Jalal tackles some Golden Globes long shots and ponders the PGA Award noms

Even though the Producer’s Guild of America (PGA) awards are a part of the winter awards season, the television categories have always held a period of eligibility similar to the Emmys (June 1^st-May 31^st). That is, until this year with a switch to a simple calendar year. In an effort to make the switch the 2016 awards actually represent a year and a half of television (June 2015 to December 2016).

The drama nominees were Better Call Saul, Game of Thrones, House of Cards, Stranger Things, and Westworld. The most shocking omission is Mr. Robot which, because of the prolonged eligibility period, was eligible for two seasons. After the sophomore season, the hacking drama hasn’t been sitting well with guild members, and the PGA snub might be the biggest hint that the show will take a major hit at the Emmys later in the year. After all, this is the guild award that foreshadowed the industry disdain for the third season of Homeland.  The other notable omissions were Homeland, The Americans, The Crown, two seasons of Orange is the New Black, and the final season of Downton Abbey.

The comedy races brought back perennial nominees Modern Family, Silicon Valley, and Veep as well as first time nominees Atlanta and black-ish. The inclusion of Atlanta gives the show a lot of strength going into Emmy season since it might not seem like an obvious awards contender even if it is the critical hit of the year. With two seasons eligible, Transparent was shockingly left out after winning the award for the first season. Other than that, the only notable omissions were the second season of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Master of None, and last year’s nominee Inside Amy Schumer.

The other notable nominees include more guild recognition for Black Mirror which, after a SAG nomination for Bryce Dallas Howard, might be on its way to popping up at the Emmy awards if Netflix campaigns the anthology strong enough.  Just as exciting is the inclusion of Full Frontal With Samantha Bee in the live/talk television category over major contenders like Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel which hopefully indicates good news for her Emmy chances.

Golden Globes Dark Horses and Long Shots

From Jacqueline Bisset to Mozart in the Jungle, the Golden Globes are known for shocking and sometimes downright confusing wins – especially on the TV side. Last year, ADTV tried to hypothesize just some of the wild decisions the HFPA might make and we ended up not being far off. Here are some of the “go big or go home” possibilities of 2o16.

Stranger Things cements itself as the drama series frontrunner

Six months ago, no one was talking about awards potential for the summer sleeper hit, but after nominations from every guilds group, the critics, and here at the Globes it’s clear that the show has major support across the industry. If Globes voters want to be the first group to celebrate the show, they might just give it the top award or 80’s star Winona Ryder, especially since the 80’s Hollywood nostalgia we cling to from blockbusters and pop music is probably just as appealing to international audiences.

Billy Bob Thornton in Goliath continues the recent Amazon streak

Over the past four years streaming networks have increasingly dominated at the Golden Globes, and, although no other streaming service comes close to Netflix’s 27 nominations (including one for film), Amazon actually has the best track record for actually taking home awards. Billy Bob Thornton is Amazon’s first nomination in the drama races, and he might just be too irresistible for voters to  ignore even if Goliath came and went without any major buzz. He is an easy sell to voters seeing as they’ve nominated him six times over the past 20 years including singling him out with a win for Fargo against his own costar and nominating him for Bad Santa. A surprise win for Goliath shouldn’t seem that farfetched.

The Night Of becomes a major player in the Emmy limited series races

The Limited Series/TV movie race boasts a few obvious frontrunners between America’s obsession with The People v. O.J. Simpson and the international hit The Night Manager. If voters stray from the obvious, they’ll likely go for the HBO remake of the British crime story. With recognition across the guilds, The Night Of clearly captivated audiences, and Globes voters might take the chance to award the show or one of its leads as a way of ringing in a new show to the awards conversation. Riz Ahmed is also an up and coming actor that voters might clamor over after his appearance in the newest Star Wars film (which helped Oscar Isaac at the Globes last year).

Liev Schreiber finally wins for Ray Donovan

Showtime has become a Golden Globes staple throughout the 21^st century, and the network has gone home with an award consistently for the past eight years (although that doesn’t hold a candle to HBO’s 26-year streak). Now in 2016, Liev Schreiber is the premium network’s sole nomination (and his fourth in a row), so he might just hold the upper hand in a category filled with other shows not loved enough to be nominated in the best drama race.

Lena Headey wins the first Globe for Game of Thrones since the first season

Game of Thrones has never appealed to HFPA voters as much as it has audiences and the Television Academy. In fact, the only award the fantasy show has taken home is the first season win for Peter Dinklage. Westworld’s Thandie Newton is the frontrunner (and deservingly so), but Headey might be able to sneak ahead for being an overdue Brit even if the show isn’t the shiny new toy Globes voters generally go for (which helped Joanne Froggatt get her sole win). It’s hard to imagine voters would feel like playing catchup with so many breakout performances in the lineup, but it should be expected now for the Foreign Press to stray from the frontrunner just for fun.

What shocking surprises are you predicting this year at the Golden Globes? Sound off in the comments below and don’t forget to check out the official predictions from the entire ADTV team!