All of which is to say that having the Golden Globe nominees and the Writers Guild of America nominees announced on the same day is absolutely wild. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association is never afraid to blaze its own path when it comes to nominations for the Golden Globes — vacillating wildly between buzzy upstarts and movie stars with few stops in-between — while the WGA generally presents a more contemplative slate of nominees. Not perfect, but it provides a better insight into the breadth of what TV has to offer.
It’s little surprise, then, that there are not many crossover nominees between the two organizations. Take the comedy series category. At the Golden Globes, the contenders included “Emily in Paris,” “Ted Lasso,” “The Flight Attendant,” “Schitt’s Creek,” and “The Great.” At WGA the category looks more like this: “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “The Great,” “PEN15,” “Ted Lasso,” and “What We Do in the Shadows.” Apple TV+ fan favorite “Ted Lasso” shows up on both lists, as does Hulu’s royal satire, “The Great,” but that’s where the overlap ends. But I don’t need to tell you how different the Globes and the WGA Awards are. So let’s pivot instead to the WGA nominees from last year. Maybe even more exciting than the variance of nominees from organization to organization is how much a category’s slate differs from year-to-year. Now, part of that is because in Peak TV, shows are taking plenty of time to stretch their legs between seasons. For example, It’s been nearly two years since a new episode of “Barry” aired. Of course, given the extended complications for TV production in 2020, shows that were hoping to have aired an entire season by this juncture have yet to film — again, like “Barry” — meaning that there’s all the more opportunity for nominee turnover at awards shows. Again, to look at the comedy category, last year’s contenders at the WGA Awards included the aforementioned “Barry,” “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “PEN15,” “Russian Doll,” and “Veep.” Only a single nominee — Hulu’s brilliant “PEN15” — reappears this year, with “Veep” ended and “Barry,” “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” and “Russian Doll” still languishing away in TBD land, waiting to get back in the game.
But taken on their own, the WGA Awards nominees are a fresh batch of TV competitors angling to enter the conversation and boost their profile. So while we can look ahead to awards to come, it’s also nice to sit with two batches of nominees, both offbeat in their own ways, and live in this place where “Better Call Saul” and “The Crown” are the two most beloved shows on TV and “Ted Lasso” is on the verge of being an awards darling. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
