And The Nominees Are… The Golden Globes 2019…

In the year of 2018, amazing television shows of every genre were made along with amazing performances that were able to keep us glued to our TV screens. The phrase “it’s just an honor to be nominated” is something people think other people just say.  We are living in a time currently of hundreds of great shows being produced as well as getting to witness such incredible performances by such talented performers.  Therefore, getting that recognition of being nominated with a nomination is truly an honor.  With the Golden Globes coming up on Sunday, I thought what better time than now to discuss my thoughts on what got nominated as well as what I think should and will win.

I would be the worst voter if I was a voter for this award show simply because I loved absolutely everything and everyone that got a nomination.  Well at least the shows  I was able to make it to watching at the time I’m writing this article.  The shows were fantastic, the performances were fantastic! I feel my Chidi like self coming on but I’m going to try to put my indecisiveness aside for the time being and be that person who is decisive and pick my choices for what/who should take home those coveted awards on Sunday.

The Golden Globes cover both the best in TV and Movies of the year.  Being more of a TV Nerd this article will only cover the nominations on the side of television.

*Best Drama*

POSE (FX)

Killing Eve (BBC)

Bodyguard (Netflix)

Homecoming (Amazon)

The Americans (FX)

Thoughts:

What a category of amazing shows! I am such a complete fan of these TV Dramas.  The TV Nerd in me is completely happy to say that I have watched all of these shows!  Therefore, I feel that I can fully make a decision on what TV Drama I would like to see take home the award. That being said, if I could I would give a Golden Globe to every single one of these dramas because that’s how much of a fan I am of all of these Drama Series.

POSE was one of the best new series to premiere on TV this summer. A thoughtful and groundbreaking new series that was just simply perfection in every episode. Killing Eve was a crazy thriller with sharp wit. It was a show that kept you guessing what would happen next in every episode with a finale that is the definition of a “cliffhanger”! Bodyguard was a show that once it started didn’t stop for one moment. It was action packed, kept you on the edge of your seat not knowing any answers to any questions until that very last episode. Homecoming, a thriller that starts off with that of a slightly softer and slower tone that still managed to excite, scare, and thrill.  A new series with a finale that had twinkle of hope after such hardship. The Americans, what can I say about this show that hasn’t been said already. It’s perfect and a show that finally after a few seasons started to get that much deserved recognition.

All of these TV Dramas are all amazing and spectacular series that to only pick one and not all to win Best TV Drama is to say the least a super hard decision.  These nominated programs here are the definition of television at its very finest!

Decisions… Decisions… Decisions….

My choice (as well as what I think will win) for Best TV Drama goes to…..

This show like I have already said before was just simply perfection.  A series that knew itself, knew its characters, and knew the story it wanted to tell. It never had a dull or off season.  It was a show that only continued to grow as a series.  You saw the characters change and evolve.  I always describe The Americans as that quiet show that packs a punch. Which in a way is also a description of how it took a few seasons for this gem to get some recognition in the award show circuit as well as people in general just becoming more aware of this series.

It was a show that wasn’t flashy or in your face.  That non-flashy factor is the only reason for possibly why this amazing series went under the radar for the first few seasons.  Although, thankfully that’s the case anymore and this is a series that for anyone whose ever watched it will tell you how great it was. Thanks in part to amazing writers who had a vision of where they wanted their story to go and told it. The series wasn’t a happy one or one that warmed your heart. It was a gritty one that was action packed with sadness behind its eyes. It was a series that stood out with amazing performances that continued to break your heart every season.

The series finale of The Americans is one of perfection. For a series that continued to be great season after season it would be a nice to see this show win for Best TV Drama for their final season. My favorite series finale of all time is for that of Six Feet Under (HBO). I have to say though, the series finale for The Americans is a real close second favorite and could definitely go toe to toe with Six Feet Under’s as being one of the best series finales of all time. It was a finale that was heartbreaking and sad, and a finale that stays with you and is one you don’t forget. Not everything was tied up at the end in a perfect bow where everything was perfectly resolved. Normally that would be frustration as a viewer, but here in The Americans is just simply worked.

*Best Comedy*

The Good Place (NBC)

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon)

Barry (HBO)

Kidding (Showtime)

The Kominsky Method (Netflix)

Thoughts:

Yet another amazing category of such amazing shows.  I can’t fully say they are all great series because I’m not fully caught up on all of them.  The one series that I haven’t fully watched yet is that of The Kominsky Method.  Up to now I have only seen just one episode of that series.  It’s good and definitely has the potential to be a great series, but at the time I started watching it I wasn’t really in the mood for it. I’ll get back to it eventually it at some point or other.

This is another amazing category, but one that is a bit off. It is always somewhat annoying when a show that is clearly a drama is put in the comedy category. The Good Place is a comedy. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is a comedy. Barry is a comedy, a dark comedy. Kidding is not in the very least a comedy. It’s the definition of a drama. A sad drama that’s also very much an existential program. It’s a great new series but it is not a comedy in the least. This is a case where just because a series is a half hour does not make it a comedy. It’s a drama and a great one, but it is annoying how it gets put in the comedy category and takes away the chance for an actual comedy to get a nomination. Same thing with The Kominsky Method. Granted I’ve only seen the 1st episode so I can’t fully comment, but from that one episode I didn’t really get that laugh out loud funny vibe.  Yet another drama that is a half hour being put in the comedy category simply only because of the time length of its episodes.  So I’m really only considering The Good Place, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and Barry to be contenders in this category of Best TV Comedy.

Decisions…. Decisions….Decisions….

My choice for Best TV Comedy goes to…..

Barry and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel are amazingly incredible series for where I can’t say enough of “Watch these shows! I heart them!”. My choice at the end of it just has to go to The Good Place. Currently in its 3rd Season on NBC, it’s a series that has managed to only improve over time and just get better and better in every season.  Regardless of not being a new series, it’s a show people continue to gush about and talk about because it’s just simply that good. It’s The Forking Good Place! It’s unique. It’s original. It has loads of charm. It has characters with personalities that are one of a kind and are anything but “ya basic” (Oh, Eleanor. Thank you!). It’s a series that once people start watching continue with and don’t ditch.  What can I say I just forking love Chidi, Eleanor, Tahani, Jason, Janet, and Michael and I just want to see them on that forking stage and giving a forking thank you speech because The Good Place just forking rocks!

What Will Win:

*Best Actor – Drama*

Jason Bateman – Ozark (Netflix)

Stephan James – Homecoming (Amazon)

Matthew Rhys – The Americans (FX)

Billy Porter – POSE (FX)

Richard Madden – Bodyguard (Netflix)

Thoughts:

Wow! All these performances were just beyond amazing from every actor nominated in this category for Best Actor in a Drama Series.

Jason Bateman continued in Ozark’s 2nd Season to only grow in his performance. His portrayal of Marty, a man who seems like he’s always about to have an emotional breakdown in every scene just shows Bateman’s talent. His performance here in Ozark continues to just stand out and show his range as an actor in one of his most iconic roles to date.

Stephan James plays Walter Cruz, a soldier back home from war.  His performance in Homecoming as Walter is one that is soft and calm but memorable at the same time.  James is a great up and coming new actor with an amazing presence on screen. He goes toe to toe with mega- star Roberts and can hold his own giving a performance that you will remember.

Matthew Rhys on the final season of The Americans once again gives a remarkable performance as Philip.  Rhys gives memorable portrayal of a man wanting more with his life but stuck in the one he has.  Philip is a character who you can always tell has that sadness behind his eyes. In the final season Philip gets out of the spy game.  It is no longer something he can do. He tries instead of living an average but hopefully fulfilling life outside of that, even though Elizabeth is still a spy.  He now is working full time at the travel agency and tries to have hobbies that anyone else would have.  It’s short lived as he is pulled back into his past. As much as he tried to be that average everyday regular person with a 9 to 5 job, fate had other plans in mind.  Rhys performance on this series was that of incredible talent and a performance on a series that will be talked for many years to come, even after the conclusion of this remarkable series.

Billy Porter mostly known for his stage work is a complete pleasure to see here on the small screen in POSE. He had such an incredible presence portraying the character of Pray Tell. His character tells it like it is at The Ball as the show’s announcer. His line deliveries are everything and he never holds back what he’s thinking. Porter on POSE is perfection.  Porter’s performance stands out and has depth and substance. Any time he’s on screen it’s a moment that you remember.

Richard Madden mostly known as Rob Stark on Game of Thrones, now plays a man named David Budd on Netflix’s Bodyguard. Rob Stark who? That’s what you’ll be thinking after seeing Madden’s performance on Bodyguard.  It’s a memorable performance and one that stays with you. Madden is on screen almost constantly and he portrays every possible emotion that a person on the verge of a breakdown would go through. The finale showed Budd go through an impossible and terrifying ordeal and Madden’s performance kept you on the edge of your seat the whole time entire time.

This is a hard decision with all these amazing performances.

Decisions…. Decisions…. Decisions…..

My choice (as well as who I think will win) for Best Actor in a Drama Series goes to… Matthew Rhys – The Americans

*Best Actress – Drama*

Keri Russell – The Americans (FX)

Sandra Oh- Killing Eve (BBC)

Julia Roberts- Homecoming (Amazon)

Caitriona Balfe- Outlander (Starz)

Elisabeth Moss- The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu)

Thoughts:

Broken record over here, but amazing performances! I love Outlander, but I haven’t watched Season 4 for which Caitriona Balfe is nominated for. So I can’t really comment on her performance for this nomination. Although, I’ve seen up to Season 4 and Balfe always has given a great performance on this series as Claire and I imagine Season 4 is no different.

Sandra Oh’s performance as Eve on Killing Eve was one that was incredibly strong.  Eve, a person who had a great job and great family.  Oh showed Eve’s want for more.  That more out of her life that she didn’t even know she really wanted until she started chasing after Villanelle. Something in Eve became alive and Oh perfectly portrayed those feelings of not listening to common sense and going for something you know you’ll end up regretting later on.

Julia Roberts on a TV Show is a big deal. Mostly known for her film work, Roberts portrays a character who can’t remember her past as Heidi Bergman. She is a waitress. Than one day a man from the government comes to question her about her time working at a facility known as “Homecoming”. Not remembering anything from this time in her past, she delves into what her role was exactly at Homecoming and why she can’t remember anything. Roberts performance as Heidi is quite remarkable. It’s a soft and subtle performance and it’s never in your face. Her range to be able to give and hold back is perfection.

Elisabeth Moss’s performance for Season 2 of The Handmaid’s Tale continues to be a performance that stands out. Moss is delivering the performance of her career as Offred. Moss as Offred makes you feel every emotion as a woman who just wants her life back and is put in a place not of her own free will. Her performance on Season 2 at times just broke your heart and you felt all of her characters emotions in every single scene.

Keri Russell on The Americans was a performance that you remember. Not only for Season 6 which she is nominated for, but for the complete series entirely. Russell as Elizabeth was a character who never faltered from her missions. She was never a warm character and always had the missions in the forefront of her mind at all times. That took importance over all. Russell portrayed a character who was one that wasn’t very likable. A character that you were in fear of because you knew what she was capable of. Russell made the performance of her career up to now in The Americans. In the series finale, there was a moment where Russell gave a look as she saw her daughter Paige decide to stay in the US.  As she and Philip are on this train leaving the US, Elizabeth sees Paige  outside of the train and that look of her heart being broken follows and that heartbreak is shown in Elizabeth’s eyes. It’s a look that stays with you. It’s a look of despair and complete sadness. And even though Elizabeth wasn’t a good person your heart broke for her in this moment.

Decisions…. Decisions….. Decisions…..

My choice (as well as who I think will win) for Best Actress in a Drama Series goes to…. Keri Russell – The Americans

*Best Actor – Comedy*

Jim Carrey- Kidding

Michael Douglas- The Kominsky Method

Bill Hader- Barry

Sasha Baron Cohen- Who is America?

Donald Glover- Atlanta

Thoughts:

Considering how I felt Kidding and The Kominsky Method don’t qualify as comedies, I don’t really think that Carrey and Douglas should be in this category of comedy, but more for the category of drama. I can’t really comment also on Douglas’s performance as I have only seen 1 episode to date. I am such a fan of Donald Glover and of Atlanta. I really like the 1st Season. As the saying goes sometimes of “I don’t have enough space on the DVR therefore some shows I can’t record and have to wait for the season to go up on Hulu to than watch the latest season” and that is why I’m behind on Atlanta Season 2.  That’s why I can’t really comment on Glover’s most recent performance on Atlanta.  I have never seen the appeal of Sasha Baron Cohen’s shows. Sorry to those that are fans, I’ve just never had any interest in his shows and can’t comment on his performance as I did not see any episodes of Who is America?.

Regardless of how I feel of how Kidding is a drama and isn’t in the right category, Carrey does give an amazing performance as Jeff Pickles. His character is a man who is a TV Host and Personality of an iconic children’s television program on PBS. His character on his TV Show is someone who is always happy, always has the answers to any questions, and never goes through anything that would be considered traumatic. In his real life though, Jeff recently lost one of his son’s in a horrific car accident. Not truly coming to terms with this trauma and loss and being the host of a TV Program were he always has to be happy, Jeff slowly becomes a man breaking down bit by bit. Carrey’s performance as Jeff breaks your heart as you see him just completely break down.

Bill Hader as Barry on Barry is one of the best performances of 2018. Hader mostly known as that funny guy from SNL completely shines in this new role. Hader shows his range as an actor who can perform both that of comedy and drama. As Barry, Hader portrays a man who kind of just happens to have fallen into his current profession. He’s an assassin who decides acting is what he really wants to do with his life.  It’s decided, he is now an actor. Not wanting to throw that dream of being an actor away, but not being able to get out of his current profession, Hader shows a person not conflicted but stuck. A person wanting to get away from what he became and become who he really wants to actually be.

Decisions… Decisions…. Decisions…

My choice (as well as who I think will win) for Best Actor in a Comedy Series goes to…  Bill Hader

*Best Actress – Comedy*

Kristen Bell- The Good Place (NBC)

Rachel Brosnahan- The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon)

Allison Brie- GLOW (Netflix)

Candice Bergen- Murphy Brown (CBS)

Debra Messing- Will And Grace (NBC)

Thoughts:

In 2018, we had memorable performances from all of these leading ladies nominated here in this very category.

Kristen Bell continues to be anything but “YA BASIC!” as Eleanor on The Good Place. Eleanor tells it like it is but has come to realize there’s a nicer way to do that than being harsh or rude.  Bell has a comic wit and charm in her portrayal of Eleanor.  A character who has evolved some much from Season 1 to the current Season 3.

Rachel Brosnahan on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is simply perfection on this series as Midge Maisel.  In Season 1 we saw Midge struggle at first when her husband left her.  She accidentally stumbles upon comedy and finds herself as a comedian.  She finds unexpected happiness out of the unfortunate mess she was put into by her husband. In Season 2 Brosnahan once again shines.  Brosnahan is an actress with such a wonderful presence on screen playing Midge. A character that has charm, humor, sass, and a strong willed to be her own person and pursue her passion of comedy with the talent of Brosnahan playing her perfectly in the role.

In this 80s loving wrestling gem on Netflix called GLOW, Allison Brie is brilliant as Ruth. Brie is a great comedic actress and has the ability to make you laugh even at the most awkward of moments. Brie as Ruth, a character who is incapable of giving up and truly believes in the work that she is doing is worth every sacrifice and hardship that it takes.  Brie’s performance as Ruth is one that you continue to root for. To root for a character who has flaws, made mistakes, been knocked down, and still has hope that things can be better. Brie shines in her performance as this character and it’s a performance that you can’t help but root for.

I knew of the original Murphy Brown, but I never watched it. It took a bit of time to warm up to the revival but it grew on me after a few episodes. I quite like Candice Bergen on the revival. She portrays a strong willed character who believes in what she stands for and won’t be deterred.  Murphy Brown has class, she has humor, and it’s nice to finally get why this show and this character were a big deal back in the day.

I love Will and Grace. Debra Messing has a comedic skill that is beyond perfection of just having that ability to make you non- stop laugh. Grace is a character that says it like it is but also has a heart to her. Messing is wonderful in this revival as Grace and continues to be one of the best comedic actresses of our time. Seeing her play Grace again all these years later makes me so happy to see again. Will and Grace continues to be once again one of the best shows on TV thanks to performances like Messing as Grace.

Decisions…. Decisions….. Decisions…..

My choice (as well as who I think will win) for Best Actress in a Comedy Series goes to…… Allison Brie- GLOW

Since I didn’t do better time management and I really like to think of my choices for what shows and what performances I feel deserve these Golden Globes of 2019, I’m going to leave this article with just my choices for Best Drama/Comedy Series along with the performances for Best Actor & Actress for a Drama/Comedy Series.  Plus this article would be even longer if I continued to on babble on and on at this point already.

Did every show I like get nominated or every performance by every actor/actress I adore get recognized for a nomination?  Of course not!  As always every year because of the enormous amount of new and returning content on the art that is television, some shows and some performances go unrecognized by the award show circuit making you as a viewer say “But….WHAT!”.  Those were my exact thoughts when such snubs as Jodie Cromer as Villanelle on Killing Eve (BBC), The House on Haunting Hill on Netflix, and Forever on Amazon all got snubbed for a Golden Globe.  It happens, but at the end of it these were performances or programs that may not of gotten a nomination, but that does not at all undermine the value of how of great of programs or performances they gave in the year of 2018.

There you have it!  Those are my top picks for which performers and shows that I hope to see win some awards at the Golden Globes on Sunday.  Can’t wait to see Sandra Oh and Andy Samberg host this show and see who the winners are.  Awards aren’t everything.  At the end of the day, it’s just fun as a viewer to see your favorite shows with your favorite actors on an award show.  You get to be reminded why television is so great.  There’s something for everyone to enjoy whether it be a thrilling drama to a quirky comedy.  The Golden Globes is a nice way to start the new year by looking back at all that amazing talent that television had to offer in the previous year that we have just waved good bye to.

 

Advertisement