Genre fiction still seems to have a tough time taking home awards, if this year’s Golden Globes serve as any indication. In terms of the nominations, several of our sci-fi/fantasy and superhero-centered favorites from this year ended up getting nominated, including: Deadpool, Arrival, Westworld, Stranger Things, and… well, also Game of Thrones, which isn’t a “favorite” around here but still belongs in the genre fiction category.
However, absolutely none of those shows or movies ended up winning in their categories. Instead, here’s the full list of winners from last night’s awards ceremony:
MOVIES
Best picture, drama: Moonlight
Best picture, comedy or musical: La La Land
Actress, drama: Isabelle Huppert, Elle
Actor, drama: Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea
Actress, comedy or musical: Emma Stone, La La Land
Actor, comedy or musical: Ryan Gosling, La La Land
Supporting actress: Viola Davis, Fences
Supporting actor: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Nocturnal Animals
Director: Damien Chazelle, La La Land
Screenplay: Damien Chazelle, La La Land
Animated film: Zootopia
Foreign language film: Elle (France)
Original score: Justin Hurwitz, La La Land
Original song: “City of Stars,” La La Land
TELEVISION
Best series, drama: The Crown, Netflix
Best series, comedy or musical: Atlanta, FX
Best television movie or mini-series: The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, FX
Actress, mini-series or television movie: Sarah Paulson, The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
Actor, mini-series or television movie: Tom Hiddleston, The Night Manager
Actress, drama: Claire Foy, The Crown
Actor, drama: Billy Bob Thornton, Goliath
Actress, comedy or musical: Tracee Ellis Ross, Black-ish
Actor, comedy or musical: Donald Glover, Atlanta
Supporting actress: Olivia Colman, The Night Manager
Supporting actor: Hugh Laurie, The Night Manager
First off, I’ll say I’m glad that Moonlight won the “Best Picture” (Drama) category along with La La Land (Musical or Comedy), though the latter inexplicably swept so many other awards. I say “inexplicably” because, although I haven’t actually seen it yet, I’ve heard wildly contradictory things about that movie. It seems like a very love-it-or-hate-it situation, which is always fun, but can be confusing during awards season. I guess the Golden Globes put La La Land in the “love it” category.
I was also glad to see Viola Davis win an award for Fences, as well as Tracee Ellis Ross taking home an award for Black-ish and Donald Glover snagging one for Atlanta. I also enjoyed Netflix’s The Crown a lot, so I was happy to see it win two awards, both for “Best Drama Series” and also for its mega-talented star, Claire Foy.
All that said, I admit I’m disappointed that Thandie Newton didn’t win “Best Supporting Actress” for Westworld; I may have mixed feelings about that show, but she’s always been my favorite part. I was also sad that Amy Adams didn’t win “Best Actress” for Arrival. Winona Ryder also didn’t win for her role in Stranger Things, nor did Stranger Things win for “Best Drama.” Instead, The Crown won in both of the categories for which Stranger Things got nominated. As I said, I loved The Crown, but it is disappointing to see Stranger Things not get a win at all.
I do think that there’s a pretty strong pattern here in terms of what types of media wins awards, and it definitely makes sense that The Crown would be a preferred show to get an award as opposed to Stranger Things. The Crown is great, don’t get me wrong–but it’s also a historical drama with a super-high budget and an intense focus on accuracy and a sense of prestige and weightiness. Stranger Things, on the other hand, is a lower-budget and riskier sci-fi show that, ironically, is also a piece of historical fiction in a way–but it’s definitely not as accessibly prestigious. That’s part of what makes it so special, though.
I wrote yesterday about Hugh Jackman’s discussion of this phenomenon with regard to superhero movies, and the unlikelihood that Deadpool would ever win anything. Obviously, Deadpool didn’t win a Golden Globe, and time will tell as to whether it wins anything at all. For genre fiction, it’s still just an honor to be nominated, I suppose.
(via NY Times, image via HBO screenshot)
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