Apple TV Plus gets first award nomination – but Netflix bags 14 for a single movie

apple tv plus
(Image credit: Apple)

If the goal of Apple TV Plus was to achieve critical recognition, then it has succeeded; Apple's streaming platform has been given its first awards nomination just over a month after its launch (in November 2019). 

Billy Crudup of The Morning Show, Apple TV Plus' flagship series, has been nominated for a Critics' Choice Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, pitting him against the likes of Game of Thrones' Peter Dinklage and Tim Blake Nelson of Watchmen

The Morning Show, which stars Jennifer Aniston, Steve Carrell, and Reese Witherspoon, examines the complicated power dynamics between men and women in a bustling morning news show, amid a scandal concerning Carrell's character. 

The Irishman

Netflix's The Irishman has secured 14 nominations. (Image credit: Netflix)

Netflix still dominates

Securing an awards nomination within weeks of launch is undoubtably impressive, but Apple TV Plus is still firmly in the shadow of Netflix, which has dominated the Critics' Choice Awards nominations list

In fact, 14 nominations alone are for the Martin Scorsese epic, The Irishman, with debuted on Netflix in late November.

Netflix will no doubt be hoping that The Irishman rakes in the awards over the coming months; a reported $160 million budget (much of which was spent on de-aging its cast with impressive visual effects) makes it one of the streaming platform's most expensive ventures. 

Other Netflix Critics' Choice nominees include The Crown (Best Drama Series), One Day at a Time (Best Comedy Series), and El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (Best Movie Made For Television). 

While Netflix is raking in far more nominations that Apple TV Plus, it's worth remembering that the streaming platform had to wait years before it was taken seriously by critics.

Fellow streaming newcomer Disney Plus, didn't receive any nominations for original shows like Star Wars spin-off, The Mandalorian.

That Apple has managed to do it in mere weeks is testament both to the quality of its shows, and the increasing authority of streaming platforms as content creators, as well as curators. 

Via Engadget

Olivia Tambini

Olivia was previously TechRadar's Senior Editor - Home Entertainment, covering everything from headphones to TVs. Based in London, she's a popular music graduate who worked in the music industry before finding her calling in journalism. She's previously been interviewed on BBC Radio 5 Live on the subject of multi-room audio, chaired panel discussions on diversity in music festival lineups, and her bylines include T3, Stereoboard, What to Watch, Top Ten Reviews, Creative Bloq, and Croco Magazine. Olivia now has a career in PR.