Paradise, Shrinking, and Love Story led the way at the 2026 AAFCA TV Honors on Wednesday.
Presented by the African American Film Critics Association, the awards celebrate the year’s most outstanding achievements in television, as voted on by the world’s largest organization of Black critics. It’s the group’s eighth year doling out TV honors.
Paradise won Best Drama Series and Best Actor for Sterling K. Brown — the same two categories the Hulu sci-fi show claimed last year.
Shrinking, Apple TV’s comedy about quirky therapists, won a single prize, but it was a biggie: Best Comedy Series.
Love Story, which chronicles the tragic relationship between John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette, won Best Limited Series and Best Drama Directing for Crystle Roberson Dorsey. The corresponding Best Comedy Directing honor went to Anthony Hemingway for All’s Fair.
ABC’s school-set mockumentary Abbott Elementary chalked up a pair of prizes for Best Ensemble and Best Writing. As for Best Documentary, Netflix’s Sean Combs: The Reckoning came out on top.
Besides Brown, the AAFCA acting winners included Jurnee Smollett for Smoke, Erika Alexander for The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins, and Lamorne Morris for Spider-Noir. Spider-Noir also claimed a statuette for Kris Bowers in Best Music. Fallout‘s Aaron Moten received Best Breakout Performance.
In an effort to recognize the expanding landscape of the medium, there were two brand-new categories this year: Best Reality Series, awarded to Love & Marriage: Huntsville, and Best Podcast, awarded to All the Smoke With Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson.
“The best television doesn’t simply entertain; it forces us to talk to one another and look closely at the world outside our own living rooms,” AAFCA co-founder and President Gil Robertson said in a statement provided to Gold Derby. “This year’s winners represent the incredible depth and creative ambition driving our industry forward. Across every genre, these artists are telling bold, culturally rich stories that completely redefine what the medium can do. We are proud to celebrate the visionaries who are not only captivating audiences but making sure our communities are seen, heard, and remembered.”
Below is the complete list of television winners at the AAFCA Awards:
- Best Drama — Paradise (Hulu)
- Best Comedy — Shrinking (Apple TV)
- Best Limited Series — Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette (FX/Hulu)
- Best Actor — Sterling K. Brown, Paradise (Hulu)
- Best Actress — Jurnee Smollett, Smoke (Apple TV)
- Best Supporting Actress — Erika Alexander, The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins (NBC)
- Best Supporting Actor — Lamorne Morris, Spider-Noir (MGM+)
- Best Ensemble — Abbott Elementary (ABC)
- Best Directing (Drama) — Crystle Roberson Dorsey, Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette (FX/Hulu)
- Best Directing (Comedy) — Anthony Hemingway, All’s Fair (Hulu)
- Best Documentary — Sean Combs: The Reckoning (Netflix)
- Best Writing — Abbott Elementary (ABC)
- Best Music — Kris Bowers, Spider-Noir (MGM+)
- Best Breakout Performance — Aaron Moten, Fallout (Prime Video)
- Best Reality Series — Love & Marriage: Huntsville (OWN)
- Best Podcast — All the Smoke with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson
AAFCA’s Top 10 TV shows of 2026:
- 1. Paradise (Hulu)
- 2. The Pitt (HBO Max)
- 3. Shrinking (Apple TV)
- 4. The Madison (Paramount+)
- 5. Abbott Elementary (ABC)
- 6. The Chi (Paramount+ with Showtime)
- 7. Matlock (CBS)
- 8. The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins (NBC)
- 9. Beef (Netflix)
- 10. The ‘Burbs (Peacock)
AAFCA’s special TV achievement honorees:
- Flip Wilson Award: Tracy Morgan
- TV Vanguard Award: Kathryn Busby
- Impact Award: Celeste Hughey
- Horizon Award: Lamar Chase
- Salute to Excellence Award: Felicia Pride
The honorees and winners will accept their trophies on Aug. 8 at the City Club Los Angeles.
