Golden Globes 2017: Snubs and Surprises
— -- The 2017 Golden Globes nominations were announced this morning, and as always, there were plenty of snubs and surprises.
Snubs
Jeffrey Dean Morgan: A day after winning the Critics' Choice Award for his performance in "The Walking Dead," Morgan was snubbed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
'Empire': Taraji P. Henson won the Globe last year for best actress in a drama series but didn't even get a nod this year. In fact, the show was shut out of the nominations.
'Orange Is the New Black': Another previously nominated series shut out this year was Netflix's "Orange Is the New Black," which received nominations the past two years for best comedy series.
Shondaland: Despite past recognition for the stars of its shows "How to Get Away With Murder" and "Scandal," Shondaland was overlooked by the Globes this year. "Scandal" star Kerry Washington did get a nod, however, in the limited series or TV movie category for her turn as Anita Hill in HBO's "Confirmation."
'Silence': Martin Scorsese's film about 17th century Catholic missionaries in Japan was shut out, despite the HFPA's love for the director. One of the film's stars, Andrew Garfield, did score a nod for his role in Mel Gibson's "Hacksaw Ridge."
'Birth of a Nation': Despite its acclaim at Sundance, "Birth of a Nation" was also left without a nod, perhaps due to the enduring controversy surrounding its star and director, Nate Parker.
'Power': Starz is often overlooked during awards season, despite such buzzworthy programming as "The Girlfriend Experience," "Flesh and Bone," "Survivor's Remorse" and "Power." The lack of nods for "Power" drew scorn from executive producer 50 Cent, who had some choice words on Instagram for the Golden Globes. "I accept my series POWER was not intended to be a signature show for the network but it is the highest rated show," he wrote. At least there was some showing from the network: Caitriona Balfe got a nod for best actress in a drama series for her role in "Outlander," and "The Dresser" scored a nomination for best TV movie or limited series.
Surprises
'Fences': Despite earning nominations for stars Denzel Washington and Viola Davis, "Fences" was surprisingly left out of the best dramatic picture category. Washington did not score a nomination for best director either.
Viola Davis: It may have been surprising to see Davis nominated in the best supporting actress category, despite having won a Tony (alongside Washington) for best leading actress for the 2010 stage production of the drama. But she said earlier in the fall that she would compete in the supporting category instead of the highly competitive best actress category. She just scooped up the Critics' Choice award for her supporting role in "Fences," so perhaps she knows best.
'Hell or High Water': Despite its quiet late-summer release, "Hell or High Water" had a surprisingly good showing in the Golden Globes nominations. The film scored a nod for best drama, and its star Jeff Bridges for supporting actor, as well as a nomination for best screenplay.
'Black-ish': "Black-ish" appears to have finally broken through, earning its first Globes nomination for best comedy series. Stars Anthony Anderson and Tracee Ellis Ross were also nominated.
'This Is Us': Among the few network series to score nominations was the new drama "This Is Us," which picked up three nods, for stars Chrissy Metz and Mandy Moore in the supporting actress category and for best drama series.