'Fleabag' wins big at TV Critics Awards

"Fleabag" has arrived at the 2019 awards season with the dark comedy dominating TV Critics Association awards (TCAs) with major wins, including Individual Achievement in Comedy for its creator and star Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

The Amazon show won in all three categories in which it was nominated, the other two being Outstanding Achievement in Comedy and Programme of the Year.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Michelle Williams held up the end in terms of Individual Achievement in Drama for her role in FX limited series "Fosse/Verdon".

"Russian Doll" emerged winner as the Outstanding New Programme. The Netflix show, starring and co-created by Natasha Lyonne, had received four nominations.

The streamer's make-over show "Queer Eye" was adjudged as the Outstanding Achievement in Reality Programming.

HBO's critically-acclaimed limited series "Chernobyl" was named Outstanding Achievement in Movie Or Miniseries, while "Better Call Saul", the beloved spin-off of AMC's "Breaking Bad", took home the prize for Outstanding Achievement in Drama.

HBO secured more wins as its controversial Michael Jackson expose "Leaving Neverland" that took home the award in the category of Outstanding Achievement in News and Information.

John Oliver's "Last Week Tonight" (HBO) won the award Outstanding Achievement in Sketch/Variety Show second consecutive time and the Heritage Award was bagged by American Western "Deadwood", which aired on the network from 2004 to 2006.

"Deadwood" creator David Milch accepted the Lifetime Achievement Honour in a rare appearance at the TCAs.

"Heartfelt thanks for walking with me on my journey. Here's hoping I have a few more stories left to tell," he said.

"The dirty secret is how deeply we care what the critics think," Milch quipped.

The writer, also known for "NYPD Blue" and "Hill Street Blues", went public with his Alzheimer's diagnosis in April.

Outgoing TCA president and The Hollywood Reporter's chief TV critic Daniel Fienberg summed up the awards night calling it an "exciting time for television".

"A self-lacerating examination of the intersection of love and faith, explorations of private trauma both scripted and unscripted, tales of personal transformation both uplifting and tragic, period explorations of creativity and avoidable tragedy, this year's TCA Awards winners are united in how different and how ambitious they are.

"... There's no single formula for excellence, as our honourees include reputation restoring biopics, female-driven half-hours, the rare spin-off to equal its illustrious predecessor and a piece of difficult-to-watch history that couldn't feel more vital and relevant, making for a special TCA Awards night," Fienberg said.