It’s hard to believe that the Golden Globes are already here. The 67th Primetime Emmy Awards were only three months ago and now we’re already in a brand new awards season. The Globes have developed quite a legitimacy over the years too, but one thing about them really stands out: their flexibility with nominations. Getting an Emmy is considered more prestigious, but if you look at this year’s Globe picks, you’ll see a crazy amount of new contenders. I personally love this. Shocks and snubs aside, the Emmys get a ton of criticism for how the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences chooses the same nominees every single year. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association meanwhile is very open to change, and frequently gives recognition to freshman shows over longstanding programs. For this reason, it’s hardly a surprise how many nominated programs and actors/actresses are not on network television or basic cable. Audiences and award shows have embraced the new mediums, but it fits that the HFPA would be the first to take such a deep plunge.
Without further ado, let’s look at the 2016 Golden Globe Television Nominees.
Best TV Series, Drama
“Empire”
“Game Of Thrones”
“Narcos”
“Mr. Robot“
“Outlander”
Reaction: When the 2015 Emmy awards were announced, one show many fans felt was snubbed was Fox’s hit Empire. Fortunately the HFPA is here to give them something to smile about. In fact, on this small list, only Game of Thrones is a regular Emmy contender. Typical shows like Downton Abbey, Homeland, House of Cards, Mad Men, and even the previous winner The Affair are totally out, which is all shocking. Reception around Narcos has been pretty quiet, but Mr. Robot and Outlander are some critical darlings. Considering how we live during a time where the same shows are present every year, it’s comforting to see some variety.
Best TV Series, Musical/Comedy
“Casual”
“Mozart in the Jungle”
“Silicon Valley”
“Transparent”
“Orange is the New Black”
“Veep”
Reaction: Can’t very well say the same for this category. Out of the six shows above, only one is new: Casual. What’s notable though is every show on here isn’t a network or basic cable program. There’s two for HBO, two for Amazon Video, one for Hulu, and one for Netflix. I think this is the first time a major award has done this. Could an all streaming category be in the near future? Probably. As for the present, none of these nominations particularly surprise me. Casual and Mozart have received a lot of praise for their first seasons. I wouldn’t be surprised if the HFPA’s love of new programs makes one of them the big winner.
Best TV Movie or Limited Series
“American Crime”
“American Horror Story: Hotel”
“Fargo”
“Flesh & Bone”
“Wolf Hall”
Reaction: Interestingly enough, Fargo both won the award last year and is back to take it a second time. I definitely expect this to happen as well. No show on here has received as much praise as Fargo’s second season, so as far as I’m concerned, nothing else here matters. This show will win again.
Best Actress in a TV Series, Drama
Caitriona Balfe, “Outlander”
Viola Davis, “How to Get Away With Murder”
Eva Green, “Penny Dreadful”
Taraji P. Henson, “Empire”
Robin Wright, “House of Cards”
Reaction: If you were to tell me Robin Wright would eventually be the only representative for House of Cards, I’d absolutely believe you. She was unquestionably the best part of a lesser quality third season. Empire fans finally have their nomination for the much loved Taraji P. Henson as well. However, Viola Davis is definitely coming into this strong thanks to her historical Emmy win. Eva Green and Caitriona Balfe are newcomers, but both Penny Dreadful and Outlander have huge followings. Category’s definitely up in the air with past winner Ruth Wilson a no show.
Best Actor in a TV Series, Drama
Jon Hamm, “Mad Men”
Rami Malek, “Mr. Robot”
Wagner Moura, “Narcos”
Bob Odenkirk, “Better Call Saul”
Liev Schreiber, “Ray Donovan”
Reaction: This is a pretty stacked category. In fact, seeing as I’ve heard nothing about Wagner Moura’s performance, you have four men who could feasibly win. Liev Schreiber is the only returner from last year, Jon Hamm had a critically praised final run as Don Draper, and Rami Malek and Bob Odenkirk were beloved in their respective first seasons. I’m curious as to where this award will go. Will the HFPA move towards honoring a final performance, or praising a brand new one? Both have happened pretty frequently in the past.
Best Actress in a TV Series, Comedy
Rachel Bloom, “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend”
Jamie Lee Curtis, “Scream Queens”
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, “Veep”
Gina Rodriguez, “Jane The Virgin”
Lily Tomlin, “Grace and Frankie”
Reaction: I’m very curious if Gina Rodriguez will win this award again. Did she get it last year because she was a beloved newcomer, or was she really better than her competition? We’ll have to see, especially since the majority of people here are fresh. The most interesting one is Rachel Bloom. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is her first lead role and here she is with major award winners and some legendary names. If she wins this, it will be a crazy (in more ways than one) upset.
Best Actor in a TV Series, Comedy
Aziz Ansari, “Master of None”
Gael Garcia Bernal, “Mozart in the Jungle”
Rob Lowe, “The Grinder”
Patrick Stewart, “Blunt Talk”
Jeffrey Tambor, “Transparent”
Reaction: Rob Lowe, keeping network television alive. The Grinder has been a big success for Fox and I’m not surprised at all that the popular star is here. Of course, he has to contend with two other legends: Patrick Stewart and Jeffrey Tambor. Any of them can take this. Bear in mind though that you can’t count out Aziz Ansari with Master of None being one of the best Netflix shows ever produced. As for Gael Garcia Bernal, I have literally never heard of him before. If the HFPA goes with him, it will give Mozart in the Jungle a massive popularity boost.
Best Actress in a Limited Series or TV Movie
Kirsten Dunst, “Fargo”
Lady Gaga, “American Horror Story: Hotel”
Sarah Hay, “Flesh & Bone”
Felicity Huffman, “American Crime”
Queen Latifah, “Bessie”
Reaction: Looks like Lady Gaga could join the rare breed of entertainer to win both music and acting awards. A lot was said about her joining American Horror Story: Hotel, but her performance has been met with nothing but praise. She very well can take this home. However, Kirsten Dunst, who has delivered her best acting ever in Fargo, could steal that away from her. This could be a two person category with these actresses neck and neck.
Best Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie
Idris Elba, “Luther”
Oscar Isaac, “Show Me a Hero”
David Oyelowo, “Nightingale”
Mark Rylance, “Wolf Hall”
Patrick Wilson, “Fargo”
Reaction: Patrick Wilson’s nomination is what excites me the most. Like I’ve said before, Fargo’s second season was some excellent television and Wilson played a big part in that. He should probably start polishing off his awards case.
Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Limited Series, or TV Movie
Uzo Aduba, “Orange Is the New Black”
Joanne Froggatt, “Downton Abbey”
Regina King, “American Crime”
Judith Light, “Transparent”
Maura Tierney, “The Affair”
Reaction: The Affair. Big winner in 2015, now down to one category for 2016. I will never stop being amazed at how much the Globes can change while the Emmy’s stay so rigid. This award very likely can go to Joanne Froggatt again, but I wouldn’t count out Judith Light. She’s excellent in Transparent and very well can give the Amazon hit a bigger haul than last year.
Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Limited Series or TV Movie
Alan Cumming, “The Good Wife”
Damian Lewis, “Wolf Hall”
Ben Mendelsohn, “Bloodline”
Tobias Menzies, “Outlander”
Christian Slater, “Mr. Robot“
Reaction: Honestly very surprised no one from Fargo is here. Alan Cumming is the only returner, and I’d say this category is up for grabs. I don’t know enough about any of these shows to have strong thoughts on their chances, but I do know people couldn’t stop talking about Mr. Robot. Maybe Christian Slater is finally finding the success all his cancelled shows never gave him.
