2015 TCA Awards: ‘Better Call Saul,’ ‘The Fosters,’ Amy Schumer among winners

After several presentations and lengthy Q&As, the Television Critics Association on Saturday night officially handed out some trophies courtesy of their annual TCA Awards. It is a tremendous occasion for many shows, and while there are not too many direct connections between this particular show and the Emmys, it does serve at least as a nice way to have your finger on the pulse of what is actually big right now in the world of television.

Take a look below at some of the winners, to go along with our brief analysis.

Program of the Year – Empire (Fox). Strangely, this show was not even nominated for Outstanding Drama Series at the Emmys, even though Taraji P. Henson got some love. We’re a little surprised at its overall win here; it is a very good show, but we personally preferred the other four nominees.

Outstanding New Program – Better Call Saul (AMC). No surprise here. Critics love Vince Gilligan, and it’s a very strong show. A part of us was rooting for “The Flash,” even though it had almost no shot of winning.

Outstanding Achievement in Comedy – Inside Amy Schumer (Comedy Central). Schumer also won for Individual Achievement in Comedy, which further cements her status right now as the one of the most beloved people in show business right now.

Outstanding Achievement in Drama – The Americans (FX). Another huge win for “The Americans,” a stellar show that is perpetually ignored at the Emmys.

Individual Achievement in Drama – Jon Hamm, Mad Men (AMC). Please let this be a precursor to the man finally winning an Emmy for playing Don Draper.

Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries, and Specials – The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst (HBO). Did you see this? If you did, you knew it was a no-brainer to win.

Outstanding Achievement in Reality Programming – The Chair (Starz). Hooray for the TCA Awards for acknowledging different programming!

Outstanding Achievement in Youth Programming – The Fosters (ABC Family). We’re thrilled that this award exists, mostly so that a show like this can receive recognition where it would most likely not otherwise.

Outstanding Achievement in News and Information – Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO). It does seem a little strange that a comedy / information hybrid show is competing against serious newscasts, no?

Heritage Award – “The Late Show with David Letterman.” Pretty perfect, if you ask us.

Let us know your reaction to some of the winners tonight in the comments!

Photo: AMC