Awards Tracker: A 2017 Golden Globes Post-Mortem

ADTV looks at the 2017 Golden Globes awards and broadcast.

By Jalal Haddad

The Awards

At the 2017 Golden Globes, HBO went home empty handed for the first time since 1990, ushering in a new era of winners. Netflix finally won their first series award, and Amazon took home its fifth and sixth award, becoming the first streaming service to double dip in television and film.

The most exciting television moment of the night came when Tracee Ellis Ross earned her first major award of her career as well as a rousing standing ovation. This shouldn’t have been too much of a surprise though. black-ish was the most nominated comedy of the night, and Ross’s infectious personality was probably a huge asset when it came to campaigning throughout those Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) parties. Atlanta won two awards (comedy series and lead actor) which is only surprising because the HFPA is the last voting body I would have expected to embrace a comedy about economic hardship and hip-hop in the American South.

The Crown took home two major awards including Netflix’s first series win, proving it was futile to bet against it even though I tried to convince myself the voting body was changing. British dramas so clearly appealed to the HFPA’s sensibilities, and because of that every other drama contender went home empty handed from Westworld to Stranger Things. In fact, the only other drama to go home with an award was Amazon’s Goliath for Billy Bob Thornton’s performance, beating out a category filled with Emmy contenders. This recognition happened simply because he was the movie star on a popular streaming platform that knows how to schmooze their way through the HFPA parties.

Throughout awards season, I knew The Night Manager was just too juicy of an international sensation for the HFPA to ignore, but I mistakenly thought that popularity would culminate in a series and actor win, not an acting sweep only to lose the top award. The People v. O.J. Simpson continued its awards streak and gave Ryan Murphy a win in all three of the Globes’ top series awards (Nip Tuck, Glee, and now PVOJS).

Going forward, it seems that Atlanta is going to benefit the most from this year’s awards at the Emmys. The Golden Globes have a spotty (at best) history with predicting Emmy contenders (Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Mozart in the Jungle, The Affair), but every group from the critics to the PGA seems to be celebrating Donald Glover’s new comedy. If a group like the HFPA singled out the show (a group I never thought would like a show set in the south about hip-hop), the Emmys will probably follow suit. Tracee Ellis Ross clearly cemented herself as the Julia Louis-Dreyfus alternative, but if Veep’s final season is the masterpiece we are all hoping for this conversation is pointless.

The Ceremony

The 2017 Golden Globe awards will go down in history as the year Meryl Streep gave the most poignant speech of any awards ceremony in what seemed to be a rallying cry for everyone to do better and be sharper. The most affecting moment for me came at the beginning of her speech. Streep took the time to single out her peers around the room and made everyone realize that she truly cares about the people around her. Watching her single out everyone from Amy Adams to Ruth Negga only proved that she is the role model we need right now.

On a sour note, Jimmy Fallon was the most tiring host in a long time. His jokes never really offended or annoyed, but they were frustrating simply because he never pulled from his strengths. On The Late Show, Fallon excels when he creates odd and enduring scenarios whether he is playing beer pong with Betty White or having Michelle Obama educate us on the history of the mom dance. He had a room full of personalities to utilize but instead he stuffed the ceremony with subpar jokes and used Questlove as a prop instead of the integral part of The Tonight Show that he has proven himself to be.

And once again presenters like Kristen Wiig and Steve Carell stole the show with a bit that I couldn’t help but compare to one of my favorite scenes in The Office with everyone utilizing the grief counseling session to rehash their favorite films. Kristen Wiig consistently steals the show at the Globes and Twitter erupts in campaigns to finally bring her on as a host to no avail. Maybe next year. Goldie Hawn did not disappoint, and I drove my family crazy with my incessant screaming of “she’s my favorite Banger sister.” Hopefully, Oscar producers were paying attention to the Reynolds/Fisher tribute because that is how you celebrate the life of a Hollywood legend.

Overall I actually enjoyed this year’s ceremony. I’ve had some trouble this year mustering up excitement for awards season after the most soul-draining political season of my life, but after hearing “City of Stars” blasted seven record-setting times, Moonlight receiving the top award, and watching so many deserving first time wins for actresses like Viola Davis and Tracee Ellis Ross, I finally feel like I have the energy to celebrate everyone’s favorite season.

What were your favorite moments of the Golden Globes last night? How did you do in the predictions? Should Jimmy Fallon be invited back next year?