An upcoming awards show on CBS attempts to
answer the question: What defines family programming in this day and age?
Is it “Wednesday” on Netflix or “Abbott Elementary” on ABC? Is it
“Happy Gilmore 2” or “Freakier Friday”?
On the list of nominees for “The 28th Family Film and TV Awards” -- hosted by
Julie Chen Moonves and airing on Saturday, December 13 -- the answer is all of the above.
The show gives awards to movies and TV shows both old and new. For
example, the nominees for Favorite Feature Film of 2025 are “Happy Gilmore 2,” “Lilo & Stitch,” “Nonnas,” “Now You See Me: Now You Don’t” and
“Superman.”
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“Happy Gilmore 2” garnered the most nominations this year.
In addition to the 2025 feature film award, it
was also nominated for Favorite Sports Movie of 2025, and the star of the movie, Adam Sandler, was nominated for Favorite Actor in a Feature Film.
TV shows and
movies were nominated in eight categories.
The nominees were determined by users of the various platforms of Popstar!, an entertainment news and gossip brand that includes web
destinations such as Popstar! Magazine, Popstar! News, Popstar! Today, and Popstar! Radio.
The company, Popstar Publishing, claims to
have more than 3.8 million readers and visitors. They were invited to vote for nominations starting last month.
Based on the voting, the nominees were
finalized by Popstar! editors, contributing writers and “social commentators,” according to the awards’ website. The full list is below.
In year’s past, such determinations may have been made by a watchdog group that monitors popular media on
an ongoing basis for content both friendly and unfriendly.
The best-known of these was the Parents Television and Media Council, which once had considerable
influence in the national conversation about what is suitable for families and what is not.
But the PTMC filed for bankruptcy last month, which supports a
conclusion I made long ago that the debate over family programming on TV is a dead issue today, although the heads of families are certainly free to make such judgements themselves.
Having said that, the nominees for this year’s Family Film and TV Awards seem to have gotten it right.
On the other hand, I am not familiar with most of the nominees. Is “Happy Gilmore 2” really OK for kids? I have no idea.
The same
question might be asked of “Big Brother” (hosted Julie Chen Moonves), a nominee in the Favorite Competition Television Series.
That show is nothing like the aspirational, fun performance competition shows that are also nominated -- “America’s Got Talent,” “Dancing With the
Stars” and “The Voice.”
Also nominated in the category is “Survivor,” whose host, Jeff Probst, 64 -- who has been with the show
since the beginning in 2000 -- is the recipient of this year’s Television Icon Award.
Here is the list of this year’s Family Film and TV Awards
nominees:
Favorite Actor in a Feature Film (2025)
Adam Sandler - Happy Gilmore 2
Helena Zengel - The Legend of Ochi
Jamie Lee Curtis - Freakier Friday
Liam Neeson -
The Naked Gun
Favorite Feature Film (2025)
Happy Gilmore 2
Lilo & Stitch
Nonnas
Now You See Me: Now You Don’t
Superman
Favorite Classic Television Series
Freaks
and Geeks
Home Improvement
That’s So Raven
The
Simpsons
Wizards of Waverly Place
Favorite Iconic Family Film
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Home
Alone
The Karate Kid
The Sandlot
Favorite Competition Television Series
America’s Got Talent
Big Brother
Dancing with the Stars
Survivor
The Voice
Favorite
Sports Movie (2025)
F1: The Movie
Happy Gilmore 2
Karate
Kid: Legends
The Last Rodeo
The Match
Favorite Game Show
Family Feud
Jeopardy!
The Price Is Right
Wheel of Fortune
Favorite Ensemble
Television Series
Abbott Elementary
Stranger Things
The
Neighborhood
Wednesday