Golden Globe Nominations: Streaming Is King in a List Loaded With Surprises

Michael Schneider December 10, 2015, 9:57 am

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Alberto E. Rodriguez/WireImage

The new 2009 Golden Globe statuettes are on display during an unveiling by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 6, 2009 in Beverly Hills, California. The 66th annual Golden Globe Awards are scheduled for January 11. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/WireImage)

See the full list of television nominees below.

Golden Globes voters are making good use of their TV subscriptions.

Four of the five networks with the most nominees at the 2016 Globes come with their own monthly price tags: Netflix, HBO, Starz and Amazon Video. That emphasis on premium cable and streaming media led to a few surprise nominations and a shakeup in some of the major categories.

Casual was a surprise addition to the comedy nominees. Here’s who didn’t make the list.

In the outstanding comedy or musical category, an unprecedented four series from streaming services are competing: Casual (Hulu), Mozart in the Jungle (Amazon), Orange is the New Black (Netflix) and last year’s winner, Transparent (Amazon). They’re up against HBO’s Silicon Valley and Veep.

That means not a single broadcast or basic cable show was able to make it in the category. Every nominee ran on a platform that required its own monthly subscription. (Nominees not returning from last year include Girls and Jane the Virgin).

The drama side was more democratic, with at least one broadcast nominee (Fox’s Empire) and a basic cable show (USA’s Mr. Robot).

But in that category, Globes voters opted to shake things up by bringing back just one nominee from last year (HBO’s Game of Thrones). Also new to the category: freshman dramas Narcos (Netflix). That shoved out last year’s winner, Showtime’s The Affair, as well as perennial faves House of Cards, Downton Abbey and The Good Wife.

The Globes’ loss of interest in The Affair also extended to the actress in a drama competition, where star Ruth Wilson, who won last year, wasn’t invited back. Instead, last year’s nominees Viola Davis (How to Get Away with Murder) and Robin Wright (House of Cards) will face off with Catriona Balfe (Outlander), Eva Greene (Penny Dreadful) and Taraji P. Henson (Empire).

Balfe’s nomination for Outlander was one of two for the Starz drama, which also received one for supporting actor (Tobias Menzies). Quite a reversal for a show that was ignored by the Globes last year.

In the drama actor category, Wright’s House of Cards co-star Kevin Spacey, who won last year, wasn’t invited back. Instead, the category’s lone hold over from last year, Liev Schreiber (Ray Donovan, his third consecutive nod), will face off with Jon Hamm, in Mad Men’s lone farewell Globes nomination; Rami Malek (Mr. Robot), Wagner Moura (Narcos); and Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul).

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The actress in a comedy category has executives at The CW bouncing with joy. (Network executives there were already frantically emailing the good news at 5:30 a.m. this morning). The netlet, which never receives major Emmy love, has two actresses up for the comedy nod: Last year’s winner, Gina Rodriguez (Jane the Virgin) and new Crazy Ex-Girlfriend star Rachel Bloom. They’re up against Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Veep), Jamie Lee Curtis (Scream Queens) and Globes fave Lily Tomlin (Grace & Frankie), who also landed a nomination for best actress in a motion picture (Grandma).

The comedy actor category is dominated by more streaming stars: Aziz Ansari (Master of None), Gael Garcia Bernal (Mozart in the Jungle) and last year’s winner, Jeffrey Tambor (Transparent)–who also happens to be the only nominee returning from last year. Also new this year: Patrick Stewart (Blunt Talk) and Rob Lowe (The Grinder). That meant no repeat noms for Ricky Gervais, Don Cheadle, Louis C.K. and William H. Macy.

In the miniseries/motion picture arena, voters stuck with limited-run series: Last year’s winner, Fargo (FX), will face off with American Crime (ABC), American Horror Story: Hotel (FX), Flesh and Bone (Starz) and Wolf Hall (PBS).

For trivia buffs, the actress in a miniseries or movie features two returning series, but with different stars: Fargo (this year, Kirsten Dunst; last year, Allison Tolman) and American Horror Story (this year, Lady Gaga; last year, Jessica Lange).

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