TCA Award for Program of the Year


The TCA Award for Program of the Year is an award given by the Television Critics Association. It was first presented in 1985 with British television serial The Jewel in the Crown being the first recipient of the award. The category includes both drama and comedy television series as well as limited series.
Only two programs have received the award more than once, HBO's The Sopranos in 1999 and 2001, and AMC's Breaking Bad in 2013 and 2014. HBO's Game of Thrones holds the record of most nominations in the category with seven followed by Homicide: Life on the Street, Lost and The Sopranos with five nominations each.

Winners and nominees

YearWinnerOther Nominees
19841985
1st [TCA Awards|(1st)]
The Jewel in the Crown
19851986(2nd)Death of a Salesman
and
The Vanishing Family: Crisis in Black America
Anne of Green Gables The Cosby Show An Early Frost
19861987
(3rd)
Eyes on the Prize
19871988(4th)Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam Frank's Place L.A. Law St. Elsewhere The Wonder Years
19881989
(5th)
Lonesome Dove Murderers Among Us: The Simon Wiesenthal Story War and Remembrance
19891990
(6th)
Twin Peaks Eyes on the Prize II L.A. Law The Simpsons
19901991
(7th)
The Civil War
19911992(8th)Northern Exposure Brooklyn Bridge I'll Fly Away The Simpsons
19921993
(9th)
Barbarians at the Gate Cheers Homicide: Life on the Street Seinfeld The Simpsons
19931994
(10th)
Late Show with David Letterman
19941995(11th)ER Baseball Homicide: Life on the Street My So-Called Life The X-Files
19951996
(12th)
Homicide: Life on the Street ER Gulliver's Travels Murder One NYPD Blue
19961997
(13th)
EZ Streets Homicide: Life on the Street The Odyssey Seinfeld The X-Files
19971998
(14th)
From the Earth to the Moon Ally McBeal Homicide: Life on the Street Nothing Sacred South Park
19981999
(15th)
The Sopranos Everybody Loves Raymond The Farmer's Wife NYPD Blue The Practice Sports Night
19992000
(16th)
The West Wing Buffy the Vampire Slayer Sex and the City The Sopranos Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
20002001
(17th)
The Sopranos Buffy the Vampire Slayer Gilmore Girls Survivor The West Wing
20012002
(18th)
24 Band of Brothers The Osbournes The Shield Six Feet Under
20022003
(19th)
American Idol 24 Boomtown The Daily Show with Jon Stewart The Wire
20032004
(20th)
Angels in America The Apprentice Arrested Development The Daily Show with Jon Stewart The Sopranos
20042005
(21st)
Desperate Housewives Arrested Development The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Deadwood Lost
20052006
(22nd)
Grey's Anatomy 24 Lost The Office The Sopranos
20062007
(23rd)
Heroes American Idol Friday Night Lights Planet Earth When the Levees Broke The Wire
20072008
(24th)
Mad Men John Adams Lost The War The Wire
20082009
(25th)
Battlestar Galactica Lost Mad Men Saturday Night Live The Shield
20092010
(26th)
Glee Breaking Bad Friday Night Lights Lost Modern Family
20102011
(27th)
Friday Night Lights Boardwalk Empire Game of Thrones Justified Parks and Recreation
20112012
(28th)
Game of Thrones Breaking Bad Downton Abbey Homeland Mad Men
20122013
(29th)
Breaking Bad The Americans Game of Thrones House of Cards The Walking Dead
20132014
(30th)
Breaking Bad Game of Thrones The Good Wife Orange Is the New Black True Detective
20142015
(31st)
Empire The Americans Game of Thrones Mad Men Transparent
20152016
(32nd)
The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story The Americans Fargo Game of Thrones Making a Murderer Mr. Robot UnREAL
20162017
(33rd)
The Handmaid's Tale Atlanta Big Little Lies The Leftovers Stranger Things This Is Us
20172018
(34th)
The Americans Atlanta The Good Place The Handmaid's Tale Killing Eve This Is Us
20182019
(35th)
Fleabag Chernobyl Game of Thrones Pose Russian Doll When They See Us
20192020
(36th)
Watchmen Better Call Saul Mrs. America Schitt's Creek Succession Unbelievable
20202021
(37th)
Ted Lasso Bridgerton Hacks I May Destroy You Mare of Easttown The Queen's Gambit The Underground Railroad WandaVision
20212022
(38th)
Abbott Elementary Better Call Saul Hacks Severance Squid Game Succession The White Lotus Yellowjackets
20222023
(39th)
Succession Abbott Elementary Andor The Bear Better Call Saul The Last of Us The Other Two Poker Face The White Lotus
20232024
(40th)
Shōgun Baby Reindeer The Bear Hacks Reservation Dogs Ripley
20242025
(41st)
The Pitt Adolescence Andor Hacks The Rehearsal Severance The Studio The White Lotus

Multiple wins

2 winsBreaking Bad

Multiple nominees

7 nominationsGame of Thrones
5 nominationsHomicide: Life on the StreetLostThe Sopranos
4 nominationsThe AmericansBreaking BadHacksMad Men
3 nominations24Better Call SaulThe Daily Show with Jon StewartFriday Night LightsL.A. LawNYPD BlueThe SimpsonsSt. ElsewhereSuccessionThe White LotusThe Wire
2 nominationsAbbott ElementaryAmerican IdolAndorArrested DevelopmentAtlantaThe BearBuffy the Vampire SlayerCheersThe Cosby ShowERThe Handmaid's TaleNorthern ExposureSeinfeldSeveranceThe ShieldThis Is UsThe West Wing

Total awards by network