Golden Globe Nominations 2024: The Biggest Snubs and Surprises

Harrison Ford, “Shrinking” (Apple TV+)

What does Harrison Ford have to do to earn an acting nomination? The Globes’ 2002 Cecil B. DeMille winner hasn’t been nominated for an individual performance since 1996 (“Sabrina”), and the streak continues despite both of his eligible TV shows earning nominations this year. “1923” broke through in the Drama Series race, as well as Best Actress for Helen Mirren. “Shrinking” snagged another nod for Jason Segel, but Ford came up empty — twice. After being similarly snubbed at the Emmys (where he’s never been nominated), at least Ford won’t feel pressured to attend panels or participate in awards profiles anytime soon. —BT

“I’m A Virgo” (Prime Video)

While Boots Riley’s black comedy was likely too weird for Globes voters, they do have a (recent) track record of honoring bold visions from Black filmmakers. Steve McQueen’s “Small Axe” was nominated for Limited Series in 2021 and John Boyega won for Best Actor, despite getting snubbed at the Emmys in both categories. Barry Jenkins’ “The Underground Railroad” did better across all awards bodies, but lost all seven of its nominated categories at the Emmys and still won Best Limited Series at the Globes. Perhaps the more telling piece of history, though, hits a little closer to home: Jharrel Jerome was not nominated for “When They See Us,” despite Ava DuVernay’s Netflix series raking in awards attention (including Jerome’s eventual Emmy win). Since he wasn’t nominated then, the Globes likely weren’t going to honor him for a stranger show with less buzz. —BT

Ben Affleck, “Air” (Amazon Studios)

The Golden Globes historically love Ben Affleck (including when the Oscars don’t), so not seeing him anywhere in the nominations for “Air” was quite a shock. Affleck directed and appeared in the film, now performing his standard double duty, bringing expert intensity to a story largely about persuasion and phone calls. “Air” has some great performances, but would be nothing without a keen eye behind the camera capturing every tense breath and beat. —PK

Lewis Pullman, “Lessons in Chemistry” (Apple TV+)

IndieWire is on record that Pullman is the best part of Apple TV’s good but uneven “Lessons in Chemistry” so it’s interesting that the Golden Globes chose to honor the show – and star Brie Larson’s performance as scientist Elizabeth Zott – but not Pullman’s memorable supporting turn as her lover/lab partner. His performance, named one of IndieWire’s best breakout performances of 2023, is an improvement on the book and he’s so compelling that the show literally added him into more of the plot so his character could stick around. That’s award worthy!! —ES

“Ferrari” (Neon)

Though filmmaker Michael Mann has not been nominated for Golden Globes since his 1999 film “The Insider,” his latest release “Ferrari” did seem like catnip for Golden Globe voters. Even star Shailene Woodley has been nominated by the organization multiple times. To see Adam Driver and Penelope Cruz crash and burn with Globes voters, throwing a wrench into the serious momentum the latter had as a Supporting Actress contender means the racing biopic must course correct upon its Christmas release to have any chance at peak position. —MJ

America Ferrera, “Barbie” (Warner Bros.)

Despite the love for Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie,” not nominating America Ferrera for her performance as Gloria seems to fundamentally miss a big point of the film. Ferrera delivers the feminist monologue in the film’s final act which jolts the Barbies back to their senses, a chunk of dialogue that most actors would fail to make relatable, let alone invigorating (even when it’s heavy-handed). But beyond that, Gloria is a guiding force for her daughter Sasha (Ariana Greenblatt) and Margot Robbie’s Barbie, centering them in themselves and encouraging them to dream big while chaos unfolds around the lot of them. When Ruth (Rhea Perlman) says “We mothers stand still so our daughters can look back to see how far they’ve come,” Gloria is the most immediate example, exuding love and confidence for her daughter, her Barbie, and all the women she meets. —PK

“A Small Light” (National Geographic)

After receiving nominations from the Gotham Awards, TCA Awards, and Indie Spirit Awards, National Geographic’s limited series about Miep Gies and Otto Frank’s efforts to hide Jewish refugees during World War II seemed primed for the Golden Globes stage. Critically acclaimed, under-represented at the Emmys, and with international appeal, “A Small Light” is exactly the kind of story voters latch onto, but not even Bel Powley’s stirring performance could snag a nomination. She faced a slew of red-carpet-ready competition in the Best Actress category, while the show’s Limited Series slot likely went to another WWII story: “All the Light We Cannot See” (Shawn Levy’s critically panned Netflix entry). —BT

Carla Gugino, “The Fall of the House of Usher” (Netflix)

Carla Gugino has been a fixture of film and TV for decades, but often relegated to guest roles or limited arcs. But one could argue that the Mike Flanagan Netflix universe is built upon Gugino’s versatility and charisma — the sturdy and eminently watchable foundations of the proverbial house.

Nowhere is that truer than in “The Fall of the House of Usher,” in which Gugino plays the shape-shifting Verna, a version of Edgar Allan Poe’s raven and the eventual architect of house Usher’s undoing. Watching Verna reappear and transform between episodes is one of the series’ great joys, with Gugino making it look easy as she wins over the audience. It’s high-time the Golden Globes and any other awards body see what the audience (and Flanagan) have always known and honor this exceptional performer. —PK

Musicals

Part of the fun of the Golden Globes is jamming musicals together with comedies, forcing tonally odd lineups together like the tragic “Les Misérables” nominated next to “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” and “Moonrise Kingdom.” But in what is a knock to mostly Warner Bros., which is releasing the blockbuster musicals “The Color Purple” and “Wonka” this holiday season, Globes voters only had love for particular performances, not the films as a whole. Let “Barbie,” which got three Best Original Song, Motion Picture nominations be the sole nominee holding it down for the song and dance crowd. —MJ

Tom Holland, “The Crowded Room” (Apple TV+)

Wait. “The Crowded Room”? What’s that? Other than Holland’s most devoted devotees (and perhaps Amanda Seyfried acolytes), the Apple TV+ limited series came and went over the summer with little fanfare and hasn’t been expected to be a serious threat on the awards circuit. But if it was going to surface anywhere, it would be here. (For those who don’t want to know a fundamental but still hidden part of the series, consider this your spoiler alert.) Holland plays a character with multiple personalities in a period piece. He’s got wild accents, wilder hair, and it’s all done in support of a worthwhile cause. I’m guessing Globes voters didn’t watch it. Otherwise, a nomination for “The Croweded Room” would’ve fit right in with other panned honorees “Daisy Jones,” “Love & Death,” and “Lessons in Chemistry.” —BT

Surprises:

Taylor Swift

Checkmate, she couldn’t lose: A new category, a new way for Taylor Swift to fully dominate the culture. In the newly created “cinematic and box office achievement” category at the Golden Globes, “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” will face off with the likes of “Barbie” and “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” in a category that requires the project to have made at least $150 million globally and $100 million domestically. Swift “Eras” film, which will hit VOD on Dec. 13, has made over $250 million at the global box office thus far. This is Swift’s fifth Golden Globe nomination: all her previous nods were for songs featured in movies, most recently “Carolina” from “Where the Crawdads Sing.” —ES

“Past Lives” and “Anatomy of a Fall” in Best Motion Picture, Non-English

Even though we’ve been through this plenty before with films like “The Farewell,” where the protagonist speaks English for the most part, it’s still a little weird to see “Past Lives” and “Anatomy of a Fall” compete in the Best Motion Picture, Non-English category at the Golden Globes. Though concepts like inyun or the French courtroom system are foreign, with both films it does not entirely feel like the most even split between two languages. At least both films still made it into the Best Motion Picture, Drama category. Even with winners like “Roma,” Globes voters used to be very resistant toward nominating films in a foreign language outside of the category honoring international talent. —MJ

Abby Elliott, “The Bear” (FX)

To no one’s surprise, “The Bear” did extremely well with the Globes. Last year, it was nominated for Best Comedy Series and Jeremy Allen White won for Best Actor. This year, it’s nominated in those categories again, as well as Best Actress (Ayo Edebiri), Best Supporting Actor (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), and — most surprising of all — Best Supporting Actress. It’s not so much that recognizing Elliott’s balanced, endearing performance is out of the ordinary; she’s certainly a top contender at next year’s Emmys. Her nod here is surprising because she wasn’t just up against other Comedy contenders. The Globes’ Supporting categories include everyone, across Drama, Comedy, and Limited Series, so she beat out high-profile ensemble members from “Succession,” “Yellowjackets,” “Ted Lasso,” and more. It’s an impressive cherry on top of “The Bear’s” Globe-sized sundae. —BT

“Oppenheimer” and “The Boy and the Heron,” Best Score

While there’s already been a lot of momentum around four-time nominees Ludwig Göransson (“Oppenheimer”) and Daniel Pemberton (“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”), as well as the late Robbie Robertson (“Killers of the Flower Moon”), the Globes managed to make really inspired choices by nominating Mica Levi (“The Zone of Interest”), Joe Hisaishi (“The Boy and the Heron”), and Jerskin Fendrix (“Poor Things”). While the latter’s film was nominated top to bottom, Fendrix has not been as heavily in the Best Original Score conversation. This first Globes nomination puts a helpful spotlight on his work. Meanwhile Levi and Hisaishi are two composers that have been seen as overdue for an award for their innovative work. —MJ

Woody Harrelson, “White House Plumbers” (HBO)

“White House Plumbers”! Remember “White House Plumbers”? Of course you don’t, but if you’re one of the few hundred people who do, by golly, you’re probably still pretty confused! David Mandel’s HBO limited series received solid reviews when it debuted in May 2023, but it couldn’t break through a noisy summer season to catch on culturally, and the Emmys didn’t give it a single nomination. Then, last week, Justin Theroux earned a surprise nomination from the Critics Choice Awards, reminding everyone that this very good show exists, and now Woody Harrelson will represent it at the Golden Globe Awards! Is it surprising that only one actor was nominated at each show? A little bit, but it’s been a strange road for “Plumbers,” and at least now maybe a few more lucky souls will check it out. Huzzah! —BT

Alma Pöysti, “Fallen Leaves”

Given how tough a race Best Motion Picture, Non-English has become, it was far from certain that Finnish master filmmaker Aki Kaurismäki’s latest work “Fallen Leaves,” a romantic comedy of sorts, would be nominated. The added bonus of leading lady Pöysti getting nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy is a huge swath of icing on the cake. As Ansa, the European star taps into a universal ennui, not only finding ways to make the audience laugh, but swoon at the stilted courtship of her and co-star Jussi Vatanen’s characters. —MJ

“1923” (Paramount+)

A surprise not only because of the heated competition for Best Drama Series, but because it premiered in 2022, Taylor Sheridan’s “Yellowstone” prequel starring Golden Globe nominee Helen Mirren and Golden Globe snubee Harrison Ford secured a place alongside landmark dramas like “Succession” and “The Last of Us” (as well as whatever we’re calling “The Morning Show” these days). “The Curse” and “Slow Horses,” meanwhile, had to settle for acting nods. —BT