Breaking Down The 2024 Golden Globe Nominations!

Whew! With not but two major union strikes in Hollywood occurring over the Summer, for a while there it seemed like Awards Season might be called off altogether. But with both the WGA and SAG/AFTRA coming to agreements with the studios, Awards Season is officially back on – as are many of the long-delayed productions/releases – and we’re kicking off the big ones with this mornings Golden Globe nominations!

Not surprisingly, it was a very #Barbenheimer list, with lots of expected results but also some not-so expected. Let’s break it all down!

FILM

- As mentioned, the dynamic duo of Summer blockbusters Barbie and Oppenheimer dominated the nominations. Barbie was the overall champ with 10 nods (the second-most in Globes history!) with Oppenheimer not far behind with 8. The other 2 most-nominated films this year include Killers of the Flower Moon and Poor Things (currently in limited release), each with 7, painting a decisive picture of what this year’s Oscar race could look like.

- Meanwhile, Maestro – aka Bradley Cooper’s latest bid to finally get himself an Oscar – didn’t really meet expectations. Oh, it was nominated for Best Drama Film, Best Actress (Carey Mulligan), and Bradley himself scored 2 nominations for Best Actor and Best Director, but in the same year that both Oppenheimer and Barbie dominated our screens… well, better luck next year maybe?

- One category that Barbie has in an absolute chokehold is Best Original Song, with half of the 6 nominated songs being from Barbie (including Dua Lipa and Billie Eilish’s songs, along with the utterly meme-able “I’m Just Ken”).

- As for Greta Gerwig, she very expectedly finds herself in both the Best Director and Best Screenplay categories, and this year she actually has some feminine company. Yes, that’s right, TWO whole women are included in both Director and Screenplay categories, with Past Lives writer/director Celine Song being recognized. So… yay for that!

- While The Color Purple (whose non-musical 1985 counterpart scored 5 nominations and 1 win) seemed a shoe-in for a Best Comedy or Musical Film nomination, the yet-to-be-released stage adaptation was surprisingly shut out. It did manage to earn nods for its stars Fantasia Barrino and Danielle Brooks, but no inclusion in the Musical category feels… odd. In fact, there are no actual musicals (Wonka? The Little Mermaid?) nominated in this category at all. Go figure.

TELEVISION

- A few powerhouse TV shows that ended this year are making their last big push for Globes glory. “Succession”, no surprise, leads the way among all TV contenders this year, racking up 8 nominations – most of them in the male acting categories, with 6 of the 8 noms going to the show’s actors! They might have a chance too – or they can split the vote in the Lead Actor in a Drama Series category and have it end up going to “The Last of Us” star Pedro Pascal instead… I for one wouldn’t be mad about that!

Meanwhile, on the funnier side of things, “Ted Lasso” had a rather lackluster showing with only 3 nominations (though, to be fair, “Ted Lasso” usually does better at the Emmys than the Globes). Jason Sudeikis has won the Globe twice for this show and it’ll be interesting if he can pull it off again this year against the likes of “The Bear” breakout Jeremy Allen White. It should be noted, though, that “Lasso” star Juno Temple did get a nomination this year but for a different show – the currently-airing “Fargo”.

- Speaking of Pedro Pascal, the critical and fan fave video game adaptation "The Last of Us" made a not-too shabby appearance on the lists, with the aforementioned star recognized along with his co-star Bella Ramsay, who scored a Best Actress nom. The show itself made it into the Best Drama Series category, which might have to be enough since it’s up against the likely winner and network-mate, “Succession”.

- The Lead Actress in a Drama Series list is definitely one for the ages – literally! The age range among these 6 talented actresses ranges from 20 years old (Bella Ramsay) to 78 (Helen Mirren), with Emma Stone (35), Sarah Snook (36), Keri Russell (47), and Imelda Staunton (67) rounding out the category. We love to see it!

- And speaking of Emma Stone, the Oscar-winner has a chance to score her second AND third Golden Globes this year, and she finds herself nominated for both her work in film (Poor Things) and TV (“The Curse”)! Her chances in either, though, are pretty slim considering she is up against the likes of Margot Robbie and Sarah Snook. But you never know!

- In The Best Actress in a Comedy Series, Elle Fanning has a third and final chance of taking home a Globe for her great work in “The Great”, while Rachel Brosnahan tries to score her third and final Globe for her marvelous performance in “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”. They have their work cut out for them, though, as they’ll be going up against “The Bear” breakout Ayo Edebiri and “Poker Face” star Natasha Lyonne. Selena Gomez also enjoys her third nomination in this category, for “Only Murders In The Building”, while past winner Quinta Brunson makes an obligatory appearance in the hopes of getting her second Globe in this category.

- I was delighted to see “Jury Duty”, Amazon Freevee’s wholesome Spring hit, make a little cameo appearance in the nominations this morning (Best Comedy Series, and Best Supporting Actor in a Series for James Marsden); it’s just a shame that it’s unwitting breakout star, Ronald Gladden, doesn’t qualify.

- Buzzy Netflix limited series “Beef”, coming off an incredible Emmys run (13 noms!), continues a respectable Awards Season showing with 3 major nominations for Best Limited/Anthology Series or TV Movie and its stars Steven Yeun and Ali Wong. But it has to beat out critical and audience darling “Daisy Jones & The Six”.

- One of our favorite new series, “Yellowjackets”, has finally made it into the Globes list but in only 1 measly category – Best Supporting Actress in TV Series. Though I guess if you had to choose just one person to nominate, Christina Ricci is a safe bet.

NEW CATEGORIES

- This year saw the introduction of 2 new categories to the Globes docket. The first, Cinematic and Box Office Achievement, recognizes films that typically wouldn’t find itself among these nominees, and so films like Gardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, John Wick: Chapter 4, and, yes, even Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour Movie made appearances in the lists this morning. However, they may have shot themselves in the foot with this one because, guess what? Barbie was nominated in this category too.

The other new category – and one which will probably enjoy better success – is Best Performance in Standup Comedy or Television, with a diverse list of comedians including 6 men (Ricky Gervais, Trevor Noah, Chris Rock) and 6 women (Amy Schumer, Sarah Silverman, Wanda Sykes) vying for the prize.

Check out the full list of nominees here. The 81st Annual Golden Globes will air on January 7, 2024, on CBS. Congrats to all the nominees, and good luck!