Netflix’s ‘The Boyfriend’ is more than a dating show

Sure, I know everyone is talking about Emmy nominations right now, but TV awards are so much more than that.

July 8, GALECA: The LGBTQ Entertainment Critics Association has announced the winners of the 17th Annual Dorian TV Awards.

With a membership of more than 560 critics, journalists and media luminaries, GALECA is the second largest group of entertainment journalists in the world and awards the top awards in film, television and theater at different times each year with the Dorian Award, named after Oscar Wilde, the celebrated queer writer who wrote The Picture of Dorian Gray and serves as something of a patron saint for the group. Dorian’s many nominees and winners often foreshadow similar honors from more mainstream awards bodies, reminding the world that an informed LGBTQ perspective on all things entertainment is undeniably important. But at the same time, Dorian also includes some queer-centric categories that are unique to them, providing an opportunity to expand the reach of lesser-known and lesser-known material that might otherwise be overlooked.

As always, streaming giant Max scored high at this year’s TV Awards, which honors both mainstream and queer-focused content across broadcast, cable and streaming platforms. Their new genre-expanding hit, “The Pit,” won Best Television Drama, and veteran star Noah Wyle won Best Leading Television Performance (Drama) for his role in the show. There was also a double win in the comedy category, with Max winning both Best TV Comedy and Best Performance by a Comedy for his star Jean Smart (both wins for the third year in a row) for Hux, and Best Supporting TV Performance by a Comedy for his co-star Hannah Einbinder, who won for the second time. “Hacks” also won for Best LGBTQ Television Program and Best Scripted Television Program (Comedy).

Smart also added another accolade to his ever-growing list by winning Gareka’s TV Icon Award, an annual career achievement honor previously bestowed on Jennifer Coolidge, Christine Baranski and Carol Burnett. Other special honors: Nonbinary multihyphenate Cole Escola (creator and star of the Broadway hit “Oh, Mary!”) has won GALECA’s “Wild Wit” award, joining previous winners such as Julio Torres, Wanda Sykes, Bowen Yang and John Oliver. And Rwandan-born Scottish actor Nkuti Gatwa, the first black and out queer performer to play the title character in the BBC’s long-running sci-fi hit Doctor Who, has been named a pioneer in LGBTQIA+ TV.

Other notable winners: “Andor,” Disney+’s boldly queer-inclusive (and anti-fascist) “Star Wars” spinoff about a galactic resistance to an authoritarian empire, was named best genre TV show. Overcompensating, a sexy but sweet college comedy from viral internet star Benito Skinner and Amazon Prime Video, won the award for Best Unsung TV Show. “The Traitors,” hosted by Peacock’s Alan Cumming, took home the honors of both best reality show and “campiest” TV show (Dorian’s cheekiest award). HBO’s two-parter “Pee-wee as Himself” beat out its competitors to win both Best TV Documentary and Best LGBTQ TV Documentary. And “Wicked” fans will be happy to hear that the film’s stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo (who won the group’s LGBTQIA+ film pioneer award earlier this year) beat out a competitive field that included Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar to top the television musical performance category, winning for ABC’s medley of songs from “The Wizard of Oz” and its various descendants. Winner of the 97th Academy Awards.

“This year’s Dorian TV winners prove once again that queer people have an especially keen eye for good television, using the lens of our culture to elevate the bold, the smart, and the blissfully insane.” said Diane Anderson-Minshall, executive director of GALECA. “From Hux’s glorious reign to Nkuti Gatwa’s historic pioneering, we are proud to celebrate a highly entertaining spectrum of talent and storytelling.”

GALECA President Walt Hickey added, “More than anything, this year’s Dorian Awards demonstrate the depth and quality of television today, especially when it comes to programming by and for LGBTQ+ people. This year’s winners made us laugh and inspired, and many of our members gave some of the most intense and challenging performances we’ve ever seen.”

GALECA: The LGBTQ Entertainment Critics Association and its Dorian Awards honor the best in film, television and theater at different times of the year. GALECA has over 560 members. GALECA, a nonprofit organization, advocates for better pay, access, and respect for entertainment journalists (particularly underrepresented journalists) and provides scholarships for LGBTQ journalism students and others.

2025 Dorian TV Awards Winners, Full List

Best TV Drama Award
Andor (Disney+)
The Last of Us (HBO)
The Pit (Max)
Fired (Apple TV+)
White Lotus (HBO)

Best TV Comedy Award
Abbott Elementary School (ABC)
Hacking (maximum)
The Rehearsal (HBO)
Somebody Somewhere (HBO)
The Studio (Apple TV+)

Best LGBTQ TV Show
Agatha All Along (Disney+)
Hacking (maximum)
Heartstopper (Netflix)
Overcompensation (Amazon Prime Video)
Somebody Somewhere (HBO)
Level Ridge (Netflix)

Best Screenplay TV Show
Andor (Disney+)
Hacking (maximum)
The Pit (Max)
Fired (Apple TV+)
White Lotus (HBO)

Best unpopular TV show
English Teacher (FX on Hulu)
Evil (Paramount+)
Phantasmas (HBO)
Midcentury Modern (Hulu)
Overcompensation (Amazon Prime Video)

Best non-English TV show
Elite (Netflix)
My Brilliant Friend (HBO)
One Hundred Years of Solitude (Netflix)
Pachinko (Apple TV+)
Squid Game (Netflix)
Threesome (via Play)

Best LGBTQ Non-English TV Show
Becoming Karl Lagerfeld (Hulu)
The Boyfriend (Netflix)
Elite (Netflix)
River Secret (Netflix)
Threesome (Viaplay)
When no one sees us (maximum)

Best TV Performance – Drama
Colin Farrell “Penguin” (HBO)
Stephen Graham “Adolescence” (Netflix)
Cooper Koch, Monsters: The Story of Lyle and Erik Menendez (Netflix)
Diego Luna, Andor (Disney+)
Cristin Milioti “The Penguin” (HBO)
Pedro Pascal, The Last of Us (HBO)
Bella Ramsey, “The Last of Us” (HBO)
Adam Scott, Severance (Apple TV+)
Michelle Williams Dies for Sex (FX on Hulu)
Noah Wyle, Pitt (Max)

Best Supporting Television Performance – Drama
Carrie Coon, White Lotus (HBO)
Owen Cooper “Youth” (Netflix)
Taylor Dearden, The Pit (Max)
Erin Doherty, Adolescence (Netflix)
Walton Goggins “White Lotus” (HBO)
Katherine LaNasa, The Pit (Max)
Genevieve O’Reilly, Andor (Disney+)
Parker Posey, “The White Lotus” (HBO)
Jenny Slate Dies for Sex (FX on Hulu)
Tramell Tillman, Severance (Apple TV+)

Best Television Performance – Comedy
Uzo Aduba, The Residence (Netflix)
Quinta Branson, Abbott Elementary School (ABC)
Ayo Edebiri, The Bear (FX on Hulu)
Bridget Everett, Somebody Somewhere (HBO)
Nathan Fielder, “The Rehearsal” (HBO)
Kathryn Hahn, Agatha All Along (Disney+)
Natasha Lyonne, Poker Face (Peacock)
Seth Rogen, The Studio (Apple TV+)
Benito Skinner “Overcompensation” (Amazon Prime Video)
Gene Smart, Hux (Max)

Best Supporting Television Performance – Comedy
Ike Barinholtz, The Studio (Apple TV+)
Colman Domingo “The Four Seasons” (Netflix)
Hannah Einbinder, Hux (Max)
Kathryn Hahn, The Studio (Apple TV+)
Jeff Hiller, Somebody Somewhere (HBO)
Holmes, Overcompensation (Amazon Prime Video)
Janelle James, Abbott Elementary School (ABC)
Linda Lavin, Midcentury Modern (Hulu)
Catherine O’Hara, The Studio (Apple TV+)
Meg Stalter, Hux (Max)

Best TV Musical Performance Award
Beyoncé, “Cowboy Carter” Medley, Beyoncé Bowl (Ravens vs. Texans Halftime Show) (Netflix)
Doechii, “Catfish”/”Denial Is a River”, 67th Grammy Awards (CBS)
Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, “Oz Medley” (The Wizard of Oz, The Wiz, Wicked), 97th Academy Awards (ABC)
Kathryn Hahn, Patti LuPone, Ari Ahn, Sasheer Zamata, “The Ballad of the Witch’s Way,” Agatha All Along (Disney+)
Kendrick Lamar’s “Squabble Up”, “Humble” and more at Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show (Fox)

Best TV documentary or documentary series
Deaf President, now! (Apple TV+)
Elizabeth Taylor: Lost Tapes (Max)
Pee-wee as Himself (HBO)
The Rehearsal (HBO)
SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night (Peacock)

Best LGBTQ Television Documentary or Documentary Series
Disco: Soundtrack of the Revolution (PBS)
Fanatical: Tegan and Sarah Catfishing (Hulu)
Honorable Mention: Comedy Revolution (Netflix)
Pee-wee as Himself (HBO)
Queer Planet (Peacock)

best current affairs shows
The Daily Show (Comedy Central)
Everyone Live with John Mulaney (Netflix)
Hot Ones (YouTube)
Late Night with Seth Meyers (NBC)
Last Week Tonight was John Oliver (HBO)

Best Genre TV Show Award
Agatha All Along (Disney+)
Andor (Disney+)
Black Mirror (Netflix)
The Last of Us (HBO)
Fired (Apple TV+)

Best animated show
Big Mouth (Netflix)
Bob’s Burgers (Fox)
Harley Quinn (Max)
The Simpsons (Fox)
Star Trek: Lower Decks (Paramount+)

The most visually impressive TV show
Adolescence (Netflix)
Agatha All Along (Disney+)
Andor (Disney+)
Fired (Apple TV+)
White Lotus (HBO)

best reality show
The Amazing Race (CBS)
The Great British Baking Show (Netflix)
RuPaul’s Drag Race (MTV)
Top Chef (Bravo)
Traitor (Peacock)

most brutal tv show
Doctor Odyssey (ABC)
Midcentury Modern (Hulu)
Overcompensation (Amazon Prime)
RuPaul’s Drag Race (MTV)
Traitor (Peacock)

wild wit award
Quinta Branson
alan cumming
Hannah Einbinder
call escola
nathan fielder

Gareka TV Icon Award
Gillian Anderson
angela bassett
alan cumming
sarah michelle gellar
Gene Smart

GALECA LGBTQIA+ TV Trailblazer Award
Jonathan Bailey
Greg Berlanti
Nkuti Gatwa
bella ramsey
mike white