Can the Golden Globes Restore Their Luster?
Despite many unanswered questions, the HFPA’S annual awards ceremony is coming back to NBC
The Golden Globes are in transition mode, and that means hints about what January’s ceremony might look like are still hard to come by. So far no host has been announced — although names including Kevin Hart, Dwayne Johnson and Chris Rock are believed to have been approached for the gig. There are no confirmed presenters as of yet, although that may change after nominations are announced Dec. 12.
Here’s what we do know: The production is in strong hands with showrunner Jesse Collins, a live TV events vet who won the Emmy earlier this year for producing “The Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show Starring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, 50 Cent.” And of course, the telecast itself is produced by Dick Clark Prods., which has been a titan in the kudos show space for decades with the Globes, American Music Awards and more.
There will also be more TV awards on this year’s telecast, as the supporting actor and supporting actress categories, which previously served as a catch-all, combining stars from musical/ comedy, drama and limited series, have now been split into four: Supporting actor in a musical/comedy or drama, supporting actress in a musical/comedy or drama, supporting actor in a limited/ anthology series or TV movie, and supporting actress in a limited/ anthology series or TV movie.
Everyone knows there’s a lot riding on next year’s Globes, which takes place Jan. 10 in the Beverly
Hilton ballroom and will air live on NBC and stream on Peacock.
Part of the delay is from the moving parts that come with a new ownership structure for the Globes. In July, Todd Boehly’s Eldridge Industries agreed to take over the Golden Globes Awards portion of the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. and make it a separate, for-profit entity that operates in tandem with the HFPA’S charitable and philanthropic programs, which continue to be managed as a nonprofit.
That ownership change, of course, came after a year of turmoil for the HFPA, which has been in rebuild mode after the Los Angeles Times detailed new allegations of questionable financial practices inside the small, insular organization, as well as paltry record of diversity and representation (including the lack of any Black members).
The Golden Globes, which had always had a bit of a reputation for being swayed by perks, nonetheless cultivated a lively, mustwatch ceremony over the years thanks to its party atmosphere — including free-flowing wine at the ballroom tables and cheeky hosts such as Ricky Gervais.
That all came to a halt in 2022, when NBC declined to air this year’s ceremony. HFPA moved to institute reforms, including 21 new members (nearly half of whom are women, and most of whom are people of color), as well as training, a new chief diversity officer, new independent advisors and consultants, an NAACP partnership, gift, travel and conflict-of-interest policies and other bylaws.
The HFPA still held a private Globes event at the Beverly Hilton this year, showcasing various recipients of its philanthropic endeavors and announcing winners simultaneously on social media.
NBC had told the HFPA it needed to shore up support from the studios and TV networks — and guarantee that the red carpet will be filled with A-list names — before the Globes could return to air. It’s not clear yet how A-list that carpet will be, but in September the network finally agreed to bring the show back to TV. It did so with a caveat: this is a one-year deal.
The arrangement, as announced in a press release, “allows the HFPA and DCP to explore new opportunities for domestic and global distribution across a variety of platforms in the future.”
And that will hinge on how well the ceremony is received — in a landscape where awards shows, in general, are struggling for eyeballs. The Jan. 10 airdate will at least keep it out of the way of intense football competition (including the NCAA National Championship Game the night before). But at least it has a low benchmark: The 2021 show, held in the middle of the pandemic, averaged just 6.9 million viewers. (In 2020, it drew 18.3 million). What this year’s viewers actually see, however, remains TBD.