It’s almost time for the 26th Annual Critics Choice Awards!
While we wait just a few more days until the big show, Celeb Secrets is giving you our thoughts on who will win some shiny new hardware at this year’s show in ALL of the categories.
This year’s film nominees are led by Netflix’s Mank, which earned an impressive 12 nominations including Best Picture, Best Actor for Gary Oldman, Best Supporting Actress for Amanda Seyfried, Best Director for David Fincher, Best Original Screenplay for Jack Fincher, Best Cinematography for Erik Messerschmidt, Best Production Design for Donald Graham Burt and Jan Pascale, Best Editing for Kirk Baxter, Best Costume Design for Trish Summerville, Best Hair and Makeup, Best Visual Effects, and Best Score for Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross. Minari (A24) followed closely behind with 10 nominations including Best Picture, Best Actor for Steven Yeun, Best Supporting Actress for Yuh-Jung Youn, Best Young Actor/Actress for Alan Kim, Best Acting Ensemble, Best Director for Lee Isaac Chung, Best Original Screenplay for Lee Isaac Chung, Best Cinematography for Lachlan Milne, Best Foreign Language Film, and Best Score for Emile Mosseri.
Two Netflix series lead the series nominations, with Ozark and The Crown each up for six awards including Best Drama Series. “Ozark” stars Jason Bateman and Laura Linney will vie for Best Actor in a Drama Series and Best Actress in a Drama Series respectively, while Tom Pelphrey, Julia Garner, and Janet McTeer are all nominated for their supporting roles. “The Crown” also saw many of its royal players recognized. Josh O’Connor is nominated for Best Actor in a Drama Series, while Olivia Colman and Emma Corrin find themselves together in the Best Actress in a Drama Series category. Tobias Menzies and Gillian Anderson received recognition for their supporting roles.
Hosted by Taye Diggs, the 26th Annual Critics Choice Awards will air on Sunday, March 7th @ 7PM ET/PT on The CW.
Check out our winner predictions below and view all of this year’s nominees here.
FILM
Best Picture
Nominees: “Da 5 Bloods” (Netflix), “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” (Netflix), “Mank” (Netflix), “Minari” (A24), “News of the World” (Universal Pictures), “Nomadland” (Searchlight Pictures), “One Night in Miami” (Amazon Studios), “Promising Young Woman” (Focus Features), “Sound of Metal” (Amazon Studios), “The Trial of the Chicago 7” (Netflix)
Who We Think Will Win: Even though there are a lot of great contenders for this award, we believe that Nomadland will take it home because of its compelling and beautiful storytelling of the journey of restarting.
Best Actor
Nominees: Ben Affleck (“The Way Back”), Riz Ahmed (“Sound of Metal”), Chadwick Boseman (“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”), Tom Hanks (“News of the World”), Anthony Hopkins (“The Father”), Delroy Lindo (“Da 5 Bloods”), Gary Oldman (“Mank”), Steven Yeun (“Minari”)
Who We Think Will Win: Just as with his win at the Golden Globes, the late Chadwick Boseman deserves this win for best actor for his incredible performance in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.
Best Actress
Nominees: Viola Davis (“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”), Andra Day (“The United States vs. Billie Holiday”), Sidney Flanigan (“Never Rarely Sometimes Always”), Vanessa Kirby (“Pieces of a Woman”), Frances McDormand (“Nomadland”), Carey Mulligan (“Promising Young Woman”), Zendaya (“Malcolm & Marie”)
Who We Think Will Win: Although the film received a lot of backlash from viewers for its depiction of a toxic relationship and narcissistic characters, it’s exactly that that will win Zendaya this award. Her performance as a recovering addict in the film was gritty and show stopping.
Best Supporting Actor
Nominees: Chadwick Boseman (“Da 5 Bloods”) Sacha Baron Cohen (“The Trial of the Chicago 7”), Daniel Kaluuya (“Judas and the Black Messiah”), Bill Murray (“On the Rocks”), Leslie Odom, Jr. (“One Night in Miami”), Paul Raci (“Sound of Metal”)
Who We Think Will Win: With a necessary film like Judas and the Black Messiah, Daniel Kaluuya really let his versatility shine in the movie, allowing viewers to see him in a different type of light which is why we think he’ll be taking this one home.
Best Supporting Actress
Nominees: Maria Bakalova (“Borat Subsequent Moviefilm”), Ellen Burstyn (“Pieces of a Woman”), Glenn Close (“Hillbilly Elegy”), Olivia Colman (“The Father”), Amanda Seyfried (“Mank”), Yuh-Jung Youn (“Minari”)
Who We Think Will Win: Maria Bakalova had a breakthrough performance with her work in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm and we’re sure that the critics would agree on this one especially since she won big during the Golden Globes.
Best Young Actor/Actress
Nominees: Ryder Allen, (“Palmer”), Ibrahima Gueye, (“The Life Ahead”), Alan Kim (“Minari”), Talia Ryder (“Never Rarely Sometimes Always”), Caoilinn Springall (“The Midnight Sky”), Helena Zengel (“News of the World”)
Who We Think Will Win: Alan Kim has been stealing Hollywood’s hearts (and ours) since we saw him in Minari. He’s even been labelled an acting prodigy so we definitely think he’ll be taking home this award.
Best Ensemble Cast
Nominees: “Da 5 Bloods” (Netflix), “Judas and the Black Messiah” (Warner Bros.), “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” (Netflix), “Minari” (A24), “One Night in Miami” (Amazon Studios), “The Trial of the Chicago 7” (Netflix)
Who We Think Will Win: From Sacha Baron Cohen to Eddie Redmayne to Mark Rylance, the cast of The Trial of the Chicago 7 all put on a memorable performance in the film and we think they’ll be winning the Critics Choice award.
Best Director
Nominees: Lee Isaac Chung (“Minari”), Emerald Fennell (“Promising Young Woman”), David Fincher (“Mank”), Spike Lee (“Da 5 Bloods”), Regina King (“One Night in Miami”), Aaron Sorkin (“The Trial of the Chicago 7”), Chloé Zhao (“Nomadland”)
Who We Think Will Win: She broke boundaries on Sunday by becoming the second woman in Golden Globes history to win “Best Director” so we feel like the Critics Choice Association will feel the same way about Chloé Zhao’s work.
Best Original Screenplay
Nominees: Lee Isaac Chung (“Minari”), Emerald Fennell (“Promising Young Woman”), Jack Fincher (“Mank”), Eliza Hittman (“Never Rarely Sometimes Always”), Darius Marder & Abraham Marder (“Sound of Metal”) Aaron Sorkin (“The Trial of the Chicago 7”)
Who We Think Will Win: Lee Isaac Chung told the story that many can relate to but is rarely told by Hollywood, so for that reason alone, Minari deserves to win for Best Original Screenplay.
Best Adapted Screenplay
Nominees: Paul Greengrass & Luke Davies (“News of the World”), Christopher Hampton and Florian Zeller (“The Father”), Kemp Powers (“One Night in Miami”), Jon Raymond & Kelly Reichardt (“First Cow”), Ruben Santiago-Hudson (“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”), Chloé Zhao (“Nomadland”)
Who We Think Will Win: Adapting a book or play into a film is never easy but Ruben Santiago-Hudson did an amazing job by keeping the great parts of the play but also taking the parts from it and making them exceptional, which is only possible when making a film
Best Cinematography
Nominees: Christopher Blauvelt (“First Cow”), Erik Messerschmidt (“Mank”), Lachlan Milne, (“Minari”), Joshua James Richards (“Nomadland”), Newton Thomas Sigel (“Da 5 Bloods”), Hoyte Van Hoytema (“Tenet”), Dariusz Wolski (“News of the World”)
Who We Think Will Win: Tenet was an ambitious and IMAX masterpiece with its complicated physics that could only be directed by Christopher Nolan and shot by Hoyte Van Hoytema, which is why we believe the critics will award Van Hoytema for his work.
Best Production Design
Nominees: Cristina Casali & Charlotte Dirickx (“The Personal History of David Copperfield”), David Crank & Elizabeth Keenan (“News of the World”), Nathan Crowley & Kathy Lucas (“Tenet”), Donald Graham Burt & Jan Pascale (“Mank”), Kave Quinn & Stella Fox (“Emma”), Mark Ricker, Karen O’Hara & Diana Stoughton (“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”)
Who We Think Will Win: Once again, with a film like Tenet that revolves around challenging the laws of physics, it would have a challenging production design to match, therefore Nathan Crowley and Kathy Lucas’ are sure to win this.
Best Editing
Nominees: Alan Baumgarten (“The Trial of the Chicago 7”), Kirk Baxter (“Mank”), Jennifer Lame (“Tenet”), Yorgos Lamprinos (“The Father”), Mikkel E. G. Nielsen (“Sound of Metal”), Chloé Zhao (“Nomadland”)
Who We Think Will Win: Kirk Baxter has previously won two Academy Awards for his editing work on other Fincher films so we wouldn’t be surprised if he took this award home for his editing in Mank.
Best Costume Design
Nominees: Alexandra Byrne (“Emma”), Bina Daigeler (“Mulan”), Suzie Harman & Robert Worley (“The Personal History of David Copperfield”), Ann Roth (“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”), Nancy Steiner (“Promising Young Woman”), Trish Summerville (“Mank”)
Who We Think Will Win: Who doesn’t love the challenge and complexity of 19th century clothing? We’re sure the critics would appreciate the beautiful and drastic work done by Suzie Harman and Robert Worley for The Personal History of David Copperfield.
Best Hair and Makeup
Nominees: ”Emma” (Focus Features), “Hillbilly Elegy” (Netflix), “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” (Netflix), “Mank” (Netflix), “Promising Young Woman” (Focus Features), “The United States vs. Billie Holiday” (Hulu)
Who We Think Will Win: The amount of research and time the hair and makeup team for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom went through to bring this art to life was intense, from building wigs from horsehair to diving deep into Ma Rainey’s psychology, their work definitely deserves the win.
Best Visual Effects
Nominees: “Greyhound” (Apple TV+), “The Invisible Man” (Universal Pictures), “Mank” (Netflix), “The Midnight Sky” (Netflix), “Mulan” (Disney), “Tenet” (Warner Bros.), “Wonder Woman 1984” (Warner Bros.)
Who We Think Will Win: Tenet messed with the forces of physics and it needed great visual effects in order to pull that off, in order to make the viewer feel like they were physically experiencing the film, which is why we believe it will win Best Visual Effects.
Best Comedy
Nominees: “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” (Amazon Studios), “The Forty-Year-Old Version” (Netflix), “The King of Staten Island” (Universal Pictures), “On the Rocks” (A24/Apple TV+), “Palm Springs” (Hulu and NEON), “The Prom” (Netflix)
Who We Think Will Win: Although the humor in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm isn’t as shocking as it was in the first film, it still is shocking enough to see it being so blatant in films regardless which is why it’ll take home the award in this category.
Best Foreign Language Film
Nominees: “Another Round” (Samuel Goldwyn Films), “Collective” (Magnolia Pictures), “La Llorona” (Shudder), “The Life Ahead” (Netflix), “Minari” (A24), “Two of Us” (Magnolia Pictures)
Who We Think Will Win: As mentioned before, Minari tells a story that isn’t frequently told in Hollywood films so when a film comes around that’s this impactful, it’s bound to win awards and the love from critics.
Best Song
Nominees: “Everybody Cries” from “The Outpost,” “Fight for You” from “Judas and the Black Messiah,” “Husavik (My Home Town)” from “Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga,” “Io sì (Seen)” from “The Life Ahead,” “Speak Now” from “One Night in Miami,” “Tigress & Tweed” from “The United States vs. Billie Holiday”
Who We Think Will Win: Non-English songs are typically loved by movie-buffs and we totally understand why, it makes a film seem more elegant and gives it another level of complexity, so that’s why “lo sì (Seen)” from The Life Ahead will take the trophy home.
Best Score
Nominees: Alexandre Desplat (“The Midnight Sky”), Ludwig Göransson (“Tenet”), James Newton Howard (“News of the World”), Emile Mosseri (“Minari”), Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross (“Mank), Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross & Jon Batiste (“Soul)
Who We Think Will Win: Filled with great jazz numbers that set the tone for every scene of the film, the Soul score by Atticus Ross and Jon Batiste is sure to win big Sunday night.
TELEVISION
Best Drama Series:
Nominees: “Better Call Saul,” “The Crown,” “The Good Fight,” “Lovecraft Country,” “The Mandalorian,” “Ozark,” “Perry Mason,” “This Is Us”
Who We Think Will Win: We think that critics fell in love with The Crown just as much as the rest of the world did! That’s why we believe they’ll be taking away the award for Best Drama. The series leads with 6 nominations right alongside Ozark, but we have a feeling they’ll be the ones who will be getting the throne at the end.
Best Actor In A Drama Series
Nominees: Jason Bateman (“Ozark”), Sterling K. Brown (“This Is Us”), Jonathan Majors (“Lovecraft Country”), Josh O’Connor (“The Crown”), Bob Odenkirk (“Better Call Saul”), Matthew Rhys (“Perry Mason”)
Who We Think Will Win: After his big win at the Golden Globes last weekend, we have no doubt that Josh O’Connor’s performance as Prince Charles in The Crown captured critics’ eyes as well.
Best Actress In A Drama Series
Nominees: Christine Baranski (“The Good Fight”), Olivia Colman (“The Crown”), Emma Corrin (“The Crown”), Claire Danes (“Homeland”), Laura Linney (“Ozark”), Jurnee Smollett (“Lovecraft Country”)
Who We Think Will Win: The Crown’s season 4 newcomer, Emma Corrin, carried out an outstanding performance as Princess Diana, which leads us to believe she’ll take home the award for best actress that night.
Best Supporting Actor In A Drama Series
Nominees: Jonathan Banks (“Better Call Saul”), Justin Hartley (“This Is Us”), John Lithgow (“Perry Mason”), Tobias Menzies (“The Crown”), Tom Pelphrey (“Ozark”), Michael K. Williams (“Lovecraft Country”)
Who We Think Will Win: We have a feeling that we’ll be hearing all the presenters say The Crown Sunday night, including for best supporting actor, Tobias Menzies’s work in the show!
Best Supporting Actress In A Drama Series
Nominees: Gillian Anderson (“The Crown”), Cynthia Erivo (“The Outsider”), Julia Garner (“Ozark”), Janet McTeer (“Ozark”), Wunmi Mosaku (“Lovecraft Country”), Rhea Seehorn (“Better Call Saul”)
Who We Think Will Win: And yet another one for The Crown! I mean a show is only as good as how its cast performs right? Gillian Anderson’s stunningly and unnerving performance as Margaret Thatcher is sure to get her this win.
Best Comedy Series
Nominees: “Better Things,” “The Flight Attendant,” “Mom,” “PEN15,” “Ramy,” “Schitt’s Creek,” “Ted Lasso,” “What We Do in the Shadows”
Who We Think Will Win: As the series ends with a wonderful 5th season, Schitt’s Creek is definitely going to get this win. The comedic series is well-rounded, with it’s incredibly-unique and hilarious characters and clever plot lines, this TV show is sure to get the win.
Best Actor In a Comedy Series
Nominees: Hank Azaria (“Brockmire”) , Matt Berry (“What We Do in the Shadows”), Nicholas Hoult (“The Great”), Eugene Levy (“Schitt’s Creek”), Jason Sudeikis (“Ted Lasso”), Ramy Youssef (“Ramy”)
Who We Think Will Win: His heartwarming take on coach Ted Lasso will land Jason Sudeikis the win for Best Actor!
Best Actress In A Comedy Series
Nominees: Pamela Adlon (“Better Things”), Christina Applegate (“Dead to Me”), Kaley Cuoco (“The Flight Attendant”), Natasia Demetriou (“What We Do in the Shadows”), Catherine O’Hara (“Schitt’s Creek”), Issa Rae (“Insecure”)
Who We Think Will Win: We are torn between Schitt’s Creek’s Catherine O’Hara and The Flight Attendant’s Kaley Cuoco, but something in us believes Cuoco will push towards the finish line and get the W.
Best Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series
Nominees: William Fichtner (“Mom”), Harvey Guillén (“What We Do in the Shadows”), Daniel Levy (“Schitt’s Creek”), Alex Newell (“Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist”), Mark Proksch (“What We Do in the Shadows”), Andrew Rannells (“Black Monday”)
Who We Think Will Win: Daniel Levy’s comedic performance in the final season of Schitt’s Creek made his character so loveable and we think the critics will agree too.
Best Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series
Nominees: Lecy Goranson (“The Conners”), Rita Moreno (“One Day at a Time”), Annie Murphy (“Schitt’s Creek”), Ashley Park (“Emily in Paris”), Jaime Pressly (“Mom”), Hannah Waddingham (“Ted Lasso”)
Who We Think Will Win: Alongside The Crown and Ozark, Schitt’s Creek has a number of nominations as well and we think they’ll be taking many wins tonight too. Annie Murphy’s nomination is set to be one of those wins as well!
Best Limited Series
Nominees: “I May Destroy You,” “Mrs. America,” “Normal People,” “The Plot Against America,” “The Queen’s Gambit,” “Small Axe,” “The Undoing, Unorthodox”
Who We Think Will Win: Just like the rest of the world, we think critics fell in love with The Queen’s Gambit too! A checkmate for the Golden Globes and a checkmate for the Critics Choice as well.
Best Movie Made For Television
Nominees: “Bad Education,” “Between the World and Me,” “The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel,” “Hamilton,” “Sylvie’s Love,” “What the Constitution Means to Me”
Who We Think Will Win: The hip-hop historical musical created by Lin Manuel-Miranda is our favorite to win for this category tonight. History will definitely be having its eyes on Hamilton!
Best Actor In A Limited Series or Movie Made For Television
Nominees: John Boyega (“Small Axe”), Hugh Grant (“The Undoing”), Paul Mescal (“Normal People”), Chris Rock (“Fargo”), Mark Ruffalo (“I Know This Much is True”), Morgan Spector – (“The Plot Against America”)
Who We Think Will Win: Both John Boyega and Mark Ruffalo took home Golden Globes last week, but both actors are now nominated in the same category, and while both performing stellarly in their respective roles, only one of them can win, and we believe it’ll be Boyega’s for the taking.
Best Actress In A Limited Series or Movie Made For Television
Nominees: Cate Blanchett (‘Mrs. America”), Michaela Coel (“I May Destroy You”), Daisy Edgar-Jones (“Normal People”), Shira Haas (“Unorthodox”), Anya Taylor-Joy (“The Queen’s Gambit”), Tessa Thompson (“Sylvie’s Love”)
Who We Think Will Win: This is the year of Anya Taylor-Joy and we are absolutely not mad about it. Her performance in The Queen’s Gambit makes this category hers for the taking.
Best Supporting Actor In A Limited Series or Movie Made For Television
Nominees: Daveed Diggs (“The Good Lord Bird”), Joshua Caleb Johnson (“The Good Lord Bird”), Dylan McDermott (“Hollywood”), Donald Sutherland (“The Undoing”), Glynn Turman (“Fargo”), John Turturro (“The Plot Against America”)
Who We Think Will Win: Donald Sutherland’s performance as widowed financier, Franklin Reinhardt, in The Undoing will land him the win in this category of the night.
Best Supporting Actress In A Limited Series or Movie Made For Television
Nominees: Uzo Aduba (“Mrs. America”), Betsy Brandt (“Soulmates”), Marielle Heller (“The Queen’s Gambit”), Margo Martindale (“Mrs. America”), Winona Ryder (“The Plot Against America”), Tracey Ullman (“Mrs. America”)
Who We Think Will Win: Uzo Aduba’s role in Mrs. America was just as moving and powerful as the series itself. We believe she truly deserves this win!
Best Talk Show
Nominees: “Desus & Mero,” “Full Frontal with Samantha Bee,” “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” “Red Table Talk”
Who We Think Will Win: We think that Seth Meyers will be keeping his talk show throne and win Best Talk Show again this year!
Best Comedy Special
Nominees: “Fortune Feimster: Sweet & Salty,” “Hannah Gadsby: Douglas,” “Jerry Seinfeld: 23 Hours to Kill,” “Marc Maron: End Times Fun,” “Michelle Buteau: Welcome to Buteaupia,” “Patton Oswalt: I Love Everything:
Who We Think Will Win: Jerry Seinfeld: 23 Hours To Kill had us laughing till no tomorrow, and we think the critics will agree with us too!
Best Short Form Series
Nominees: “The Andy Cohen Diaries,” “Better Call Saul: Ethics Training with Kim Wexler,” “Mapleworth Murders,” “Nikki Fre$h,” “Reno 911!,” “Tooning Out the News”
Who We Think Will Win: Short Form Series, Better Call Saul: Ethics Training with Kim Wexler, is sure to get this win tonight. It’s wittiness from the full form show is brought to you in just a few minutes which makes us sure they’ll get the win this weekend.
Written by Abbey Paolim and Karen Alvarado