In with the new! Nominations for the 74th annual Golden Globe Awards were announced Monday, December 12, and — as is usually the case with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s prizes — some of the season’s buzziest new shows (This Is Us! Westworld! Stranger Things!) took center stage. But there were plenty of letdowns amid the excitement, as The Americans, Game of Thrones’ Kit Harington, The Walking Dead’s Jeffrey Dean Morgan and basically everyone on Empire can all attest.
Here are some of this year’s biggest snubs and surprises in the TV categories. (Click here to check out our picks for the most heartbreaking omissions in the film categories, including poor Tom Hanks!)
Jon Snow Is Dead to Voters
Fresh off picking up his first-ever Emmy nomination earlier this year, Harington (Jon Snow) will have to wait at least another year to grab his first Golden Globe. Game of Thrones is a perennial awards-season fave, but the only cast member to secure a nom this year was Lena Headey (Cersei Lannister), although the show itself was nominated in the drama category.
Also missing out in the best supporting actor category was The Walking Dead’s terrifying Morgan (Negan), who picked up a Critics’ Choice prize over the weekend for best guest performer in a drama series. The series itself struck out (baseball-bat reference!) and was not nominated in any Globes categories.
Fallen Empire
Empire and The Americans were both snubbed from the best drama category, with the latter seen as particularly egregious, since it is among the most-heralded series currently on the air and finally earned its first best series Emmy nomination earlier this year. The FX drama at least saw acting noms for its stars (Matthew Rhys and Keri Russell), which is more than can be said for Empire, as the cast — including standout Taraji P. Henson (Cookie Lyon) — was ignored.
Other drama series having a tough day are all the Shondaland shows, as Grey’s Anatomy, How to Get Away With Murder and Scandal were on the sidelines. (Both HTGAWM’s Viola Davis and Scandal’s Kerry Washington have been previously nominated, and were recognized this year for other projects.) USA’s Mr. Robot won last year for best drama but was forgotten this year, while other eyebrow-raising omissions in the drama category included Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black) and Robin Wright (House of Cards).
Peaks and (Silicon) Valleys
The Globes continued its surprising love for Mozart in the Jungle, with the Amazon series hitting the right notes to earn nominations for best comedy and best actor in a comedy (Gael Garcia Bernal), giving the show a chance to repeat its wins in both categories from last year. Also grabbing a comedy series nom was new FX show Atlanta, meaning Silicon Valley — the winner of best comedy at the Critics’ Choice ceremony on Sunday, December 11 — was among the castoffs.
This Is Enough?
While NBC’s This Is Us picked up three big nominations (series, plus Chrissy Metz and Mandy Moore), as did HBO’s Westworld (series, along with Evan Rachel Wood and Thandie Newton), both shows’ fans probably were hoping for more. Milo Ventimiglia didn’t get acknowledged for playing Moore’s husband on This Is Us, and Westworld’s Anthony Hopkins getting left out is a bit of a surprise. (Speaking of Ventimiglia, Gilmore Girls’ fans were probably hoping that show’s Netflix revival would see some love, although the series has never been a major awards contender.)
Similarly, Netflix’s Stranger Things picked up Globes attention for best series and Winona Ryder, but no supporting actress nomination for breakout star Millie Bobbie Brown.
Tell Us: Which of the snubs depress you the most?
The 74th annual Golden Globe Awards, hosted by Jimmy Fallon, air on NBC Sunday, January 8, at 8 p.m. ET.
