Golden Globe Musings: Best Actor in a TV Series - Drama

Golden Globe nominations for this year will be announced soon, 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.

Last year’s nominees:
Rami Malek (Mr. Robot)
Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul)
Matthew Rhys (The Americans)
Liev Schreiber (Ray Donovan)
Billy Bob Thornton (Goliath)

New contenders:
Jason Bateman (Ozark)
James Franco (The Deuce)
Brendan Gleeson (Mr. Mercedes)
Jonathan Groff (Mindhunter)
Freddie Highmore (The Good Doctor)

Potential first-time nominees:
Sterling K. Brown (This Is Us)
Kit Harington (Game of Thrones)
Milo Ventimiglia (This Is Us)

Count last year’s winner, Thornton, out since his show doesn’t return for its second season until 2018. Malek got snubbed by Emmy voters for season two, but he’s eligible here for season three, so I’d say he’s moderately safe. I’m surprised both Odenkirk and Schreiber lasted this long, and they’re just as likely to repeat - for the third and fifth times, respectively - as they are to be omitted from the race. The buzz for both of their shows hasn’t changed at all, and the same is true for last year’s first-timer Rhys. The only past contender whose show is still on is Kevin Spacey, who was tossed out after his win in 2014 and now has zero chance in hell or ever being nominated again. With at least one slot open, it’s a safe bet that Emmy winner Brown, who wasn’t nominated here last year, will be honored, and I think it’s unlikely that costar Ventimiglia will join him, though I wouldn’t have expected him to earn an Emmy nod either. And then we have a bunch of newbies, with Franco as the likeliest to enter this race with his film role in “The Disaster Artist” helping his momentum also. In a late-breaking announcement, Harington and costar Emilia Clarke are being submitted as leads, so the designated male star of a show that’s been much less popular here than with Emmy voters could well show up since the series continues to be immensely popular. We could very easily have an all-new lineup here, though I’m not all that enthusiastic about that idea.

Current predictions:
Sterling K. Brown (This Is Us)
James Franco (The Deuce)
Kit Harington (Game of Thrones)
Freddie Highmore (The Good Doctor)
Rami Malek (Mr. Robot)