Golden Globes & SAG Awards 2020: Which Shows Were Actually Eligible?
The nominations for the 2020 Golden Globe Awards and Screen Actors Guild Awards were released this week and there’s been a lot of backlash from TV viewers who didn’t see their favorites among the nominees.
Shows like Watchmen, When They See Us, Game of Thrones, Stranger Things, The Handmaid’s Tale, This Is Us, Succession, and more had audiences captivated this year, yet they were all snubbed in some way by at least one of the two award shows — but were they really? Let’s take a look at which titles were even eligible to play this season.
According to the rules for both the Golden Globes and SAG Awards, in order to be eligible, the show would have had to air in 2019. It should be noted that the Emmys are the main awards show where eligibility doesn’t abide by the current calendar year. As of now, many of the shows highlighted for major snubs for the SAGs and Globes are actually eligible.
However, there are some other guidelines to contend with, as well — namely, episode count. For the SAGs, if a show as short as six episodes is to be considered, at least two episodes must have aired in 2019. Meanwhile, a show with a 24-episode count needs to have aired at least 10 episodes in 2019 to be considered.
Though both ceremonies will be held next year, no new shows airing in 2020 are eligible for submission. However, with fewer premieres in the winter, there’s less concern over what’s missing the cut, and more with which shows are being snubbed.
(Credit: Elly Dassas/Hulu)
Network shows were light among the nominations, with titles like This Is Us — which has been widely recognized in the past — noticeably absent from the major categories apart from a SAG nod for Outstanding Male Actor in a Drama Series for Sterling K. Brown. The Dan Fogelman-created drama was completely missing from the Globes nominee list, with streamers and premium cable dominating.
Despite the popularity in streamers, early favorite When They See Us got little love as Jharrel Jerome was the only star of the limited series recognized by the Screen Actors Guild. And the series received nary a nomination from the Hollywood Foreign Press.
Also excluded at the Globes? Stranger Things‘ massive third season, breakout favorite The Boys, and Game of Thrones (which earned a single nod for Kit Harington). That said, both Stranger Things and Thrones did have more success with the SAGs, earning three nominations each.
Still, HBO seemed mostly forgotten, as Watchmen was absent from the Globes nominations, though it earned one nod for stunt work at the SAG Awards. Teen-centric drama Euphoria was missing from both shows’ lists, despite early buzz and high praise for Zendaya‘s lead performance. And dysfunctional family drama Succession made some noise with Globe nominations (though not for standout Jeremy Strong!), but it was completely shut out of the SAGs.
(Credit: HBO)
The Handmaid’s Tale was also absent from the Globes lineup despite being an awards darling for its first two seasons at Hulu. It did manage to snag two nods from the SAGs.
Whether these oversights were intentional or not depends on those submitting and voting for the awards — in this case, the HFPA and SAG members — but only time will tell if the missing titles can make a comeback next year.
Which shows would you have liked to see make the nominations cut? Let us know in the comments below.
