LGBTQ critics announce Dorian Award nominations for best of TV

They might not be as coveted or as prestigious as some of the other awards out there, but the Dorians — presented annually by GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics, at separate ceremonies throughout the year, for excellence in film, television, and theater – nevertheless represent an important and much-needed perspective that “reminds society that the world values the informed Q+ eye on everything entertainment.” Fittingly enough, the 500+ member media journalists’ association, now in its 15th year, chose the 55th anniversary of the Stonewall rebellion to announce the group’s 2024 nominations for the best in television and streaming across 24 categories, and the competition – as one might expect –  skews a little bit on the queer side, even if the nominations reflect a widely diverse range of cultural experience.

“A lot of our nominated shows are focused on outcasts trying to punch through norms, and their own fears and flaws, to find peace – a not-easy road, but one our members obviously loved following,” says GALECA founder and Executive Director John Griffiths. “It’s fitting we’re flagging these stories on the same day that, years ago, the brave souls of Stonewall […] took to the streets of Greenwich Village to protest abuse and oppression and hate at the hands of bigots and bullies. Like those protesters, the writers of these Dorian Award-nominated shows remind us that you can’t just pout and clutch pearls if you want a better existence.” 

Leading the nomination tally among dramas are three very disparate series based on period novels, with “Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire” (AMC) snagging six nods, while “Shōgun” (FX/Hulu) and “Fellow Travelers” (Showtime/Paramount+) each earned five. In the comedy field, critical darlings “The Bear” (FX/Hulu) and “Hacks” (Max) – alongside Netflix’s shocking (if darkly amusing) “Baby Reindeer” – all grabbed six nominations. 

This year, GALECA has included a couple of new categories. One of those is Best Written Show, where nominees include the aforementioned “The Bear,” “Hacks,” “Reindeer,” and “Fellow Travelers,” alongside ABC’s “Abbott Elementary,” a show that has been a past favorite with the group and scored additional nods across several categories; the other is for Best Genre TV Show, where the deeply queer “Vampire” competes with Netflix’s haunting “The Fall of the House of Usher,” Amazon Prime’s future-trippy “Fallout” and comedic horror offerings “What We Do in the Shadows” (FX) and “Chucky” (SyFy/USA).

Under the category of “nice surprises,” beloved SNL alumnus Kristen Wiig landed a nod for Best Comedy TV Performance for her work on the fizzy Apple TV+ hit “Palm Royale,” joining fellow SNL vets Maya Rudolph (for “Loot”) and Martin Short (“Only Murders in the Building”) alongside rising stars like Devery Jacobs of “Reservation Dogs. The latter show, about an underdog cadre of Indigenous American friends in Oklahoma, is up for both Best Unsung TV Show – a unique-to-the-Dorians category – and Best TV Comedy.

In fact, each of the Dorians’ acting, performance, and tribute categories – which are all non-gendered (hello, other Awards bodies, time to catch up with the times) – are peppered with beloved names, both big and up-and-coming. Such revered performers as Emma Stone, Jodie Foster, Angela Bassett, Ryan Gosling, Christine Baranski, LeVar Burton, Carol Burnett and Meryl Streep join those races alongside relative newcomers like Kali Reis, Ncuti Gatwa, Moeka Hoshi, Nama Mau, Jessica Gunning, Benny Safdie, Emma D’Arcy and Julio Torres. 

Then there’s GALECA’s most irreverent Dorian Award, for the year’s Campiest TV Show, where  honors could go to doll-gone-wild tale “Chucky,” Netlix’s cheeky post-modernist period romance “Bridgerton,” Peacock’s opportunist reality/competition hit “The Traitors,” the 1970s Manhattan society “true gossip” dishfest “Feud: Capote Vs. The Swans” (FX/Hulu), and the aforementioned “Palm Royale,” which skewers high society in Palm Beach circa 1969 through the story of an average woman (nominee Wiig) seeking acceptance at a posh private resort while discovering there is more to life than the superficial trappings of glamor and ostentatious prosperity for which her fellow vacationers seem to hunger.

Of course, the biggest interest for most queer TV fans lies in knowing which of their fan favorites made the cut for recognition at the Dorians. In the TV Drama category, alongside “Travelers” and “Vampire” (our personal pick for the most thrilling and transgressively queer show of the year, hands down), contenders include fellow genre-labeled series “Fallout,” Broadway-star-slumfest “The Gilded Age,” and the feel-good YA romance “Heartstopper.”

On the comedy side, queer-inclusive critical darlings “Abbot Elementary” and “Hacks” are joined by the under appreciated gem “Reservation Dogs” and the literary remake “Shōgun,” with irreverent fan favorite “What We Do in the Shadows” and Hulu’s “The Bear” rounding out the race.

In the race for Best LGBTQ TV show, “Fellow Travelers” (which also received nods in the Lead and Supporting Performance categories, for Matt Bomer and Jonathan Bailey, respectively) and “Vampire” (likewise for series star and “Game of Thrones” veteran Jacob Anderson) are joined by “Heartstopper,” “Hacks,” and “Baby Reindeer,” while the Best Unsung TV Show category – which also includes “Vampire” – spotlights less high-profile shows like “Chucky,” “Reservation Dogs,” Peacock’s “We Are Lady Parts,” and Max’s now-canceled queer pirate dram-com “Our Flag Means Death.” Not to be ignored, “Ripley,” Netflix’s stylish black-and-white adaptation of iconic queer novelist Patricia Highsmith’s novel “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” scored noms for Best TV Movie or miniseries, Best Drama Performance (Andrew Scott), and Most Visually Striking Show – another category unique to the Dorians.

The Dorian Awards, presented by GALECA, the Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics, are  chosen democratically by the full membership, and are presented to TV, film and Broadway/Off-Broadway winners at different times of the year. Members work or freelance for a variety of mainstream and niche media outlets, including the Washington and Los Angeles Blade. A nonprofit organization, GALECA also advocates for better pay, access and respect for entertainment journalists, especially the underrepresented. Winners of the 2024 Dorian TV Awards will be announced Aug. 12. The full list of nominees is available on the Blade website.

BEST TV DRAMA

Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire (AMC)

The Curse (Showtime/Paramount+)

Fallout (Amazon Prime)

The Gilded Age (HBO)

Heartstopper (Netflix)

Shōgun (FX/Hulu)

BEST TV COMEDY

Abbott Elementary (ABC)

The Bear (FX/Hulu)

Hacks (Max)

Reservation Dogs (FX/Hulu)

What We Do in the Shadows (FX)

BEST LGBTQ TV SHOW

Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire (AMC)

Baby Reindeer (Netflix)

Fellow Travelers (Showtime/Paramount+)

Hacks (Max)

Heartstopper (Netflix)

BEST TV MOVIE OR MINISERIES

Baby Reindeer (Netflix)

Fellow Travelers (Showtime/Paramount+)

Feud: Capote Vs. The Swans (FX/Hulu)

Ripley (Netflix) 

True Detective: Night Country (HBO)

BEST UNSUNG TV SHOW

Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire (AMC)

Chucky (Syfy/USA)

Our Flag Means Death (Max)

Reservation Dogs (FX/Hulu)

We Are Lady Parts (Peacock)

BEST WRITTEN TV SHOW (new category)

Abbott Elementary (ABC)

Baby Reindeer (Netflix)

The Bear (FX/Hulu)

Fellow Travelers (Showtime/Paramount+)

Hacks (Max)

BEST NON-ENGLISH LANGUAGE TV SHOW

Elite (Netflix)

Lupin (Netflix) 

Shōgun (FX/Hulu)

Tore (Netflix)

Young Royals (Netflix)

BEST LGBTQ NON-ENGLISH LANGUAGE TV SHOW (new category)

Drag Latina (Revry/LATV+)

Elite (Netflix)

Past Lies (Hulu)

Tore (Netflix)

Young Royals (Netflix)

BEST TV PERFORMANCE—DRAMA

Jacob Anderson, Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire (AMC)

Matt Bomer, Fellow Travelers (Showtime/Paramount+)

Jodie Foster, True Detective: Night Country (HBO)

Richard Gadd, Baby Reindeer (Netflix)

Ncuti Gatwa, Dr. Who (Disney+)

Lily Gladstone, Under the Bridge (Hulu)

Tom Hollander, Feud: Capote Vs. The Swans (FX/Hulu)

Anna Sawai, Shōgun (FX/Hulu)

Andrew Scott, Ripley (Netflix)

Emma Stone, The Curse (Showtime/Paramount+)

BEST SUPPORTING TV PERFORMANCE—DRAMA

Jonathan Bailey, Fellow Travelers (Showtime/Paramount+)

Christine Baranski, The Gilded Age (HBO)

Elizabeth Debicki, The Crown (Netflix)

Jessica Gunning, Baby Reindeer (Netflix)

Moeka Hoshi, Shōgun (FX/Hulu)

Jennifer Jason Leigh, Fargo (FX)

Nama Mau, Baby Reindeer (Netflix)

Jinkx Monsoon, Doctor Who (Disney+)

Kali Reis, True Detective: Night Country (HBO)

Benny Safdie, The Curse (Showtime/Paramount+)

BEST TV PERFORMANCE—COMEDY

Matt Berry, What We Do in the Shadows (FX)

Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary (ABC)

Ayo Edebiri, The Bear (FX/Hulu) 

Renée Elise Goldsberry, Girls5Eva (Netflix)

Devery Jacobs, Reservation Dogs (FX/Hulu)

Maya Rudolph, Loot (Apple TV+)

Martin Short, Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)

Jean Smart, Hacks (Max)

Jeremy Allen White, The Bear (FX/Hulu)

Kristen Wiig, Palm Royale (Apple TV+)

BEST SUPPORTING TV PERFORMANCE—COMEDY

Joel Kim Booster, Loot (Apple TV+)

Carol Burnett, Palm Royale (Apple TV+)

Hannah Einbinder, Hacks (Max)

Harvey Guillén, What We Do in the Shadows (FX)

Janelle James, Abbott Elementary (ABC)

Jamie Lee-Curtis, The Bear (FX/Hulu)

Sheryl Lee Ralph, Abbott Elementary (ABC)

Ebon Moss-Bachrach, The Bear (FX/Hulu)

Megan Stalter, Hacks (Max)

Meryl Streep, Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)

BEST TV MUSICAL PERFORMANCE

Miley Cyrus, “Flowers,” 66th Annual Grammy Awards (CBS / Paramount+)

Billie Eilish & Finneas O’Connell, What Was I Made For?,” 96th Academy Awards (ABC)

Ryan Gosling, “I’m Just Ken,” 96th Academy Awards (ABC)

Steve Martin, “Which of the Pickwick Triplets Did It?,” Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)

Maya Rudolph, “Mother,” Saturday Night Live (NBC)

BEST TV DOCUMENTARY OR DOCUMENTARY SERIES

Black Twitter: A People’s History (Hulu)

Girls State (Apple TV+)

The Greatest Night in Pop (Netflix)

Jim Henson Idea Man (Disney+)

Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV (Investigation Discovery)

BEST LGBTQ TV DOCUMENTARY OR DOCUMENTARY SERIES

Beyond the Aggressives: 25 Years Later (Showtime)

Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show (HBO)

Last Call: When A Serial Killer Stalked Queer New York (HBO)

Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed (HBO)

The Stroll (HBO)

BEST CURRENT AFFAIRS SHOW

The Daily Show (Comedy Central)

Hot Ones (YouTube)

Late Night with Seth Meyers (NBC)

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (CBS)

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

BEST REALITY SHOW

Rupaul’s Drag Race (MTV)

Queer Eye (Netflix)

Top Chef (Bravo)

The Traitors (Peacock)

We’re Here (HBO)

BEST GENRE TV SHOW (new category)

Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire (AMC)

The Fall of the House of Usher (Netflix)

Fallout (Amazon Prime)

What We Do in the Shadows (FX)

Chucky (SyFy/USA)

BEST ANIMATED SHOW

Blue Eye Samurai (Netflix)

Bobs Burgers (Fox)

Harley Quinn (Max) 

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (Netflix)

X-Men 97 (Disney+)

MOST VISUALLY STRIKING TV SHOW

Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire (AMC)

Fallout (Amazon Prime)

Palm Royale (Apple TV+)

Ripley (Netflix) 

Shōgun (FX/Hulu)

True Detective: Night Country (HBO)

CAMPIEST TV SHOW

Bridgerton (Netflix)

Chucky (SyFy / USA)

Feud: Capote Vs. The Swans (FX/Hulu)

Palm Royale (Apple TV+)

The Traitors (Peacock)

WILDE WIT AWARD

(To a performer, writer or commentator whose observations both challenge and amuse}

Joel Kim Booster

Quinta Brunson

Ayo Edebiri

Hannah Einbinder

Julio Torres

GALECA TV Icon Award

(To a uniquely talented star we adore)

Gillian Anderson

Angela Bassett

Carol Burnett

LeVar Burton

Julia Louis-Dreyfus

GALECA LGBTQIA+ TV Trailblazer Award

(For creating art that inspires empathy, truth and equity)

RuPaul Charles

Margaret Cho

Alan Cumming

Emma D’Arcy

Ncuti Gatwa