Golden Globes: Pay TV Dominant With ‘Girls’, ‘Homeland’ And ‘Game Change’ Wins
The Golden Globes displayed a split personality on the TV side, going for repeat winners in the drama and longform categories and fresh honorees in comedy. But overall, the night was dominated completely by HBO and Showtime which won all but two TV awards, led by Showtime’s drama Homeland with three, including best drama series; HBO’s Girls with two, including best comedy series; and HBO’s Game Change also with three, including best TV movie/miniseries.
Related: Golden Globes: TV Scorecard
After being largely snubbed at the Emmys, HBO’s Girls had its awards coming-out party tonight, winning both categories it was nominated in: best comedy series and best comedy actress for creator/star Lena Dunham. There have been a lot of parallels drawn between Girls and HBO’s previous edgy comedy about a quartet of single women in New York, Sex And The City. With its double win tonight, Girls is following in the footsteps of Sex And The City, a Hollywood Foreign Press Association darling which won for best comedy series and best comedy actress (Sarah Jessica Parker) an unprecedented three consecutive years. Also getting a first Golden Globe after an Emmy nomination last year was Don Cheadle, star of Showtime’s comedy series House Of Lies. Both Girls and House Of Lies celebrated their wins just as their second seasons kicked off — with the season premieres airing against the Golden Globes.
The drama and longform categories were almost a complete repeat of the Primetime Emmys in September, with a sweep for Homeland (best drama series, best drama actress for Claire Danes, and best drama actor for Damian Lewis); best movie/miniseries and best actress in a movie/miniseries trophies for Game Change and its star, Julianne Moore; best actor in a movie/miniseries statuette for Kevin Costner of History’s Hatfields & McCoys; and a supporting actress prize for Downton Abbey‘s Maggie Smith. The other supporting category, which encompasses drama and comedy series, TV movies and miniseries, was won by Moore’s Game Change co-star Ed Harris.
Related: Nikki Finke: Live-Snarking Golden Globes
For Homeland, this is the second consecutive Golden Globe for best best drama series. Danes extended her perfect Globes record with four wins in four nominations (for My So-Called Life in 1995, Temple Grandin in 2011 and Homeland in 2012). With Lewis winning his first Golden Globe for the anti-terrorist drama, Bryan Cranston was denied again and has yet to win a Globe for his Emmy-winning performance on AMC’s Breaking Bad. Cranston still took the stage as part of the cast of best motion picture drama winner Argo.
As pay cable networks HBO and Showtime kept winning category after category, commercial broadcast networks were shut out completely for what I believe is the first time. Last year, they managed one win — first best comedy series trophy for Modern Family. But the three-peat Emmy winner was left empty-handed tonight and has yet to get an acting Globe. The overall network tally tonight was HBO (5), Showtime (4) and History and PBS (1).
The success of Homeland and House Of Lies is recognition for the new generation of Showtime programming under David Nevins as the dark drama and comedy were the first two pilots and series he ordered when he joined the network in 2010.
Related stories
HBO’s ‘Girls’ Dips In Season 2 Premiere, ‘Enlightened’ Up In New Night Return
2012 Primetime Emmys: Politics Hot Topic With Winning Shows & Backstage Insights
Get more from Deadline.com: Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Newsletter
