PREDICTING THE GOLDEN GLOBES - TELEVISION

PREDICTING THE GOLDEN GLOBES – TV

As any frustrated American TV critic will tell you, the Golden Globes and the HFPA don’t actually care about television. They merely include it so some more stars turn up and the ceremony runs interminably long. But I care about television, god damn it, so at the expense of my own sanity here is a series of predictions for the Golden Globe awards for television.

BEST DRAMA SERIES

BOARDWALK EMPIRE

DEXTER

THE GOOD WIFE

MAD MEN

THE WALKING DEAD

WILL WIN: MAD MEN SHOULD WIN: THE GOOD WIFE

Despite the presence of Boardwalk Empire - which has the most filmic background of all these series – I still think Mad Men takes out this award. A winner in this category every time it has competed is just too big a run for ‘Empire’ to overcome. In terms of who should win, Empire didn’t get going until its last few episodes, Mad Men had a series of massive highs (The Suitcase) but meandered in places, Dexter has lost its narrative propulsion and The Walking Dead was very good in places but inconsistent. For sheer, thought-provoking, high-octane entertainment, The Good Wife is my pick. It won’t win, though.

BEST COMEDY SERIES

30 ROCK

THE BIG BANG THEORY

THE BIG C

GLEE

MODERN FAMILY

NURSE JACKIE

WILL WIN: MODERN FAMILY SHOULD WIN: MODERN FAMILY

This is an extremely hard category to predict. You have three shows that are exceptionally funny in 30 Rock, The Big Bang Theory and Modern Family but only two (Rock and Family) are critically acclaimed. You have two prestige series in The Big C and Nurse Jackie but neither of which are that good and certainly neither are very funny. Then you have the world’s most gigantic wildcard and last year’s winner, Glee. There has never been a bigger crapshoot. So I’m going to go with the series that has all three basic criteria for success – laughs, critical acclaim and commercial success. That show is also my favourite of the six, Modern Family.

BEST PERFORMANCE IN A TELEVISION SERIES – ACTOR - DRAMA

STEVE BUSCEMI AS NUCKY THOMPSON IN BOARDWALK EMPIRE

JON HAMM AS DON DRAPER IN MAD MEN

BRYAN CRANSTON AS WALTER WHITE IN BREAKING BAD

MICHAEL C. HALL AS DEXTER MORGAN IN DEXTER

HUGH LAURIE AS DR GREGORY HOUSE IN HOUSE

WILL WIN – HUGH LAURIE SHOULD WIN: JON HAMM

I am a massive, massive fan of Hugh Laurie and his performance as House continues to amaze even as the show crumbles around him. This year, however, I think Jon Hamm just edged him when you took the two seasons as a whole. Hamm went to new frontiers in his portrayal of Draper and showed us his vulnerable, drunken pathetic side as well as the aggressive, confident performance we’d been seeing up until then. Ridiculously, they aren’t even the frontrunners. Cranston is magnificent on Breaking Bad, and Buscemi and Hall were the best things about their respective shows. I’m going to go with Laurie because he’s British. No better reason than that.

BEST PERFORMANCE IN A TELEVISION SERIES- ACTRESS – DRAMA

JULIANNA MARGUILES AS ALICIA FLORRICK IN THE GOOD WIFE

ELISABETH MOSS AS PEGGY OLSON IN MAD MEN

KYRA SEDGWICK AS BRENDA LEIGH JOHNSON IN THE CLOSER

KATEY SEGAL AS GEMMA TELLER MORROW IN SONS OF ANARCHY

PIPER PERABO AS ANNIE WALKER IN COVERT AFFAIRS

WILL AND SHOULD WIN – ELISABETH MOSS

I have a sneaking feeling that this is just Elisabeth Moss’s year. Her role as Peggy grew in prominence, she had a fantastic showcase episode and she’s become on of the best things about an already outstanding show. Kyra Sedgwick and Julianna Marguiles are excellent chances as well. I think Sagal had a better season on Sons last year and Perabo’s nomination is just ridiculous. Not that she’s not good, she is, but she’s on a show that doesn’t give her a whole lot to do.

BEST PERFORMANCE IN A TELEVISION SERIES – ACTOR – MUSICAL OR COMEDY

ALEC BALDWIN AS JACK DONAGHY IN 30 ROCK

STEVE CARELL AS MICHAEL SCOTT IN THE OFFICE

THOMAS JANE AS RAY DRECKER IN HUNG

MATTHEW MORRISON AS WILL SCHUESTER IN GLEE

JIM PARSONS AS SHELDON COOPER IN THE BIG BANG THEORY

WILL AND SHOULD WIN: JIM PARSONS

Even though the way his character is written can sometimes overshadow the show in general, let nothing be taken away from Parsons’ impeccable performance. He is a deserving winner over two giants whose best days are behind them (Carell, Baldwin), a good actor on a bad show (Jane) and a character descending slowly into madness (Morrison). One of the easier picks in the entire awards ceremony, and I would be highly surprised to see an upset.

*A note about Morrison. Even though Will Schuester has become a bizarre, borderline creepy character of Glee, I still think Morrison deserves a nomination in this category for his outstanding singing and dancing. If performance skills is one of the yardsticks we judge these things by, I don’t begrudge him the nom.

BEST PERFORMANCE IN A TELEVISION SERIES – ACTRESS - MUSICAL OR COMEDY

TONI COLLETTE AS TARA GREGSON IN UNITED STATES OF TARA

EDIE FALCO AS JACKIE PEYTON IN NURSE JACKIE

TINE FEY AS LIZ LEMON IN 30 ROCK

LAURA LINNEY AS CATHY JAMISON IN THE BIG C

LEA MICHELE AS RACHEL BERRY IN GLEE

WILL AND SHOULD WIN: LAURA LINNEY

I don’t think the Big C is a good show, but I think Linney is fantastic in it. Fey still isn’t a terrific actress, Michele is only a good actress when she’s singing, Falco is not in a freaking comedy and while I have absolutely no reason to deny Collette a win, I’m just going for Linney on the basis of the fact I like her more. But either Collette or Linney would be deserving of a win here.

BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE IN ANYTHING THAT WAS ON TELEVISION AT ANY POINT BY AN ACTOR

SCOTT CAAN AS DANNY WILLIAMS IN HAWAII FIVE-O

CHRIS COLFER AS KURT HUMMEL IN GLEE

CHRIS NOTH AS PETER FLORRICK IN THE GOOD WIFE

ERIC STONESTREET AS CAMERON TUCKER IN MODERN FAMILY

DAVID STRATHAIRN AS PROFESSOR CARLOCK IN TEMPLE GRANDIN

WILL WIN – ERIC STONESTREET SHOULD WIN: CHRIS COLFER

The oh-bugger-it-we-can’t-bothered-handing-out-any-more-awards category and also one of the more batshit-insane list of nominations. (Stonestreet is outshone by Burrell and Rico Rodriguez, Noth by Josh Charles and Alan Cumming). Straitharn was great, but in a mini-series so it feels weird that he’s in this category. Scott Caan is the best thing about Hawaii Five-O but Hawaii Five-O is superficial, and Chris Colfer is brilliant but on a show getting worse by the minute. I’m picking Stonestreet based on his Emmy win, but I reckon Colfer deserves the win here (for his rendition of I Wanna Hold Your Hand if nothing else.)

BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE IN ANYTHING THAT WAS ON TELEVISION AT ANY POINT BY AN ACTRESS

HOPE DAVIS AS HILLARY CLINTON IN THE SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP

JANE LYNCH AS SUE SYLVESTER IN GLEE

KELLY MACDONALD AS MARGARET SCHROEDER IN BOARDWALK EMPIRE

JULIA STILES AS LUMEN PIERCE IN DEXTER

SOFIA VERGARA AS GLORIA DELGADO-PRITCHETT IN MODERN FAMILY

WILL WIN: KELLY MACDONALD SHOULD WIN: SOFIA VERGARA

Comparing Macdonald’s subtle, developing dramatic performance (which is actually a lead performance, in my opinion ) with Lynch’s full on comedic scenery-chewing is inherently ridiculous, so I’m going to bite the bullet and give the award to Sofia Vergara’s hilarious comic timing and beautiful accent.