Hold on to your hats, pop culture fanatics! Award season is about to explode, and the Critics Choice Awards 2026 are kicking things off with a bang! Word on the street is that 'Sinners' and 'One Battle After Another' are poised to dominate the nominations. But who exactly will be in the running for those coveted awards? Keep reading to find out how to watch the nominations live!
E! and USA Network are pulling out all the stops to celebrate the best in film and television. Mark your calendars: the Critics Choice Awards 2026 ceremony is happening on January 4th. And if you're anything like us, you're practically vibrating with anticipation to see who gets nominated.
The good news? You don't have to wait until the big night to get a sneak peek. Today, December 5th, the Critics Choice nominations are being revealed live! Tune in at 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT to catch all the action. You can watch it all unfold on E! and USA's channels, as well as on CriticsChoice.com, E! Online, and E!'s and USA's YouTube and X (formerly Twitter) channels. So, basically, you have no excuse to miss it!
E! News' Keltie Knight and The Rundown's Erin Lim Rhodes will be hosting the nomination announcements, unveiling the lucky actors, series, and films vying for top honors. Expect to see nominees revealed for the biggest TV categories, like Best Drama Series, Best Actor/Actress in a Drama Series, Best Comedy Series, and Best Actor/Actress in a Comedy Series. And of course, the film categories will be just as exciting, with Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Director, Best Picture, and Best Animated Feature all up for grabs.
While we're still weeks away from knowing who will take home the trophies, one thing is certain: comedy queen Chelsea Handler is back to host the Critics Choice Awards for the fourth consecutive year! The 'Chelsea Lately' alum is stoked to be emceeing the very first major award show of 2026. "Kicking off the year with the Critics Choice Awards feels right," Handler quipped last month. "Nothing says ‘new beginnings’ like a room full of critics ready to tell you how you did last year."
The ceremony, broadcasting live from Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California, will also feature four brand-new categories: Best Variety Series, Best Stunt Design, Best Casting/Ensemble, and Best Sound. This is a significant expansion, recognizing often-overlooked aspects of production and performance. But here's where it gets controversial... Does adding these new categories dilute the prestige of the existing awards, or does it make the Critics Choice Awards more comprehensive and representative of the industry as a whole? What do you think?
But the fun doesn't stop there! E! is going all-out to give viewers an immersive experience. On the red carpet, E!'s Critics Choice CreatorCam will provide exclusive access to celebrity attendees on the E! News and CCAs Instagram and TikTok accounts. During the show, the Real Time Recap—an innovative live format that will activate on the E! Entertainment Instagram during CCAs commercial breaks—is delivering instant, unfiltered reactions and hot takes on pop culture’s biggest moments as they unfold. Think of it as the ultimate virtual water cooler!
And after the ceremony, RE!CAP—your go-to post-award show hangout—features a panel of sharp, comedic pop culture insiders breaking down the most OMG moments from the telecast airing directly after the CCA’s on the E! channel and E! Online. It's the perfect way to dissect all the wins, losses, and unforgettable moments.
So, don't miss the 31st Annual Critics Choice Awards: Nominations Announcement today, December 5th, at 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT. And to see who ultimately wins, be sure to tune in to the Critics Choice Awards 2026, broadcasting live on E! and USA on Sunday, January 4th at 7 p.m. ET/PT.
In the meantime, why not indulge in a little red carpet nostalgia and take a look back at the best Critics Choice Awards fashion moments of all time?
(E! and USA are both part of the NBCUniversal family)
Watch the Critics Choice Awards 2026 live Sunday, Jan. 4, at 7 p.m. on E! and USA Network.
Finally, let's get a conversation going! Do you agree with the Critics Choice Awards' choices in the past? Are there any snubs that still sting? Which performance or show are you personally rooting for this year? Sound off in the comments below!
