Articles

December 12, 2013
 

THE SKED: TV Golden Globe Nominees – Instant Analysis

 

Say what you will about the Golden Globes, on the TV side they’re often more open to acknowledging new talent and shows than the Emmys (let alone this week’s stodgy SAG Award nominations) tend to be.  That’s the case again with today’s nominees, particularly in the acting categories.

BEST DRAMA SERIES

BREAKING BAD (AMC)

DOWNTON ABBEY (PBS)

THE GOOD WIFE (CBS)

HOUSE OF CARDS (Netflix)

MASTERS OF SEX (Showtime)

 

BEST COMEDY SERIES

THE BIG BANG THEORY (CBS)

BROOKLYN NINE-NINE (FOX)

GIRLS (HBO)

MODERN FAMILY (ABC)

PARKS & RECREATION (NBC)

The recognition for Masters of Sex and Brooklyn Nine-Nine is good to see, although it would have been even better if Orange Is the New Black or The Americans were acknowledged as well.  Notable omissions are Homeland, Mad Men and Boardwalk Empire, among others.

 

BEST DRAMA ACTOR

Bryan Cranston, BREAKING BAD

Liev Schreiber, RAY DONOVAN

Michael Sheen, MASTERS OF SEX

Kevin Spacey, HOUSE OF CARDS

James Spader, THE BLACKLIST

The acting is about all there is to praise on Ray Donovan, and without Spader The Blacklist would be nowhere, but there were other actors this season, including Matthew Rhys on The Americans, who deserved to be here.  Sheen, though, is extremely well deserving.

 

BEST DRAMA ACTRESS

Julianna Margulies, THE GOOD WIFE

Tatiana Maslany, ORPHAN BLACK

Taylor Schilling, ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK

Kerry Washington, SCANDAL

Robin Wright, HOUSE OF CARDS

I would be stamping my feet about Keri Russell somehow not being nominated for The Americans, and noting how the mighty have fallen as Claire Danes failed to even be nominated, but who cares, because TATIANA MASLANY GOT IN!  It’s about time the single most amazing performance anywhere on television this past season got some of the recognition it deserves.

 

BEST COMEDY ACTOR

Jason Bateman, ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT

Don Cheadle, HOUSE OF LIES

Michael J. Fox, THE MICHAEL J. FOX SHOW

Jim Parsons, THE BIG BANG THEORY

Andy Samberg, BROOKLYN NINE-NINE

Michael J. Fox?  Really?  Was this some kind of sop to the Globes’ home network, NBC?  Louis C.K. is among those who should be filing suit in the court of missed nominations.

 

BEST COMEDY ACTRESS

Zooey Deschanel, NEW GIRL

Lena Dunham, GIRLS

Edie Falco, NURSE JACKIE

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, VEEP

Amy Poehler, PARKS & RECREATION

A safe, unexciting group of nominees–the only Globes group not much worth talking about.

 

BEST TV MOVIE/MINISERIES

AMERICAN HORROR STORY: COVEN (FX)

BEHIND THE CANDELABRA (HBO)

DANCING ON THE EDGE (Starz)

TOP OF THE LAKE (Sundance)

WHITE QUEEN (Starz)

The remarkable nominees here are the two barely-watched, hardly-acclaimed Starz miniseries (both of which also received recognition in the acting categories)–or they would be if one didn’t remember the Euro-centric composition of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and that both Dancing On the Edge and White Queen were BBC series acquired for US airing by Starz.

Also check out the Instant Analysis of Golden Globe Nominations on the film side.

 

 



About the Author

Mitch Salem
MITCH SALEM has worked on the business side of the entertainment industry for 20 years, as a senior business affairs executive and attorney for such companies as NBC, ABC, USA, Syfy, Bravo, and BermanBraun Productions, and before that, at the NY law firm of Weil, Gotshal & Manges. During all that, he has more or less constantly been going to the movies and watching TV, and writing about both since the 1980s. His film reviews also currently appear on screened.com and the-burg.com. In addition, he is co-writer of an episode of the television series "Felicity."