Critic’s Notebook: Who Should/Will Win at the 2020 Golden Globes?
CATEGORY: Best TV Series — Drama
Big Little Lies, HBO
The Crown, Netflix
Killing Eve, BBC America
The Morning Show, Apple TV+
Succession, HBO
Some very buzzy shows here, and the momentum seems to be with HBO’s Succession, whose second season was hair-raisingly good. But given the Globes voters’ international bent, and the engrossing nature of each and every episode of The Crown, it’s something of a toss-up.
Most Likely to Win
Succession
Should Win
The Crown
CATEGORY: Actress, TV Drama
Jennifer Aniston, The Morning Show
Olivia Colman, The Crown
Jodie Comer, Killing Eve
Nicole Kidman, Big Little Lies
Reese Witherspoon, The Morning Show
You can’t go wrong with any of these stellar performances, and Aniston’s triumphant return to episodic TV is the sort of stunt the Globes typically loves to celebrate. Colman’s more subtle work as the mature monarch leading the new cast of The Crown shouldn’t be easily dismissed, though. It could go either way.
Most Likely to Win
Jennifer Aniston
Should Win
Olivia Colman
CATEGORY: Actor, TV Drama
Brian Cox, Succession
Kit Harington, Game of Thrones
Rami Malek, Mr. Robot
Tobias Menzies, The Crown
Billy Porter, Pose
If Succession is the Globes’ favored drama this year, then Cox as the blustery and cunning patriarch will be hard to beat. But I sense a possible upset by Pose‘s flamboyant Porter, who himself was denied a year ago by Richard (Bodyguard) Madden’s surprise win. You know you want to see what he’s wearing, at the very least.
Most Likely to Win
Brian Cox
Should Win
Billy Porter
CATEGORY: Best TV Series — Musical or Comedy
The Kominsky Method, Netflix
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Amazon Prime Video
The Politician, Netflix
Barry, HBO
Fleabag, Amazon Prime Video
The last two winners in this category (Kominsky and Maisel) are still in the running, but it seems impossible that anything can dethrone this season’s awards darling Fleabag for its brilliant second (and presumably final) round. The Globes can be unpredictable — though surely not so glamour-crazed as to reward Ryan Murphy’s uneven Politician? Put your money on Fleabag.
Most Likely To/Should Win
Fleabag
CATEGORY: Actress, TV Musical/Comedy
Christina Applegate, Dead to Me
Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Kirsten Dunst, On Becoming a God in Central Florida
Natasha Lyonne, Russian Doll
Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Fleabag
Taking a sharp but small one-woman play and building it into an international sensation, Fleabag‘s writer-star Phoebe Waller-Bridge dominates a strong field of funny, flawed comic women.
Most Likely to/Should Win
Phoebe Waller-Bridge
CATEGORY: Actor, TV Musical/Comedy
Michael Douglas, The Kominsky Method
Bill Hader, Barry
Ben Platt, The Politician
Paul Rudd, Living with Yourself
Ramy Youssef, Ramy
Having rewarded Old Hollywood a year ago with Douglas’s win for the terrific freshman season of The Kominsky Method, the Globes are likely to go for something more adventurous and follow the Emmys’ lead with a Globe for Hader as the conflicted hit man/actor. Still, I can’t help but think that the very likable Paul Rudd’s demanding double act as a mensch and his clone could steal the show.
Most Likely to Win
Bill Hader
Should Win
Hader or Paul Rudd
CATEGORY: Best Limited Series or TV-Movie
Catch-22, Hulu
Chernobyl, HBO
Fosse/Verdon, FX
The Loudest Voice, Showtime
Unbelievable, Netflix
HBO’s devastating docudrama about the 1986 nuclear-plant disaster and the ensuing government cover-up has all the elements of a winner. If any underdog has a chance, it’s Unbelievable, a searing and wonderfully acted true-crime story of sexual assault and detection, which came out of nowhere in the endless tide of Netflix tide to become a favorite on year-end lists.
Most Likely to Win
Chernobyl
Should Win
Unbelievable
Should Have Been Nominated
When They See Us, Netflix
CATEGORY: Actress, Limited Series/Movie
Kaitlyn Dever, Unbelievable
Joey King, The Act
Helen Mirren, Catherine the Great
Merritt Wever, Unbelievable
Michelle Williams, Fosse/Verdon
A triple-threat at acting, singing and dancing, Michelle Williams’ portrayal of the Broadway legend Gwen Verdon on and off stage is as much of a shoo-in as Renée Zellweger’s Judy in the movie categories. Either of the Unbelievable actresses would be as worthy a choice, but Williams has owned the awards stage this year.
Most Likely to/Should Win
Michelle Williams
CATEGORY: Actor, Limited Series/Movie
Christopher Abbott, Catch-22
Sacha Baron Cohen, The Spy
Russell Crowe, The Loudest Voice
Jared Harris, Chernobyl
Sam Rockwell, Fosse/Verdon
Any other year, the Borat prankster’s impressive dramatic turn as an Israeli spy would be a front-runner. But the race in this category is between Harris as the principled Russian scientist and Crowe for his dramatic transformation into Fox News founder Roger Ailes. I’m betting the guy with all the padding gets the Globe.
Most Likely to Win
Russell Crowe
Should Win
Jared Harris
CATEGORY: Supporting Actress in Series or Limited Series
Patricia Arquette, The Act
Helena Bonham Carter, The Crown
Toni Collette, Unbelievable
Meryl Streep, Big Little Lies
Emily Watson, Chernobyl
Helena Bonham Carter was a terrifically entertaining Princess Margaret — she even charmed LBJ! — while Toni Collette was my favorite female TV detective of the year, and Patricia Arquette was a memorably mad mama in The Act. But is anyone going to deny Meryl Streep a Globe (and an opportunity for another great speech) for stealing the second season of Lies from her starry ensemble? Not likely.
Most Likely to Win
Meryl Streep
Should Win
Helena Bonham Carter
CATEGORY: Supporting Actor in Series or Limited Series
Alan Arkin, The Kominsky Method
Kieran Culkin, Succession
Andrew Scott, Fleabag
Stellan Skarsgård, Chernobyl
Henry Winkler, Barry
Two words: Hot Priest. As Fleabag‘s caustic romantic foil, Andrew Scott should have this grab-bag category locked up by bringing so much smoldering intensity to an instantly iconic character. Skarsgård has the dramatic chops, and Winkler is beloved in Hollywood, but this is Fleabag‘s year, and why not just bow to its greatness?
Most Likely to/Should Win
Andrew Scott
Happy New Awards Year! As the Golden Globes barely waits for the confetti to blow away to kick off the 2020 awards season, we engage in the annual crapshoot of trying to figure out what and who the 90-some members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association will honor.
TV is something of an afterthought here — no directing or writing awards, plus the supporting categories are a mishmash of series and limited-series actors — and we’ve already noted how for the first time ever, not a single broadcast-network series or star made the cut.
But that won’t stop us from weighing in on who should and is most likely to take home a Globe in the gallery above.
77th Annual Golden Globe Awards, Sunday, January 5, 8 pm ET/5 pm PT, NBC
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