THE '22ND ANNUAL CRITICS' CHOICE AWARDS' WILL KICK OFF AWARD SEASON HONORING THE BEST IN FILM AND TELEVISION ON SUNDAY, DECEMBER 11TH AT 8PM ET/5PM PT ON A&E

T.J. MILLER TO RETURN AS HOST OF THREE-HOUR SHOW

New York, NY - August 18, 2016 -A&E Network, home of the Critics' Choice Awards for the past two years, today announced a significant shift in the year-end awards season calendar. The 22nd Annual Critics' Choice Awards show will now be kicking off the season as the first major award show honoring the best in film and television when it airs live on Sunday, December 11th at 8PM ET/5PM PT immediately following "Critics' Choice Red Carpet Live" on A&E at 7PM ET/4PT.

Comedian T.J. Miller will return as host of the star-studded three-hour show celebrating the best in movies and television for the second consecutive year, it was announced today by Elaine Frontain Bryant, Executive Vice President of Programming for A&E, and Joey Berlin, President of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA) and the Broadcast Television Journalists Association (BTJA). The show will broadcast live on A&E from the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica.

"T.J.'s tremendous presence and comedic humor complement our mission to make this show bigger and better year after year," said Frontain Bryant. "We are honored to have him return as we lead the way into award season celebrating the best of television and film."

"The BFCA and BTJA are very excited about moving the Critics' Choice Awards from the traditional mid-January date to December 11th," added Berlin. "This is the logical time for the Critics' Choice Awards to be presented in the vanguard of the awards season. The role of critics is to assess new films and television shows and advise the public when they are initially released. So this new date is actually the most appropriate time for our annual year-end assessment of the finest achievements in both media. December 11th will be the first time all of the year's major award contenders will be gathered together to celebrate the best of the best."

T.J. Miller stars in HBO's Emmy and Critics' Choice Award-winning series "Silicon Valley," which will begin shooting its fourth season this fall. The series took home the award for "Best Comedy Series" at last year's Critics' Choice Television Awards, and T.J. himself won "Best Supporting Actor." T.J. starred opposite Ryan Reynolds in the hit Marvel feature "Deadpool" and his voice can be heard on the big screen in the Academy Award-winning "Big Hero 6" and "How to Train Your Dragon 2." Prior to this, T.J. appeared in a number of major studio films including "Transformers 4," "Cloverfield," "She's Out of My League," "Extract," "Seeking a Friend for End of the World," "Our Idiot Brother," "Yogi Bear 3D," "Unstoppable," and "Get Him to the Greek." Among T.J.'s other projects are the recently wrapped "Office Christmas Party," in which he stars opposite Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman; Steven Spielberg's "Ready Player One," which is currently filming; and "Gorburger," a show so strange you have to google it to understand.

T.J. is a nationally touring stand-up comedian, with an hour-long Comedy Central stand-up special (that performed poorly) titled "T.J. Miller: No Real Reason." He has released the hip-hop/pop/folk music album "The Extended Play E.P." and hosts the weekly podcast "Cashing in with T.J. Miller" on nerdist.com. T.J. was also named one of Variety's "Top 10 Comics to Watch," and Entertainment Weekly's "Next Big Things in Comedy."

A&E Networks partnered with the Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA) and the Broadcast Television Journalists Association (BTJA) to become the exclusive home to the 2015 "Critics' Choice Movie Awards" and "Critics' Choice Television Awards." That partnership continues through 2017, with the newly formatted three-hour ceremony that brings together both sets of accolades, and for years to come.

"The Critics' Choice Awards" are bestowed annually by the BFCA and BTJA to honor the finest in cinematic and television achievement. The BFCA is the largest film critics' organization in the United States and Canada, representing more than 300 television, radio and online critics. BFCA members are the primary source of information for today's film-going public. BTJA is the collective voice of almost 100 journalists who regularly cover television for TV viewers, radio listeners and online audiences. Historically, the "Critics' Choice Awards" are the most accurate predictor of the Academy Award nominations.

"The 22nd Annual Critics' Choice Awards" will be produced by Bob Bain Productions and Berlin Entertainment. BFCA/BTJA are represented by WME and Dan Black of Greenberg Traurig.

About BFCA/BTJA

The Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA) is the largest film critics organization in the United States and Canada, representing more than 300 television, radio and online critics. The Broadcast Television Journalists Association (BTJA) is a partner organization to the BFCA and includes TV, radio and Internet journalists who cover television on a regular basis. For more information, visit: www.CriticsChoice.com

About A&E Network

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