Aziz Ansari, the popular Indian American actor, has been nominated for the Television Critics Association Award in the ‘Individual Achievement in Comedy’ category, courtesy his Emmy-winning series, “Master of None.”
The Indian American comedian/actor, was nominated by the Television critics across the country. Aziz, who co-created and stars on the Netflix show, was nominated last year in the same category, but Rachel Bloom walked away with the award.
This year, Ansari is pitted against Pamela Adlon of “Better Things,” Kristen Bell of “The Good Place,” Donald Glover of “Atlanta,” Julia Louis-Dreyfus of “Veep,” Issa Rae of “Insecure,” and Phoebe Waller-Bridge of “Fleabag.”
“Master of None,” which recently wrapped up its second season, has also won a nomination in the ‘Outstanding Achievement in Comedy’ category, alongside FX’s “Atlanta,” ABC’s “black-ish,” Amazon’s “Fleabag,” NBC’s “The Good Place,” and “HBO’s “Veep.”
More than 200 professional TV critics and journalists from the United States and Canada form the TCA. The 2017 TCA Awards recognize outstanding television programming in the 2016-2017 season, honoring actors, producers and programs in a variety of categories, including news and information, youth, reality, drama and comedy.
This year’s nominations are spread across three broadcast networks —ABC, CBS and NBC — as well as PBS, 10 cable networks, and internet-streaming services Amazon, Hulu, and Netflix. For the second consecutive year, HBO is in the lead with 12 nominations; FX has 11; Netflix has 10; NBC has seven; Hulu has four; ABC and PBS have three each; Amazon, Disney and Showtime each have two; and A&E, AMC, BBC America, CBS, CNN, ESPN, and TBS finish with one each.
The nominations are remarkable — not because they represent a shift in the way Hollywood is doing business, per se, but because the TV shows and networks that have made an effort to champion diversity in their programming and hiring practices are reaping the rewards in the form of quality shows, which are subsequently being recognized by critics and viewers. It’s the circle of Peak TV.
“This was truly a landmark season for diversity in television, and the TCA nominations reflect this. Our members have chosen a variety of series that celebrate and represent a wide spectrum of performances,” said TCA President Amber Dowling in a statement. “With so many great programs—both new and returning—it was a real challenge for our members to whittle these nominees down. We’re excited to see which programs and performers make the cut as voting now gets underway to determine the TV standouts of the 2016-17 season. The 33rd annual TCA Awards will be announced Aug. 5 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif.