TCA Announces its 2009 Nominations

The Television Critics Association (TCA) announced today their 2009 nominees for the upcoming TCA Awards. The 25th annual TCA Awards honor the finest work of the 2008-09 season as selected by the association’s 200-plus member critics and journalists.

The TCA nominations are my favorite of all the TV awards because they truly honor the best of television. These nominations are sans the political nonsense and sometimes inside dealings associated with some of the larger awards including the Golden Globes and most notably the Emmys.

Good work gets recognized. It’s that simple. What a novel idea.

The full list of nominations are below. Some personal highlights include the recognition of BATTLESTAR GALACTICA and FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS – two shows that have been traditionally overlooked come awards season. Although it seems odd to be that BSG would be nominated in “Program of the Year” and not “Outstanding Achievement in Drama”.

On the comedy side, kudos to the brilliant Jim Parsons who plays Sheldon Cooper on THE BIG BANG THEORY. Here’s to hoping Parsons sees his name on the ballot come Emmy season.

PROGRAM OF THE YEAR
“Battlestar Galactica” (SciFi)
“Lost” (ABC)
“Mad Men” (AMC)
“Saturday Night Live” (NBC)
“The Shield” (FX)

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN COMEDY
“30 Rock” (NBC)
“The Big Bang Theory” (CBS)
“The Daily Show” (Comedy Central)
“How I Met Your Mother” (CBS)
“The Office” (NBC)

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMA
“Breaking Bad” (AMC)
“Friday Night Lights” (NBC)
“Lost” (ABC)
“Mad Men” (AMC)
“The Shield” (FX)

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT MOVIES, MINI-SERIES AND SPECIALS
2008 Summer Olympic Coverage (NBC)
“24: Redemption” (Fox)
“Generation Kill” (HBO)
“Grey Gardens” (HBO)
“Taking Chance” (HBO)

OUTSTANDING NEW PROGRAM OF THE YEAR
“Fringe” (Fox)
“The Mentalist” (CBS)
“No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency” (HBO)
“True Blood” (HBO)
“United States of Tara” (Showtime)

INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN COMEDY
Alec Baldwin (“30 Rock”)
Steve Carell (“The Office”)
Tina Fey (“30 Rock”)
Neil Patrick Harris (“How I Met Your Mother”)
Jim Parsons (“The Big Bang Theory”)

INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMA
Glenn Close (“Damages”)
Bryan Cranston (“Breaking Bad”)
Walton Goggins (“The Shield”)
Jon Hamm (“Mad Men”)
Hugh Laurie (“House”)

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN CHILDREN’S PROGRAMMING
“Camp Rock” (The Disney Channel)
“The Electric Company” (PBS)
“Nick News” (Nickelodeon)
“Sid the Science Kid” (PBS)
“Yo Gabba Gabba” (Nickelodeon)

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN NEWS & INFORMATION
“60 Minutes” (CBS)
“The Alzheimer’s Project” (HBO)
“Frontline” (PBS)
“The Rachel Maddow Show” (MSNBC)
“We Shall Remain” (PBS)

HERITAGE AWARD
“ER” (NBC)
“M*A*S*H” (CBS)
“Saturday Night Live” (NBC)
“The Shield” (FX)
“Star Trek” (NBC)