Golden Globe TV predictions: Will it be another ‘Schitt’ show or can ‘I May Destroy You’ and ‘P-Valley’ break in?

The org is famous for recognizing emerging talent and first season shows so we could expect HBO’s I May Destroy You and P-Valley from Starz among the ranks

Last Sunday, Schitt’s Creek pulled off an incredible feat: winning all seven major awards in the comedy series categories. Only done once before, in the miniseries categories by Angels in America in 2004, this could propel Schitt’s Creek towards more accolades at the Golden Globes, but with summer ending, could new shows disrupt the momentum? Schitt’s Creek might be eyeing the comedy categories at the Globes, but they’ll have steep new competition to face. Michaela Coel’s new comedy about power and consent, I May Destroy You, has garnered rave reviews ever since release in July. The Great, a dark comedy following Catherine the Great’s rise to power, is another new summer comedy that could disturb Schitt’s Creek momentum. Coming from earlier in the year, Avenue 5, Armando Iannucci’s follow-up to Veep, is looking to make waves since it missed out at the Emmys. With awards darlings The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Barry ineligible, will that leave up room for these new series? 

Ramy Youssef may have lost the Emmy last week, but he did win the Golden Globe earlier this year for his work in the first season of his show, Ramy. He’ll surely be nominated again, but will he be able to compete against Eugene Levy from the final season of Schitt’s Creek? Since 2012, there have only been two winners representing a sophomore season of a comedy, the rest all winning for the first seasons of their respective shows. There have been no repeat winners, though, so Youssef might find himself at a disadvantage there. Hugh Laurie is coming in with Avenue 5’s premiere season, and is already a Globes darling himself, having won three already. Nicholas Hoult could be another addition for someone in a new series, having done excellent work in The Great’s premiere season. Larry David could round out the nominations simply because he’s Larry David, so that will be something to watch as well. On the actress side, it seems that Catherine O’Hara might be the shoe-in to win this year, with stiff competition coming from Elle Fanning in The Great and Issa Rae for Insecure. 

The Limited Series/Movie-Made-for-Television categories look like all the nominations will be going to limited series and replacing television movies altogether. Bad Education, the HBO comedy starring Hugh Jackman that was acquired at TIFF last year, could be the only entry for television movie, and that still remains a long shot. Not only will Watchmen be ineligible (it aired entirely in 2019), there are a plethora of new limited series coming out this fall. The Undoing, starring Nicole Kidman and written by David E. Kelley, will surely be an awards contender at the Globes. As mentioned previously, the Globes have no issue honoring the newest shows around, and with Nicole Kidman starring, there’s sure to be a nomination in her future as well. That mentioned, she could find herself up against Anya Taylor-Joy in Netflix’s newest limited series, The Queen’s Gambit, playing a chess prodigy with a pill addiction that shakes up the male-dominated world of professional chess. It would be her first nomination at the Globes, but not a surprising one as new talent is always music to the Hollywood Foreign Press’ ears. It seems Little Fires Everywhere might not make it into the pool of nominees given the amount of limited series that came out and its mixed reviews upon premiere. It also hurts the series that it came out so much earlier in the year and hasn’t been discussed as much, but it could still garner a nomination for Kerry Washington for her stunning performance of a mother trying to help another in any way she can, and possibly for Emmy-snubbed Reese Witherspoon. 

Paul Mescal from Normal People finds himself in a very good spot this year, the series having been a huge critical succession and he himself garnering praise for his performance. The show also has the shiny newness that the Globes looks for. He’ll definitely find himself competing against Mark Ruffalo, hot off his Emmy win for I Know This Much is True. Hugh Grant should also easily earn a nomination alongside his co-star Nicole Kidman for The Undoing, a new mystery series from HBO. Chris Rock is already receiving praise for his work in the newest season of Fargo, another beloved series of the Globes, so it wouldn’t be surprising to find that he takes the last nomination of the bunch. Of these, it really seems like Paul Mescal might have the upper hand and find himself victorious on the night of the ceremony. Plus, if he wins, everyone will get to hear his accent again and we all want that… or is that just me?

It will be interesting to see if AMC’s newest, Soulmates, a show about a scientific way to find one’s soulmate, is able to break in with the other limited series. It doesn’t have as strong of a buzz as these other series, so it might not be able to make it unless AMC makes a huge awards push for it in the coming months. Another limited series to watch out for will be HBO’s The Third Day, starring Jude Law and Moonlight’s Naomie Harris. Both strong actors, it will be up to HBO to push the show harder to get the attention needed for the Globes. Emily Watson is also in the HBO series, perhaps gaining a nomination since it hasn’t been too long since she was nominated last year for Chernobyl. 

In the Drama categories, there are also a few new contenders. Ratched, Ryan Murphy’s newest Netflix offering that serves as a prequel to One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, yields an incredible performance from Sarah Paulson that is sure to break into the Golden Globes. Lovecraft Country over at HBO has been growing in popularity week by week and will surely find itself competing with the best of dramas come January. The Golden Globes usually tend to go for the newest, shiniest series, which brings me to believe that P-Valley, a drama about a strip club and all that walk through its doors, has a chance to break into series and for the incredible performance given by Nicco Annan as a non-binary femme that owns the club. The Golden Globes also like to highlight young nominees, so Jack Dylan Grazer, the youngest in the category at 17, could really benefit from that for his performance in We Are Who We Are. 

The Crown’s fourth season premieres in November, having just finished production right before the COVID-19 pandemic began. The Globes love The Crown, having already awarded Olivia Colman and Claire Foy before her for their role as Queen Elizabeth II. It won’t be a surprise to see Olivia Colman, Helena Bonham Carter and Tobias Menzies all receive nominations for their roles in the show, as well as a Best Drama series nomination. Sterling K. Brown is another Globes favorite, so he will surely be joining Menzies and Grazer in the best leading actor category, along with Jason Bateman from Ozark and Better Call Saul’s Bob Odenkirk. It has surely been an interesting year filled with great television and it will be interesting to see how the Globes adapt to reflect that.

Best Television Series – Drama

• The Crown (Netflix)
• P-Valley (Starz)
• Lovecraft Country (HBO)
• Ozark (Netflix)
• We Are Who We Are (HBO)

Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series – Drama

• Jason Bateman, Ozark
• Tobias Menzies, The Crown
• Sterling K. Brown, This is Us
• Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul
• Jack Dylan Grazer, We Are Who We Are

Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series – Drama

• Sarah Paulson, Ratched
• Jurnee Smollett, Lovecraft Country
• Olivia Colman, The Crown
• Laura Linney, Ozark
• Sandra Oh, Killing Eve

Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy

• Avenue 5 (HBO)
• The Great (Hulu)
• I May Destroy You (HBO)
• Ramy (Hulu)
• Schitt’s Creek (POP TV)

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

• Ramy Youssef, Ramy
• Eugene Levy, Schitt’s Creek
• Larry David, Curb Your Enthusiasm
• Nicholas Hoult, The Great
• Hugh Laurie, Avenue 5

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

• Michaela Coel, I May Destroy You
• Catherine O’Hara, Schitt’s Creek
• Christina Applegate, Dead to Me
• Elle Fanning, The Great
• Issa Rae, Insecure

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

• Annie Murphy, Schitt’s Creek
• Helena Bonham Carter, The Crown
• Uzo Aduba, Mrs. America
• Emily Watson, The Third Day
• Yvonne Orji, Insecure

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

• Daniel Levy, Schitt’s Creek
• Jeffrey Wright, Westworld
• Nicco Annan, P-Valley
• Donald Sutherland, The Undoing
• Mahershala Ali, Ramy

Best Motion Picture Made for Television or Limited Series

• Little Fires Everywhere (HBO)
• Mrs. America (FX)
• The Undoing (HBO)
• The Queen’s Gambit (Netflix)
• Unorthodox (Netflix)

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

• Mark Ruffalo, I Know This Much is True
• Paul Mescal, Normal People
• Jude Law, The Third Day
• Hugh Grant, The Undoing
• Chris Rock, Fargo

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

• Reese Witherspoon, Little Fires Everywhere
• Nicole Kidman, The Undoing
• Kerry Washington, Little Fires Everywhere
• Anya Taylor-Joy, The Queen’s Gambit
• Shira Haas, Unorthodox