As the 2020-2021 awards season ramps up, the 2021 Golden Globe Awards is just about ready to put its two cents in on one of the more unique years in movie and TV history. The Globes will be both very different (no celebrities filling the ballroom?) and yet familiar (hello again, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler) this year. Here is what you need to know about the 78th Golden Globe Awards.
When The 2021 Golden Globes Are Taking Place
The COVID-19 pandemic shifted the awards calendar by almost two months. While normally the Golden Globes would take place the first or second week of January, the 2021 Golden Globes are instead now set for Feb. 28.
However, we are not entirely sure how the ceremony will work. There has been no official word as to how the Golden Globes will be conducted from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
The usual setup sees actors, directors and other celebrities from TV and film converge in the ballroom of The Beverly Hilton Hotel for what is often described as a pretty fun party with some awards handed out in between. The HFPA, per their website, does say that they will still broadcast the awards from The Beverly Hilton Hotel, however, because of the continued high levels of COVID-19 cases in Los Angeles, it seems rather unlikely that a full in-person ceremony would happen. Perhaps they’ll opt for something like the Emmys did.
2008 was the last time there wasn't a Golden Globes ceremony; at that time because of the writer's strike.
How To Watch The 2021 Golden Globes
Almost as much of a tradition as The Beverly Hilton Hotel is the Golden Globes airing on NBC, and the 2021 Golden Globes will be no different.
In the United States, NBC has been the home of the Globes since 1996, and back in 2018 the HFPA and Dick Clark Productions, which produces the Globes telecast, agreed to an eight-year extension that will keep the awards show on the peacock network through 2026.
This means that the 78th Golden Globes will air live on your local NBC affiliate, but that’s not the only way to watch it. NBC is likely to stream the awards show through NBC.com and its NBC app like it did in 2020. Twitter will also feature streams of special Globes content, including red carpet footage.
Who’s Hosting The 78th Golden Globe Awards
No matter what form the 2021 Golden Globes take, the role of host will be filled, and by a pair of familiar faces. The duo of Tina Fey and Amy Poehler will return as Golden Globes hosts for the fourth time, having previously done the job in 2013, 2014 and 2015.
Since the Globes started having a host regularly in 2009, only Ricky Gervais has hosted more than Fey and Poehler, who - save for a jab at James Cameron - have been generally less contentious with the nominees than Gervais. The only times either Gervais or Fey and Poehler didn’t host was a three-year stretch that saw Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers and Sandra Oh & Andy Samberg take on the job. Gervais still holds the record, having hosted five times, but Fey and Poehler will now be just one behind him.
When The 2021 Golden Globe Nominations Will Be Announced
TV and film nominations for the 2021 Golden Globes will be announced bright and early on Wednesday, February 3, at 8 a.m. ET/5 a.m. PT. The eligibility window for nominees actually was extended to February 28 this year, again because of the pandemic, so some films may very well be nominated that haven’t even been released yet.
Unlike the Oscars, the Golden Globes breaks down the top prizes for its film nominations into Drama and Comedy/Musical, with 10 nominations total across both categories for Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Actress. All other awards will include both drama, comedy and musical performances competing against each other.
It’s the same on the TV side, though that’s essentially the formula the Emmys do, so nothing too different there.
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has a reputation for making some unique picks with their nominations, so it’s always exciting to see where they go with them.
New Contenders And The First 2021 Golden Globe Winner
While we’re still waiting to hear on nominations for the 78th Golden Globe Awards, we already know who one of the honorees will be. The HFPA announced on January 26 that Jane Fonda would be this year’s recipient of the Cecil B. DeMille Award, the Globes’ lifetime achievement honor.
Here is what the HFPA said about Fonda, a 15-time nominee and seven-time winner at the Golden Globes, when announcing her as the Cecil B. DeMille Award recipient, via Indiewire:
For more than five decades, Jane’s breadth of work has been anchored in her unrelenting activism, using her platform to address some of the most important social issues of our time. Her undeniable talent has gained her the highest level of recognition, and while her professional life has taken many turns, her unwavering commitment to evoking change has remained. We are honored to celebrate her achievements at the 2021 Golden Globe Awards.
Fonda joins the likes of Denzel Washington, Jodie Foster, Tom Hanks, Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg and more as Cecil B. DeMille Award winners.
Meanwhile, Norman Lear has been announced as the third-ever recipient of the Carol Burnett Award.
As for who else may be competing for trophies come February 28, while much buzzed about titles like Nomadland, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, The Trial of the Chicago 7, The Mandalorian, The Crown and The Boys are all expected to be in vying for spots, some new shows are lurking as potential players.
The Golden Globes love to be among the first to recognize a new show with a nomination, and sometimes a win. The launch of HBO Max and Peacock since the 2020 Golden Globes means that shows like The Flight Attendant, Raised by Wolves and TV movies Unpregnant from HBO Max, as well as Peacock’s Saved by the Bell, The Capture and The Amber Ruffin Show could make an impact.
Also, the Golden Globes may not throw away its shot to include Hamilton among its honorees. The Golden Globes are allowing the recording of the Broadway production of Hamilton with original cast members Lin-Manuel Miranda, Leslie Odom Jr. and Renee Elise Goldsberry that debuted on Disney+ in the summer of 2020 to compete in the Comedy/Musical film categories. With the Oscars deeming Hamilton ineligible for its awards, the Golden Globes may be the last trophies that Hamilton could add to its mantle.
Get excited, after a delay the 78th Golden Globes are almost here. And if you're amped up for the awards season, you can also read what we know about the 2021 Academy Awards.
