Inaugural Gotham TV Awards Prove There's Still Room for Small Projects to Thrive

The first-ever Gotham TV Awards offered a stark contrast to the annual celebration of cinema hosted by the Gotham Film & Media Institute. While both awards shows were founded to celebrate independent productions (i.e. before the Gotham Awards increased their budget cap eligibility criteria in 2023), the Gotham TV Awards were similar to a strangely intimate gathering, populated mostly by showrunners, network execs and Gotham TV Awards jurors, with a few actors and members of the press sprinkled in.

Of course, it could be that this is the first year of the awards ceremony and therefore a smaller attendance and uniform venue (Cipriani 25 is only a few blocks from the Gotham Awards home at Cipriani Wall Street, and is probably half its size). Or maybe the Gotham TV Awards will remain a coveted industry event that seems reserved for insiders.

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It was a very intimate time at the birthday tribute to “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” icon Mariska Hargitay. The award was presented by Hargitay’s former co-star Stephanie March, and Hargitay’s speech was an impassioned plea for the media to recognize victims of on-screen abuse. Hargitay founded the Joyful Heart Foundation, which provides resources to survivors of sexual assault and has worked with government agencies to lobby for expedited rape kit screening at police stations. The birthday tribute was the first in a series of three awards to industry titans, and given Hargitay’s eloquence and powerful stage presence, the Gotham TV Awards should have saved the birthday tribute for the final award of the night. There was no way to top Mariska Hargitay, and the ceremony reached its climax before it even really began.

“The Crown” creator Peter Morgan received the Creator Tribute after the Netflix series aired its sixth season finale this year, with series alum Lesley Manville showcasing her signature charm. “Expats” showrunner Lulu Wang also took home the Spotlight Tribute at the ceremony. Other presenters included “Under the Bridge” star Riley Keough, “Apples Never Fall” actor Jake Lacy and “Obi-Wan Kenobi” actress Moses Ingram, who will soon co-lead “Lady in the Lake,” all of whom reminded the audience why they are such lovable actors to begin with.

And while some big names were nominated (like Lily Gladsone) and won (like Andrew Scott for outstanding performance in a limited series for Netflix’s “Ripley”), very few of them were in attendance. “Ripley” showrunner Steve Zaillian, for example, accepted the award on Scott’s behalf. And while “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” won for Breakthrough Drama Series, co-creators Donald Glover and Francesca Sloane were not there.

Jerrod Carmichael, however, accepted the award for his meta-reality series, and Kristen Wiig, nominated for “Palm Royale,” stayed for the entire awards ceremony.

The ceremony’s genderless categories also seemed to highlight each winner in a more robust way. Zine Tseng’s win in the Best Drama Performance award for “3 Body Problem” was a surprise in the room. Tseng said during his acceptance speech that it was his first time in New York, joking that it was almost a bigger achievement to celebrate.

The independent series “Colin from Accounts” won two awards. Actress Harriet Dyer, who co-created “Colin from Accounts” with her husband, joked that her husband was unable to attend the ceremony because he was back in Sydney, Australia, to take care of their child. “Fuck the patriarchy,” Dyer said on stage after winning both Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Performance in a Comedy Series.

Shows eligible for the Gotham TV Awards had to be in their first season. The awards show also knew what crowd pleasers to highlight, with the cast of the hit “Baby Reindeer” presenting the top prize and later returning to the stage after winning the limited series Breakthrough.

The first edition of the Gotham TV Awards seemed modest, for better or for worse. Will it stay that way or will it take on the size of the previous cinematic edition? We’ll have to wait for the next episode.

See the full list of winners below.

Revolutionary comedy series

“Colin from Accounting”

Patrick Brammall, Harriet Dyer, creators; Patrick Brammall, Ian Collie, Harriet Dyer, Rob Gibson, Lana Greenhalgh, Alison Hurbert-Burns, Trent O’Donnell, Brian Walsh, executive producers (Paramount+)

Revolutionary drama series

“Mr. & Mrs. Smith”

Donald Glover, Francesca Sloane, creators; Donald Glover, Stephen Glover, Anthony Katagas, Nate Matterson, Arnon Milchan, Yariv Milchan, Hiro Murai, executive producers (Amazon MGM Studios)

Breakthrough Limited Series

“Baby reindeer”

Richard Gadd, creator; Wim De Greef, Petra Fried, Richard Gadd, Matt Jarvis, Ed Macdonald, executive producers (Netflix)

Groundbreaking non-fiction series

“Jerrod Carmichael’s Reality TV Show”

Jerrod Carmichael, Eli Despres, Ari Katcher, creators; Jerrod Carmichael, Eli Despres, Susie Fox, Ari Katcher, Josh Kriegman, Elyse Steinberg, executive producers (HBO | Max)

Best Performance in a Comedy Series

Harriet Dyer, “Colin of Accounts” (Paramount+)

Best Performance in a Drama Series

Zine Tseng, “3 Body Problem” (Netflix)

Exceptional performance in a limited series

Andrew Scott, “Ripley” (Netflix)

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