series: Face Off (Syfy)
n Best Reality Series: Shark Tank (ABC)
n Guest Performer in a Drama Series: Sam Elliott, Justified (FX)
n Best Guest Performer in a Comedy Series: Bradley Whitford, Transparent (Amazon)
n Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series: Allison Janney, Mom (CBS)
n Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series: T.J. Miller, Silicon Valley (HBO)
n Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series: Lorraine Toussaint, Orange Is the New Black (Netflix)
n Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series: Jonathan Banks, Better Call Saul (AMC)
n Best Talkshow: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (Comedy Central)
n Best Animated Series: Archer (FX)
n Best Supporting Actress in a Movie or Limited Series: Sarah Paulson, American Horror Story: Freak Show (FX)
n Best Actor in a Movie or Limited Series: David Oyelowo, Nightingale (HBO)
n Best Supporting Actor in a Movie or Limited Series: Bill Murray, Olive Kitteridge (HBO)
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.