GOLDEN GLOBE & SCREEN ACTORS GUILD NOMINEES 2012-13

Here’s a look at the television nominees of the Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Awards 2013, which were announcer earlier this week…

While the members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will begin voting for the nominees of the 85th Academy Awards, the grand finale of the award season, all the other awards are have been gearing up to take us right into the season for the past few weeks now. From the Critics’ Choice to the Peoples’ Choice; from the Writers’ Guild to the Screen Actors’ Guild and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association… all the nomination announcements are pouring in, the latest being the SAGs and the Globes.

Mandy Patinkin is a new entrant for his role in HOMELAND

Now in television, a few major contenders and big winners of the past few years have been pushed out of the race, the biggest being GAME OF THRONES, which has only been nominated for the SAG Stunt Ensemble award. The Golden Globes have been quite welcoming of new contenders this year, much more than last year, even eliminating shows like MAD MEN and 30 ROCK from the Best Series race. They have acknowledged the freshman season of THE NEWSROOM for Best Series and included Mandy Patinkin (HOMELAND) in the race for Supporting Actor – TV. 

Hayden Panettiere & Connie Britton are both competing,

for their roles in NASHVILLE

The Globes have also acknowledged shows that haven’t quite seen the kind of critical acclaim that would have made their inclusion in the list inevitable. SMASH for Series – Musical/Comedy, NASHVILLE’s for Actress – Drama (Connie Britton) & Supporting Actress – TV (Hayden Panettiere), and POLITICAL ANIMALS for Mini Series/TV Movie and Actress – Mini Series/TV Movie (Sigourney Weaver). The surprise from SAG is their generosity in nominating six shows for Ensemble – Comedy/Musical, while otherwise ensuring that long-time favorites like 30 ROCK, GLEE and THE OFFICE stay in the race for Acting Ensemble – Musical/Comedy.

Among the biggest snubs are Elisabeth Moss and Christina Hendricks 

for their roles in MAD MEN

While the scope is wide in Series/Ensemble categories, for both the Globes and the SAGs, the individual acting categories for Primetime TV are very limited, as always. The Globes make drama, comedy and mini-series/TV-movie share the supporting acting categories, which makes it impossible to include everyone who deserves due credit. The most unfortunate exclusions this year are Julie Bowen & Ty Burrell (MODERN FAMILY), Jennifer Carpenter (DEXTER), Christina Hendricks and Elisabeth Moss (MAD MEN), Jane Lynch (GLEE), Mayim Bialik (THE BIG BANG THEORY), Peter Dinklage (GAME OF THRONES), Aaron Paul (BREAKING BAD) and Neil Patrick Harris (HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER). 

Eric Stonestreet (MODERN FAMILY) faces unfair competition among 

major lead performances at the Screen Actors Guild Awards

At the SAGs, it’s even worse, with no supporting categories at all. We’re talking about Ty Burrell and Eric Stonestreet’s supporting performances competing with Alec Baldwin and Jim Parsons’s lead roles, or Sofia Vergara competing with awards favorite Tina Fey. Of course the number of actors and actresses snubbed in the process is shocking. I think that if a set of awards are given only for acting, there should be as many divisions of the acting categories that seem fair instead of unjustly clubbing performances of completely different calibers into one category.

Freshman THE NEWSROOM deserves is nominations for 

Series - Drama & Actor Drama (Jeff Daniels)

The biggest snubs for lead actors/actresses, by both awards, are probably Hugh Laurie, for his final outing as Dr House in HOUSE MD, and Michael C Hall, for seeing Dexter through such intense vulnerabilities in the latest season of DEXTER. That’s not to say that any of the contenders for Actor – Drama in both the Globes and SAG (the lists are identical this year) are undeserving. I’m especially happy that Jeff Daniels is among them, but given the tight competition in this category this year, the HFPA and the SAG could surely have thrown in another nominee.

It's good to see DOWNTON ABBEY 

competing with regular primetime series

On the other hand, it’s good to see DOWNTON ABBEY competing with other regular series, as opposed to mini-series or TV movies. THE NEWSROOM deserves its Globe nomination for Series –Drama, and the SAG was right in nominating MAD MEN for Acting Ensemble – Drama in place of THE NEWSROOM (barring which, even that list is identical for both the Globes and SAGs).

All in all, despite the numerous snubs, the competition is tight, and it looks like there could be quite a few surprise winners, given the newcomers in the lists and the results of the recent Primetime Emmy Awards, if they’re anything to go by.

Watch this space closer to the awards dates, for a list of predictions. In the mean time, share your views on the nominee lists here.