Ryan Coogler’s horror film Sinners has emerged as the dominant force in the 2026 Critics Choice Awards nominations, securing an impressive 17 bids, the highest of any contender. The nominations, announced on Friday, December 5th, include key recognitions such as Best Original Score for Ludwig Göransson and Best Original Song for “I Lied to You,” co-written by Göransson and Raphael Saadiq. Close behind, Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another earned 14 nominations, highlighted by Jonny Greenwood’s nod for Best Original Score. Other major contenders include Frankenstein and Hamnet, each earning 11 nominations, followed by Marty Supreme with eight, and F1, Sentimental Value, and Wicked: For Good, with seven each.

The 2026 Critics Choice Awards also debuted four new categories recognizing excellence across film and television. For film, the additions include Best Stunt Design, Best Casting and Ensemble, and Best Sound. On the television side, a new award for Best Variety Series has been introduced. These expansions reflect a growing appreciation for the diverse crafts that shape both cinema and TV.

In the competitive film categories, Sinners and One Battle After Another are both up for Best Picture, alongside Bugonia, Frankenstein, Hamnet, Jay Kelly, Marty Supreme, Sentimental Value, Train Dreams, and Wicked: For Good.

The Best Actor category features:

• Timothée Chalamet (Marty Supreme)

• Leonardo DiCaprio (One Battle After Another)

• Joel Edgerton (Train Dreams)

• Ethan Hawke (Blue Moon)

• Michael B. Jordan (Sinners)

• Wagner Moura (The Secret Agent)

For Best Actress, nominees include:

• Jessie Buckley (Hamnet)

• Rose Byrne (If I Had Legs I’d Kick You)

• Chase Infiniti (One Battle After Another)

• Renate Reinsve (Sentimental Value)

• Amanda Seyfried (The Testament of Ann Lee)

• Emma Stone (Bugonia)

Directorial excellence is also front and center, with nominations for Paul Thomas Anderson, Ryan Coogler, Guillermo Del Toro, Josh Safdie, Joachim Trier, and Chloé Zhao across the top films.

The Best Original Score nominees include:

• Ludwig Göransson (Sinners)

• Jonny Greenwood (One Battle After Another)

• Hans Zimmer (F1)

• Alexandre Desplat (Frankenstein)

• Max Richter (Hamnet)

• Daniel Lopatin (Marty Supreme)

For Best Original Song, nominees are:

• “I Lied to You” – Sinners

• “Drive” – F1 (Ed Sheeran, John Mayer, Blake Slatkin)

• “Golden” – KPop Demon Hunters

• “Clothed by the Sun” – The Testament of Ann Lee

• “Train Dreams” – Train Dreams

• “The Girl in the Bubble” – Wicked: For Good

Additional categories—Best Animated Feature, Best Comedy, Best Foreign Language Film, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, Best Hair and Makeup, Best Visual Effects, Best Stunt Design, and Best Sound—feature strong, competitive lineups across the industry’s most acclaimed productions.

On the television front, Netflix’s Adolesence leads with six nominations, followed closely by Nobody Wants This with five. Series such as All Her Fault, Death by Lightning, Ghosts, Hacks, Severance, and The Pitt each received four nominations.

Nominees for Best Drama Series include:

• Alien: Earth

• Andor

• The Diplomat

• Paradise

• The Pitt

• Pluribus

• Severance

• Task

For Best Comedy Series, contenders are:

• Abbott Elementary

• Elsbeth

• Ghosts

• Hacks

• Nobody Wants This

• Only Murders in the Building

• The Righteous Gemstones

• The Studio

The newly added Best Variety Series category features:

• Conan O’Brien Must Go

• Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

• Saturday Night Live

Meanwhile, SNL50: The Anniversary Special is nominated for Best Comedy Special.

The 31st Critics Choice Awards, hosted by Chelsea Handler for the fourth consecutive year, will broadcast live on January 4th on E! and USA Network from Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California. One week later, the Golden Globes—hosted by Nikki Glaser for her second year—will take place on January 11th, covering film, television, and, beginning in 2026, podcasting. The ceremony will air live on CBS and stream on Paramount+ from the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California.