The 2015 Golden Globe Awards nominees were announced in mid-December and the list is full of new faces and first-time nominees. There were also several surprising snubs.
This year’s nominations list includes a lot of first-time nominees, previously-unknown talents and further evidence that the American television landscape has changed forever.
Among the nominees for Best Television Series - Comedy or Musical, only one traditional broadcast network is represented and it’s not one of the Big Four. The CW Network’s “Jane the Virgin” is up for the honor in its first season and represents the only nominee you could watch without paying a monthly fee.
The other nominees for that category include “Transparent” (Amazon Instant Video’s first Golden Globe-nominated series), “Orange is the New Black” (Netflix), “Girls” and “Silicon Valley” (both HBO). ABC’s perennial favorite “Modern Family” was left off the list for the first time since it debuted in 2009.
There were plenty of surprises in the movie categories as well.
Among the five nominees for Best Motion Picture - Drama, all were made by a director that had never been nominated for a Golden Globe before. In fact, among the five nominees for Best Director, only David Fincher (“Gone Girl”) has won or been nominated for a trophy previously.
Actors that made their names in television comedies crossed over to earn nominations for their performances in dramatic films this year. Jennifer Aniston (“Cake”) was nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama, while Steve Carell (“Foxcatcher”) earned a nod for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama.
Aniston and Carell both previously won Golden Globes for their work on NBC sitcoms “Friends” and “The Office,” respectively.
Jennifer Aniston is nominated for her work in the film "Cake."
Other first-time motion picture acting nominees included Felicity Jones (“The Theory of Everything”), Rosamund Pike (“Gone Girl”), Benedict Cumberbatch (“The Imitation Game”), David Oyelowo (“Selma”) and Eddie Redmayne (“The Theory of Everything”).
The popular singers represented in the category for Best Original Song - Motion Picture were mostly first-time nominees as well. In the category, Lorde (“The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1”), Lana Del Rey (“Big Eyes”), John Legend & Common (“Selma”) and Patti Smith (“Noah”) had never been up for a Golden Globe. Only Sia (“Annie”) had been previously nominated, with her song “Bound to You” in 2011’s movie “Burlesque.”
All five nominees for Best Screenplay - Motion Picture had never been nominated for a Golden Globe based on their writing before this year, including “Gone Girl” author Gillian Flynn who penned the script to the film version.
Several critically-acclaimed movies that were snubbed by the Hollywood Foreign Press included “Interstellar,” “Unbroken,” “Inherent Vice” and “Top Five.” Snubbed actors included Bradley Cooper (“American Sniper”), Shailene Woodley (“The Fault in Our Stars”) and Ben Affleck (“Gone Girl”).
TV shows that were surprising snubs included two-time winner “Homeland,” “How to Get Away with Murder,” “Veep” and “American Horror Story: Freakshow.”
Click here to see the full list of nominees.
The 72nd Golden Globe Awards will be handed out Sunday, Jan. 11 on NBC.
Clint Davis is a writer for the E.W. Scripps National Desk. Follow him on Twitter @MrClintDavis.
