Golden Globe Musings: Best Drama Series

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:
The Crown
Game of Thrones
Stranger Things
This Is Us
Westworld

New contenders:
The Deuce
The Good Doctor
The Handmaid’s Tale
Mindhunter
Mr. Mercedes
Ozark

Potential first-time nominees:
The Americans
Better Call Saul
The Leftovers

Past nominees:
Empire
Mr. Robot
Narcos
Outlander

Count out one of last year’s nominees – “Westworld” – since it didn’t air this year. Substitute in “The Handmaid’s Tale,” which won the Emmy in this category this past fall, and you have a very likely lineup, since Netflix’s two sophomore series, NBC’s sentimental hit, and HBO’s long-running flagship are all still red-hot. It’s possible that one or two new Netflix series could enter the race, but I think both are too dark and aren’t likely to show up. HBO’s latest success, “The Deuce,” is more likely to place, though I’m also not entirely confident about that one. I think that there’s going to be almost no change here, though it’s admittedly a risky choice for the Globes that are famous for loving new shows. The last time this category changed by only one nominee from the previous year was back in 2009.

Current predictions:
The Crown
Game of Thrones
The Handmaid’s Tale
Stranger Things
This Is Us