‘Americans,’ ‘Empire,’ ‘Thrones’ to face off during 2015 TCA Awards

Spy drama “The Americans,” addictive “Empire,” sprawling fantasy “Game of Thrones,” the recently wrapped “Mad Men” and transgender dramedy “Transparent” are vying for this year’s TCA Award for program of the year.

The Television Critics Assn., which comprises more than 200 professional TV critics and journalists from the U.S. and Canada, rolled out its nominees on Thursday for the 31st TCA Awards, which will take place in August.

Facing off in the new program category are AMCs “Breaking Bad” spinoff “Better Call Saul,” Fox’s highly rated music industry drama “Empire,” the CW darling “Jane the Virgin” and superhero drama “The Flash” and Amazon’s family dramedy “Transparent.”

The organization’s nominees for its Heritage Award, which honors programs that have had a major cultural or social impact, include long-running late-night staple “Late Show/Late Night with David Letterman,’ NBC’s beloved sitcom “Friends,” precinct drama “The Shield,” Gene Roddenberry’s sci-fi saga “Star Trek” and David Lynch’s “Twin Peaks,” the murder mystery recently rebooted by Showtime.

The winners will be announced on Aug. 8 during a ceremony a the Beverly Hilton Hotel during the group’s biannual summer press tour.

Scroll for the complete list of nominees:

INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN COMEDY

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, “Veep,” HBO (2014 winner in category)
Gina Rodriguez, “Jane The Virgin,” the CW
Amy Schumer, “Inside Amy Schumer,” Comedy Central
Jeffrey Tambor, “Transparent,” Amazon
Constance Wu, “Fresh Off the Boat,” ABC

INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMA
Viola Davis, “How to Get Away with Murder,” ABC
Jon Hamm, “Mad Men,” AMC
Taraji P. Henson, “Empire,” Fox
Matthew Rhys, “The Americans,” FX
Bob Odenkirk, “Better Call Saul,” AMC

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN NEWS AND INFORMATION
“CBS Sunday Morning,” CBS
“The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” Comedy Central
“Frontline,” PBS
“Last Week Tonight with John Oliver,” HBO
“60 Minutes,” CBS

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN REALITY PROGRAMMING
“The Amazing Race,” CBS
“The Chair,” Starz
“Dancing with the Stars,” ABC
“RuPaul’s Drag Race,” Logo (2014 winner in category)

“Shark Tank,” ABC

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN YOUTH PROGRAMMING
“Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood,” PBS
“The Fosters,” ABC Family (2014 winner in category)
“The Legend of Korra,” Nickelodeon
“Sesame Street,” PBS
“Switched at Birth,” ABC Family

OUTSTANDING NEW PROGRAM
“Better Call Saul,” AMC
“Empire,” Fox
“The Flash,” the CW
“Jane the Virgin,” the CW
“Transparent,” Amazon

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN MOVIES, MINISERIES AND SPECIALS
“Bessie,” HBO
“The Honorable Woman,” SundanceTV
“The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst,” HBO
“Olive Kitteridge,” HBO
“Wolf Hall,” PBS

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN COMEDY
“The Big Bang Theory,” CBS
“Inside Amy Schumer,” Comedy Central
“Jane the Virgin,” the CW
“Transparent,” Amazon
“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” Netflix

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN DRAMA
“The Americans,” FX
“Empire,” Fox
“Game of Thrones,” HBO
“Justified,” FX
“Mad Men,” AMC

HERITAGE AWARD
“Friends,” NBC
“Late Show/Late Night with David Letterman,” CBS/NBC
“The Shield,” FX
“Star Trek,” NBC
“Twin Peaks,” ABC

PROGRAM OF THE YEAR
“The Americans,” FX
“Empire,” Fox
“Game of Thrones,” HBO
“Mad Men,” AMC
“Transparent,” Amazon

Follow me on Twitter @NardineSaad.