Squid Game Redeems Emmy Loss at Critics Choice Awards 2026, KPop Demon Hunters Dominates Animation Categories
The prestigious 31st Critics Choice Awards lit up the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica on January 5, 2026, recognizing excellence in film and television as judged by critics worldwide. The annual ceremony drew leading stars, acclaimed directors, and industry heavyweights, marking one of the most anticipated nights in entertainment.
Breakout Wins in Limited Series Categories
In the limited series segment, Stephen Graham earned the award for Best Actor for his role in Adolescence, while 16-year-old Owen Cooper won Best Supporting Actor, cementing his status as a rising talent. Both actors delivered heartfelt acceptance speeches, thanking the creative team and cast members for their support.
Celebrating strong female leads, Sara Snook took home Best Actress in a Limited Series for All Her Fault, and Erin Doherty claimed Best Supporting Actress for her compelling performance in the same category. The wins reflected the industry’s growing appreciation for nuanced character-driven storytelling.
Squid Game’s Critics Choice Victory After Emmy Controversy
Netflix’s Squid Game emerged victorious in the Best Foreign Language Series category, a win that came months after its surprising absence from the 2025 Emmy nominations. The Korean hit, which made history in 2022 with 14 nominations and six wins, returned with its second and third seasons to global acclaim. Despite immense buzz, the show received no Emmy nods last year, sparking debate about industry recognition for international productions.
Netflix’s Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria previously voiced disappointment over the snub, highlighting the cultural impact and massive worldwide audience for Squid Game. The Critics Choice win now stands as a strong validation of the show’s storytelling and global resonance.
KPop Demon Hunters Sweeps Animation Awards
Netflix’s animated musical fantasy KPop Demon Hunters had a stellar night, winning Best Animated Feature and Best Song for “Golden.” The track was created by Ejae, Mark Sonnenblick, Ido, 24, and Teddy, all recognized for their contributions.
Directed by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, the film—produced by Sony Pictures Animation in 2025—features an ensemble voice cast including Arden Cho, Ahn Hyo-seop, May Hong, Ji-young Yoo, Yunjin Kim, Daniel Dae Kim, Ken Jeong, and Lee Byung-hun. The story follows Huntrix, a K-pop girl group who secretly fight demons while balancing the pressures of fame.
Full List of Notable Winners and Nominees
Best Young Actor/Actress
- Everett Blunck – The Plague (Independent Film Company)
- Winner: 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 Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
- Patrick Ball – The Pitt (HBO Max)
- Billy Crudup – The Morning Show (Apple TV)
- Ato Essandoh – The Diplomat (Netflix)
- Wood Harris – Forever (Netflix)
- Tom Pelphrey – Task (HBO Max)
- Winner: Tramell Tillman – Severance (Apple TV)
Best Picture
Nominees included Bugonia, Frankenstein, Hamnet, Jay Kelly, Marty Supreme, One Battle After Another (Winner), Sentimental Value, Sinners, Train Dreams, and Wicked: For Good.
Best Actor
- Winner: 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
- Winner: 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.)
- Winner: 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)
- Winner: Amy Madigan – Weapons (Warner Bros.)
- Wunmi Mosaku – Sinners (Warner Bros.)
- Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)
Best Director
- Winner: 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)
Highlights from This Year’s Film and Television Craft Awards
Outstanding Casting and Ensemble
- Nina Gold – Hamnet (Focus Features)
- Douglas Aibel, Nina Gold – Jay Kelly (Netflix)
- Jennifer Venditti – Marty Supreme (A24)
- Cassandra Kulukundis – One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)
- 🏆 Winner: Francine Maisler – Sinners (Warner Bros.)
- Tiffany Little Canfield, Bernard Telsey – Wicked: For Good (Universal Pictures)
Excellence in Costume Design
- 🏆 Winner: Kate Hawley – Frankenstein (Netflix)
- Malgosia Turzanska – Hamnet (Focus Features)
- Lindsay Pugh – Hedda (Amazon MGM Studios)
- Colleen Atwood, Christine Cantella – Kiss of the Spider Woman (Lionsgate/Roadside Attractions)
- Ruth E. Carter – Sinners (Warner Bros.)
- Paul Tazewell – Wicked: For Good (Universal Pictures)
Achievement in Hair and Makeup
- 28 Years Later – Hair and Makeup Team (Sony Pictures)
- 🏆 Winner: Mike Hill, Jordan Samuel, Cliona Furey – Frankenstein (Netflix)
- Sin Richards, Ken Diaz, Mike Fontaine, Shunika Terry – Sinners (Warner Bros.)
- Kazu Hiro, Felix Fox, Mia Neal – The Smashing Machine (A24)
- Leo Satkovich, Melizah Wheat, Jason Collins – Weapons (Warner Bros.)
- Frances Hannon, Mark Coulier, Laura Blount – Wicked: For Good (Universal Pictures)
Best Visual Effects
- 🏆 Winner: Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon, Daniel Barrett – Avatar: Fire and Ash (20th Century Studios)
- Ryan Tudhope, Nikeah Forde, Robert Harrington, Nicolas Chevallier, Eric Leven, Edward Price, Keith Dawson – F1 (Apple Original Films)
- Dennis Berardi, Ayo Burgess, Ivan Busquets, Jos Granell – Frankenstein (Netflix)
- Alex Wuttke, Ian Lowe, Jeff Sutherland, Kirstin Hall – Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (Paramount Pictures)
- Michael Ralla, Espen Nordahl, Guido Wolter, Donnie Dean – Sinners (Warner Bros.)
- Stéphane Ceretti, Enrico Damm, Stéphane Naz, Guy Williams – Superman (Warner Bros.)
Best Animated Feature
- Arco (Neon)
- Elio (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
- In Your Dreams (Netflix)
- 🏆 Winner: KPop Demon Hunters (Netflix)
- Little Amélie or the Character of Rain (GKIDS)
- Zootopia 2 (Walt Disney Animation Studios)
Best Comedy Film
- The Ballad of Wallis Island (Focus Features)
- Eternity (A24)
- Friendship (A24)
- 🏆 Winner: The Naked Gun (Paramount)
- The Phoenician Scheme (Focus Features)
- Splitsville (Neon)
Best International (Foreign Language) Film
- It Was Just an Accident (Neon)
- Left-Handed Girl (Netflix)
- No Other Choice (Neon)
- 🏆 Winner: The Secret Agent (Neon)
- Sirat (Neon)
- Belén (Amazon MGM Studios)
Best Original Song
- “Drive” — Ed Sheeran, John Mayer, Blake Slatkin (F1, Apple Original Films)
- 🏆 “Golden” — Ejae, Mark Sonnenblick, Ido, 24, Teddy (KPop Demon Hunters, Netflix)
- “I Lied to You” — Raphael Saadiq, Ludwig Göransson (Sinners, Warner Bros.)
- “Clothed by the Sun” — Daniel Blumberg (The Testament of Ann Lee, Searchlight Pictures)
- “Train Dreams” — Nick Cave, Bryce Dessner (Train Dreams, Netflix)
- “The Girl in the Bubble” — Stephen Schwartz (Wicked: For Good, Universal Pictures)
Television Categories
Best Drama Series
- Alien: Earth (FX)
- Andor (Disney+)
- The Diplomat (Netflix)
- Paradise (Hulu)
- 🏆 Winner: The Pitt (HBO Max)
- Pluribus (Apple TV)
- Severance (Apple TV)
- Task (HBO Max)
Best Actor in a Drama Series
- Sterling K. Brown – Paradise (Hulu)
- Diego Luna – Andor (Disney+)
- Mark Ruffalo – Task (HBO Max)
- Adam Scott – Severance (Apple TV)
- Billy Bob Thornton – Landman (Paramount+)
- 🏆 Winner: Noah Wyle – The Pitt (HBO Max)
Best Actress in a Drama Series
- Kathy Bates – Matlock (CBS)
- Carrie Coon – The Gilded Age (HBO Max)
- Britt Lower – Severance (Apple TV)
- Bella Ramsey – The Last of Us (HBO Max)
- Keri Russell – The Diplomat (Netflix)
- 🏆 Winner: Rhea Seehorn – Pluribus (Apple TV)
Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
- Nicole Beharie – The Morning Show (Apple TV)
- Dene Benton – The Gilded Age (HBO Max)
- Allison Janney – The Diplomat (Netflix)
- 🏆 Winner: Katherine LaNasa – The Pitt (HBO Max)
- Greta Lee – The Morning Show (Apple TV)
- Skye P. Marshall – Matlock (CBS)
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)
- 🏆 Winner: The Studio (Apple TV)
Best Actor in a Comedy Series
- Adam Brody – Nobody Wants This (Netflix)
- Ted Danson – A Man on the Inside (Netflix)
- David Alan Grier – St. Denis Medical (NBC)
- Danny McBride – The Righteous Gemstones (HBO Max)
- 🏆 Winner: Seth Rogen – The Studio (Apple TV)
- Alexander Skarsgård – Murderbot (Apple TV)
Best Actress in a Comedy Series
- Kristen Bell – Nobody Wants This (Netflix)
- Natasha Lyonne – Poker Face (Peacock)
- Rose McIver – Ghosts (CBS)
- Edi Patterson – The Righteous Gemstones (HBO Max)
- Carrie Preston – Elsbeth (CBS)
- 🏆 Winner: Jean Smart – Hacks (HBO Max)
Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
- 🏆 Winner: Ike Barinholtz – The Studio (Apple TV)
- Paul W. Downs – Hacks (HBO Max)
- Asher Grodman – Ghosts (CBS)
- Oscar Nuñez – The Paper (Peacock)
- Chris Perfetti – Abbott Elementary (ABC)
- Timothy Simons – Nobody Wants This (Netflix)
This year’s Critics Choice Awards highlighted a rich diversity of talent and storytelling across genres, reaffirming the importance of both established stars and emerging performers in shaping the future of entertainment.
