As the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences wrapped up the voting for nominations in its annual race for the Emmy Awards this week, much of Hollywood (and countless fans with favorite contenders of their own) was buzzing with speculation about who and what will be included when the final slate of nominees is announced on July 15 – but just in time for Pride Month, GALECA (The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics) has stolen a bit of its thunder.
The second largest entertainment journalists group in the world, GALECA is made up of 560 members who, as the group’s press release proudly states, ”write and work for some of the most respected and buzz-worthy media outlets in the U.S. and beyond.” Last week, the organization announced its list of nominees for the 16th Annual Dorian TV Awards, representing the “queer eye’s” choices for the best in television and streaming, among both mainstream and LGBTQ content – and the list of contenders includes an exciting mix of A-listers, icons, and up-and-coming stars. This year’s performance and tribute categories – all of which are non-gendered – recognize such established talent as Beyoncé, Jean Smart, Colin Farrell, Colman Domingo, Michelle Williams, Pedro Pascal, Natasha Lyonne, Uzo Aduba, Bella Ramsey, Noah Wyle, and current flavor-of-the-day “daddy” Walton Goggins, alongside such lesser-known names as Ncuti Gatwa, Katherine LaNasa, Owen Cooper, and (as GALECA puts it) “the actress who simply calls herself Holmes.”
For those unfamiliar with GALECA, it’s not just an organization that gets together to give out awards – though it presents Dorians for film, television, and theater at separate times during the year, its stated mission is to “remind society that the world values the informed LGBTQ perspective on all things entertainment.” A nonprofit organization, they advocate for better pay, access, and respect for entertainment journalists (especially from underrepresented demographics), and provide scholarships for LGBTQ journalism students.
As for this year’s nominated shows, there’s an equally exciting mix of competitors. In the Best Drama categories, three critical and popular hits – the surreal and unpredictable Apple TV+ office drama “Severance,” the unabashedly anti-fascist and queer-inclusive Disney Plus “Star Wars” prequel series “Andor,” and HBO/Max’s irresistibly provocative hotel drama “The White Lotus” – are in the race with six Dorian nominations each, while two others – gritty medical drama “The Pitt” and video-game-inspired sci-fi zombie saga “The Last of Us” – are close behind them with five each.
In the comedy department: HBO/Max’s “Hacks,” already a two-time Dorian winner in the Best Comedy category, leads the pack with its own six nods, and the same streamer’s upbeat dramedy “Somebody Somewhere” grabbed four, while ABC’s “Abbott Elementary” (another two-time winner) pulled in three. Other contenders include the colorful new Apple TV+ Hollywood satire “The Studio” and season two of “The Rehearsal,” creator-star Nathan Fielder’s hard-to-categorize HBO/Max offbeat “societal experiment” that endeavors to teach “average folks” how to deal with various wildly-hypothetical life problems.
According to GALECA Executive Director Diane Anderson-Minshall: “By loving-up series like ‘Hacks,’ ‘Somebody Somewhere,’ and even ‘The Rehearsal’ and ‘Andor’ – a sci-fi story of the beginnings of a major rebellion – Dorian Award voters once again have shown they have a special affinity for stories of self-discovery and pushing for more. Like generations of LGBTQ+ people who took on the battle for the right to be who they are, these nominated programs underscore that solidarity, morality, and justice aren’t just for superheroes, but can be found in small daily actions.”
The same empathy for underdogs can be perceived behind one of GALECA’s other awards, the unique Best Unsung Series category, which amplifies shows its members believe deserve greater attention. This year’s contenders include quirky queer creator Julio Torres’ wickedly inventive and amusingly absurd HBO satire “Fantasmas” and the final season of Paramount+’s controversial-but-popular supernatural drama “Evil,” as well as Hulu’s irreverent “English Teacher” (from queer creator/star Brian Jordan Alvarez) and Amazon Prime’s “Overcompensating,” about a former high school jock and closeted college freshman, inspired by the college experiences of creator and star, social media and internet comedian Benito Skinner, who also received a Dorian nod for his acting in the show.
Of course, there’s also a category for the Best LGBTQ Series, which singles out television content of particular relevance to queer viewers. This year, crossover titles “Hacks,” “Somebody Somewhere,” and “Overcompensating” are nominated here, too, alongside the third season of Netflix’s beloved YA romance “Heartstopper” and the campy Disney+ Marvel spinoff “Agatha All Along,” which also scored a nod in the Musical Performance category for “The Ballad of the Witch’s Road.”
Speaking of camp, the Dorians would not be complete without GALECA’s most irreverent award. In the category of Campiest TV Show, “Agatha” is (surprisingly, perhaps) not among the nominees; however, Hulu’s exceptionally queer throwback sitcom “Mid-Century Modern,” which features stars Nathan Lane, Nathan Lee Graham and Matt Bomer as three gay besties who retire to Palm Springs together most deservedly is. The show – touted as a “gay ‘Golden Girls’” – also earned a posthumous Supporting Performance nod for beloved TV and Broadway legend Linda Lavin, who passed away before the series wrapped production late in 2024. Its competitors are Peacock’s deliciously dramatic Alan Cumming-led reality show “The Traitors,” Ryan Murphy’s over-the-top seafaring medical drama “Doctor Odyssey,” the aforementioned “Overcompensating,” and MTV’s eternal GALECA darling “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”
Among other award categories: Best TV Movie or Miniseries, which includes nominees like Netflix’s “Rebel Ridge” and HBO/Max’s “The Penguin”; Best Documentary and Best LGBTQ Documentary, both of which include HBO/Max’s heartfelt “Pee-wee as Himself”; Most Visually Striking Show, which highlights the design aesthetic of shows like “Andor” and “Agatha”; and Best Animated Show, which pits longtime favorites like “The Simpsons” and “Bob’s Burgers” against newer contenders like “Harley Quinn” and “Big Mouth.”
Finally, there are also some “honorary” awards to recognize the career-long impact and influence of their winners: the Wilde “Wit” Award, the TV Icon Award, and the LGBTQIA+ TV Trailblazer Award, each of which includes a host of groundbreaking talents among its nominees.
Clearly, though the Dorians don’t get the same glam treatment as many of the industry’s more “mainstream” award ceremonies, they have the impeccable taste one naturally expects from a panel of queer experts, and chances are good that – as is often the case – their choices will serve as a preview for what happens when the Emmys finally roll out their own red carpet.
Winners will be announced Tuesday July 8 at 8am PST. A full list of nominees is below.
2025 DORIAN TV AWARD NOMINATIONS—FULL LIST
BEST TV DRAMA
Andor (Disney+)
The Last of Us (HBO/Max)
The Pitt (Max)
Severance (Apple TV+)
The White Lotus (HBO/Max)
BEST TV COMEDY
Abbott Elementary (ABC)
Hacks (HBO/Max)
The Rehearsal (HBO/Max)
Somebody Somewhere (HBO/Max)
The Studio (Apple TV+)
BEST LGBTQ TV SHOW
Agatha All Along (Disney+)
Hacks (HBO/Max)
Heartstopper (Netflix)
Overcompensating (Amazon Prime)
Somebody Somewhere (HBO/Max)
BEST TV MOVIE OR MINISERIES
Adolescence (Netflix)
Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy (Peacock)
Dying for Sex (FX on Hulu)
The Penguin (HBO/Max)
Rebel Ridge (Netflix)
BEST WRITTEN TV SHOW
Andor (Disney+)
Hacks (Max)
The Pitt (Max)
Severance (Apple TV+)
The White Lotus (HBO/Max)
BEST UNSUNG TV SHOW
English Teacher (FX on Hulu)
Evil (Paramount+)
Fantasmas (HBO/Max)
Mid-Century Modern (Hulu)
Overcompensating (Amazon Prime)
BEST NON-ENGLISH LANGUAGE TV SHOW
Threesome (ViaPlay)
My Brilliant Friend (HBO/Max)
One Hundred Years of Solitude (Netflix) (tie)
Elite (Netflix) (tie)
Pachinko (Apple TV+)
Squid Game (Netflix)
BEST LGBTQ NON-ENGLISH LANGUAGE TV SHOW
Becoming Karl Lagerfeld (Hulu)
The Boyfriend (Netflix)
Elite (Netflix)
The Secret of the River (Netflix)
When No One Sees Us (HBO/Max)
BEST TV PERFORMANCE—DRAMA
Colin Farrell, The Penguin (HBO/Max)
Stephen Graham, Adolescence (Netflix)
Cooper Koch, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story (Netflix)
Diego Luna, Andor (Disney+)
Cristin Milioti, The Penguin (HBO/Max)
Pedro Pascal, The Last of Us (HBO/Max)
Bella Ramsey, The Last of Us (HBO/Max)
Adam Scott, Severance (Apple TV+)
Michelle Williams, Dying for Sex (FX on Hulu)
Noah Wyle, The Pitt (HBO/Max)
BEST SUPPORTING TV PERFORMANCE—DRAMA
Owen Cooper, Adolescence (Netflix)
Carrie Coon, The White Lotus (HBO/Max)
Taylor Dearden, The Pitt (HBO/Max)
Erin Doherty, Adolescence (Netflix)
Walton Goggins, The White Lotus (HBO/Max)
Katherine LaNasa, The Pitt (HBO/Max)
Genevieve O’Reilly, Andor (Disney+)
Parker Posey, The White Lotus (HBO/Max)
Jenny Slate, Dying for Sex (FX on Hulu)
Tramell Tillman, Severance (Apple TV+)
BEST TV PERFORMANCE—COMEDY
Uzo Aduba, The Residence (Netflix)
Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary (ABC)
Ayo Edebiri, The Bear (FX on Hulu)
Bridget Everett, Somebody Somewhere (HBO/Max)
Nathan Fielder, The Rehearsal (HBO/Max)
Kathryn Hahn, Agatha All Along (Disney+)
Natasha Lyonne, Poker Face (Peacock)
Seth Rogen, The Studio (Apple TV+)
Benito Skinner, Overcompensating (Amazon Prime)
Jean Smart, Hacks (HBO/Max)
BEST SUPPORTING TV PERFORMANCE—COMEDY
Ike Barinholtz, The Studio (Apple TV+)
Colman Domingo, The Four Seasons (Netflix)
Hannah Einbinder, Hacks (HBO/Max)
Holmes, Overcompensating (Amazon Prime)
Janelle James, Abbott Elementary (ABC)
Kathryn Hahn, The Studio (Apple TV+)
Jeff Hiller, Somebody Somewhere (HBO/Max)
Linda Lavin, Mid-Century Modern (Hulu)
Catherine O’Hara, The Studio (Apple TV+)
Meg Stalter, Hacks (HBO/Max)
BEST TV MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
Beyoncé, “Cowboy Carter” medley, Ravens vs. Texans Halftime Show (Netflix)
Doechii, “Catfish” / “Denial Is a River,” 67th Annual Grammy Awards (CBS)
Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, “The Wizard of Oz” / “Wicked” medley, 97th Academy Awards (ABC)
Kathryn Hahn, Patti LuPone, Ali Ahn, Sasheer Zamata, “The Ballad of the Witches’ Road,” Agatha All Along (Disney+)
Kendrick Lamar, “Squabble Up,” “Humble,” etc., Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show (Fox)
BEST TV DOCUMENTARY OR DOCUMENTARY SERIES
Deaf President Now! (Apple TV+)
Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes (Max)
Pee Wee as Himself (HBO/Max)
The Rehearsal (HBO/Max)
SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night (NBC)
BEST LGBTQ TV DOCUMENTARY OR DOCUMENTARY SERIES
Disco: Soundtrack of a Revolution (PBS)
Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan and Sara (Hulu)
Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution (Netflix)
Pee Wee as Himself (HBO/Max)
Queer Planet (Peacock)
BEST CURRENT AFFAIRS SHOW
(Talk show or news/information program)
The Daily Show (Comedy Central)
Hot Ones (YouTube)
Everybody’s Live With John Mulaney (Netflix)
Late Night with Seth Meyers (NBC)
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO/Max)
BEST REALITY SHOW
The Amazing Race (CBS)
The Great British Baking Show (Netflix)
RuPaul’s Drag Race (MTV)
Top Chef (Bravo)
The Traitors (Peacock)
BEST GENRE TV SHOW
Agatha All Along (Disney+)
Andor (Disney+)
Black Mirror (Netflix)
The Last of Us (HBO/Max)
Severance (Apple TV+)
BEST ANIMATED SHOW
Big Mouth (Netflix)
Bob’s Burgers (Fox)
Harley Quinn (HBO/Max)
The Simpsons (Fox)
Star Trek: Lower Decks (Paramount+)
MOST VISUALLY STRIKING TV SHOW
Adolescence (Netflix)
Agatha All Along (Disney+)
Andor (Disney+)
Severance (Apple TV+)
The White Lotus (HBO/Max)
CAMPIEST TV SHOW
Doctor Odyssey (ABC)
Mid-Century Modern (Hulu)
Overcompensating (Amazon Prime)
RuPaul’s Drag Race (MTV)
The Traitors (Peacock)
WILDE WIT AWARD
Quinta Brunson
Alan Cumming
Hannah Einbinder
Cole Escola
Nathan Fielder
GALECA TV ICON AWARD
Gillian Anderson
Angela Bassett
Alan Cumming
Sarah Michelle Gellar
Jean Smart
GALECA LGBTQIA+ TV TRAILBLAZER AWARD
Jonathan Bailey
Greg Berlanti
Ncuti Gatwa
Bella Ramsey
Mike White
Bowen Yang
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