Television Critics Association

I did one once, uh, for Aaron Sorkin's show Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, which is just this infamous bomb, and I had written incredibly negatively about it, and I was recapping it at the time, like, week after week of this.

And so there was a set visit midway through the year for, like, the entire Television Critics Association.

So it's, like, a few dozen people in a room with Aaron Sorkin, and somehow I wind up seated next to him.

And every answer he gave he was looking me dead in the eye regardless of who was asking a question.

I am one of the few TV critics who didn't get all the love for the series starring Matthew Rhys as the mayor of a strange New England vacation town with weird inhabitants and history trying to become as popular as Martha's Vineyard.

It previously was honored by the Television Critics Association for outstanding achievement in comedy, and his outstanding new program, Encato Flynn, was honored for individual achievement in comedy for a role as eccentric mayoral assistant Patricia Moyer.

The Emmy honored it with a record-breaking 14 awards, including for Best Actor, played by Reese, Best Supporting Actor, played by Stephen Root, Best Supporting Actress, played by Katie O'Flynn, Best Writing, Katie Tebold, Best Directing, Hero Mural, and Best Comedy.

I still don't get it.

Alison McLean Merrill.

She's a pop culture writer, a member of the Television Critics Association, and a Disney Channel historian.

And best yet, she saw Northern Lights back when it was on YouTube, before it was taken down, and she wrote a review of it for her blog, Past Foot Forward.

Maybe she could tell me about the movie and help me make sense of it, and maybe all Disney Channel original movies all together.

My only real awareness of it prior to this—I mean, I knew it existed— But my strongest memory was, I want to say 1998.

The TCA, the year before the Television Critics Association, had given their Children's Programming Award to Wishbone.

They gave it to Wishbone again the next year.

And the creators of Wishbone showed up.

But there often is a consensus.

Take the recent announcement by the Television Critics Association of its annual awards for 2025-26 TV season.

The awards can be precursor of the Emmy Awards, which air September 14th on NBC, although the TCAs have different categories.

The Apple TV Plus horror comedy series Whales Bay, starring Matthew Rees as the mayor of New England vacation town with a historic past of strange things happening, won three awards.

It was honored for Outstanding Achievement in Comedy and Outstanding New Program.

Kate O'Flynn was honored for Individual Achievement in Comedy for her role as eccentric mayoral assistant patricia moyer i was not a fan of the series i didn't think it scary or funny no matter how hard i tried heated rivalry which was about two closeted pro hockey players was named program of the year it isn't eligible for an emmy because it produced in canada i was not a fan but to be fair i watched only the first episode and thought the way the gay relationship was depicted was too abrupt.

I guess I'll have to revisit the series.

I did agree with the choice of several other programs and individuals honored by the TCA, including the Apple TV Plus and dystopian drama series, Pluribus, and star Ria Sehorne, Ken Burns' expansive six-part PBS series, The American Revolution, HBO Max's medical drama The Pit, the former Fox sketch comedy series In Living Color that featured Jamie Foxx, Jim Carrey, and a David Allen Greer, among others, and former CBS talk show host Stephen Colbert, whose late show run ended in May.