Adolescence scoops FOUR Critics Choice Awards as teenage star Owen Cooper, 16, wins Best Supporting Actor gong alongside winners Stephen Graham and Erin Doherty

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The awards season began on Sunday night in Los Angeles with the Critics Choice Awards, where young star Timothée Chalamet was a standout.

The popular Netflix series, already a big winner with eight Emmy Awards this year, earned four more, including the top prize for Best Limited Series. Teen stars Owen Cooper, Stephen Graham, and Erin Doherty all won awards in their respective categories.

The online series ‘Adolescence,’ which follows a teenager accused of murder after getting involved with ‘incel’ communities, has been hugely popular, averaging about 45 million views each month. It’s become essential viewing for both parents and teens globally.

At just 16 years old, Owen has already achieved remarkable success, becoming the youngest male to win both an Emmy and a Critics Choice award.

Owen, the star of the new Wuthering Heights film, won the award for Best Supporting Actor. He won over his fellow actor, Ashley Walters, who is 43 years old.

His co-stars Stephen won in the Best Actor category, while Best Supporting Actress went to Erin.

Owen was prepared for his acceptance speech as he brought out a handwritten letter on stage.

Upon receiving his award, Owen expressed his gratitude, thanking both the critics and the entire team who worked behind the scenes to make the event a success.

The last year has been incredibly busy and transformative for my family and me. We’re deeply grateful for the experiences we’ve had, and we’ll always treasure the memories we’ve made.

Owen won against a strong group of competitors, including Wagner Moura (Dope Thief), Nick Offerman (Death by Lightning), Michael Peña (All Her Fault), Ashley Walters (Adolescence), and Ramy Youssef (Mountainhead).

When Stephen accepted his award, he started by thanking the entire cast and crew, explaining that he couldn’t have done it without their contributions.

Everyone is fundamentally equal, and that’s a lesson I learned from my mother as a child – she always said no one is better or worse than anyone else. We really embraced that idea throughout this project, and it definitely contributed to its success.

He described it as a special experience, and encouraged everyone to hug their children and tell them they love them.

Owen achieved a historic win in September 2025, becoming the youngest male to ever receive an Emmy Award. The show itself was a major success at the glamorous awards ceremony in Los Angeles.

The teenager from Warrington received the Best Supporting Actor award for his amazing role as Jamie Miller in the Netflix series. He was only 14 years old when the show was filmed.

Owen received a standing ovation when he accepted his award from Sydney Sweeney. She hugged him after he won, beating out other famous actors like Javier Bardem at the 2025 ceremony.

Chelsea Handler is hosting the awards show for the fourth year in a row. The glamorous event, held at Barker Hangar, is known for showcasing the potential frontrunners for the upcoming awards season.

The Critics Choice Awards are well-known in Hollywood for reliably predicting the winners at the Oscars.

Last season proved how well Anora predicted success. Despite not winning any Golden Globes or SAG Awards, its Critics Choice Best Picture win gave it a significant boost, which ultimately helped it win at the Academy Awards.

Adrien Brody, Kieran Culkin, and Zoe Saldaña all won acting awards at the Oscars, just as they had at the Critics Choice Awards.

Since the Golden Globes aren’t on TV until January 11th, the Critics Choice Awards will be the first big awards show of 2026. This gives films and performers a valuable opportunity to gain momentum early in the awards season.

According to Critics Choice Association CEO Joey Berlin, the awards show honors the highest quality movies and TV shows. He also noted that the organization’s voters play a key role in helping viewers discover exceptional stories every year.

Ryan Coogler’s ‘Sinners’ is the frontrunner this year, earning an impressive 17 nominations for both films and TV shows. This puts it just behind ‘Barbie,’ which received a record-breaking 18 nominations in 2024.

Following closely behind are the productions ‘One Battle After Another’ with 14 nominations, and ‘Hamnet’ and ‘Frankenstein,’ each receiving 11.

Other strong possibilities for the award are Marty Supreme, Wicked: For Good, Sentimental Value, Train Dreams, Jay Kelly, and Bugonia.

This year’s Best Actor category is highly competitive, featuring strong performances from Timothée Chalamet in Marty Supreme, Leonardo DiCaprio in One Battle After Another, Joel Edgerton in Train Dreams, Ethan Hawke in Blue Moon, Michael B. Jordan in Sinners, and Wagner Moura in The Secret Agent.

The nominees for Best Actress are Jessie Buckley for her role in Hamnet, Rose Byrne in If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, Chase Infiniti for One Battle After Another, Renate Reinsve in Sentimental Value, Amanda Seyfried for The Testament of Ann Lee, and Emma Stone in Bugonia.

The nominees for Best Supporting Actor are Benicio Del Toro for One Battle After Another, Jacob Elordi for Frankenstein, Paul Mescal for Hamnet, Sean Penn for One Battle After Another, Adam Sandler for Jay Kelly, and Stellan Skarsgård for Sentimental Value.

The nominees for Best Supporting Actress are Elle Fanning for ‘Sentimental Value’, Ariana Grande for ‘Wicked: For Good’, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas for ‘Sentimental Value’, Amy Madigan for ‘Weapons’, Wunmi Mosaku for ‘Sinners’, and Teyana Taylor for ‘One Battle After Another’.

On the television side, the acting races are just as competitive. 

As a huge fan of quality TV, I’m so excited to see Sterling K. Brown in “Paradise” being considered for an award, along with Adam Scott’s incredible work in “Severance.” And let’s not forget Diego Luna in “Andor,” Billy Bob Thornton in “Landman,” and Keri Russell’s captivating performance in “The Diplomat!” I was completely blown away by Bella Ramsey in “The Last of Us,” and Carrie Coon is always fantastic – especially in “The Gilded Age.” Honestly, it’s a really strong lineup this year!

The comedy acting nominations include well-known stars and some fresh faces, featuring Adam Brody and Kristen Bell for Nobody Wants This, Ted Danson for A Man on the Inside, Jean Smart for Hacks, Danny McBride for The Righteous Gemstones, and Seth Rogen for The Studio.

The leading contenders for limited series and TV movie awards include Stephen Graham for ‘Adolescence,’ Brian Tyree Henry for ‘Dope Thief,’ Charlie Hunnam for ‘Monster: The Ed Gein Story,’ Sarah Snook for ‘All Her Fault,’ Michelle Williams for ‘Dying for Sex,’ and Renée Zellweger for ‘Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy’.

Several actors delivered particularly impressive performances in supporting roles, including Tramell Tillman from “Severance,” Billy Crudup from “The Morning Show,” Allison Janney from “The Diplomat,” Hannah Einbinder from “Hacks,” Janelle James from “Abbott Elementary,” Julianne Moore from “Sirens,” and Nick Offerman from “Death by Lightning.”

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2026-01-05 04:49