Taking home four awards The Crown was the big winner at this year’s Golden Globe Awards while Schitt’s Creek, The Queen’s Gambit, Ted Lasso, and Small Axe also stood out in an unusual ceremony.
No one knew what to expect from the 78th Golden Globe Awards. A virtual ceremony and no in-person campaigning meant that the boozing and schmoozing that the Hollywood Foreign Press is known for was thrown out the window. On top of that just a week ago multiple major publications exposed the organization for its anti-Blackness and pay-to-play behavior.
It led to an uncomfortable ceremony. One that didn’t learn from the 2020 Emmys and was instead filled with technical difficulties and disingenuous bits. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler were given the impossible task of hosting from opposite coasts and spent their set rightfully calling out the association for their shortcomings while also uncomfortably mocking some of the less deserving nominees.
The actual awards were filled with multiple jaw-dropping upsets from Jodie Foster to Andra Day but when it came to the TV categories everything went almost as expected. The Crown swept the drama categories while The Queen’s Gambit and Ted Lasso also took home awards. Surprisingly this year’s awards looked very similar to the Emmys with Schitt’s Creek and Catherine O’Hara picking up farewell wins while Mark Ruffalo continued his winning streak.
Heading into the ceremony we anticipated an exciting night for Netflix. The streaming juggernaut represented a third of all TV nominees and they did not go home empty handed. The network ended up winning six TV categories on top of the four film prizes it also won.
As awards season progresses it will be interesting to see how various groups respond to and learn from this year’s ceremony. They’ll need to come up with ways to better entertain audiences that don’t involve inter-Zoom chatter amongst the nominees and a musical performance or two wouldn’t hurt. One element other ceremonies won’t have is a pitch-perfect speech from the incomparable Jane Fonda.
Drama Categories
Surprising absolutely no one, the fourth season of The Crown swept the drama categories taking home four awards. On top of winning the top award Gillian Anderson, Josh O’Connor, and Emma Corrin all won their respective categories making it the only drama to win any award at this year’s ceremony.
No one is that surprised. HFPA voters have always loved The Crown and even though the royal drama has been around for years the introduction of Princess Diana made it feel like a brand new show and one that audiences couldn’t get enough of. It brought back a beloved actor like Gillian Anderson with an undeniably prestige role and introduced millions of people to Josh O’Connor and Emma Corrin who are destined to be two of the biggest stars of the next decade.
So, what does this mean for the upcoming Emmy season? The fourth season of The Crown was already the early frontrunner both because it really is that good and because there doesn’t seem to be excitement for any other drama right now. The ensemble will certainly take home the top prize at SAG as well as countless other guild awards.
Comedy Categories
This year the Hollywood Foreign Press did something they normally never do, they rubberstamped the previous Emmys by sending off Schitt’s Creek with the top series prize and an actress win for Catherine O’Hara. This was surprising for multiple reasons including the fact that they rarely vote for shows in their final season and leading up to this year the beloved comedy had never been nominated at the Globes.
Jason Sudeikis won the Golden Globe for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy. For the past six months Sudeikis has quietly won over audiences for his unapologetic sincerity. In such chaotic times Ted Lasso, the character and the show, makes everyone who watches it feel good. This is also his best work since leaving Saturday Night Live seven years ago.
Overall, Ted Lasso was the breakout new comedy of the year but it didn’t have the big night it was hoping for. Apple TV+ was hoping the underdog comedy would be their first show to win a series prize but it was ultimately eclipsed by the final season of Schitt’s Creek. It’s still in a great position for the upcoming Emmy season but it’s not unstoppable. Also, the unintentional highlight of the night was when Sudeikis, dressed in a hoodie, had to accept his first Golden Globe seemingly stoned out of his mind. It was a deliciously uncomfortable moment that his fellow nominees couldn’t help but laugh at. It made everyone wonder, can a speech this bad hinder someone’s Emmy chances? The answer is no, especially for a role this beloved, but it is worth laughing over.
Limited Series
Coming off of a record-breaking debut on Netflix The Queen’s Gambit took home two awards for series and star Anya Taylor-Joy. This was a breakout year for Taylor-Joy who was also nominated for her lead performance in Emma. To be quite honest I’m still not clear as to why The Queen’s Gambit quickly became Netflix’s most successful limited series of all time but sometimes it’s the unexpected surprise that makes the best awards contender.
John Boyega won the supporting actor prize for the Red, White and Blue installment of Small Axe. In his first major role since escaping the Star Wars universe Boyega was able to stand out over big names in awards-baity roles like Brendan Gleeson and Donald Sutherland. It’s a huge indicator that audiences are responding well to Small Axe (which was also nominated in the limited series category).
Overall, this was a huge year for Blockbuster actors taking on prestige roles. On top of John Boyega and Chadwick Boseman winning their first Emmys Mark Ruffalo continued his winning streak for I Know This Much Is True. For the second ceremony in a row awards pundits largely underestimated his awards chances mistakenly assuming that audiences weren’t paying attention to the depressing drama. Instead, Ruffalo has continuously beat out actors on popular shows for an awards-friendly portrayal of polar-opposite and mentally ill twins.
