Award show season is the closest thing I have to a sports season. But, here’s the thing: I hate the Golden Globes. While my esteemed Way Too Early Oscar Podcast, film editor Marisa Carpico, loves the drama this wacky show always stirs, but I find it frustrating. What can I say, I like consistency!
But when it comes to the TV segment of the Golden Globes, things get even weirder. The turnover rate for TV nominations is higher than a subpar startup in Silicon Valley. This is an award show that loves fresh blood, specifically when they can announce a rising ingenue — as seen with the wins for Rachel Bloom and Gina Rodriguez in years past, only to find their shows suspiciously ignored the year after.
The Hollywood Foreign Press also loves good narratives — not one the shown, but in pop culture. This season, for example, we saw The Americans got a Best Drama Series nomination for its final season. Many critics loved this largely underrated series, so it made sense for the show’s final chance of a win to result in a nod. But the other nominees are all new series. Meanwhile, the comedy noms found award show darling The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and online meme-machine The Good Place scoring nominations amidst some new shows packed with star power.
What I mean by all this is: when it comes to TV, the Golden Globes are hardly an arbiter of quality. This show, more than most other award shows, is about what shows either A) have the best pop culture hook or B) boast the most stars. As such, here are some really quick takeaways we have this season…
Hey, You Should Watch Pose
One of the most surprising announcements — and perhaps an indication of how powerful a producer Ryan Murphy is — was that Pose was nominated for Best Drama Series and Best Leading Actor — Drama. If you follow me on Twitter, you’ll know that Pose was one of my obsessions this summer, and it stands out as one of the best series of 2018. But it was also a quiet giant, and felt like something that never found an audience outside of the LGBTQ+ community. It’s wonderful to see it honored here, especially since Porter delivers one of the best performances I’ve seen across any medium this year as ball MC Pray-Tell, which happens to also be the best character name in 2018, too.
One of the major discussions amongst pop culture enthusiasts was deciding who gets to tell LGBTQ+ stories. My opinion is already on the record (don’t know it? listen to our podcast!), but something I’ve been thinking a lot about lately is that straight allies eat up movies about queer content made by and for straight people. And that’s wonderful! But while many straight people I know have texted me to tell me how much they loved Boy Erased or Queer Eye, no one I know has watched Pose. So, allies, if you’re reading this: if you want to support my community through your love of entertainment, support queer storytellers! Watch Pose — it’s absolutely fantastic, and now it’s Golden Globe certified.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b09aJdWqVp4
Who is Watching Some of These Comedy Nominees?
I love Barry and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Both those shows performed well at the Emmys, were celebrated by critics, and are amongst the most buzzed about shows of 2018. Their nominations make sense. And, while I haven’t caught up on The Good Place (yet), its nomination makes sense – perhaps no show is more beloved. But who exactly watches Kidding? That’s not a dig towards the show (I haven’t seen it either) but its nomination feels like an odd choice for the HFPA. It’s not exactly the most beloved show, and it doesn’t have a terrific narrative. Do they want Jim Carey at their show that bad?
And don’t even get me started on The Kominsky Method. That makes sense on paper… Michael Douglass? Alan Arkin? Legends. But, again, has anyone actually watched it?
Some Inspired Supporting Picks
The HFPA makes the idiotic decision to separate the leading performances by genre, but lump every supporting performance together. It’s messy and inconsistent. But, this year, some really inspired picks made their way into the final five. Some, like Alex Borestein (Mrs. Maisel), Patricia Clarkson (Sharp Objects), and Henry Winkler (Barry) make sense. But it’s such a pleasant surprise to see Ben Whishaw on here for his terrific work in A Very English Scandal, a clever limited series based on a wild true story that failed to make a splash when it debuted on Amazon Prime in June. Similarly, Succession (one of my favorite new shows) was well-represented with Kiernan Culkin’s nomination. The whole ensemble of that series is worthy of praise, but Culkin is specifically wonderful as the particularly twisted member of the Troy family who is burying some childhood trauma.
Just Give it to Sandra Oh
The Globes’ decision to have Sandra Oh and Andy Samberg host is very exciting, and not only because they don’t have a history of tweeting homophobic sentiments. I’m in the midst of a Killing Eve binge, and I think that Sandra Oh would most definitely deserve a Golden Globe for her stunning work on the series. Killing Eve is a really stunning series. It’s an unusual show that takes a tired genre and reinterprets it through a creative voice, and Oh is a seasoned character actress whose praise is long overdue. Also: I will make it my mission to remind the world that Oh is responsible for one of the funniest line delivers of the 21st century.
