Two new streaming players made their presence known at the 2021 Golden Globe nominations on Wednesday morning.
Both Disney Plus and HBO Max scored their first nominations from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Disney Plus picked up a nod for “The Mandalorian” in the best drama series category. HBO Max got two nominations, both courtesy of “The Flight Attendant:” one for the series in the best musical or comedy category, and another for star Kaley Cuoco best actress in a musical or comedy series.
The success of the two shows underscores just how important streaming is to the television ecosystem compared to linear television nowadays. In 2020, four streaming services were on the list of TV distributors that scored the most nominations (Netfilx, Hulu, Amazon, Apple). This year, that number increased to six with the addition of HBO Max and Disney Plus.
Read the full list of nominations here.
It should be noted, however, that while the broadcast networks got shut out entirely in 2020, NBC did manage to pick up one nomination this year for “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist.” Pop TV also got into the running this year thanks to Emmy darling “Schitt’s Creek,” though it won’t make much of a difference as Pop is out of the scripted series game.
“The Mandalorian” has proven to be a worldwide phenomenon, capturing the attention of “Star Wars” fans both young and old. The show was previously nominated for 15 Emmy Awards for its first season, of which it won seven.
Meanwhile, Cuoco, best known for her time on the CBS sitcom “The Big Bang Theory,” found major success with her first live-action role since that show ended. “The Flight Attendant” scored a 98% critical approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with HBO Max touting it as a major driver of viewership, though they did not release any official numbers. Wednesday’s nomination also marked the first Golden Globe nod of Cuoco’s career.