Golden Globe Predictions – Television: ‘The Curse’ and ‘Jury Duty’ to Attempt a Nominations Coup

Are the Golden Globes back? Well, they never left, not really, more so just slipped into a strange state of limbo for a year or two. The sentiment stands, but it still isn’t certain that the Globes will ever fully return to their former “glory,” if you’d like to call it that. To up the ante, all categories have been pushed to include six nominees each, adding slightly more room for possible dark horses in certain races.

The television categories are always notable, for the now defunct Hollywood Foreign Press Association, have seemingly no typical pattern when churning out their nominations unless you’re something shiny and new. It seems, if anything, the nominations are designed to engage with shows that have a sense of novelty to them. This year should be an equal blend of new and returning in the television categories. The supporting performance categories have been combined, the categories now representing supporting performances against all television, not splitting them between comedy/drama and limited series/TV Movie. The Globes have also added a category to recognize exceptional performance in stand-up comedy. 

Golden Globe Predictions – Motion Picture: Box Office Will Reign Supreme One Way or Another

It’s an interesting year to speculate about Golden Globe nominations since the Emmys for the year still have not happened due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes taking place. This means we’re going into the Globes nominations without knowing the winners of the Emmys, which provides an interesting playing field for all contenders. 

Series like Succession and The Crown have come to a close in 2023 and the Globes will surely not miss their last opportunity to honor these series, so a few nominations for each will be no surprise when they’re announced. Freshman series like The Curse and The Last of Us will likely make a splash in the drama categories as well, with both major buzz and huge stars to accompany their success. The Globes will surely not be able to resist tossing nominations towards these series, nor should it be a surprise when Barry receives similar treatment on the comedy side of things (though, likely not the same amount of love for the latter). The Globes will surely show love to Jury Duty, Prime Video’s freshman Freevee comedy that grabbed the hearts of audiences everywhere for its lovable leading man, Ronald. Not technically new, but the STARZ revival of Party Down could also pull in enough attention to manage a nomination or two. 

The supporting actor categories are the real bloodbaths, with every supporting performance of 2023 tightly squeezed into six nominations. Tyler James Williams and Ebon Moss-Bachrach will likely find their places within the six, leaving only four slots open for the rest of the competition. Matthew Macfadyen has always been a highlight of Succession, so it would only make sense to see him here for the final season of HBO’s critical darling. James Marsden secured an Emmy nomination for his performance on Jury Duty, and a repeat with the Globes would not be shocking. Another new series, Shrinking, could allow Harrison Ford a nomination in this category. With the actresses, the Abbott Elementary ladies will surely represent with Janelle James and Sheryl Lee Ralph. The most obvious nomination should be Meryl Streep in the supporting actress race for her performance on Only Murders in the Building. 

The new category representing stand-up comedians could be fun and a new way to garner attention for those performers. While there were many great specials this year, the only absolute lock would be Marc Maron for his HBO special, From Bleak to Dark, an ode to mourning his late girlfriend, Lynn Shelton. John Early will also likely appear in the category for his special that came out in June, More Now Than Ever. It will be interesting to see how the inaugural nominee of the category will pan out and how that will set precedent for the years going forward. While there’s no real way to decipher this specific awards body, they sure make it fun. 

Nominations will be announced at 5am PT on Monday, December 11 and the 81st Annual Golden Globe Awards are set to take place on Sunday, January 7, 2024 and air live on CBS.

Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy

• Abbott Elementary (ABC)
• The Bear (FX on Hulu)
• Barry (HBO)
• Jury Duty (Freevee/Prime Video)
• Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)
• Party Down (STARZ)

Next up: The Great (Hulu), Somebody Somewhere (HBO), Ted Lasso (AppleTV+)

Best Television Series – Drama

• The Crown (Netflix)
• The Curse (Showtime)
• The Diplomat (Netflix)
• The Last of Us (HBO)
• The Morning Show (AppleTV+)
• Succession (HBO)

Next up: Justified: City Primeval (FX on Hulu), Loki (Disney+),The Gilded Age (HBO)

Best Television Limited Series or Movie Made for Television

• A Small Light (National Geographic)
• Beef (Netflix)
• Daisy Jones and the Six (Prime Video)
• Fellow Travelers (Showtime)
• Lessons in Chemistry (AppleTV+)
• Swarm (Prime Video)

Next up: All the Light We Cannot See (Netflix), Mrs. Davis (Peacock), Tiny Beautiful Things (Hulu)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama

• Kieran Culkin – Succession (HBO)
• Idris Elba – Hijack (AppleTV+)
• Nathan Fielder – The Curse (Showtime)
• Tom Hiddleston – Loki (Disney+)
• Pedro Pascal – The Last of Us (HBO)
• Jeremy Strong – Succession (HBO)

Next up: Brian Cox – Succession (HBO), Matthew Rhys – Perry Mason (HBO), Omar Sy – Lupin (Netflix)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama

• Jennifer Aniston – The Morning Show (AppleTV+)
• Melanie Lynskey – Yellowjackets (Showtime)
• Bella Ramsey – The Last of Us (HBO)
• Keri Russell – The Diplomat (Netflix)
• Sarah Snook – Succession (HBO)
• Emma Stone – The Curse (Showtime)

Next up: Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor – Justified: City Primeval (FX on Hulu), Rebecca Ferguson – Silo (AppleTV+), Reese Witherspoon – The Morning Show (AppleTV+)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Comedy or Musical

• Rhys Darby – Our Flag Means Death (MAX)
• Bill Hader – Barry (HBO)
• Martin Short – Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)
• Jason Segel – Shrinking (AppleTV+)
• Jason Sudeikis – Ted Lasso (AppleTV+)
• Jeremy Allen White – The Bear (FX on Hulu)

Next up: Steve Martin – Only Murders in the Building (Hulu), Bob Odenkirk – Lucky Hank (AMC), Seth Rogen – Platonic (AppleTV+)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Comedy or Musical

• Quinta Brunson – Abbott Elementary (ABC)
• Ayo Edebiri – The Bear (FX on Hulu)
• Bridget Everett – Somebody Somewhere (HBO)
• Elle Fanning – The Great (Hulu)
• Sarah Lancashire – Julia (MAX)
• Natasha Lyonne – Poker Face (Peacock)

Next up: Rachel Brosnahan – The Marvelous Mrs Maisel (Prime Video), Tiffany Haddish – The Afterparty (AppleTV+), Cecily Strong – Schmigadoon! (AppleTV+), 

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical-Comedy or Drama Television Series

• Harrison Ford – Shrinking (AppleTV+)
• Brett Goldstein – Ted Lasso (AppleTV+)
• James Marsden – Jury Duty (Freevee/Prime Video)
• Matthew Macfadyen – Succession (HBO)
• Ebon Moss-Bachrach – The Bear (FX on Hulu)
• Tyler James Williams – Abbott Elementary (ABC)

Next up: Billy Crudup – The Morning Show (AppleTV+), Jon Hamm – The Morning Show (AppleTV+), Alan Ruck – Succession (HBO)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical-Comedy or Drama Television Series

• Elizabeth Debicki – The Crown (Netflix)
• Janelle James – Abbott Elementary (ABC)
• Jennifer Jason Leigh – Fargo (FX on Hulu)
• Sheryl Lee Ralph – Abbott Elementary (ABC)
• Meryl Streep – Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)
• Hannah Waddingham – Ted Lasso (AppleTV+)

Next up: Lesley Manville – The Crown (Netflix), Carla Gugino – Fall of the House of Usher (Netflix), J. Smith-Cameron – Succession (HBO)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series, Anthology Series, or a Motion Picture Made for Television

• Matt Bomer – Fellow Travelers (Showtime)
• Sam Claflin – Daisy Jones and the Six (Prime Video)
• Jon Hamm – Fargo (FX on Hulu)
• Jharrel Jerome – I’m a Virgo (Prime Video)
• Woody Harrelson – The White House Plumbers (HBO)
• Steven Yeun – Beef (Netflix)

Next up: Joe Cole – A Small Light (National Geographic), Bruce Greenwood – Fall of the House of Usher (Netflix)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series, Anthology Series, or a Motion Picture Made for Television

• Dominique Fishback – Swarm (Prime Video)
• Riley Keough – Daisy Jones and the Six (Prime Video)
• Brie Larson – Lessons in Chemistry (AppleTV+)
• Juno Temple – Fargo (FX on Hulu)
• Rachel Weisz – Dead Ringers (Prime Video)
• Ali Wong – Beef (Netflix)

Next up: Emma Corrin – A Murder at the End of the World (FX on Hulu), Kathryn Hahn – Tiny Beautiful Things (Hulu), Sydney Sweeney – Reality (MAX)

Best Stand-Up Comedian on Television

• Maria Bamford, Local Act (AppleTV+)
• Mike Birbligia, The Old Man and the Pool (Netflix)
• John Early, Now More than Ever (HBO)
• Marc Maron, From Bleak to Dark (HBO)
• Sam Jay, Salute Me or Shoot Me (HBO)
• Beth Stelling, If You Didn’t Want Me Then (Netflix)

Next up: Mo’Nique, My Name is Mo’Nique (Netflix), Marlon Wayans, God Loves Me (MAX)