Following a very strange year for the entertainment industry (and the world in general, for that matter), a very unconventional award season is now upon us. The elaborate shindigs may have been replaced by Zoom conference calls from the comfort of the celebrities’ couches, but not even a global pandemic has managed to put a damper on Hollywood’s televised annual self-congratulation spree.

Kicking things off with (some) style (and several technical glitches) were the Golden Globes with their first ever virtual, bi-coastal ceremony. Given out by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), the Globes were overshadowed this year by the workings of the very organization behind them. And, like every year, the show’s attempts to honour the best big and small screen efforts delivered a varied supply of snubs, upsets, criticisms, surprises and triumphs.

Nominees

With cinemas closed, productions halted, major studio tentpoles postponed and viewers stuck at home for much of 2020, it was streaming services that predictably dominated the nominations. Netflix led the list with a total of 42 nods, earning well-deserved mentions for films like the critically praised Mank, The Trial of the Chicago 7 and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and television series including The Crown, Ozark, Ratched and The Queen’s Gambit.

But it was the confusing inclusion of the widely panned series Emily in Paris and movie The Prom (James Corden’s problematic performance in particular) as well as the reviled Sia film Music that left many scratching their heads. To make matters worse, several black performers and black-led projects – I May Destroy You, Da 5 Bloods, Judas and the Black Messiah, Insecure – were either completely shut out or overlooked in several categories. The revelation that the HFPA has a total of zero black members – and hasn’t had one in several years – did not go down well and ended up casting a shadow over the entire proceedings.

Ceremony

The lovely Tina Fey and Amy Poehler co-hosted the ceremony from two different cities – New York and California respectively. The live audience at the venues comprised of first responders and essential workers. The presenters were also there in person, while the nominees joined the festivities via virtual links, with the winners’ trophies to be delivered in the near future. The homebound stars’ “fashion” choices ranged from Jason Sudeikis’s tie-dye hoodie and Bill Murray’s now-viral Hawaiian shirt to Rosamund Pike channelling her inner Villanelle in a gorgeous red gown.

Fey and Poehler pulled no punches in their opening monologue. Their jabs targeted the controversial nominees and the “European weirdos” behind the Globes, with the HFPA members then promising a more inclusive future.

Despite the comedic duo’s best efforts though, the evening was disappointingly dull.

There were sweet moments in the proceedings; seeing the actors with their family members and especially pets was a nice touch. But because of the virtual aspects of the ceremony, there were echoes, freezes, delays, even a muted mic, as well as several awkward group chats before the commercial breaks. The overall lack of performances and skits (barring a few feeble attempts that mostly fell flat) made the event feel even more unnecessary than usual.

“Could this whole night have been an email? Yes!” Tina Fey mused at the start of the show, and sitting through the three hours that followed, it was hard not to concur.

Winners

In the film categories, Mank, which had the most nominations, came up empty handed. Instead, this year’s big winner was early frontrunner Nomadland, the Chloe Zhao drama about a woman’s (played by Frances McDormand) journey as a van-dwelling nomad. Even though McDormand lost out on the Best Actress (Drama) award in the show’s most prominent upset (the award went to Andra Day for her portrayal of the titular jazz singer in The United States vs. Billie Holiday), Nomadland did win the Best Motion Picture (Drama) trophy and Zhao (who was one of a record three women nominated in the category) took home the coveted Best Director honour.

It was also a terrific night for Sacha Baron Cohen, with Borat Subsequent Moviefilm winning the Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy) award and SBC’s performance in the film earning him the Best Actor (Musical or Comedy) gong.

In the television categories, The Crown was the very emphatic victor, receiving accolades for actors Josh O’Connor, Emma Corrin, and Gillian Anderson, as well as the Best Television Series (Drama) prize. The terrific Schitt’s Creek didn’t quite repeat the amazing Schitt’s Sweep of the Emmys but did win two very well-deserved awards - Best Television Series (Musical or Comedy) and Best Actress (Musical or Comedy) for the amazing Catherine O’Hara.

There were longwinded acceptance speeches aplenty, but the celebrities gave us a few memorable moments as well. O’Hara’s own husband played her off in a gag that didn’t go quite seamlessly but was charming nonetheless. And in the ceremony’s most touching speech, Chadwick Boseman’s widow, Simone Ledward Boseman, tearfully accepted his posthumous Best Actor in a Motion Picture (Drama) award.

Overall, Netflix beat all the other studios and networks in wins, a fitting result in a year when streaming dominated our entertainment consumption habits. The award show itself though wasn’t quite as riveting as the producers would have hoped and also left everyone in no doubt that the HFPA has some serious work to do if they want to remain relevant. Plus, given the show’s abysmal viewership figures (ratings plunged 64 per cent from last year’s ceremony), Hollywood patting itself on the back clearly isn’t something that audiences particularly care about at this moment in time. It may have just been the format or the lack of blockbusters, or it might be the current state of affairs that makes such televised ceremonies feel all the more frivolous right now. Whatever the case may be, it now gives the other upcoming award shows a chance to read the proverbial room and rethink their approach.

And hey, the Globes may have stumbled in various aspects in 2021, but at least we can all take comfort in the fact that James Corden didn’t win anything. You know, silver linings and all that.