Golden Globes' TV nominations rewarded too many big-name, A-list stars this year

Variety

"The Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. has proved time and again that its favorite kind of actors to reward tend to come from two extreme sides of the spectrum: talented first-timers and huge household names," says Caroline Framke. "If a project stars someone who is truly new and/or shiny, chances are that the HFPA will pay ample attention come nomination time." Yet this year, there were a lot of big names who earned nominations, including Julia Roberts, Jim Carrey, Penelope Cruz, Micahel Douglas and Candice Bergen. "A closer look at the nominations reveals that this year’s batch contains far more star power and way fewer pleasant newcomer surprises than per usual," says Framke. "On the one hand, the Globes historically have loved to guarantee that as many big-name actors will be at the ceremony as possible. On the other, this saturation of A-list talent accurately reflects the ballooning demand in the television industry for high wattage stars to launch and anchor projects. TV isn’t a second choice or last resort for film stars anymore; it’s a savvy career move to make audiences see them in a new and different light."