Inside the 2026 Critics Choice Awards

The 2026 Critics Choice Awards unfolded in Santa Monica with a tone that felt more reflective than flashy. From the first arrivals on the red carpet to the final awards of the night, the ceremony leaned into work that felt emotionally grounded, character driven and quietly powerful, a fitting reflection of the season audiences have been responding to.

Delroy Lindo, Michael B. Jordan, Francine Maisler, Wunmi Mosaku, Miles Caton and Omar Benson Miller, winners of the Best Casting and Ensemble Award for "Sinners," Photographed by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

Much of the conversation was shaped by projects centered on lived experience and emotional depth. Black led stories in particular held a strong place in that narrative, led by Miles Caton’s win for Best Young Actor or Actress for Sinners. Directed by Ryan Coogler, the film also took home Best Original Screenplay and Best Casting and Ensemble, giving it one of the strongest showings of the night. While One Battle After Another claimed Best Picture, Sinners emerged as one of the evening’s emotional anchors, praised for the way it blended history, memory and intimacy into something that felt both expansive and deeply personal.

Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan at the 31st Annual Critics Choice Awards. Photographed by John Shearer/Getty Images

Television categories followed a similar pattern. Performances built on subtlety and emotional control were rewarded, with Tramell Tillman winning Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for Severance and Janelle James earning Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for Abbott Elementary. Other major television and film wins added to the sense of range across the ceremony. The Pitt was named Best Drama Series, while The Studio took home Best Comedy Series and Adolescence earned Best Limited Series, highlighting a year that moved easily between grounded realism and more stylized storytelling. On the film side, Timothée Chalamet won Best Actor for Marty Supreme and Jessie Buckley received Best Actress for Hamnet, while Jacob Elordi earned Best Supporting Actor for Frankenstein, rounding out a night that balanced sweeping performances with more intimate, character driven work.

Janelle James, winner of the Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Award for "Abbott Elementary", Photographed by Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Both performances had been critical favorites throughout the season, and their wins reflected how much weight supporting characters carried in shaping the stories audiences connected with most this year. Outside the ceremony itself, the night lived just as vividly on the red carpet and across social media. Black actors and creatives arrived in looks that balanced classic elegance with modern edge, giving the fashion its own narrative alongside the awards.