Nominations unveiled for the 2026 Critics Choice Awards

The 31st annual Critics Choice Awards nominations are here, revealed exclusively by E! News in partnership with the Critics Choice Association. The ceremony will air live Jan. 4, 2026, from the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica on E! and USA Network, with comedian Chelsea Handler returning as host for the fourth consecutive year.

“Kicking off the year with the Critics Choice Awards feels right. Nothing says ‘new beginnings’ like a room full of critics ready to tell you how you did last year,” Handler joked when her return was announced in November.

During the Dec. 5 livestream, hosts Keltie Knight and Erin Lim Rhodes unveiled the complete slate of nominees across both film and television — from Best Picture to Best Comedy Series and everything in between. This year’s contenders include major names such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Ariana Grande, Paul Mescal, Emma Stone, and breakout ensemble casts from some of 2025’s biggest films and shows.

Below is the full list of nominations for the 2026 Critics Choice Awards:

FILM CATEGORIES

Best Picture

Bugonia (Focus Features)
Frankenstein (Netflix)
Hamnet (Focus Features)
Jay Kelly (Netflix)
Marty Supreme (A24)
One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)
Sentimental Value (Neon)
Sinners (Warner Bros.)
Train Dreams (Netflix)
Wicked: For Good (Universal Pictures)

Best Actor

Timothée Chalamet – Marty Supreme (A24)
Leonardo DiCaprio – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)
Joel Edgerton – Train Dreams (Netflix)
Ethan Hawke – Blue Moon (Sony Pictures Classics)
Michael B. Jordan – Sinners (Warner Bros.)
Wagner Moura – The Secret Agent (Neon)

Best Actress

Jessie Buckley – Hamnet (Focus Features)
Rose Byrne – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You (A24)
Chase Infiniti – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)
Renate Reinsve – Sentimental Value (Neon)
Amanda Seyfried – The Testament of Ann Lee (Searchlight Pictures)
Emma Stone – Bugonia (Focus Features)

Best Supporting Actor

Benicio del Toro – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)
Jacob Elordi – Frankenstein (Netflix)
Paul Mescal – Hamnet (Focus Features)
Sean Penn – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)
Adam Sandler – Jay Kelly (Netflix)
Stellan Skarsgård – Sentimental Value (Neon)

Best Supporting Actress

Elle Fanning – Sentimental Value (Neon)
Ariana Grande – Wicked: For Good (Universal Pictures)
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – Sentimental Value (Neon)
Amy Madigan – Weapons (Warner Bros.)
Wunmi Mosaku – Sinners (Warner Bros.)
Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)

Best Young Actor/Actress

Everett Blunck – The Plague (Independent Film Company)
Miles Caton – Sinners (Warner Bros.)
Cary Christopher – Weapons (Warner Bros.)
Shannon Mahina Gorman – Rental Family (Searchlight Pictures)
Jacobi Jupe – Hamnet (Focus Features)
Nina Ye – Left-Handed Girl (Netflix)

Best Director

Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)
Ryan Coogler – Sinners (Warner Bros.)
Guillermo del Toro – Frankenstein (Netflix)
Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme (A24)
Joachim Trier – Sentimental Value (Neon)
Chloé Zhao – Hamnet (Focus Features)

Best Original Screenplay

Noah Baumbach, Emily Mortimer – Jay Kelly (Netflix)
Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme (A24)
Ryan Coogler – Sinners (Warner Bros.)
Zach Cregger – Weapons (Warner Bros.)
Eva Victor – Sorry, Baby (A24)
Eskil Vogt, Joachim Trier – Sentimental Value (Neon)

Best Adapted Screenplay

Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)
Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar – Train Dreams (Netflix)
Park Chan-wook, Lee Kyoung-mi, Don Mckellar, Jahye Lee – No Other Choice (Neon)
Guillermo del Toro – Frankenstein (Netflix)
Will Tracy – Bugonia (Focus Features)
Chloé Zhao, Maggie O’Farrell – Hamnet (Focus Features)

Best Casting and Ensemble

Nina Gold – Hamnet
Douglas Aibel, Nina Gold – Jay Kelly
Jennifer Venditti – Marty Supreme
Cassandra Kulukundis – One Battle After Another
Francine Maisler – Sinners
Tiffany Little Canfield, Bernard Telsey – Wicked: For Good

Best Cinematography

Claudio Miranda – F1
Dan Laustsen – Frankenstein
Lukasz Zal – Hamnet
Michael Bauman – One Battle After Another
Autumn Durald Arkapaw – Sinners
Adolpho Veloso – Train Dreams

Best Production Design

Kasra Farahani, Jille Azis – The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Tamara Deverell, Shane Vieau – Frankenstein
Fiona Crombie, Alice Felton – Hamnet
Jack Fisk, Adam Willis – Marty Supreme
Hannah Beachler, Monique Champagne – Sinners
Nathan Crowley, Lee Sandales – Wicked: For Good

Best Editing

Kirk Baxter – A House of Dynamite
Stephen Mirrione – F1
Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie – Marty Supreme
Andy Jurgensen – One Battle After Another
Viridiana Lieberman – The Perfect Neighbor
Michael P. Shawver – Sinners

Best Costume Design

Kate Hawley – Frankenstein
Malgosia Turzanska – Hamnet
Lindsay Pugh – Hedda
Colleen Atwood, Christine Cantella – Kiss of the Spider Woman
Ruth E. Carter – Sinners
Paul Tazewell – Wicked: For Good

Best Hair and Makeup

28 Years Later – Hair & Makeup Team
Frankenstein – Mike Hill, Jordan Samuel, Cliona Furey
Sinners – Siân Richards, Ken Diaz, Mike Fontaine, Shunika Terry
The Smashing Machine – Kazu Hiro, Felix Fox, Mia Neal
Weapons – Leo Satkovich, Melizah Wheat, Jason Collins
Wicked: For Good – Frances Hannon, Mark Coulier, Laura Blount

Best Visual Effects

Avatar: Fire and Ash – Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, et al.
F1 – Ryan Tudhope, Nikeah Forde, et al.
Frankenstein – Dennis Berardi, Ayo Burgess, et al.
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning – Alex Wuttke, Ian Lowe, et al.
Sinners – Michael Ralla, Espen Nordahl, et al.
Superman – Stephane Ceretti, Enrico Damm, et al.

Best Stunt Design

Ballerina – Stephen Dunlevy, Kyle Gardiner, et al.
F1 – Gary Powell, Luciano Bacheta, Craig Dolby
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning – Wade Eastwood
One Battle After Another – Brian Machleit
Sinners – Andy Gill
Warfare – Giedrius Nagys

Best Animated Feature

Arco (Neon)
Elio (Disney)
In Your Dreams (Netflix)
KPop Demon Hunters (Netflix)
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain (GKIDS)
Zootopia 2 (Disney)

Best Comedy

The Ballad of Wallis Island (Focus Features)
Eternity (A24)
Friendship (A24)
The Naked Gun (Paramount)
The Phoenician Scheme (Focus Features)
Splitsville (Neon)

Best Foreign Language Film

It Was Just an Accident (Neon)
Left-Handed Girl (Netflix)
No Other Choice (Neon)
The Secret Agent (Neon)
Sirat (Neon)
Belén (Amazon MGM Studios)

Best Song

“Drive” – F1
“Golden” – KPop Demon Hunters
“I Lied to You” – Sinners
“Clothed by the Sun” – The Testament of Ann Lee
“Train Dreams” – Train Dreams
“The Girl in the Bubble” – Wicked: For Good

Best Score

Hans Zimmer – F1
Alexandre Desplat – Frankenstein
Max Richter – Hamnet
Daniel Lopatin – Marty Supreme
Jonny Greenwood – One Battle After Another
Ludwig Göransson – Sinners

Best Sound

F1 – Al Nelson, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, et al.
Frankenstein – Nathan Robitaille, Nelson Ferreira, et al.
One Battle After Another – Jose Antonio Garcia, Christopher Scarabosio, et al.
Sinners – Chris Welcker, Benny Burtt, et al.
Sirat (Neon) – Laia Casanovas
Warfare – Mitch Low, Glenn Freemantle, et al.

TELEVISION CATEGORIES

Best Drama Series

Alien: Earth (FX)
Andor (Disney+)
The Diplomat (Netflix)
Paradise (Hulu)
The Pitt (HBO Max)
Pluribus (Apple TV)
Severance (Apple TV)
Task (HBO Max)

Best Actor in a Drama Series

Sterling K. Brown – Paradise
Diego Luna – Andor
Mark Ruffalo – Task
Adam Scott – Severance
Billy Bob Thornton – Landman
Noah Wyle – The Pitt

Best Actress in a Drama Series

Kathy Bates – Matlock
Carrie Coon – The Gilded Age
Britt Lower – Severance
Bella Ramsey – The Last of Us
Keri Russell – The Diplomat
Rhea Seehorn – Pluribus

Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Patrick Ball – The Pitt
Billy Crudup – The Morning Show
Ato Essandoh – The Diplomat
Wood Harris – Forever
Tom Pelphrey – Task
Tramell Tillman – Severance

Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Nicole Beharie – The Morning Show
Denée Benton – The Gilded Age
Allison Janney – The Diplomat
Katherine LaNasa – The Pitt
Greta Lee – The Morning Show
Skye P. Marshall – Matlock

Best Comedy Series

Abbott Elementary (ABC)
Elsbeth (CBS)
Ghosts (CBS)
Hacks (HBO Max)
Nobody Wants This (Netflix)
Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)
The Righteous Gemstones (HBO Max)
The Studio (Apple TV)

Best Actor in a Comedy Series

Adam Brody – Nobody Wants This
Ted Danson – A Man on the Inside
David Alan Grier – St. Denis Medical
Danny McBride – The Righteous Gemstones
Seth Rogen – The Studio
Alexander Skarsgård – Murderbot

Best Actress in a Comedy Series

Kristen Bell – Nobody Wants This
Natasha Lyonne – Poker Face
Rose McIver – Ghosts
Edi Patterson – The Righteous Gemstones
Carrie Preston – Elsbeth
Jean Smart – Hacks

Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Ike Barinholtz – The Studio
Paul W. Downs – Hacks
Asher Grodman – Ghosts
Oscar Nuñez – The Paper
Chris Perfetti – Abbott Elementary
Timothy Simons – Nobody Wants This

Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Danielle Brooks – Peacemaker
Hannah Einbinder – Hacks
Janelle James – Abbott Elementary
Justine Lupe – Nobody Wants This
Ego Nwodim – Saturday Night Live
Rebecca Wisocky – Ghosts

Best Limited Series

Adolescence (Netflix)
All Her Fault (Peacock)
Chief of War (Apple TV)
Death by Lightning (Netflix)
Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy (Peacock)
Dope Thief (Apple TV)
Dying for Sex (FX on Hulu)
The Girlfriend (Prime Video)

Best Movie Made for Television

Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy (Peacock)
Deep Cover (Prime Video)
The Gorge (Apple TV)
Mountainhead (HBO Max)
Nonnas (Netflix)
Summer of '69 (Hulu)

Best Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television

Michael Chernus – Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy
Stephen Graham – Adolescence
Brian Tyree Henry – Dope Thief
Charlie Hunnam – Monster: The Ed Gein Story
Matthew Rhys – The Beast in Me
Michael Shannon – Death by Lightning

Best Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television

Jessica Biel – The Better Sister
Meghann Fahy – Sirens
Sarah Snook – All Her Fault
Michelle Williams – Dying for Sex
Robin Wright – The Girlfriend
Renée Zellweger – Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy

Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television

Owen Cooper – Adolescence
Wagner Moura – Dope Thief
Nick Offerman – Death by Lightning
Michael Peña – All Her Fault
Ashley Walters – Adolescence
Ramy Youssef – Mountainhead

Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television

Erin Doherty – Adolescence
Betty Gilpin – Death by Lightning
Marin Ireland – Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy
Sophia Lillis – All Her Fault
Julianne Moore – Sirens
Christine Tremarco – Adolescence

Best Foreign Language Series

Acapulco (Apple TV)
Last Samurai Standing (Netflix)
Mussolini: Son of the Century (MUBI)
Red Alert (Paramount+)
Squid Game (Netflix)
When No One Sees Us (HBO Max)

Best Animated Series

Bob’s Burgers (Fox)
Harley Quinn (HBO Max)
Long Story Short (Netflix)
Marvel Zombies (Disney+)
South Park (Comedy Central)
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man (Disney+)

Best Talk Show

The Daily Show (Comedy Central)
Hot Ones (YouTube)
Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC)
Late Night with Seth Meyers (NBC)
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (CBS)
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen (Bravo)

Best Variety Series

Conan O’Brien Must Go (HBO Max)
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO Max)
Saturday Night Live (NBC)

Best Comedy Special

Brett Goldstein: The Second Best Night of Your Life (HBO Max)
Caleb Hearon: Model Comedian (HBO Max)
Leanne Morgan: Unspeakable Things (Netflix)
Marc Maron: Panicked (HBO Max)
Sarah Silverman: PostMortem (Netflix)
SNL50: The Anniversary Special (NBC)

The lineup reflects a broad range of contenders, setting the stage for the first major checkpoint of the awards season.