What Are the Drama Frontrunners Heading Into 2017 Golden Globe Noms?

The 2017 Golden Globe Awards nominations will be announced in under two months. Awards Daily TV takes a first crack at predicting what dramas will come out on top.

As easy as they are to make fun of, the Golden Globes in recent years have gone through great strides to help redefine the awards-worthy television show. Recently, they’ve nominated genre shows like just as often as they’ve celebrated prestige period pieces. With the 2017 Golden Globe nominations, it will be interesting to see exactly what direction the Hollywood Foreign Press Association goes.

No other show on television commanded global attention quite like the return of Game of Thrones. However, HFPA voters have never embraced the show like the rest of the world. In comparison, the crop of new dramas seem small in comparison with the obvious exception of The Handmaid’s Tale.

These are the eight most likely contenders as well as a couple of left field predictions that could only happen with the 2017 Golden Globe nominations.

Returning Favorites

Game of Thrones – The Golden Globes seem to be the only awards group that isn’t completely obsessed with Game of Thrones. Yes, the Emmy juggernaut was nominated four out of the last six years, but those nominations feel more like obligation than passion. In fact, the only Globe the show has actually won is for Peter Dinklage during the first season.

The Crown – In a lot of ways The Crown is one of the most obvious Golden Globe contenders in recent years. With two Oscar-friendly filmmakers confidently taking on the entire reign of Queen Elizabeth II, it’s hard to imagine an awards race without it. The second season doesn’t premiere until December. Unless the second season (focused primarily on her marriage) completely bombs, it’s pretty safe to assume the show will be nominated.

Stranger Things – After a year and a half wait, the highly anticipated second season of Stranger Things premiered today. Its awards prospects probably rely on whether or not the show is able to stay a cultural phenomenon without succumbing to the dreaded sophomore slump. The show was nominated for the top award last year at the Golden Globes as well as a nomination for Winona Ryder, but with more awards friendly shows puring out of Netflix like Mindhunter and Ozark, the Foreign Press might choose to move on from the 80s throwback.

This Is Us – A lot of broadcast hits burn bright in their first season and then immediately fizzle out, most recently with the rapid rise and fall of Empire. Currently, This Is Us is the broadcast drama everyone can’t stop talking about and (at least for now) the family drama is able to sustain it through its second season.

New Frontrunners

The Handmaid’s Tale – After a history-making debut at the Emmys earlier this year, there is no denying that The Handmaid’s Tale is the frontrunner heading into the Golden Globes. The HFPA prides themselves in being the first awards group to fully embrace the full spectrum of streaming networks. They won’t want to ignore an achievement like this.

The Deuce – Gauging the awards potential of HBO’s The Deuce is one of the more difficult questions of the season. HBO has an above-average track record with HFPA voters, but The Deuce is a slow burn that seems more respected than buzzed about. On top of that, David Simon (The Wire, Treme, Show Me a Hero) has always had a hard time standing out against flashy awards contenders. Still, largely due to the help of his two movie star leads, this might be the year a Simon show breaks through.

Mindhunter – Heading into awards season, no new drama is garnering as much buzz as Netflix’s Mindhunter. Audiences are bingeing the show and heading to Twitter right as HFPA voters are gearing up to think seriously about nominations. On top of that, the show has a cinematic appeal largely because of its association with David Fincher. It also doesn’t hurt that Charlize Theron is an executive producer.

Ozark – The first season of Ozark came and went this summer without any sense of excitement from critics or audiences. That makes it hard to believe it will be remembered months later for awards. Unexpectedly, it was revealed that the new Netflix drama was the most streamed show of the summer. That hints that there might be a chance the sleeper hit has fans that will push the show towards a couple of Golden Globes nominations.

Fresh Possibilities

Taboo – It feels like an eternity ago when Taboo premiered last January especially since it failed to make a dent at the Emmys. Usually the Golden Globes embrace the most buzzed about new shows, but Taboo might speak specifically to their sensibilities. It’s an international period drama produced by the BBC. On top of that it stars and is produced by Tom Hardy, an A-List movie star, and by Hollywood icon Ridley Scott.

American Gods – The Golden Globes have always had a soft spot for the Starz Network. Six of its shows have received top program nominations over the years with three more getting recognized for acting. The network spent a lot of money this year trying to break into the Emmy race with American Gods to no success. Maybe they can redeem themselves with a Golden Globes nomination. It’s a fun show that might have an international appeal with its approach to mythology.

The Good Fight / Star Trek: The Next Discovery – As mentioned before, the Golden Globes loves to be the first to put new networks/streaming services on the map. CBS made a massive effort to build up the reputation of their streaming service. They have two shows with buzz this year, yet neither one stands out as an obvious contender. The Good Fight premiered at the beginning of the year and risks being forgotten, but it might benefit from being the spinoff of a show that earned 14 total nominations at the Globes. A cult sci-fi show like Star Trek doesn’t seem like an obvious awards contender (and it probably isn’t one), but it is CBS’s most successful streaming show to date and is raking in strong reviews from critics.

Early Predictions

The Handmaid’s Tale
The Crown
This Is Us
Mindhunter
The Deuce

Spoilers: Game of Thrones or Stranger Things 2

Readers, what five dramas are you predicting will be nominated at this year’s Golden Globe Awards? Will we get an entirely crop of nominees or a more familiar list of contenders?