Golden Globes 2018: The 10 Biggest TV Nomination Surprises and Snubs

The Golden Globe nominations are always unpredictable and this year, that was no different.

On Monday morning, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association revealed its nominees for the 75th annual awards show. While shows like The Crown, Game of Thrones, This Is Us, Will & Grace and Big Little Lies were recognized, as well as worthy performances from Sterling K. Brown, Elisabeth Moss and first-time nominee Freddie Highmore (for The Good Doctor), there were several head-scratching omissions and pleasant surprises. You certainly can't say the Globes are boring.

ET breaks down the biggest TV surprises and snubs following the Golden Globe nominations.

SURPRISES

13 Reasons Why Breaks Through

After getting skipped over at the Emmys, 13 Reasons Why broke through with a Best Actress in a Drama Series nomination for star Katherine Langford. This may be the biggest surprise coming out of nomination morning, as the 21-year-old Australian star will go up against stellar competition in Globes heavyweights Caitriona Balfe, Claire Foy, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Elisabeth Moss. (We’re 99 percent sure she took Mandy Moore’s spot.) Could we expect an appearance from executive producer Selena Gomez come January?

Jude Law Gets Nominated for Being the Pope

It’s no secret the Golden Globes loves star power, so it wasn’t completely out of left field when Law received his fourth career nomination -- his first for TV -- for his starring role in the HBO series, The Young Pope, where he played (you guessed it) a young pope. What is surprising is that a performance that inspired a flurry of hilarious memes and at times, veered into the ridiculous, could be deemed awards-worthy. But hey, it’s the Globes: anything goes!

SMILF Scores Major Love

This very much could be the Little Show That Could. Showtime’s under-the-radar comedy, which premiered in November, received a major boost on Monday with two big nominations -- one for creator/star/writer/director Frankie Shaw and the other for best comedy series. Awards often go back to the same well of the year’s most successful and critically-acclaimed TV, but SMILF’s surprise recognition could help prolong the life of a series (and a creative mind) who may not otherwise receive the attention. 

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Is Amy Sherman-Palladino’s Awards Ticket

The Gilmore Girls creator has been in the business a long time, but she finally has a serious awards contender on her hands. (Surprising that Gilmore Girls was snubbed for all the major TV awards during its run.) On the heels of three Critics’ Choice TV nominations, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel added two Golden Globe noms, for leading lady Rachel Brosnahan and best comedy series, to its already impressive haul. And we’re pretty certain there’s more to come.

Jessica Biel Is Now a Contender

We predicted that the 35-year-old actress would land her first Golden Globe nomination for her transformative work in The Sinner and sure enough, she did! In addition to crossing our fingers and toes for a second season of her haunting USA Network thriller, we’re excited at the prospect of Biel’s career reinvention.

Congrats, Jason Bateman (No, Not for Arrested Development)

The actor, best known for his comedic work, received a surprise nomination for his dramatic turn in Netflix’s crime thriller Ozark. Let this be a lesson to actors everywhere: Sometimes it's worth stepping outside the box.

SNUBS

Sorry, Debra Messing 

With the Golden Globes airing on NBC, it seemed like a shoo-in for the Will & Grace revival to dominate the comedy categories. Though it did earn two nominations (for best comedy series and Eric McCormack), they failed to recognize Debra Messing. To us, you can’t recognize Will without Grace.

Mandy Moore Doesn’t Repeat

The This Is Us star was one of our picks, but the HFPA failed to hand Moore her second consecutive Golden Globe nomination. To us, her portrayal of Rebecca Pearson this season has been some of her best work yet. Emmys, you’re on the clock.

Veep Is Shut Out

After being nominated for five straight years, Veep -- HB’s awards darling -- was completely shut out in the comedy categories, even for Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ peerless performance. Yeah, we’re shocked too. 

Big Little Lies’ Complicated Awards History

This isn’t a snub, so much as a thought -- and it's not exclusive to Big Little Lies, but to nearly all "limited" series who find themselves renewed: With Big Little Lies cleaning up in the limited series categories (and leading the Globe nominations with six), what does this mean for the HBO drama's awards history now that it's officially returning for a second season? 

The 75th annual Golden Globe Awards, hosted by Seth Meyers, will air live coast-to-coast on Sunday, Jan. 7 at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET on NBC.

RELATED CONTENT: