Hollywood took a harder hit than most other industries during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.

The global pandemic shut down productions and movie theaters around the world. Every major studio had to push back a number of tent-pole films well into 2021. It appears that for the time being while movie theaters attempt to adapt to new coronavirus guidelines, the only place that films could find a home was on streaming services, where viewers can find a majority of this year’s nominees for the 78th Annual Golden Globes.

Netflix broke the record for any company, receiving an unprecedented 42 nominations across the film and television categories this year. The only streaming service to come anywhere close to Netflix is Amazon Prime. In the film categories — both drama and comedy — the leading nominees include “Nomadland,” “Mank,” “Trial of the Chicago 7,” “Promising Young Woman,” “One Night in Miami,” “Borat Subsequent Movie Film,” “Hamilton” and “The Prom.” Each film has nominations in multiple categories including best picture.

In terms of the actors and actresses in these films the front runners include the late Chadwick Boseman in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and Frances McDormand in “Nomadland” for best leading actor/actress. Other heavy hitters include Carey Mulligan in “Promising Young Woman,” Amanda Seyfried in the film “Mank” and Andy Samberg starring in “Palm Springs.” 

This year’s awards were also a massive milestone for the directing category. Three female directors were nominated, a first in the same year, Regina King’s directorial debut “One Night in Miami,” Emerald Fennell for “Promising Young Woman” and the first ever Asian American female director Chloe Zhao for “Nomadland.”

The Golden Globes are also a time to celebrate the best that television has to offer, and many would argue these categories get the most competitive. The leading contenders include “Ozark,” “The Crown,” “The Mandalorian,” “Schitt’s Creek,” “The Flight Attendant” and “Ratched.” There’s also limited series such as “The Undoing,” “Your Honor” and “The Queen’s Gambit.” 

Every year, with every round of nominations comes a handful of controversial surprises and snubs. Some of the biggest snubs from this year include Spike Lee’s Vietnam drama, “Da 5 Bloods,” also starring the late Boseman, Meryl Streep in “The Prom,” no nominations for “Bridgerton,” Jonathan Majors and Jurnee Smollett in “Lovecraft Country” and no nominations for “I May Destroy You” just to name a few. The biggest shocks came with surprise nominations for critically panned films like Sia’s “Music” and series like “Emily in Paris.” Many were shocked to see “Hamilton” be nominated as many felt that being a recording of a live show made it ineligible. Arguably the most controversial nominee from this year was James Corden for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy for his less than well-regarded role in “The Prom.” The performance was labeled by countless critics and audience members as “gay-face” and incredibly insulting for LGBTQ+ viewers.

This year’s award ceremony will naturally fall in line with several other award shows from this past year, a bicoastal simulcast from multiple locations across the country. The ceremony will be hosted by “Saturday Night Live” alumnae Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, which will mark their fifth year of hosting duties. The 2020 Golden Globes were met with many mixed reactions due to host Rick Gervais and several controversial jokes made throughout the night.

The Golden Globes air Sunday, Feb. 28, at 8 p.m. on NBC.

Share