Logo

OPEN MIC BLOG
Hillary Atkin

The Golden Globes, Airing This Sunday, Are Usually More Adventuresome Picking Their Winners Than the Emmys. Let’s See Whether That Holds Up This Year. Here Are Hillary’s Picks

Jan 10, 2014

When it comes to handing out hardware to television shows and talent, Golden Globes voters have a long history of being ahead of the curve in recognizing quality new programming on the small screen. Members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) seem to have no issue giving trophies to freshman outings — rather than waiting to award them after they have several seasons under their belts, as often happens with other kudo-fests.

Yes, Emmy Awards, we’re talking about you. No disrespect, but ATAS voters didn’t fully wrap their arms around “The Sopranos” as Outstanding Drama until many seasons in on HBO, amongst many other such examples of delayed recognition.

But back to the Globes, which air this Sunday on NBC with second-time hostesses with the mostest, Amy Poehler and Tina Fey, who go in with job security that they’ll be the emcees next year as well.

The HFPA’s willingness to award the new over the established could bode well for several of this year’s TV contenders. Here are my predictions as to who the Golden Globe TV winners will be:

Best TV Comedy or Musical
Girls
Modern Family
Parks and Recreation
The Big Bang Theory
Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Hillary’s Pick: It would be a huge upset if Fox’s new comedy “B 99” took the honors from defending champ “Girls” or awards darlings “Big Bang” or “MF” — both of which were nominated for Globes last year — but it would be trophy rocket fuel for the Andy Samberg/Andre Braugher starrer.

Best TV Drama
Breaking Bad
Downton Abbey
The Good Wife
House of Cards
Masters of Sex

Hillary’s Pick: Two newbies, “House” and “Masters,” broke through and knocked out previous favorites including “Homeland” and “Mad Men.” Globe voters have never been “Bad” and therefore we doubt that they will change their tune despite its boffo finale. Tough call on who will take the trophy, but we’ll place our bets on Netflix’s entry, “House of Cards.”

Best Actress in a TV Drama
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black
Taylor Schilling, Orange Is the New Black
Kerry Washington, Scandal
Robin Wright, House of Cards

Hillary’s Pick: The three women in three new, acclaimed dramas — Maslany, Schilling and Wright — each hold a strong appeal for the HFPA. Margulies is the only repeat contender in this race for best leading lady — she took the trophy in 2010. Claire Danes, winner the past two years for “Homeland,” isn’t in the running. We’re thinking W — as in Wright.

Best Actress in a TV Comedy
Zooey Deschanel, New Girl
Lena Dunham, Girls
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation

Hillary’s Pick: Dunham got the statuette last year, but the HFPA doesn’t often favor repeat winners. Julia Louis-Dreyfus hasn’t won this category since “Seinfeld,” and given her feature nomination for “Enough Said,” seems to be attracting much Globe love, so JLD is my pick here.

Best Actor in a TV Drama
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Liev Schreiber, Ray Donovan
Michael Sheen, Masters of Sex
Kevin Spacey, House of Cards
James Spader, The Blacklist

Hillary’s Pick: Talk about the freshness factor. Recent winners starring in still-running shows, Steve Buscemi and Damian Lewis, aren’t even in the running. Each one of the current entrants is incredibly strong, but we’re betting on Spacey to take it home and give Netflix yet another reason to celebrate its move into original programming.

Best Actor in a TV Comedy
Jason Bateman, Arrested Development
Don Cheadle, House of Lies
Michael J. Fox, The Michael J. Fox Show
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory
Andy Samberg, Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Hillary’s Pick: Cheadle is the reigning king, Parsons won three years ago, Bateman was anointed for the original “Arrested” in 2005. Since the HFPA isn’t known for year-to-year repeats, with few exceptions — sorry, Mr. Cheadle — Samberg and Fox will battle it out for the 2014 Globe, with Fox taking the statuette.

Best Miniseries or TV Movie
American Horror Story: Coven
Behind the Candelabra
Dancing on the Edge
Top of the Lake
White Queen

Hillary’s Pick: Starz is making quite a splash with two entries, “Dancing” and “White Queen,” but as usual, HBO is the one to beat in this category with my pick, “Candelabra.”

Best Actress in a Miniseries or TV Movie
Helena Bonham Carter, Burton and Taylor
Rebecca Ferguson, White Queen
Jessica Lange, American Horror Story
Helen Mirren, Phil Spector
Elisabeth Moss, Top of the Lake

Hillary’s Pick: Ferguson is the new face, Mirren, Lange and Carter have the movie star appeal and Moss broke out from her award-winning role as Peggy on “Mad Men” to take the lead on a noir crime drama. We’re feeling Lange has the most chops to impress the foreign press.

Best Actor in a Miniseries or TV Movie
Matt Damon, Behind the Candelabra
Michael Douglas, Behind the Candelabra
Chiwetel Ejiofor, Dancing on the Edge
Idris Elba, Luther
Al Pacino, Phil Spector

Hillary’s Pick: Movie stars all, with Ejiofor and Elba getting lauded all around this season for their feature roles in “12 Years a Slave” and “Mandela.” Yet Douglas as Liberace feels like a lock for the HFPA’s crown.

Best Supporting Actress in a TV Show, Miniseries or TV Movie
Jacqueline Bisset, Dancing on the Edge
Janet McTeer, White Queen
Hayden Panettiere, Nashville
Monica Potter, Parenthood
Sofia Vergara, Modern Family

Hillary’s Pick: It’s the Starz women, Bisset and McTeer, against the broadcast networks’ supporting femmes. McTeer would be the boldest choice, Vergara the most populist/mainstream. Since the HFPA likes to be on the leading edge, I say that they’ll likely go cable and will choose McTeer.

Best Supporting Actor in a TV Show, Miniseries or TV Movie
Josh Charles, The Good Wife
Rob Lowe, Behind the Candelabra
Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad
Corey Stoll, House of Cards
Jon Voight, Ray Donovan

Hillary’s Pick: It will be difficult for any of the contenders to top Voight’s over-the-top portrayal in the Showtime drama “Ray Donovan,” his best role in years, filled with passion, pathos, subterfuge, sex and humor.

Your Comment

Email (will not be published)