Jason Sudeikis was all of us when he won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy series, stammering a bit in shock before cobbling together a respectable speech. Bleary-eyed, with mussed hair, the “Ted Lasso” star had seen better days, repping his sister’s dance/fitness center on his tie-dyed hoodie and looking like he’d definitely rather be sleeping. (Fair enough. Production on the next season of “Ted Lasso” is currently underway and with it being 2 a.m. in London at the time of the ceremony, we can’t blame him for being exhausted.)
But the most striking thing about Sudeikis’ (much-deserved) win and acceptance speech is that it seemed so representative of life early in the pandemic, when people were harried and tired, stressed and sick with uncertainty. It was a strange mirror into our past and a testament to how far we’ve come since last year.
The problem, then, is with everything else that happened at the Golden Globes ceremony, which also hearkened back to the early days of the pandemic but for all the wrong reasons. All of a sudden we were transported back to the days of fumbling through awkward Zoom calls with older relatives, trying to explain the new telecommuting platform while explaining that they didn’t need to hold the phone that close to their face and also, stop walking around the living room.
Except all that was happening with Hollywood’s biggest stars. Also, it was happening nearly a year into a pandemic that had forced us all to figure out better solutions for telecommuting and telecommunication and yet here we were. Watching as Daniel Kaluuya accepted his award with his mic muted and Gillian Anderson’s Zoom screen name appeared on the screen as she gave her speech.
It was embarrassing — which IndieWire critic Ben Travers will explore more — and the cherry on top of a week that only served to underline the unnecessary existence of the Golden Globes and, by extension, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
And yet, for now, the Golden Globes serve as a featured player in the entertainment awards machine, so let’s sort through the insight gleaned from the most excruciating, three-hour Zoom call in history.
Comedy
As the sun sets on Pop TV’s “Schitt’s Creek,” a new day dawns for Apple TV+’s “Ted Lasso.” After sweeping the comedy categories at the Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony, the love for the Canadian fish-out-of-water series is making its final rounds of the awards circuit and collected two awards — for comedy series and comedy actress (Catherine O’Hara) — on Sunday night. But more significant than the awards that “Schitt’s Creek” won, is the awards that they lost.
Specifically, in the comedy actor race, Eugene Levy was edged out by the aforementioned Sudeikis in comedy actor. It’s a move that suggests what fans might expect as we inch ever closer to the end of the eligibility period and the beginning of Emmy season in earnest.
It would have been easy to sit this one out and just give Levy the win. After all, he’s a beloved figure within the industry and the HFPA apparently had no idea that “Schitt’s Creek” existed until it won all those Emmys in September. But going with Sudeikis — in Apple TV+’s first ever Golden Globe win — would suggest that “Ted Lasso” is in peak position to secure the frontrunner’s spot in the comedy categories.
Drama
Meanwhile, the Golden Globe drama categories played out precisely as expected, with Netflix’s “The Crown” taking home four prizes off of six nominations. If that doesn’t seem impressive on its face, consider that the only categories that saw an actor from “The Crown” defeated,was a category in which one of their co-stars won, with wins for drama series, lead actor in a drama (Josh O’Connor), lead actress in a drama (Emma Corrin, beating out co-star Olivia Colman), and supporting actress (Gillian Anderson, beating out co-star Helena Bonham-Carter).
While Netflix is assuredly thrilled by the dominance of its royal drama, it’s possible the streamer might feel a little sore about the reception for “Ozark.” The crime drama has been picking up speed when it comes to awards nominations, earning 18 at the Emmy Awards last year and four for this year’s Golden Globes, but has managed only one win — Julia Garner’s repeat win at the Emmys for supporting actress in a drama — between the two.
Limited Series
That said, “Ozark” being overlooked is one of the very, very few things that Netflix might be sore about after the Golden Globes ceremony. Despite rising buzz around HBO’s soapy limited series “The Undoing,” starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant, the HFPA’s heart remained with Netflix’s “The Queen’s Gambit.” The presumptive limited series Emmy favorite starring Anya Taylor-Joy as a troubled chess prodigy went two-for-two Sunday night, winning both its nominated categories: limited series and actress in a limited series.
Also of particular note was John Boyega’s win for supporting actor for his work in Amazon Prime Video’s “Small Axe.” A collection of short films from Steve McQueen that will be competing as an anthology series at the Emmys, Boyega’s win is the first indicator we have of whether or not the series might be embraced on the awards circuit to come, considering its unconventional use of the medium.
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