Inaugural Critics Choice Television Awards Announce Nominees

To be honest, I can't believe it's taken this long before the TV critics (sorry, the Broadcast TV Journalists Association) started handing out awards to recognize the best work in television and sway the Emmys, even if just a little bit. Yes, siblings with the Broadcast Film Critics Association, the BTJA will be hosting their first ever Critics' Choice Television Awards and the nominees are...

Well, hold on. Just want to get a few details out of the way before we jump right into the nominees... The Critics' Choice TV Awards will air on REELZCHANNEL (a name so unbelievable they had to ensure you in the title that the channel is real... sorry, reelz... yo) on June 22 at 8 p.m. ET (repeating at 11 p.m. and 2 a.m.). The awards will be hosted by So You Think You Can Dance's adorable Cat Deeley, who also snagged a nomination as best host. You can also catch an exclusive live stream of the awards show on June 20 on VH1.com.

So, yes... back to the nominees. The Awards honor programs and performances that aired between June 1, 2010 and May 31, 2011 sadly making one of the best shows on TV, Breaking Bad, ineligible for competition because of a fourth season delay (Heisenberg would not be pleased). However all the other stalwarts are there in their respective categories BUT we do want to mention a few surprises...

It's great to see Fringe get some love, finding a spot amongst nine other stellar shows (well, eight others and The Walking Dead) to compete for best drama. I'm also excited with the entire best comedy category with a slew of great, and deserving names, compiling the list, from heavy-hitters like 30 Rock to small timers like The Middle (our vote goes to Parks and Rec... but they are all worth your time).

Here is the official release with the list of nominees...

The Broadcast Television Journalists Association (BTJA), a new offshoot of the Broadcast Film Critics Association, today announced nominations for the inaugural Critics' Choice Television Awards, hosted by Cat Deeley and scheduled to take place at a luncheon at the Beverly Hills Hotel on June 20, 2011. ABC was the most nominated broadcast network with 16 nominations, followed closely by NBC with 12. AMC and FX led nominations for cable networks, with nine each. Modern Family was the most nominated series with six.Best Drama SeriesBoardwalk Empire - HBODexter - ShowtimeFriday Night Lights - DirecTVFringe - FOXGame of Thrones - HBOThe Good Wife - CBSJustified - FXThe Killing - AMCMad Men - AMCThe Walking Dead - AMCBest Actor in a Drama SeriesSteve Buscemi - Boardwalk Empire - HBOKyle Chandler - Friday Night Lights - DirecTVMichael C. Hall - Dexter - ShowtimeJon Hamm - Mad Men - AMCWilliam H. Macy - Shameless - ShowtimeTimothy Olyphant - Justified - FXBest Actress in a Drama SeriesConnie Britton - Friday Night Lights - DirecTVMireille Enos - The Killing - AMCJulianna Margulies - The Good Wife - CBSElisabeth Moss - Mad Men - AMCKatey Sagal - Sons of Anarchy - FXAnna Torv - Fringe - FOXBest Supporting Actor in a Drama SeriesAlan Cumming - The Good Wife - CBSWalton Goggins - Justified - FXShawn Hatosy - Southland - TNTJohn Noble - Fringe - FOXMichael Pitt - Boardwalk Empire - HBOJohn Slattery - Mad Men - AMCBest Supporting Actress in a Drama SeriesMichelle Forbes - The Killing - AMCChristina Hendricks - Mad Men - AMCMargo Martindale - Justified - FXKelly Macdonald - Boardwalk Empire - HBOArchie Panjabi - The Good Wife - CBSChloe Sevigny - Big Love - HBOBest Reality SeriesExtreme Makeover: Home Edition - ABCHoarders - A&EThe Real Housewives of Beverly Hills - BravoSister Wives - TLCUndercover Boss - CBSBest Reality Series - CompetitionThe Amazing Race - CBSAmerican Idol - FOXDancing with the Stars - ABCProject Runway - LifetimeRuPaul’s Drag Race - LogoTop Chef - BravoBest Reality Show HostTom Bergeron - Dancing with the Stars - ABCCat Deeley - So You Think You Can Dance - FOXTy Pennington - Extreme Makeover: Home Edition - ABCMike Rowe - Dirty Jobs - DiscoveryRyan Seacrest - American Idol - FOXBest Talk ShowChelsea Lately - E!The Daily Show - Comedy CentralThe Ellen DeGeneres Show - Warner Bros.Jimmy Kimmel Live! - ABCThe Oprah Winfrey Show - HarpoBest Comedy SeriesArcher - FXThe Big Bang Theory - CBSCommunity - NBCGlee - FOXLouie - FXThe Middle - ABCModern Family - ABCThe Office - NBCParks and Recreation - NBC30 Rock - NBCBest Actor in a Comedy SeriesAlec Baldwin - 30 Rock - NBCSteve Carell - The Office - NBCLouis C.K. - Louie - FXCharlie Day - It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia - FXJoel McHale - Community - NBCJim Parsons - The Big Bang Theory - CBSBest Actress in a Comedy SeriesCourteney Cox - Cougar Town - ABCEdie Falco - Nurse Jackie - ShowtimeTina Fey - 30 Rock - NBCPatricia Heaton - The Middle - ABCMartha Plimpton - Raising Hope - FOXAmy Poehler - Parks and Recreation - NBCBest Supporting Actor in a Comedy SeriesTy Burrell - Modern Family - ABCNeil Patrick Harris - How I Met Your Mother - CBSNick Offerman - Parks and Recreation - NBCEd O’Neill - Modern Family - ABCDanny Pudi - Community - NBCEric Stonestreet - Modern Family - ABCBest Supporting Actress in a Comedy SeriesJulie Bowen - Modern Family - ABCJane Krakowski - 30 Rock - NBCJane Lynch - Glee - FOXBusy Philipps - Cougar Town - ABCEden Sher - The Middle - ABCSofiaa Vergara - Modern Family - ABCSubmissions are still being accepted for The Most Exciting New Series category.