For many years, GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (of which I am a voting member), has presented its Dorian Awards annually for achievements in film, TV and culture — historically, all at the same time. But for 2020, the group decided to peel off the TV awards to reflect the traditional TV season (the Emmys are Sunday) and present its awards this past weekend. The society always invites potentially honorees to join in a toast, and this year, that was done virtually, with many winners sharing their appreciation with the group. Hugh Jackman, Janelle Monáe, Billy Porter, John Oliver, Dan Levy, plus stars and producers of Killing Eve and Watchmen, offered heartfelt thanks as th
Tiger King
ey virtually accepted awards.
The Dorians TV Toast 2020, a recorded two-hour program hosted by opinionated talk radio icon Karel and airing on the LGBTQ+ streaming platform Revry, was a hybrid of awards and chat/variety shows. The Toast intermingled music, comedy and special segments with lively banter about the nominees and winners from the organization’s members and from presenters like Josh Thomas (Freeform’s Everything’s Gonna Be Okay), Alex Newell (NBC’s Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist), comic actresses Margaret Cho and Lea DeLaria, wit Bruce Vilanch and RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars champ Chad Michaels.
The alternate-universe adventure Watchmen took two awards: Best TV Movie or Limited Series and Most Visually Striking Show. Showrunner Damon Lindelof was somber in accepting Watchmen’s chief award. “I know the Dorians celebrate all kinds of film and TV shows that don’t necessarily need to be LGBTQ-themed, but we take particular pride in the fact that there is a queer character at the very center of Watchmen: Will Reeves,” he said. “We started this story by asking a simple question: Why would a superhero need to hide their face? If they were truly fighting for justice, the answer seemed obvious: Because the world wasn’t ready to see who they really were. And so Watchman became this story about unmasking, about understanding the pain and trauma caused by ignorance and hate.”
Monáe, accepting her joint-win with singer-actor Billy Porter for Best TV Musical Performance for their dazzling duet at the start of last February’s Academy Awards, said the experience of performing that night “was a dream” and that, when it came to asking Porter to join her, “There was no other person I could think about sharing that stage with.”
The uplifting sixth and final season of Schitt’s Creek scored five Dorians. The scrappy farce won Best TV Comedy and Best LGBTQ TV Show (just as the show did for Season 4). There were other winky moments:
• GALECA’s signature Campiest TV Show honor went to Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness.
• Vilanch, presenting that Campiest show category, opined of nominee Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings, “The title alone! Can Dolly find her heartstrings under all that boob?”
• Chad Michaels, known for impersonating Cher to perfection, was a novel choice to announce the Most Visually Striking Show category.
Starting under the original banner Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, GALECA’s Dorian Awards have gone to the best of all of film and TV — not only LGBTQ-themed — since 2010.
Below is a full list of winners.
BEST TV DRAMA
Better Call Saul (AMC)
Killing Eve (BBC America/AMC)
Ozark (Netflix)
The Crown (Netflix)
The Good Fight (CBS All Access)
BEST TV COMEDY
Better Things (FX)
Dead to Me (Netflix)
Insecure (HBO)
Schitt’s Creek (Pop)
The Good Place (NBC)
What We Do in the Shadows (FX)
BEST TV MOVIE OR LIMITED SERIES
Bad Education (HBO)
Little Fires Everywhere (Hulu)
Mrs. America (FX/Hulu)
Normal People (Hulu)
Watchmen (HBO)
BEST LGBTQ TV SHOW
Bad Education (HBO)
Hollywood (Netflix)
RuPaul’s Drag Race (VH1)
Schitt’s Creek (Pop)
Vida (Starz)
We’re Here (HBO)
Work in Progress (Showtime)
BEST TV PERFORMANCE – ACTRESS
Christina Applegate, Dead to Me (Netflix)
Cate Blanchett, Mrs. America (FX/Hulu)
Linda Cardellini, Dead to Me (Netflix)
Jodie Comer, Killing Eve (BBC America/AMC)
Regina King, Watchmen (HBO)
Laura Linney, Ozark (Netflix)
Catherine O’Hara, Schitt’s Creek (Pop)
BEST TV PERFORMANCE – ACTOR
Hugh Jackman, Bad Education (HBO)
Eugene Levy, Schitt’s Creek (Pop)
Paul Mescal, Normal People (Hulu)
Jeremy Pope, Hollywood (Netflix)
Ramy Youssef, Ramy (Hulu)
BEST SUPPORTING TV PERFORMANCE – ACTRESS
Uzo Aduba, Mrs. America (FX/Hulu)
Julia Garner, Ozark (Netflix)
Allison Janney, Bad Education (HBO)
Patti LuPone, Hollywood (Netflix)
Annie Murphy, Schitt’s Creek (Pop)
Jean Smart, Watchmen (HBO)
BEST SUPPORTING TV PERFORMANCE – ACTOR
Billy Crudup, The Morning Show (Apple TV+)
Harvey Guillén, What We Do in the Shadows (FX)
Dan Levy, Schitt’s Creek (Pop)
Joe Mantello, Hollywood (Netflix)
Josh O’Connor, The Crown (Netflix)
Jim Parsons, Hollywood (Netflix)
BEST TV MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
Cynthia Erivo, “Stand Up,” 92nd Academy Awards (ABC)
Jake Gyllenhaal, “Music, Music Everywhere!,” John Mulaney & the Sack Lunch Bunch (Netflix)
Jennifer Lopez & Shakira, Halftime Show, Super Bowl LIV (Fox)
Janelle Monáe & Billy Porter, Opening Number, 92nd Academy Awards (ABC)
Noah Reid, “Always Be My Baby,” Schitt’s Creek (Pop)
BEST CURRENT AFFAIRS PROGRAM
Cheer (Netflix)
The Daily Show With Trevor Noah (Comedy Central)
Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (TBS)
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)
The Rachel Maddow Show (MSNBC)
Visible: Out on Television (Apple TV+)
BEST UNSUNG TV SHOW
Everything’s Gonna Be Okay (Freeform)
Gentefied (Netflix)
The Good Fight (CBS All Access)
Mrs. Fletcher (HBO)
One Day at a Time (Pop)
Vida (Starz)
What We Do in the Shadows (FX)
Work in Progress (Showtime)
MOST VISUALLY STRIKING SHOW
Hollywood (Netflix)
The Crown (Netflix)
The Mandalorian (Disney+)
Watchmen (HBO)
Westworld (HBO)
CAMPIEST TV SHOW
AJ and the Queen (Netflix)
Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings (Netflix)
The Great (Hulu)
RuPaul’s Drag Race (VH1)
Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness (Netflix)
WILDE WIT AWARD
(Honoring a performer, writer or commentator whose observations both challenge and amuse)
Cate Blanchett
Hannah Gadsby
Dan Levy
Trevor Noah
Randy Rainbow
— Arnold Wayne Jones
