Network TV dramas remain immensely popular on the small screen into the 2025 TV schedule, but anybody who stays tuned into the awards circuit knows that the big wins usually go to either streaming or premium cable shows that don't produce 20+ episodes in a season. (Outlander is a notable exception as it's regularly robbed on the award circuit.) CBS' Matlock got a big win at the long-delayed Critics Choice Awards, however, with Kathy Bates beating out a competitor from Shōgun, which otherwise swept the major drama categories.
Given that the CCAs happened shortly after I spoke with Found's Shanola Hampton and Mark-Paul Gosselaar about their nominations for their network TV show, I have to wonder: are network dramas making a comeback when it comes to critical recognition and awards?
Matlock's Big Win
Currently in its first season on CBS (available streaming with a Paramount+ subscription), Matlock earned two nominations for the 2025 Critics Choice Awards: Kathy Bates for Best Actress in a Drama Series and Skye P. Marshall for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama. While Marshall lost to Moeka Hoshi for Shōgun, Bates beat out the competition to take the top prize for dramatic TV actresses. It's no wonder that the network was quick to celebrate the victory after the CCAs!
And as far as I recall, it’s been a while since a network TV drama was generating the kind of buzz to win a major category at a mainstream awards show. This Is Us was scooping up the trophies in its heyday, but that feels like quite a long time ago at this point. I’m of course not suggesting that streaming and premium cable shows don’t deserve recognition. I was happy to see Shōgun doing so well after its Golden Globes wins back in January.
But dang it, as somebody who watches and writes about network television on a regular basis, I can’t help but be excited to see those shows getting some love, and I shared precisely that recently with the stars of NBC’s Found.
How Shanola Hampton And Mark-Paul Gosselaar Feel About Their CCA Nominations
Shanola Hampton and Mark-Paul Gosselaar star in the second season of Found, the intense NBC drama that earned the post-Law & Order: SVU time slot this season to replace Law & Order: Organized Crime. I was fortunate enough to speak with the cast on the red carpet of SCAD TVfest in Atlanta, shortly before the Critics Choice Awards took place. The Shameless alum was up for Best Actress opposite Kathy Bates, while the Pitch vet was in the running for the Best Supporting Actor trophy that went to Shōgun’s Tadanobu Asano.
The two Found stars play characters with a dynamic that’s complicated, to say the least, with Hampton’s Gabi seeking vengeance against Gosselaar’s Sir, who had abducted her when she was a teen. Gabi also uses her experience (and Sir’s expertise as her basement captive in Season 1) to find missing people as an adult, and it’s a compelling enough show that I was excited to see it getting some awards attention, even if not the win. Plus, witnessing the banter between the two stars was proof enough that they’re great actors to portray a much darker relationship on screen.
So, when I spoke with the pair at TVfest, I asked: How did it feel to get that kind of recognition when network TV doesn’t get all of the awards love it deserves? Shanola Hampton weighed in:
Say it loud for the people in the scene! The truth of the matter is, when we started doing this project, never did we see that this would be because of network TV and what’s happened with streaming and [premium cable] getting all the awards attention. It wasn't something that we planned, so to be recognized for the work that we're doing on Found and it being an NBC show, I think says a lot about NBC and the risk that they took with putting a show that was so relevant on the air and hiring some damn good actors to play these roles. it's really nice.
Kathy Bates getting a win on CBS doesn’t exactly translate to the Found stars getting the promotion from NBC, but the nominations for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor were positive signs that recognition isn’t impossible just because a show doesn’t release on a streamer or air on a big-budget premium cable network for shorter seasons. Network TV dramas that combine procedural cases with serialized storytelling getting noms? I take it as a good sign for all dramas, and especially Found, after the Critics Choice Awards.
As for Mark-Paul Gosselaar, he echoed his co-star’s thoughts about their recognition, complete with a joke at the very end:
Same thing. Everything she said, I agree. [to Shanola] You’re welcome.
Fortunately, Found Season 2 isn’t nearly over yet, and the upcoming episode on February 13 should be a juicy one for both Shanola Hampton and Mark-Paul Gosselaar as it turns back the clock to reveal exactly what happened in those first days after Gabi captured Sir and trapped him in her basement. In fact, Hampton told me that Episode 12 on February 13 was her "favorite episode to shoot," so fans will want to tune in at 10 p.m. ET on NBC. And, if you’re behind and need to catch up, just check out every episode so far with a Peacock subscription!
Interestingly, Matlock and Found both air on Thursday nights, although not directly in competition with one another. Matlock airs ahead of Carrie Preston’s Elsbeth on CBS, while Found airs after Mariska Hargitay’s Law & Order: SVU on NBC.
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