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Critics Choice Awards 2026: 'One Battle After Another' tops film categories as 'Adolescence' shines on TV

The awards were presented at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica

Critics Choice Awards 2026 winners list

In television categories, Adolescence dominated the limited-series field with four awards

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Highlights

  • One Battle After Another wins best film, with Paul Thomas Anderson also taking best director and best adapted screenplay
  • Frankenstein and Sinners collect four awards each on the film side
  • Adolescence leads limited series categories, while The Studio and The Pitt headline comedy and drama

One Battle After Another leads the film race

Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another, a politically charged comedy, emerged as the night’s biggest winner, claiming best film at the 31st Critics Choice Awards. Anderson also picked up honours for best director and best adapted screenplay, underlining the film’s strong critical backing.

Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein and Ryan Coogler’s Sinners followed closely, each winning four awards. Frankenstein was recognised for Jacob Elordi’s supporting performance, along with production design, costume design, and hair and make-up. Sinners took prizes for original screenplay, casting and score, with 20-year-old Miles Caton named best young performer.


Acting honours and genre wins

Jessie Buckley won best actress for Hamnet, while Timothée Chalamet took best actor for Marty Supreme. Amy Madigan received best supporting actress for Weapons. Netflix’s K-Pop Demon Hunters claimed best animated feature and best song for its hit track Golden. The Brazilian-set drama The Secret Agent was named best foreign language film.

Television: Limited series and comedies shine

In television categories, Adolescence dominated the limited-series field with four awards, including best limited series and acting wins for Stephen Graham, Owen Cooper and Erin Doherty. Sarah Snook won best actress in a limited series for All Her Fault.

The Pitt was named best drama series, with acting awards going to Noah Wyle and Katherine LaNasa. In comedy, The Studio took best comedy series, while Seth Rogen won best actor in a comedy and Ike Barinholtz claimed best supporting actor.

Jean Smart was named best actress in a comedy for Hacks, Janelle James won best supporting actress in a comedy for Abbott Elementary, Rhea Seehorn took best actress in a drama for Pluribus, and Tramell Tillman won best supporting actor in a drama for Severance.

Speeches and ceremony

Jimmy Kimmel won best talk show and used his acceptance speech to underline the importance of free expression, drawing applause from the audience after a pointed joke aimed at US President Donald Trump. Chelsea Handler hosted the ceremony for the fourth year running and paid tribute to filmmaker Rob Reiner in her opening monologue, recalling his generosity and influence in Hollywood.

The awards were presented at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, bringing together film and television’s biggest critical favourites of the year.

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The new season is being filmed in southern France during the Cannes Film Festival

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Laura Dern reunites with Mike White as 'The White Lotus' recasts after Helena Bonham Carter’s exit

Highlights

  • Laura Dern has joined season four of The White Lotus
  • She replaces Helena Bonham Carter after her exit over creative differences
  • The new season is being filmed in southern France during the Cannes Film Festival
  • Dern previously collaborated with creator Mike White on Enlightened

Laura Dern steps into one of television’s biggest dramas

Just days after Helena Bonham Carter made an abrupt exit from The White Lotus, HBO has moved quickly by bringing in a familiar face for creator Mike White. Laura Dern has officially joined the fourth season of the Emmy-winning series, which is already filming in southern France. While Bonham Carter’s departure sparked curiosity about what happened behind the scenes, Dern’s arrival shifts the focus back to the show itself and adds another major name to one of television’s most closely watched franchises.

Why Laura Dern feels like more than a replacement

Dern’s casting stands out because this is not her first collaboration with White. The pair first worked together on Year of the Dog before reuniting for HBO’s Enlightened, which they co-created and which earned Dern a Golden Globe. That history makes her casting feel less like a quick fix following Bonham Carter’s departure and more like White turning to a long-time creative partner he trusts. Dern also brings considerable star power, having won an Academy Award for Marriage Story and starred in projects such as Jurassic Park, Wild and Big Little Lies.

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