SEAL OF APPROVAL
The HFPA gets it (mostly) right with this year’s TV nominees
LET’S face it: the Golden Globe Awards have long been enveloped by a shroud of low-rent sketchiness — even before the very public allegations leveled at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (financial funny business, diversity tonedeafness) caused NBC to press the pause button on last year’s telecast (winners were announced online).
That being said, the HFPA did, at the very least, get a lot right with its nominees for the 80th Golden Globe Awards, returning Jan. 10 to NBC with host Jerrod Carmichael.
Best Television Series — Drama.
“The Crown” (Netflix); “House of the Dragon” (HBO); “Ozark” (Netflix); “Severance” (Apple TV+)
My take: Some will quibble with “The Crown.” Season 5 has, at times, dragged a bit. “Ozark” was riveting (with a problematic finale), “House of the Dragon” was a monster hit and “Severance” was a talker. Solid choices all around.
Best Television Series — Musical or Comedy.
“The Bear” (FX); “Hacks” (HBO Max); “Only Murders in the Building” (Hulu); “Wednesday” (Netflix)
My take: I would have liked to have seen “What We Do in the Shadows” replace “Only Murders in the Building”).
“The Bear” was excellent and “Hacks” didn’t slump in its sophomore season. “Wednesday” is shattering viewership record on Netflix (no easy feat) and its a viral video dance scene, courtesy of star Jenna Ortega, is a must-see.
Best Performance By An Actor in a Television Series — Drama.
Jeff Bridges, “The Old Man”; Kevin Costner, “Yellowstone”; Diego Luna, “Andor”; Bob Odenkirk, “Better Call Saul”
My take: Bridges was terrific in “The Old Man,” even more so considering that he was battling cancer — and COVID — while shooting the FX series. He brought gravitas as a world-weary 70something former spy dragged back in from the cold to go mano-a-mano with an old nemesis. Costner has been the cornerstone of “Yellowstone,” one of the biggest series on television yet ignored by the Emmys. Odenkirk, surrounded by a deep bench, led the charge as “Better Call Saul” ended its six-season run with a finale that hit all the right notes.
Best Performance By An Actress in a Television Series — Drama.
Imelda Staunton, “The Crown”; Laura Linney, “Ozark”; Hilary Swank, “Alaska Daily”; Zendaya, “Euphoria”
My take: Staunton is the best Queen Elizabeth (compared to Claire Foy and Olivia Colman). Linney was solid, but Rhea Seehorn (“Better Call Saul”) belongs on this list. Zendaya is a phenomenon.
Best Performance By an Actor in a Television Series — Musical or Comedy.
Donald Glover, “Atlanta”;
Bill Hader, “Barry”; Steve Martin, “Only Murders in the Building”; Martin Short, “Only Murders in the Building”; Jeremy Allen White, “The Bear”
My take: Hader, Glover and White are the no-brainers, and it’s nice to see White receive well-deserved kudos for “The Bear.”
Best Performance By an Actress in a Television Series — Musical or Comedy.
Quinta Brunson, “Abbott Elementary”; Selena Gomez, “Only Murders in the Building”; Jenna Ortega, “Wednesday”; Jean Smart, “Hacks”
My take: Brunson and “Abbott Elementary” took home a handful of Emmys and they could replicate that success come Jan.
10. Ditto for
Smart. ogy Series or Motion Picture Made For Television. Tamar Egerton, “Black Bird”; Colin Firth, “The Staircase”; Evan Peters, “Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” My take: Egerton was excellent but co-star Paul Walter Hauser stole his thunder (see bottom of story).
Best Performance By an Actress in a Limited Series, Anthology Series or Motion Picture Made For Television. Jessica Chastain, “George & Tammy”; Julia Garner, “Inventing Anna”; Lily James, “Pam & Tommy”; Julia Roberts, “Gaslit”
My take: There was no way to overlook Chastain, who brought a mixture of toughness, tenderness, love, determination and vulnerability to her portrayal of Tammy Wynette.
Kudos to these nominees: Hauser as creepy serial killer Larry Hall in “Black Bird”; and Domnhall Gleeson in “The Patient” (but where’s Steve Carell?)