At the 26th Annual TCA Awards held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, actor Dax Shepard hosted a star-studded evening which resulted in the presentation of 11 awards. 35-year old Shepard is the star of NBC's Parenthood.
Career Achievement for James Garner
The TCA presented actor James Garner with the “Career Achievement Award” for the influence his work has had on the small screen. Garner might best be known to television audiences for his portrayal of Jim Rockford in the popular series The Rockford Files which ran from 1974-1980 with several Rockford TV movies following the long run of the show. Garner also portrayed Bret Maverick in the hit series Maverick which ran from 1957-1960 and a series called Bret Maverick from 1981-1982. Garner has had a long career on both the small and large screen.
Heritage Award for M*A*S*H
The “Heritage Award” went to the long-running comedy series M*A*S*H for the cultural and social impact that program has had on society. The CBS series ran from 1972-1983 and was set in a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital in Korea during the Korean War. The series starred Alan Alda, Loretta Swit, Jamie Farr, Gary Burghoff, David Ogden Stiers, Harry Morgan, Mike Farrell, Larry Linville, Wayne Rogers and McLean Stevenson. The popular series actually ran longer than the war itself which was waged for three years.
TCA Awards
Fox's Glee was the biggest winner of the night winning the "Program of the Year,” as well as “Outstanding New Program,” and “Individual Achievement in Comedy,” for lead actress Jane Lynch.
The award for "Outstanding Achievement in Comedy went to ABC's Modern Family.
There was a tie for "Outstanding Achievement in Drama." The awards went to AMC's Breaking Bad and ABC's Lost.
Nick Jr.'s Yo Gabba Gabba received the award for "Outstanding Achievement in Youth Programming." The award for "Outstanding Achievement in News and Information" went to Life, a series which ran on Discovery Channel. In the category of "Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries and Specials," the TCA Award was presented to HBO's The Pacific, the epic World War II miniseries. The 10-episode miniseries was produced by Tom Hanks, who accepted the award.
Julianna Margulies was given the honor for "Individual Achievement in Drama" for her performance in CBS's The Good Wife.
The Television Critics Association is comprised of over 200 journalists from the United States and Canada. Twice a year they meet for their Press Tours to preview new and returning shows from the television networks. The TCA Awards are always presented during the summer Press Tours.
