The 2024 Golden Globe Awards delivered a night of predictable winners and some truly staggering snubs. While shows like 'Adolescence' and 'The Studio' swept the board as forecast, the ceremony's biggest story may be the one audience unable to join the celebration: viewers in the United Kingdom.
The Expected Winners and the Shocking Losers
On the surface, the awards followed a familiar script. 'Adolescence' dominated, capitalising on its cultural momentum, while 'The Studio' triumphed in the comedy categories, buoyed by its insider take on the entertainment industry and a meta episode about the Globes themselves. The real drama, however, lay in the nominees who left empty-handed.
Chief among them was 'The White Lotus', which entered the night with a formidable six nominations. Despite this, the HBO series failed to convert a single nod into a win. This season's shift from the 'Limited Series' category to the more competitive 'Drama Series' field certainly didn't help its chances. Critics also noted that the show's third season was widely considered its weakest, plagued by meandering plots and script issues, with off-screen gossip often proving more compelling than the on-screen story.
Another major disappointment was the critically adored 'Severance'. Nominated for Best Drama, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Supporting Actor, the Apple TV+ show was expected to fare much better. Its second season, however, failed to live up to the razor-sharp social commentary of the first, with many feeling it traded substance for style, resulting in a significant awards night letdown.
Questionable Wins and Category Confusion
Some wins raised eyebrows among industry watchers. Jean Smart's victory for 'Hacks' was seen by some as fortunate, given the show's recent season was perceived as its least successful. The season's format, focusing on a late-night talk show, exposed the central question of whether her character, Deborah Vance, was genuinely funny. With competitors like Ayo Edebiri and Jenna Ortega—whose shows blur comedy-drama lines—Smart's win highlighted potential flaws in the Globes' category definitions.
The UK's Golden Globes Blackout: The Real Loser
Yet, one snub overshadows all others for a British audience. The night's undisputed champion was 'The Pitt', which secured the prestigious awards for Best Drama Series and Best Actor. This haul adds to its already staggering collection of five Emmys and numerous other industry accolades. The show's impact is seismic; HBO Max CEO Casey Bloys has publicly praised its cost-effective and rapid production model, signalling a shift in how major television is made.
However, this global juggernaut remains completely inaccessible to viewers in the UK. Despite its second season already airing in the US and most other international markets, no legal streaming option exists for British audiences. The promised arrival of HBO Max in the UK in March offers a glimmer of hope, but it forces fans to wait months for the hottest show on television. In the context of the Golden Globes, the most palpable loss wasn't felt on the stage in Los Angeles, but in living rooms across Britain, making the UK the ceremony's unequivocal biggest loser.
