Golden Globe Musings: Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Television Series

Golden Globe nominations for this year will be announced in just a few weeks, so here’s a survey of the contenders and the most likely predictions at this time. Weigh in with your thoughts, and let me know if I’ve left off anyone important. A reminder that last year’s nominees mean zilch at the Globes and that the race is almost entirely unpredictable. In the supporting categories, a majority of the nominees usually come from TV movies and mini-series. I will be analyzing and predicting only the nominees who come from drama or comedy series.

Last year’s eligible nominees:
NEIL PATRICK HARRIS, HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER
JEREMY PIVEN, ENTOURAGE

Predicting this category is a real crapshoot. There’s little method to the madness, and there are surprises aplenty with performances that wouldn’t seem like they’re could enough caliber to be deemed the best out of three television mediums, like Kevin Dillon and Masi Oka, as well as completely out-there inclusions, like Oliver Platt for “Huff” and John Corbett for “Sex and the City.” Both Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother) and Jeremy Piven (Entourage) will probably be back, though Piven’s Emmy snub doesn’t make his chances look good. Don’t expect Jon Cryer (Two and a Half Men) to suddenly earn a nomination now that he won an Emmy, because his show has only ever received two mentions, and those were for Charlie Sheen four years ago. New Emmy nominee Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad) could pop up here, as could William Hurt (Damages), but I think the only contender who will break through is John Mahoney (In Treatment), a past nominee in 1993 and 2000 for “Frasier,” following in the footsteps of the fellow patient Blair Underwood, also Emmy-snubbed and then Golden Globe-nominated. Additional nominees will be predicted before the nominations announcement on December 15.

Predicted nominees (series only):
NEIL PATRICK HARRIS, HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER
JOHN MAHONEY, IN TREATMENT
JEREMY PIVEN, ENTOURAGE