Golden Globes

Drama

The number of ladies eligible for this year’s Lead Actress in a Television Drama Series is surprisingly large. They come from popular network dramas as well as small, fan-driven favorites. Can Ruth Wilson manage a back-to-back win for the underrated The Affair? Or will Cookie Lyon be way too big to ignore? Or will the dreams of the 3 M’s be dashed when Melissa Benoist flies in as Supergirl?

Taraji P. Henson, Empire – Cookie could land at the very top of the list for two reasons: people still love her and she’s the best thing about the first season of the breakout show. Henson grabbed an Emmy nomination this past season, but she lost to Viola Davis for How to Get Away with Murder. I don’t see how she can miss out on a nomination, but is the buzz fading away from Empire a bit this time around? If the HFPA is still on a season 1 high, she could win this category.

Viola Davis, How to Get Away with Murder –Everyone thought that Davis would have picked this up last year for the freshman season of the twisty soap, but she win a Screen Actors Guild trophy. There’s no way she can miss, right? Is it even worth pondering?

Claire Danes, Homeland – Danes has won two consecutive Globes for her role as Carrie Mathison, but she’s not always a sure thing. She missed a nomination 2 years ago, but Homeland seems to have picked back up in quality. Danes is always a contender.

Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife – Speaking of mainstays, you can’t talk about consistency without bringing up Margulies for The Good Wife. She has been nominated in this category for the last 6 years, so you definitely can’t count her out. I’ve heard from fans that the show is definitely on a good season, so that could solidify her chances even more. They clearly love her.

mad-men

Elizabeth Moss, Mad Men – Will the HFPA fall back in love with the AMC drama in its last season? Moss had a good final bow, but she hasn’t been nominated in this category since 2010.

Ruth Wilson, The Affair – Last year’s surprise winner is certainly in talks to grab another nomination for the second season of the Showtime drama. Will she be able to land another nomination after the show shifts its focus to other characters? Will Maura Tierney’s storyline overshadow Wilson’s?

Priyanka Chopra, Quantico – One of the steadiest debuts this fall was the twisty terrorist drama, Quantico, and right at the center is international star Priyanka Chopra. Similar to the structure of How to Get Away with Murder, the show has garnered a devoted following, and reviews have said nothing but positive things about Chopra. She’s also a total knockout and would amazing on the red carpet.

Robin Wright, House of Cards – Wright should never be discounted for her work on Cards, and people have been saying this is her best season yet. She won in this category 2 years ago, and she could pull off another win.

Alexa Davalos, The Man in the High Castle – Amazon’s newest sensation definitely has people talking (check out that subway display!), and the HFPA might fall in love with the warped period drama. Is it only the show that will get praised and nominated, or will some of the actors get swept along as well?

Orphan

Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black – To be totally honest, Maslany should be considered every year for her obviously layered work in the clone drama. If you don’t like one of her characters, you’re bound to like another one. Fans have cried for years that she should be nominated for an Emmy, and it finally prevailed this year. Maslany was nominated at the Globes in 2013 in this category, but was left off last year. Will she return after being nominated for an Emmy?

Kerry Washington, Scandal – Surely 3 women from Shondaland won’t make it, right?

Caitriona Balfe, Outlander – If there is a contender that fans are getting behind for any sort of awards contention, it’s Balfe from Starz’s Outlander. The romantic drama has both devoted television and book fans behind her, and when she failed to secure an Emmy nominee this past year, fans were claiming it as one of the biggest snubs of nomination morning. Is Outlander even on anyone’s radar? Is the noise loud enough to garner her a nomination from the HFPA? I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility.

Jaimie Alexander, Blindspot – If we are talking about freshman dramas, we can’t forget about NBC’s Blindspot, one of the biggest new network dramas this fall. Can Jane Doe stand out alongside such strong competition?

supergirl

Melissa Benoist, Supergirl – This could actually happen, so just be prepared.

Krysten Ritter, Jessica Jones – This Marvel hit is relatively new to the mix, and its received stellar reviews across the board. At the very center is Ritter’s career-changing turn as the lead character. She’s most well known as the B in Apartment 23, but Jones allows her to dive into something far grittier and hardcore. Everyone should be behind her.

Much like this year’s Emmy race, there are a lot of women in the running for this year’s Best Actress in a Television Comedy Series. Will Veep’s big night at the Emmys sway favor for Julia Louis-Dreyfus? Will Amy Poehler make a comeback for Parks & Recreation? Or will another young unknown be up for the prize? Let’s take a look at the contenders.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep – It’s hard to believe, but she has never won a Golden Globe for playing Selina Meyer. Even though she has won the last 4 years at the Emmys, she has only taken home one Globe back in 1994 for Seinfeld. Veep and American politics might not be the Hollywood Foreign Press’ cup of tea, but she will definitely be nominated.

Lena Dunham, Girls – Interestingly enough, Dunham has been nominated every year that Girls has been on HBO. She won for the freshman season when the series also took home Comedy Series. Is it dumb to take her out at this point, or should we play safe?

Gina Rodriguez, Jane the Virgin – Rodriguez took home the prize last year, and she’s definitely a huge crowd favorite. Ratings for Virgin have only dipped slightly from the first season, so the show hasn’t taken a swan dive after the birth of her baby. Enthusiasm for the show seems to have waned a bit, though.

Amy Poehler, Parks & Recreation – Ahhh, Leslie Knope. Screw the Emmys—you don’t need them! After Poehler won in this category 2 years ago, she was absent when the nominations came out last year. Did she simply fall through the cracks? The show ended a while ago, so she could be ignored again.

Ellie Kemper, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt – Hopefully the Hollywood Foreign Press won’t ignore her like the Emmys did. Kimmy Schmidt is a lot broader than other new programs, so it could score big this year. Don’t let us down HFPA! Kemper is the beating heart of this Netflix show. Don’t follow in the Emmys footsteps!

Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, Grace and Frankie – Both Fonda and Tomlin are in acclaimed film performances this year (Fonda is generating some Oscar buzz for her small part in Youth, and Tomlin is fantastic in Grandma), so they could both become double nominees this year. When the Emmys rolled around, I (stupidly) predicted both would get nominated for their duel starring roles on Grace and Frankie. Tomlin triumphed with a nomination.

Rachel Bloom, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend – Is this prediction from left field? I don’t think so. While the show’s ratings haven’t been too great, she’s a newcomer, and the Golden Globes LOVE a fresh face in this category. Plus, she’s the only one that is in a musical. Do some research and you’ll see what I’m talking about.

Emma Roberts and Jamie Lee Curtis, Scream Queens – The HFPA love Ryan Murphy shows, and this is one of the flashiest shows of the fall. Curtis could fall into the supporting category, but her star power could grab her a slot. Lea Michele was nominated for Glee for the first season, and Jessica Lange has been nominated each season of American Horror Story. Prepare for me to roll my eyes if this happens (even though I love Jamie Lee on the show).

Constance Wu, Fresh Off the Boat – She’s definitely still the strongest thing about this ABC show, but is anyone watching it?

Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie – Final season love?

Taylor Schilling, Orange is the New Black – I am very skeptical that this can happen since a lot of people were mixed on the most recent season. The constant flip flopping between comedy and drama categories in various awards shows doesn’t help any performers’ chances either.

If I had to pick the nominees right now, I’d have to go with the following:

Rachel Bloom, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
Lena Dunham, Girls
Gina Rodriguez, Jane the Virgin
Lily Tomlin, Grace and Frankie

As Clarence mentioned in his Golden Globes Drama piece, the Foreign Press likes to reward “hot and new” television series—and actors. But that doesn’t mean that returning favorites don’t have a chance either (after all, it took two Best Actor Drama Series nominations before Kevin Spacey took home the golden statue for House of Cards).

Here’s a look at who’s in the running for Best Actor Drama:

Kyle Chandler, Bloodline
An Emmy nomination surely helps, but this is a crowded category. He could be the one that gets bumped.

Jon Hamm, Mad Men
He’s coming off an Emmy win, which is big, but he hasn’t been nominated in this category since 2012. Have the Golden Globes forgotten about Don Draper?

Sam Heughan, Outlander
There’s some buzz around Outlander this season, which means this Highland warrior could crash the Best Actor race.

Terrence Howard, Empire
He didn’t get any Emmy love, but the Golden Globes love to invite film actors to their ceremony. This could be Howard’s ticket.

Rami Malek, Mr. Robot
If this show gets any nomination, then it’s going to be in this category, since Malek is the show. A lesser actor would not be able to carry this performance. But is this category too crowded?

Wagner Moura, Narcos
While Narcos wasn’t the TV phenomenon of the summer, Moura’s performance can’t be ignored.

Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul
The Breaking Bad spin-off has been well-received by critics and audiences alike. Plus, Odenkirk has already received a number of nominations and wins for this role already.

Clive Owen, The Knick
Owen was the new kid on the block last year with this series. Could he land a second nomination and win for Season Two?

Liev Schreiber, Ray Donovan
He was nominated for this role in 2013 and 2014 and looks to continue this streak.

Kevin Spacey, House of Cards
He won in this category last year, but the buzz around House of Cards has severely died down.

James Spader, The Blacklist
NBC’s biggest hit is due in large part to Spader’s performance. Plus, he’s been nominated for the past two years in this category.

Dominic West, The Affair
Emmy voters may not have had a soft spot for this Showtime series (it was shut out for nominations), but the Golden Globes gave it Best Drama Series last season. If they like Season Two, then West could get another nomination. Although, further handicapping him is the series’s focal shift away from Noah and more toward the secondary characters. That won’t help him this year.

The Golden Globes are a different beast than the Emmys. For one thing, the Hollywood Foreign Press has different tastes than Emmy voters when it comes to comedy. After all, Smash received a best comedy series nomination (yes, really!). Plus, the Golden Globes are more apt to recognize quirky shows (see Pushing Daisies *sniff sniff*).

Here’s a look at which actors are in the running for Best Actor Comedy:

Aziz Ansari, Master of None
His Netflix show made a splash, especially with his commentary on diversity. The Hollywood Foreign Press could take notice.

Anthony Anderson, Black-ish
He’s fresh off an Emmy nomination, but he didn’t get in last year for this role. Could Season Two be his year?

Louis C.K., Louie
Louie C.K. has been nominated in this category before, but never won. He could get in again this year.

Don Cheadle, House of Lies
He’s gotten in for the last two years and could get in again this year.

Will Forte, The Last Man On Earth
This show was one of the surprise hits of last season. Forte should get in for this role.

Rob Lowe, The Grinder
While the show isn’t a huge ratings and critical hit, Lowe is a beloved TV actor on a new show. He could be a surprise nomination. Plus, he would be a welcome asset to the Globes’ red carpet.

William H. Macy, Shameless
He usually gets nominated for an Emmy for this role, but it’s iffy when it comes to the Golden Globes.

Thomas Middleditch, Silicon Valley
The Hollywood Foreign Press loved season one of Silicon Valley. If that love extends to Season Two, expect Middleditch to get a nom. Although none of the actors managed to crack the Emmy circle, which still remains troubling for the series.

Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory
The Big Bang Theory has been fading when it comes to award nominations, but Jim Parsons could still nab a nomination (especially for Sheldon and Amy’s breakup this past year)

The Hollywood Foreign Press will announce their nominations for the 73rd Annual Golden Globe awards on Thursday, December 10, in both film and television categories. For those of you who’ve followed the Globes and their attention toward television, that voting body tends to favor the “hot and new” television series much more frequently than their classier cousin, the Emmys. Through their history, they have awarded such shows as Twin PeaksNorthern ExposureThe X-FilesThe ShieldNip/Tuck, and most recently The Affair that, in many cases, the Emmys completely ignored.

Yes, I’m still bitter about The Affair.

This year, there are ample opportunities for some new dramatic series to receive recognition in the Drama Series category. Even though Game of Thrones had an historic win at this year’s Emmy’s, it isn’t necessarily guaranteed that the series will repeat here at the Globes. After all, the Globes have only nominated two of its four seasons for the Drama trophy thus far, and there were some years where the series wasn’t nominated at all. Also, if you think because the Globes rewarded Mad Men three years in a row that they will want to blow it a goodbye kiss, then you’d likely be wrong. Mad Men hasn’t been nominated at the Globes for Drama Series since 2010 when it lost to Boardwalk Empire.

So what are the best bets for nominations? Here are last year’s nominations:

  • The Affair
  • Downton Abbey
  • Game of Thrones
  • The Good Wife
  • House of Cards

You should start with Game of Thrones for sure. The HFPA may not always nominate it, but they simply cannot pass up the opportunity to nominate it after the series broke records at the most recent Emmy awards. So, that’s one slot. Downton Abbey could likely repeat for the season that aired in the States early in 2015, particularly since the Foreign Press has been covering the final season that aired this Fall in the U.K. Plus, it hasn’t missed out on a nomination since moving to the Drama Series category in 2012 after winning the Miniseries award the previous year. Similar to the Emmys, there’s little reason to think it will be left out in the cold this year. House of Cards is in a similar state. It received nominations for its first two seasons largely because it’s exactly the kind of juicy, star-driven drama they seem to adore. Season Three’s largely melodramatic tone and increased international presence (much of the season is spent dealing with Russian politics) will solidify its continued presence in the category.

So that leaves two slots that will likely be made available by previous winner The Affair and The Good Wife. Why will these shows be left out this year? I’m not sure I have a great answer. Despite a rabid fan base, no one is really talking about The Good Wife‘s last season as awards material, and the series has fallen out of the conversation a bit. And The Affair, last year’s surprise winner for Best Drama (except that I fully predicted it), is likely to be left out of the conversation completely. The Globes went all-in for the series in a year where the Screen Actors Guild and Emmys totally ignored it. I suspect the HFPA will drop the series like a bad habit.

Filling these two slots will be an easy task as there are at least a dozen potential candidates. For simplicity, I’m going to list what I perceive as the eight series (in alphabetical order) most likely to merit a Golden Globe nomination for Best Drama.

  • Better Call Saul – AMC’s Breaking Bad prequel series will receive a nomination for its star Bob Odenkirk, but the series itself is a bigger question. The big problem is that the HFPA largely ignored Breaking Bad until the end of the series, awarding it a Best Drama nomination in its final two seasons and a win with the last. Saul appears similarly slow to take hold of the foreign body.
  • Daredevil / Jessica Jones – Although I am including them both, I highly doubt that both of Netflix’s Marvel properties will factor into the Drama Series race. Daredevil aired way back last Spring and has the benefit of being the first widely acclaimed and gritty Marvel property. Following up on that success, Netflix premiered Jones this November to even louder critical huzzahs and a chorus of praise from The Internet. Best bets for the shows are in the acting categories – Vincent D’onofrio (Daredevil‘s Kingpin) and Krysten Ritter (the titular Jones) – but if I had to pick one for the Globest to grab onto, then it would be Jones simply due to its more recent buzz.
  • Empire – Fox’s ratings magnet would have seemed like the easiest of slam dunks after last winter’s Season One, but the subsequent months have proven tricky with Empire‘s reputation. On the plus side, Fox rushed a second season into production, which has aired this Fall to solid if not buzz-worthy ratings. Further handicapping it is the somewhat shocking omission at this year’s Emmys, further proving a waning buzz for the once-hot series. Still, Empire is totally the kind of show the HFPA traditionally falls all over, so don’t expect them to follow the Emmy’s lead. Its positioning as an “African-American Dynasty” may be too drool-worthy for them to ignore.
  • Indian Summers – PBS’s Fall series about British citizens living in India had a bigger splash in the U.K. than it did here in the U.S. If the Globes included art direction or cinematography categories, then Indian Summers would be guaranteed a handful of nominations. Since they don’t, it’s best shot is a single bid in the Drama Series category (the cast is too broad and unknown to merit acting awards) which is a difficult task to pull off. And while it did hit bigger in the U.K. for the foreign voting body, that was earlier in the year where the critical reactions were respectful if muted. Is this the kind of series to overcome the time difficulty?
  • The Man in the High Castle – Amazon’s critically acclaimed, cinematic new series has to be pure candy for the HFPA. Not only does it boast stunning visuals, direction, and a literary pedigree, but it also has an accomplished international cast that is very Globe-friendly. Plus, the late-season premiere date falls directly within the Globe voting period, which could work for it (the buzz) or against it (did everyone see it in time). Still, I just don’t see how they can ignore the revisionist series.
  • Mr. RobotMr. Robot, the USA Network’s newest series, is one of the most critically acclaimed new series to premiere this year, besting most of network TV’s latest crop if not all of them. Given the HFPA’s love of shiny new toys and their likely nomination for Rami Malek’s star-making turnMr. Robot is a decent bet at a nomination. Personally, my money is more on Malek than the series itself, but attention on him could have a coat tail effect for the overall show.
  • Outlander – There is perhaps no show on television right now with a more protective and enthusiastic fan base than Starz’s Outlander which, like Empire, was pretty much completely ignored by this year’s Emmys – and the Globes themselves which ignored its first eight episodes. Still, the series’s international and literary prestige will not be missed by the HFPA. Also, by nominating the series and potentially its two leads (Sam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe), the Golden Globes / HFPA will have the rabid Outlander fan base making all kinds of noise on social media to drum up support for their series. That often translates into higher ratings, something the HFPA isn’t one to ignore. Plus, the sex. The raw, passionate, explicit sex. What harm could that do?

So, what passes through at the end of the day? What do you think will be recognized? Have I missed something here? Comment below with your input!

Stay tuned to AwardsDaily TV for our upcoming Golden Globes predictions!

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