THEY'RE GOLDEN
Spanning the Globes: surprises, snubs and takeaways from the television nominations
IT was a very good day at the Golden Globes for FX and Amazon, a good day for BBC America and Showtime — and a fair day for HBO and Netflix.
But it was a terrible day for network television.
Its most prestigious and highestrated drama, “This Is Us,” was shut out of the 2019 Golden Globe nominations. Not even previous winner Sterling K. Brown could score a nod. So NBC, which airs the ceremony Jan. 6, may reap ad dollars, but the impression that the only events worth watching on network TV are those that air live is now set in stone.
Still, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association didn’t make too many egregious errors. First up, Amazon was recognized for three distinct series, each with its own tone and spirit. The trendy “Twilight Zone”- inspired drama “Homecoming” scored three nominations, for best drama series and for lead actors Julia Roberts and up-and-comer Stephan James as therapist and patient in a spooky Florida rehab facility. Class-conflict sizzler “A Very English Scandal” was also nominated for three awards: best limited series/TV movie and lead actor Hugh Grant and Ben Whishaw for supporting actor. And, of course, last year’s comedy winner, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” scored expected nods for series, star Rachel Brosnahan and supporting actress Alex Borstein.
The HFPA displayed their preference for international fare with nominations for BBC America’s sleek and witty “Killing Eve.” It will compete for best drama series; Sandra Oh, who is co-hosting the Golden Globes telecast with Andy Samberg, is up against Roberts, Elisabeth Moss (“The Handmaid’s Tale”) Keri Russell (“The Americans”) and Caitriona Balfe (“Outlander”) for best actress in that category. It’s very likely that Roberts took the spot that belonged to Oh’s co-star, Jodie Comer. . Netflix’s best chance at a prestige prize comes with the British production “Bodyguard,” which was nominated for best drama series and its blazing star performance by “Game of Thrones” graduate Richard Madden as a veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Mysteriously, the streaming service scored three nominations for “The Kominsky Method,” a comedy about old men (Michael Douglas and Alan Arkin) with diminished horizons and weak bladders.
Surprisingly, Netflix did not score a single nomination for Mike Flanagan’s acclaimed update of Shirley Jackson’s “The Haunting of Hill House,” a shame, as young viewers had nightmares watching this one.
FX continued its streak as the premium basic cable channel with expected nominations for “Versace” and its stars, Darren Criss, Penelope Cruz and Edgar Ramirez. “The Americans” scored farewell nods for best drama series, Emmy winner Matthew Rhys and Russell. The real thrill for FX was that its transgender drama “Pose” was nominated for best drama series and for its sensational star, Billy Porter, who had more quotable lines than any actor in any TV show this year. HBO’s wearying penchant for dark dramas only yielded nominations for the peculiar murder mystery “Sharp Objects” (series, stars Amy Adams and Patricia Clarkson) and one nomination for “Westworld” ( Emmy winner Thandie Newton). Fun fact: Adams is competing against Regina King in two categories this year: supporting actress in a film (“Vice” and “If Beale Street Could Talk” and lead actress in a limited series/TV movie (King is nominated for “Seven Seconds”). TNT received surprise nominations for the dull “The Alienist” (limited series and star Daniel Bruhl). Meanwhile, the benefits of having a show that’s currently airing helped Showtime’s “Escape at Dannemora” snare two nods (best limited series and one for gutsy star Patricia Arquette).