GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics named the winners of its 15th Dorian TV Awards today, with high-profile hits and under-the-radar gems evenly represented.
Full disclosure: I am a voting member of GALECA.
HBO’s final season of Succession, showrunner Jesse Armstrong’s merciless dissection of modern-day, quasi-fictional American Roy-alty, took best drama—and cast member Sarah Snook secured best drama performance—while best comedy went to ABC’s Abbott Elementary, star Quinta Brunson’s mockumentary following a clique of idealistic Philadelphia school teachers.
HBO/Max’s Succession and ABC’s Abbott Elementary were the top winners, taking best TV drama and comedy, respectively, at the 2023 Dorian TV Awards, which were unveiled on June 26 by the Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA). Succession star Sarahhttps://t.co/nvsT484Cmn
— MSN (@MSN) June 26, 2023
On the scrappy side, Amazon Freevee’s novel prank show Jury Duty was deemed Best Reality Show, Max’s showbiz satire The Other Two LGBTQ TV Show and HBO comedies Somebody, Somewhere and Los Espookys Unsung TV Show and Non-English Language Show, respectively.
Director Andrew Ahn’s cinematic Fire Island, a clever queer spin on Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice released on Hulu, scored Best TV Movie or Miniseries.
Wee-hee! @JENCOOLIDGE wins Society of #LGBTQ Entertainment Critics’ @DorianAwards for Best Supporting TV Performance – Drama for reprising her role as Tanya in Mike White’s #TheWhiteLotus on @HBO AND
honored with the GALECA TV Icon Award #JenniferCoolidge #DorianAwards pic.twitter.com/OgvZ8ra1o6— The Queer Review🏳️⚧️🏳️🌈 (@TheQueerReview) June 26, 2023
GALECA members seemed to show a yen for persistent, dryly witty women across most of the performance categories.
The journalists chose Somebody’s Bridget Everett as best comedy lead, Jennifer Coolidge for best supporting drama performance for her fateful turn in The White Lotus, and Ayo Edebiri of FX on Hulu’s frenzied sandwich shop comedy The Bear.
Ariana DeBose did the thing! Congratulations to all the winners of GALECA: The Society of #LGBTQ Entertainment Critics’ TV @DorianAwards including #ArianaDeBose for Best Musical Number for her @BAFTA Film Awards opener that went viral cc. @ImAngelaBassett #DorianAwards pic.twitter.com/yxSSVrHyF3
— The Queer Review🏳️⚧️🏳️🌈 (@TheQueerReview) June 26, 2023
Taking Best TV Musical Performance? Surprise: Ariana DeBose for her maligned—but perhaps in retrospect, fun and sweet—rap tribute to Angela Bassett and other nominees at the BAFTA Film Awards last March.
“Until a drag queen walks into a school & beats 8 kids to death with a copy of To Kill A Mockingbird, I think you’re focusing on the wrong shit” – @iamwandasykes winner of GALECA: Society of #LGBTQ Entertainment Critics’ TV @DorianAwards Wilde Wit Award #WandaSykes #DorianAwards pic.twitter.com/pDkA0aq7Kp
— The Queer Review🏳️⚧️🏳️🌈 (@TheQueerReview) June 26, 2023
And GALECA’s special Wilde Wit award, designated for “a performer, writer or commentator whose observations both challenge and amuse,” this year went to venerable comedian Wanda Sykes.
DORIAN TV AWARDS WINNERS—FULL LIST
BEST TV DRAMA
Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire (AMC)
The Last of Us (HBO)
⭐ Succession (HBO)
The White Lotus (HBO)
Yellowjackets (Showtime)
BEST TV COMEDY
⭐ Abbott Elementary (ABC)
The Bear (FX on Hulu)
The Other Two (HBO Max)
Poker Face (Peacock)
Somebody Somewhere (HBO)
BEST LGBTQ TV SHOW
Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire (AMC)
A League of Their Own (Amazon)
Somebody Somewhere (HBO)
The Last of Us (HBO)
⭐ The Other Two (HBO Max)
BEST TV MOVIE OR MINISERIES
Beef (Netflix)
Daisy Jones & The Six (Amazon)
Dead Ringers (Amazon)
⭐ Fire Island (Hulu)
Rye Lane (Hulu)
BEST UNSUNG SHOW
A Black Lady Sketch Show (HBO)
Derry Girls (Netflix)
Jury Duty (Amazon Freevee)
Los Espookys (HBO)
Reservation Dogs (FX on Hulu)
⭐ Somebody Somewhere (HBO)
BEST NON-ENGLISH SHOW
Elite (Netflix)
Extraordinary Attorney Woo (Netflix)
⭐ Los Espookys (HBO)
Smiley (Netflix)
Young Royals (Netflix)
BEST TV PERFORMANCE—DRAMA
Kieran Culkin, Succession (HBO)
Melanie Lynskey, Yellowjackets (Showtime)
Pedro Pascal, The Last of Us (HBO)
Bella Ramsey, The Last of Us (HBO)
⭐ Sarah Snook, Succession (HBO)
BEST SUPPORTING TV PERFORMANCE—DRAMA
Murray Bartlett, The Last of Us (HBO)
⭐ Jennifer Coolidge, The White Lotus (HBO)
Meghann Fahy, The White Lotus (HBO)
Nick Offerman, The Last of Us (HBO)
Aubrey Plaza, The White Lotus (HBO)
BEST TV PERFORMANCE—COMEDY
Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon)
Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary (ABC)
⭐ Bridget Everett, Somebody Somewhere (HBO)
Natasha Lyonne, Poker Face (Peacock)
Ali Wong, Beef (Netflix)
BEST SUPPORTING TV PERFORMANCE—COMEDY
Alex Borstein, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon)
⭐ Ayo Edebiri, The Bear (FX on Hulu)
Jeff Hiller, Somebody Somewhere (HBO)
Janelle James, Abbott Elementary (ABC)
Sheryl Lee Ralph, Abbott Elementary (ABC)
BEST TV MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
Kaala Bhairava & Rahul Sipligunj, “Naatu Naatu,” 95th Academy Awards (ABC)
⭐ Ariana DeBose, “Angela Bassett Did the Thing (Opening Number),” BAFTA Film Awards (Britbox)
Bridgett Everett, “Gloria,” Somebody Somewhere (HBO)
Jane Krakowski, “Bells and Whistles,” Schmigadoon! (Apple TV+)
Nick Offerman, “Long, Long Time,” The Last of Us (HBO)
BEST TV DOCUMENTARY OR DOCUMENTARY SERIES
Pamela, A Love Story (Netflix)
Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields (Hulu)
⭐ Queer for Fear: The History of Queer Horror (Shudder)
The Rehearsal (HBO)
The 1619 Project (Hulu)
BEST LGBTQ DOCUMENTARY OR DOCUMENTARY SERIES
The Book of Queer (Discovery+)
Generation Drag (Discovery+)
Mama’s Boy (HBO)
⭐ Queer for Fear: The History of Queer Horror (Shudder)
We’re Here (HBO)
BEST CURRENT AFFAIRS SHOW
The Amber Ruffin Show (Peacock)
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah (Comedy Central)
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (CBS)
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)
⭐ ZIWE (Showtime)
BEST ANIMATED SHOW
Big Mouth (Netflix)
Dead End: Paranormal Park (Netflix)
⭐ Harley Quinn (HBO Max)
South Park (Comedy Central)
The Simpsons (Fox)
BEST REALITY SHOW
⭐ Jury Duty (Amazon Freevee)
Queer Eye (Netflix)
RuPaul’s Drag Race (MTV)
The Traitors (Peacock)
The Ultimatum: Queer Love (Netflix)
MOST VISUALLY STRIKING SHOW
Andor (Disney+)
Dead Ringers (Amazon)
⭐ The Last of Us (HBO)
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (Amazon)
The White Lotus (HBO)
CAMPIEST TV SHOW
Dead Ringers (Amazon)
Eurovision Song Contest (Peacock)
Hocus Pocus 2 (Disney+)
⭐ Schmigadoon! (Apple TV+)
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (Disney+)
Wednesday (Netflix)
WILDE WIT AWARD
—To a performer, writer or commentator whose observations both challenge and amuse
Joel Kim Booster
Quinta Brunson
Lizzo
⭐ Wanda Sykes
Bowen Yang
GALECA TV Icon Award
—To a uniquely talented star we adore
⭐ Jennifer Coolidge
GALECA LGBTQIA+ TV Trailblazer Award
—For creating art that inspires empathy, truth and equity
⭐ Elliot Page
(via press release)