The trouble with television awards is that they can get pretty repetitive. How many times can you see “Ted Lasso” or “Succession” win without losing interest, no matter how much you might like them? Those two were the big winners at both the 2021 and 2022 Emmys; but when it comes time for the SAG Awards and other upcoming entertainment honors, they likely won’t be eligible; so what will take their place?
Once the Emmys ceremony has aired, movies tend to dominate the conversation, leaving TV as the underappreciated stepchild of the awards season. But following an untelevised ceremony at the beginning of this year, the Golden Globes are returning to NBC in January 2023 with some brand-new categories. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association took this pause in order to address the wave of controversy surrounding the lack of diversity among its membership—and in its nominees.
Unlike the Emmys, with their wonky eligibility period, the Globes, SAG Awards, and Critics’ Choice Awards make things simple by honoring shows whose seasons premiered during the previous calendar year. That means the Emmys-dominating “Succession” and “Squid Game” are both ineligible. With the drama field wide open, one of the biggest questions becomes whether the two major fantasy series that premiered this year can win over voting bodies these categories.
Paddy Considine in "House of the Dragon." Credit: Ollie Upton / HBO
HBO’s “Game of Thrones” was frequently represented at both the Globes and SAG Awards; now, prequel series “House of the Dragon” is angling for nominations. While no performance has yet revealed itself as a standout, we could see love going to Matt Smith and Paddy Considine as the Targaryen king and prince, respectively. Then there’s Amazon’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” whose complex plot tends to bury its performances—which makes it difficult to see SAG falling hard for the series.
More sure bets in the drama categories include Apple TV+’s “Severance,” AMC’s “Better Call Saul,” and Netflix’s “The Crown,” which comes back in November with a brand-new cast. It’s unclear how Peter Morgan’s take on the monarchy is going to play in the wake of Queen Elizabeth II’s death, but it seems unlikely that voters are going to be able to resist nominating Imelda Staunton, Jonathan Pryce, Elizabeth Debicki, and Dominic West.
Credit: Keith Bernstein
In the limited and anthology series races, you can place good money on Amanda Seyfried repeating her Emmy win for “The Dropout”; but she’ll probably have competition from Aubrey Plaza and the rest of the cast of HBO’s upcoming “The White Lotus” Season 2. The new ensemble also features Michael Imperioli, who will likely face off against Evan Peters as the titular serial killer on “Dahmer.”
If “Ted Lasso” doesn’t release its third season by the end of the year—and that’s looking like a longshot—that should free up Quinta Brunson’s Emmy-winning “Abbott Elementary” to dominate the comedy categories. And you can bet that Jean Smart will be back up on multiple stages winning best actress in a comedy for her turn on Season 2 of HBO Max’s “Hacks.” Meanwhile “Lasso” star Jason Sudeikis’ probable absence should leave room for Jeremy Allen White, the star of Hulu’s “The Bear,” to make it into the best actor categories.
While SAG doesn’t give out supporting acting laurels, the Globes have expanded the number of prizes they’re giving out in that area. There were previously just two categories for supporting acting on television. Now there will be four, with supporting actors on series and limited series getting their own separate spaces. Will that bring celebs back to the recently disgraced ceremony? Hey, everyone loves shiny new hardware.
This story originally appeared in the Oct. 13 issue of Backstage Magazine.