The winners for the 17th Annual OFTA Television Awards have been announced.
This year, two records were tied for the most awards in both the movie/miniseries and series categories. One of those ties was American Horror Story: Asylum which earned thirteen awards, tying it with Merlin for the highest number won by a miniseries in a single year. The miniseries won prizes for Best Motion Picture/Miniseries (an honor it shared with Behind the Candelabra); three acting awards (Best Actress Jessica Lange, Best Supporting Actor Zachary Quinto and Best Supporting Actress Sarah Paulson); Best Ensemble; creative achievements in Music, Editing, Cinematography, Production Design, Sound and Visual Effects; and the New Theme Song and New Titles Sequence categories.
Its co-winner Behind the Candelabra also won for Best Actor Michael Douglas, Best Directing and Writing in a Motion Picture or Miniseries, Best Costume Design and Best Makeup and Hairstyling.
The second tie for most awards went to Game of Thrones, which took 12 awards but didn’t win the corresponding Best Drama Series prize, which went to Breaking Bad. The awards it received were Best Supporting Actress Emilia Clarke, Best Guest Actress Diana Rigg, Best Drama Series Ensemble, Best Drama Series Directing, and all eight creative prizes for Music, Editing, Cinematography, Production Design, Costume Design, Makeup and Hairstyling, Sound and Visual Effects. It now shares the honor of most nominated series in history with The West Wing, which received twelve awards in 1999/2000.
Modern Framily won the Best Comedy Series prize along with four other awards. It also received awards for Best Supporting Actor Ty Burrell, Best Comedy Series Ensemble, Best Comedy Series Directing and Best Comedy Series Writing.
The Tony Awards captured the Non-Fiction Program prize for the third time with its host, Neil Patrick Harris, winning the award for Best Host or Panelist in a Non-Fiction Program. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart once again took the prize for Best Fiction Program while his Comedy Central contemporary Stephen Colbert won his second award as Best Male Performance in a Fiction Program. Kristin Chenoweth’s one-woman show The Dames of Broadway earned her the award for Best Female Performance in a Fiction Program.
For more winners, check out the following link: 17th Television Awards
Hall of Fame
In addition to awarding the best in television across the past season, the members of the Online Film & Television Association annually select ten programs, four performers and three behind the scenes artists to induct into their Hall of Fame. Below are this year’s recipients:
Programs
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003) – This influential vampire drama put genre television on the map and helped launch Joss Whedon’s career as one of the key figures in the fan filmmaking universe.
- Doing Time on Maple Drive (1992) – A dysfunctional family drama that explored subjects that were largely taboo on television in the early 1990’s.
- Friends (1994-2004) – Launching six prominent television careers, this series was one of the most popular ever targeting the largely neglected young adult audience.
- The Fugitive (1963-1967) – For four years, Dr. Richard Kimball was on the run from a crime he didn’t commit. It was one of the earliest examples of television programming where the story continued week-to-week influencing a number of future series and culminating in one of the most watched series finales in television history.
- Lassie (1954-1974) – The long-running children-focused family series featured one of the most popular canines in entertainment history and entertained children across multiple generations.
- Little House on the Prairie (1974-1983) – The acclaimed family drama explored the life of Laura Ingalls Wilder based on her beloved memoirs and becoming one of the most popular period dramas of the era.
- Night Court (1984-1992) – An eccentric 1980’s comedy series in the tradition of Taxi and Cheers that introduced a number of prominent comedians to a wider audience.
- The Sopranos (1999-2007) – A groundbreaking crime drama that has become a benchmark for cable programming and helped ushered in a new era of adult-targeted entertainment.
- South Park (1997-Present) – This irreverent animated series took the groundwork laid by The Simpsons and turned it into a crass, hilarious success.
- The Waltons (1971-1981) – A beloved family drama set in 1930’s Virginia brought families together around the television for a decade.
Acting
- Roseanne Barr (1952-) – Rising to fame with her self-titled working class comedy series, this prominent stand-up comedienne began a trend that pulled major comedians onto the small screen and helped ushered in a new wave of grounded television comedies.
- Michael J. Fox (1961-) – As Alex P. Keaton in Family Ties, Fox parlayed his television success into a prominent film career at the head of the Back to the Future franchise before returning to television in a series of notable guest appearances.
- Larry Hagman (1931-2012) – Hagman starred in two legendary television programs, including groundbreaking comedy I Dream of Jeannie and primetime serial Dallas among other prominent performances on the small screen.
- Oprah Winfrey (1954-) – This one-woman media empire became one of the most prominent television celebrities on the planet and has been a major influence in all areas of entertainment, including television where her banner talk show brought audiences back to an old and fading format.
Behind the Scenes
- Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) – Known as much for his television work as his film work, Bernstein scored numerous television series and movies as well as the prominent Young People’s Concerts of the 1950’s through 1970’s.
- Matt Groening (1954-) – Creator of the groundbreaking animated series The Simpson, Groening has broadened his media empire and started a new phase of animated programming on television.
- Aaron Sorkin (1961-) – The creator of a number of prominent programs, Sorkin is best known for his work as writer and producer of acclaimed television drama The West Wing.