Summary:
- Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another emerges as the first true awards-season heavyweight.
- Surprise wins and craft-focused categories redraw the early Oscars and Emmys race lines.
- Here’s the complete list of winners and nominees from the 2026 Critics’ Choice Awards.
The race for gold is officially on. We watched the 31st Annual Critics’ Choice Awards unfold live this Sunday, offering the clearest picture yet of where the film and television industry is leaning this season. From Paul Thomas Anderson’s cinematic triumph to Netflix’s absolute domination of the limited series categories, we have broken down every surprise. Here is the full rundown of who walked away with a trophy.
Table of Contents
Which Films Dominated the 2026 Critics’ Choice Awards?
Going into the night, all eyes were on Ryan Coogler’s vampire thriller Sinners, with an astonishing 17 nominations to its name. However, when it came to the top prizes, the voters simply had other plans.
Ultimately, it was One Battle After Another that became the most dominant film of the evening. Paul Thomas Anderson’s film won Best Picture and Best Director, in addition to Best Adapted Screenplay.
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Sinners didn’t leave empty-handed. It took home four wins, including a first-time Best Casting and Ensemble honor as well as Best Original Screenplay for Coogler. Meanwhile, Frankenstein and Hamnet proved strong competition in the technical and acting categories, underscoring that 2026 is a massive year for genre filmmaking.
Who Won Big in Television at the 2026 Critics’ Choice Awards?
You couldn’t miss Netflix’s influence on the small screen. The streaming giant had 31 nominations and really made the most of them with Adolescence. The drama swept the Limited Series categories, including Best Limited Series, and scored acting trophies for Stephen Graham, Owen Cooper, and Erin Doherty.
For the ongoing series, HBO Max had a stellar night, with The Pitt taking Best Drama Series, while Apple TV+ found gold with Seth Rogen’s The Studio, claiming Best Comedy Series.
2026 Critics’ Choice Awards Film Winners and Nominees
Below is the full list of all 2026 Critics’ Choice Awards nominees and winners:
Best Picture
- One Battle After Another (WINNER)
- Bugonia
- Frankenstein
- Hamnet
- Jay Kelly
- Marty Supreme
- Sentimental Value
- Sinners
- Train Dreams
- Wicked: For Good
Best Director
- Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another (WINNER)
- Ryan Coogler – Sinners
- Guillermo del Toro – Frankenstein
- Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme
- Joachim Trier – Sentimental Value
- Chloé Zhao – Hamnet
Best Actor
- Timothée Chalamet – Marty Supreme (WINNER)
- 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 (WINNER)
- 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
Best Supporting Actor
- Jacob Elordi – Frankenstein (WINNER)
- Benicio del Toro – One Battle After Another
- Paul Mescal – Hamnet
- Sean Penn – One Battle After Another
- Adam Sandler – Jay Kelly
- Stellan Skarsgård – Sentimental Value
Best Supporting Actress
- Amy Madigan – Weapons (WINNER)
- Elle Fanning – Sentimental Value
- Ariana Grande – Wicked: For Good
- Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – Sentimental Value
- Wunmi Mosaku – Sinners
- Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another
Best Young Actor/Actress
- Miles Caton – Sinners (WINNER)
- Everett Blunck – The Plague
- Cary Christopher – Weapons
- Shannon Mahina Gorman – Rental Family
- Jacobi Jupe – Hamnet
- Nina Ye – Left-Handed Girl
Best Casting and Ensemble
- Sinners (WINNER)
- Hamnet
- Jay Kelly
- Marty Supreme
- One Battle After Another
- Wicked: For Good
Best Original Screenplay
- Ryan Coogler – Sinners (WINNER)
- Noah Baumbach and Emily Mortimer – Jay Kelly
- Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme
- Zach Cregger – Weapons
- Eva Victor – Sorry, Baby
- Eskil Vogt and Joachim Trier – Sentimental Value
Best Adapted Screenplay
- Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another (WINNER)
- Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar – Train Dreams
- Park Chan-wook, Lee Kyoung-mi, Don Mckellar, and Jahye Lee – No Other Choice
- Guillermo del Toro – Frankenstein
- Will Tracy – Bugonia
- Chloé Zhao and Maggie O’Farrell – Hamnet
Best Cinematography
- Claudio Miranda – F1 (WINNER)
- Dan Laustsen – Frankenstein
- Łukasz Żal – Hamnet
- Michael Bauman – One Battle After Another
- Autumn Durald Arkapaw – Sinners
- Adolpho Veloso – Train Dreams
Best Production Design
- Frankenstein (WINNER)
- The Fantastic Four: First Steps
- Hamnet
- Marty Supreme
- Sinners
- Wicked: For Good
Best Editing
- Stephen Mirrione – F1 (WINNER)
- Kirk Baxter – A House of Dynamite
- Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme
- Andy Jurgensen – One Battle After Another
- Viridiana Lieberman – The Perfect Neighbor
- Michael P. Shawver – Sinners
Best Costume Design
- Kate Hawley – Frankenstein (WINNER)
- Malgosia Turzanska – Hamnet
- Lindsay Pugh – Hedda
- Colleen Atwood and Christine Cantella – Kiss of the Spider Woman
- Ruth E. Carter – Sinners
- Paul Tazewell – Wicked: For Good
Best Hair and Makeup
- Frankenstein (WINNER)
- 28 Years Later
- Sinners
- The Smashing Machine
- Weapons
- Wicked: For Good
Best Visual Effects
- Avatar: Fire and Ash (WINNER)
- F1
- Frankenstein
- Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
- Sinners
- Superman
Best Stunt Design
- Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (WINNER)
- Ballerina
- F1
- One Battle After Another
- Sinners
- Warfare
Best Animated Feature
- KPop Demon Hunters (WINNER)
- Arco
- Elio
- In Your Dreams
- Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
- Zootopia 2
Best Comedy
- The Naked Gun (WINNER)
- The Ballad of Wallis Island
- Eternity
- Friendship
- The Phoenician Scheme
- Splitsville
Best Foreign Language Film
- The Secret Agent (WINNER)
- Belén
- It Was Just an Accident
- Left-Handed Girl
- No Other Choice
- Sirāt
Best Song
- “Golden” — KPop Demon Hunters (WINNER)
- “Drive” — F1
- “I Lied to You” — Sinners
- “Clothed by the Sun” — The Testament of Ann Lee
- “Train Dreams” — Train Dreams
- “The Girl in the Bubble” — Wicked: For Good
Best Score
- Ludwig Göransson – Sinners (WINNER)
- Hans Zimmer – F1
- Alexandre Desplat – Frankenstein
- Max Richter – Hamnet
- Daniel Lopatin – Marty Supreme
- Jonny Greenwood – One Battle After Another
Best Sound
- F1 (WINNER)
- Frankenstein
- One Battle After Another
- Sinners
- Sirāt
- Warfare
2026 Critics’ Choice Awards Television Winners
Best Drama Series
- The Pitt (WINNER)
- Alien: Earth
- Andor
- The Diplomat
- Paradise
- Pluribus
- Severance
- Task
Best Actor in a Drama Series
- Noah Wyle – The Pitt (WINNER)
- Sterling K. Brown – Paradise
- Diego Luna – Andor
- Mark Ruffalo – Task
- Adam Scott – Severance
- Billy Bob Thornton – Landman
Best Actress in a Drama Series
- Rhea Seehorn – Pluribus (WINNER)
- Kathy Bates – Matlock
- Carrie Coon – The Gilded Age
- Britt Lower – Severance
- Bella Ramsey – The Last of Us
- Keri Russell – The Diplomat
Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
- Tramell Tillman – Severance (WINNER)
- Patrick Ball – The Pitt
- Billy Crudup – The Morning Show
- Ato Essandoh – The Diplomat
- Wood Harris – Forever
- Tom Pelphrey – Task
Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
- Katherine LaNasa – The Pitt (WINNER)
- Nicole Beharie – The Morning Show
- Denée Benton – The Gilded Age
- Allison Janney – The Diplomat
- Greta Lee – The Morning Show
- Skye P. Marshall – Matlock
Best Comedy Series
- The Studio (WINNER)
- Abbott Elementary
- Elsbeth
- Ghosts
- Hacks
- Nobody Wants This
- Only Murders in the Building
- The Righteous Gemstones
Best Actor in a Comedy Series
- Seth Rogen – The Studio (WINNER)
- 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 Actress in a Comedy Series
- Jean Smart – Hacks (WINNER)
- Kristen Bell – Nobody Wants This
- Natasha Lyonne – Poker Face
- Rose McIver – Ghosts
- Edi Patterson – The Righteous Gemstones
- Carrie Preston – Elsbeth
Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
- Ike Barinholtz – The Studio (WINNER)
- Paul W. Downs – Hacks
- Asher Grodman – Ghosts
- Oscar Nuñez – The Paper
- Chris Perfetti – Abbott Elementary
- Timothy Simons – Nobody Wants This
Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
- Janelle James – Abbott Elementary (WINNER)
- Danielle Brooks – Peacemaker
- Hannah Einbinder – Hacks
- Justine Lupe – Nobody Wants This
- Ego Nwodim – Saturday Night Live
- Rebecca Wisocky – Ghosts
Best Limited Series
- Adolescence (WINNER)
- All Her Fault
- Chief of War
- Death by Lightning
- Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy
- Dope Thief
- Dying for Sex
- The Girlfriend
Best Movie Made for Television
- Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy (WINNER)
- Deep Cover
- The Gorge
- Mountainhead
- Nonnas
- Summer of ’69
Best Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television
- Stephen Graham – Adolescence (WINNER)
- Michael Chernus – Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy
- Brian Tyree Henry – Dope Thief
- Charlie Hunnam – Monster: The Ed Gein Story
- Matthew Rhys – The Beast in Me
- Michael Shannon – Death by Lightning
Best Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television
- Sarah Snook – All Her Fault (WINNER)
- Jessica Biel – The Better Sister
- Meghann Fahy – Sirens
- Michelle Williams – Dying for Sex
- Robin Wright – The Girlfriend
- Renée Zellweger – Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy
Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television
- Owen Cooper – Adolescence (WINNER)
- 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 Movie Made for Television
- Erin Doherty – Adolescence (WINNER)
- Betty Gilpin – Death by Lightning
- Marin Ireland – Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy
- Sophia Lillis – All Her Fault
- Julianne Moore – Sirens
- Christine Tremarco – Adolescence
Best Foreign Language Series
- Squid Game (WINNER)
- Acapulco
- Last Samurai Standing
- Mussolini: Son of the Century
- Red Alert
- When No One Sees Us
Best Animated Series
- South Park (WINNER)
- Bob’s Burgers
- Harley Quinn
- Long Story Short
- Marvel Zombies
- Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man
Best Talk Show
- Jimmy Kimmel Live! (WINNER)
- The Daily Show
- Hot Ones
- Late Night with Seth Meyers
- The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
- Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
Best Variety Series
- Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (WINNER)
- Conan O’Brien Must Go
- Saturday Night Live
Best Comedy Special
- SNL50: The Anniversary Special (WINNER)
- Brett Goldstein: The Second Best Night of Your Life
- Caleb Hearon: Model Comedian
- Leanne Morgan: Unspeakable Things
- Marc Maron: Panicked
- Sarah Silverman: PostMortem
Why the 2026 Critics’ Choice Awards Matter Right Now
The Critics’ Choice Awards often serve as a precursor to the Oscars and Emmys, and these results carry significant weight. One Battle After Another, Sinners, Adolescence, and The Studio had strong showings at the Critics’ Choice, putting them firmly in the conversation going forward. Add the newly expanded categories like Casting/Ensemble, Stunt Design, and Sound, and you’re seeing a much broader appreciation for the craft behind the camera.
If you’re following awards season closely, this ceremony didn’t just hand out trophies; it drew the first real battle lines.
