Key & Peele announced as 2013 TCA Awards hosts

The Television Critics Association (TCA) announced that Comedy Central stars Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele, from the hit sketch comedy show Key & Peele, will co-host the 29th Annual TCA Awards Aug. 3 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, an invite-only event.

“As professional journalists, we’ve followed the careers of Key and Peele since they broke on to the scene with Mad TV. Based on their comedic work on that show, they immediately caught our attention,” said TCA President Candace Havens. “We’ve noticed how they have honed their trade and elevated their sketches, as the freedom of Comedy Central allows them to push their limits and expand their repertoire. Their relevant and irreverent take on comedy, coupled with their smart and witty writing and acting, make them important artists who truly understand today’s culture of what’s funny. We’re honored and thrilled that they have accepted to host our 29th Annual Awards.”

“We are so honored to be receiving this awar…Oh. Hosting? Yes! That’s what we meant,” said Key and Peele about being named as hosts of the awards program.

Previous TCA Awards hosts have included Bryan Cranston, Conan O’Brien, Drew Carey, Craig Ferguson, Wanda Sykes, the Smothers Brothers, Nick Offerman, Dax Shepard and Bob Newhart.

The 2013 TCA Awards will be recognizing the best television programming of the 2012-13 season, as chosen by the top TV critics in North America. The TCA also bestows a Heritage Award to one long-standing program that has culturally or socially impacted society, and a Career Achievement Award to an individual who has inspired by his/her work in television.

This year’s TCA Award nominees are:

Individual Achievement in Comedy
Louis C.K., Louie (FX)
Lena Dunham, Girls (HBO)
Jake Johnson, New Girl (Fox)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep (HBO)
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation (NBC)

Individual Achievement in Drama
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad (AMC)
Vera Farmiga, Bates Motel (A&E)
Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black (BBC America)
Monica Potter, Parenthood (NBC)
Matthew Rhys, The Americans (FX)

News and Information
Anderson Cooper 360, CNN
Central Park Five, PBS
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Comedy Central
The Rachel Maddow Show, MSNBC
60 Minutes, CBS

Reality
The Amazing Race, CBS
The Glee Project, Oxygen
Shark Tank, ABC
Survivor, CBS
The Voice, NBC

Outstanding Achievement in Youth Programming
Adventure Time, Cartoon Network
Bunheads, ABC Family
Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, PBS
Sesame Street, PBS
Switched at Birth, ABC Family

Outstanding New Program
The Americans, FX
Elementary, CBS
House of Cards, Netflix
The Mindy Project, Fox
Orphan Black, BBC America

Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries and Specials
American Horror Story: Asylum, FX
Behind the Candelabra, HBO
Downton Abbey, PBS
Rectify, Sundance Channel
Top of the Lake, Sundance Channel

Outstanding Achievement in Drama
The Americans, FX
Breaking Bad, AMC
Game of Thrones, HBO
Homeland, Showtime
Mad Men, AMC

Outstanding Achievement in Comedy
The Big Bang Theory, CBS
Louie, FX
New Girl, Fox
Park and Recreation, NBC
Veep, HBO

Career Achievement Award
James L. Brooks
James Burrows
Jay Leno
William Shatner
Barbara Walters

Heritage Award
All In the Family, CBS
Lost, ABC
Saturday Night Live, NBC
Star Trek, NBC
Twin Peaks, ABC

Program of the Year
The Americans, FX
Breaking Bad, AMC
Game of Thrones, HBO
House of Cards, Netflix
The Walking Dead, AMC

_________________________

Key & Peele photo: Ian White/Comedy Central