With awards seasons nearing overdrive, the 2025 Critics Choice Awards odds for film and TV are now live! There is a bevy of awards to be issued at the Barker Hanger in Santa Monica.
Scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 12, the Critics Choice Awards brings the best in film and TV together to honor their work from the last year. In this article, I explore the latest betting odds, flush out the details, and make my 2025 Critics Choice Awards predictions!
Critics Choice Awards 2025 Predictions
The following odds for Critics Choice Awards 2025 are courtesy of BetUS:
| CATEGORY | BETTING FAVORITE | PREDICTION |
|---|---|---|
| Best Actor (Film) | Adrien Brody – The Brutalist (-200) | Adrien Brody – The Brutalist (-200) |
| Best Actress (Film) | Mikey Madison – Anora (-300) | Mikey Madison – Anora (-300) |
| Best Animated Picture (Film) | The Wild Robot (-400) | Inside Out 2 (+125) |
| Best Comedy (Film) | A Real Pain (-400) | A Real Pain (-400) |
| Best Picture (Film) | Anora (-500) | The Brutalist (+350) |
| Best Song (Film) | Kiss the Sky – The Wild Robot (-200) | Mi Camino – Emilia Perez (+200) |
| Best Limited Series (TV) | Baby Reindeer (-350) | Baby Reindeer (-350) |
| Best Actor in a Drama Series (TV) | Hiroyuki Sanada – Shogun (-500) | Hiroyuki Sanada – Shogun (-500) |
| Best Actress in a Drama Series (TV) | Anna Sawai – Shogun (-350) | Anna Sawai – Shogun (-350) |
| Best Drama Series (TV) | Shogun (-500) | Shogun (-500) |
| Best Comedy Series (TV) | Hacks (-600) | Hacks (-600) |
| Best Movie Made for TV | The Great Lillian Hall (-150) | The Great Lillian Hall (-150) |
The Critics Choice Awards 2025 odds for film indicate we will have a duel between Anora and The Brutalist on our hands in Santa Monica. In addition to Best Picture, the Best Actor and Best Actress categories suggest it’s coming down to Anora’s Mikey Madison and The Brutalist’s Adrien Brody.
According to entertainment betting sites, Shogun is expected to be a big winner on the TV side. With six nominations, the Samurai drama has the most TV nominations at the Critics Choice Awards 2025. Interestingly, Wicked and Conclave share the most nominations for film with 11, but aren’t favored to win any major awards.
Below are my best Critics Choice Awards picks and analysis for the top categories!
You can bet on the Critics Choice odds at BetUS by navigating to Sportsbook > Entertainment > Awards Futures > Critics Choice Awards.
Critics Choices Awards Predictions
Check out our Critics Choice Awards predictions for the most popular categories:
Best Actor (Film): Adrien Brody (-200)
| ACTOR | ODDS |
|---|---|
| Adrien Brody – The Brutalist | -200 |
| Timothee Chalamet – A Complete Unknown | -150 |
| Ralph Fiennes – Conclave | +600 |
| Hugh Grant – Heretic | +600 |
| Colman Domingo – Sing Sing | +600 |
| Daniel Craig – Queer | +600 |
Adrien Brody is favored to win the Critics Choice Award in film for 2025! However, Timothée Chalamet is breathing down his neck for his work in A Complete Unknown. Currently, Brody has the best implied chance to win at 66.7%.
Brody portrays Laszlo Toth, a Hungarian-born post-WWII Jewish architect who immigrated to the United States in 1947 after being interned in a Nazi concentration camp. Faced with a new beginning in a new country, Toth rebuilds his career and marriage in Pennsylvania.
While Chalamet deserves recognition for his role in A Complete Unknown, it’s difficult to pass on Brody in The Brutalist. Brody superbly shows the best and worst of humanity in this Brady Colbert drama. Casting Brody was a genius move for an actor who was perfect for this role.
As the favorite to win Best Actor at the 2025 Academy Awards, expect Brody to get this year started with a win for Best Actor at the Critics Choice Awards!
Best Actress (Film): Mikey Madison (-300)
| ACTRESS | ODDS |
|---|---|
| Mikey Madison – Anora | -300 |
| Karla Sofia Gascon – Emilia Perez | +200 |
| Angelina Jolie – Maria | +400 |
| Cynthia Erivo – Wicked | +450 |
| Marianna Jean-Baptiste – Hard Truths | +900 |
| Demi Moore – The Substance | +900 |
Per the latest Critics Choice Awards odds on betting apps, Anora is projected to have immense success at the Barker Hanger. Most notably, 25-year-old Mikey Madison should have the upper hand for Best Actress for her role in the film.
Madison plays Ani in the critically acclaimed film. Ani, known as Anora Mikheeva, is a young sex worker fluent in Russia from Brighton Beach in Brooklyn. Brighton Beach is a predominantly Russian-speaking neighborhood, which helps her establish relationships with wealthy Russian customers at a Manhattan strip club.
Ani meets the son of a Russian oligarch, ultimately marrying him, much to the chagrin of his family in Russia. Madison’s performance has generated a megaton of hype in the headlines. The Seattle Times describes Madison acting as “electrifying”, while other outlets tend to agree.
She carries the film, and I don’t believe it would be in Best Picture territory in the absence of her performance. Although Anora as a film didn’t particularly impress me, reviews are overwhelmingly positive, and it’s largely due to Madison. She should get the win for Best Actress, so consider her for your Critics Choice Awards best bets!
Best Picture (Film): The Brutalist (+350)
| FILM | ODDS |
|---|---|
| Anora | -500 |
| The Brutalist | +350 |
| Wicked | +800 |
| A Complete Unknown | +800 |
| Conclave | +1000 |
| Emilia Perez | +1000 |
| Sing Sing | +1000 |
| The Substance | +1000 |
| Dune: Part 2 | +1200 |
Online bookies have Anora running away with the Best Picture award. However, is it worth laying -500 odds on Sean Baker’s flick about an exotic dancer who finds unlikely love with a customer?
Aside from Madison’s impressive performance, the movie doesn’t resonate much with me too much. Good? Sure. Fantastic? Questionable.
Nevertheless, Anora captured the Palme d’Or at the 77th Cannes Film Festival and has a rating of 95% on Rotten Tomatoes. In other words, critics like Anora, translating to plenty of votes at the Critics Choice Awards 2025.
That being said, in my opinion, the battle for Best Picture is too close to call between The Brutalist and Anora. The Brutalist is widely regarded as one of the best movies from 2024. Although The Brutalist is a shy below Anora on Rotten Tomatoes at 93%, it shares the same rating of 91% on Metacritic.
Additionally, per IMDb, their reviews have The Brutalist a hair ahead of Anora with a rating of 8.1 as opposed to 8.0 for Anora. The latest Critics Choice Awards odds give The Brutalist a 22.2% implied probability of winning at +350.
In my view, The Brutalist should be closer to 45%, so there is terrific value at +350 odds for Best Picture!
Best Actor in a Drama Series (TV): Hiroyuki Sanada (-500)
| ACTOR | ODDS |
|---|---|
| Hiroyuki Sanada – Shogun | -500 |
| Jeff Bridges – The Old Man | +400 |
| Ncuti Gatwa – Doctor Who | +500 |
| Eddie Redmayne – The Day of the Jackal | +600 |
| Rufus Sewell – The Diplomat | +600 |
| Antony Starr – The Boys | +600 |
Based on James Clavell’s 1975 novel, FX’s Shogun brings viewers on a journey through Japanese history in 1600. It is based on the end of the Sengoku era and the story of an English sailor, John Blackthorne, who washes up to shore in Japan.
While the TV show is largely fiction, it is based on power dynamics between samurais in feudal Japan. Two-time Primetime Emmy winner, including for Shogun, Hiroyuki Sanada, is by far the most impactful character in the mini-series. Portraying Lord Yoshii Toranaga, Sanada nails the part of the feared warlord of the Kanto Region.
He is regarded as the most powerful member of the Council of Regents, and if you want an actor who could get the most out of this role the best, there isn’t much better than Sanada. The 64-year-old veteran of the craft gets the job done and then some. Additionally, he doesn’t face much competition, with Jeff Bridges the only outside possibility.
There isn’t any betting value on Sanada at -500 odds, but he looks like the clear winner here! Look for his trophy case to continue to grow. If you need Critics Choice Awards picks for an office pool, then Sanada is a strong choice. However, for Critics Choice Awards betting purposes, wait to see if the odds drop any at online betting sites.
Best Actress in a Drama Series (TV): Anna Sawai (-350)
| ACTRESS | ODDS |
|---|---|
| Anna Sawai – Shogun | -350 |
| Keri Russell – The Diplomat | +300 |
| Kathy Bates – Matlock | +400 |
| Caitriona Balfe – Outlander | +500 |
| Shanola Hampton – Found | +600 |
| Keira Knightley – Black Doves | +600 |
Expect Shogun’s domination to continue at the Critics Choice Awards in the Best Actress category. Like Sanada, the 2025 Critics Choice Awards odds hold Anna Sawai in high regard following her win at the Primetime Emmy Awards.
Sawai’s character, Lady Toda Mariko, is a central figurehead based on Hosokawa Garcia from the Akechi clan. She is a staunch supporter of Toranaga and is by his side as an interpreter after Blackthorne was captured.
Sawai doesn’t face much resistance in this category. A mainstay during awards season for her work in The Diplomat, Kerri Russell should come up short against Sawai, who is deserving of the Critics Choice Award and much more recognition in the future.
Perhaps Caitriona Balfe has an upset in her at +500, but it’s the only alternate option that I can see winning Best Actress. With an Emmy already on her mantle, for your Critics Choice Awards 2025 predictions, Sawai is worth having on your shortlist!
The Bet:
Best Drama Series (TV): Shogun (-500)
| SERIES | ODDS |
|---|---|
| Shogun | -500 |
| Slow Horses | +300 |
| The Day of the Jackal | +600 |
| The Diplomat | +800 |
| Evil | +800 |
| Industry | +800 |
| The Old Man | +1000 |
| Anne Rice’s Interview with The Vampire | +1200 |
After throttling the competition at the Primetime Emmys, Shogun returns for more glory and accolades at the Critics Choice Awards. Shogun cleaned up with a record-breaking 18 victories at the Primetime Emmys!
Is there more to come for Shogun? I believe that Slow Horses poses a threat, but Shogun remains the series to beat on the awards circuit. Slow Horses deserves some hardware, but is unlikely to take down the juggernaut known as Shogun.
Along with major wins, Shogun has received great fanfare online. With a whopping 99% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Shogun remains in the driver’s seat at the Critics Choice Awards. Furthermore, 94% of viewers on Google liked the show.
At -500, I would like more value to confidently place a bet on this wager. Slow Horses is a threat that can’t be disregarded! Nevertheless, I don’t expect Shogun to be dethroned yet.
Where to Bet on the 2024 Critics Choice Awards?
The 2025 Critics Choice Awards odds are only available at the best offshore sportsbooks! If you are interested in Critics Choice Awards betting, ensure that you only register at a betting site offering the latest odds.
For our top recommendation, BetUS is a terrific option for wagering on the Critics Choice Awards show on Jan. 12. With an extensive menu of markets and generous odds, there is an abundance of value to be had at BetUS.
New customers can take advantage of one of two outstanding match bonuses for a limited time! Register at BetUS to claim a 125% deposit bonus of up to $2,625 on your first three deposits. Alternatively, opt for cryptocurrency to get a 200% bonus of up to $2,750 on your first deposit!
