The glitz of awards season kicked into high gear on December 8, 2025, when the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) unveiled the nominees for the 83rd Annual Golden Globe Awards in a star-studded Beverly Hills ceremony.
Presented by actors Marlon Wayans and Skye P. Marshall, the announcements set the stage for what promises to be a fiercely competitive race, with Paul Thomas Anderson's sprawling ensemble drama One Battle After Another emerging as the frontrunner, snagging a whopping nine nominations - including Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy), Best Director, and Best Screenplay.
This marks Anderson's most nominated film since There Will Be Blood, underscoring his return to form with a biting satire on corporate warfare that critics have hailed as "a masterclass in chaotic ensemble storytelling."
Adding a fresh twist to the Globes' storied legacy, this year introduces the first-ever Best Podcast category, spotlighting audio trailblazers like Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard and SmartLess. "Podcasts have revolutionized how we consume stories," HFPA President Ali Sar noted in a statement, emphasizing the medium's growing cultural clout amid a surge in listener numbers - global podcast revenue hit $4.5 billion in 2025 alone, per industry reports.
The ceremony, airing live on CBS and streaming on Paramount+ on January 11, 2026, from the Beverly Hilton, will once again be hosted by Nikki Glaser, whose razor-sharp wit turned heads in 2025 with zingers like her quip on Hollywood's "endless quest for relevance."
Neon dominated film distribution with 21 nods, while Netflix crushed TV with 22, signaling a streaming-fueled shift in prestige fare.
But amid the cheers, not everyone's popping champagne - snubs for blockbusters like Avatar: Fire and Ash in major categories have sparked online debates, and some eyebrow-raising picks have fans crying foul. Let's break down the full slate.
Film Nominations: Anderson's Epic Leads a Diverse Pack
One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.) isn't just leading; it's a juggernaut, blending dark comedy with trenchant social commentary on late-stage capitalism.
Leonardo DiCaprio's turn as a beleaguered exec earned him a Best Actor (Musical/Comedy) nod, while supporting nods for Benicio del Toro and Sean Penn highlight the film's star-packed depth.
Trailing close are Joachim Trier's introspective Sentimental Value (8 noms) and Ryan Coogler's genre-bending Sinners (7 noms), with Guillermo del Toro's gothic Frankenstein and the musical sequel Wicked: For Good tying at 5 each.
Best Motion Picture – Drama
- Frankenstein (Netflix)
- Hamnet (Focus Features)
- It Was Just an Accident (Neon)
- The Secret Agent (Neon)
- Sentimental Value* (Neon)
- Sinners (Warner Bros.)
Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
- Blue Moon (Sony Pictures Classics)
- Bugonia (Focus Features)
- Marty Supreme (A24)
- No Other Choice (Neon)
- Nouvelle Vague (Netflix)
- One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)
Best Director – Motion Picture
- Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another
- Ryan Coogler – Sinners
- Guillermo del Toro – Frankenstein
- Jafar Panahi – It Was Just an Accident
- Joachim Trier – Sentimental Value
- Chloé Zhao – Hamnet
Best Screenplay – Motion Picture
- One Battle After Another (Paul Thomas Anderson)
- Marty Supreme (Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie)
- Sinners (Ryan Coogler)
- Sentimental Value (Eskil Vogt, Joachim Trier)
- It Was Just an Accident (Jafar Panahi)
- Hamnet (Chloé Zhao, Maggie O’Farrell)
Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama
- Joel Edgerton – Train Dreams
- Oscar Isaac – Frankenstein
- Dwayne Johnson – The Smashing Machine
- Michael B. Jordan – Sinners
- Wagner Moura – The Secret Agent
- Jeremy Allen White – Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere
Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama
- Jessie Buckley – Hamnet
- Jennifer Lawrence – Die My Love
- Renate Reinsve – Sentimental Value
- Julia Roberts – After the Hunt
- Tessa Thompson – Hedda
- Eva Victor – Sorry, Baby
Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
- Timothée Chalamet – Marty Supreme
- George Clooney – Jay Kelly
- Leonardo DiCaprio – One Battle After Another
- Ethan Hawke – Blue Moon
- Lee Byung-Hun – No Other Choice
- Jesse Plemons – Bugonia
Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
- Rose Byrne – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
- Cynthia Erivo – Wicked: For Good
- Kate Hudson – Song Sung Blue
- Chase Infiniti – One Battle After Another
- Amanda Seyfried – The Testament of Ann Lee
- Emma Stone – Bugonia
Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role – Motion Picture
- Benicio del Toro – One Battle After Another
- Jacob Elordi – Frankenstein
- Paul Mescal – Hamnet
- Sean Penn – One Battle After Another
- Adam Sandler – Jay Kelly
- Stellan Skarsgård – Sentimental Value
Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role – Motion Picture
- Emily Blunt – The Smashing Machine
- Elle Fanning – Sentimental Value
- Ariana Grande – Wicked: For Good
- Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – Sentimental Value
- Amy Madigan – Weapons
- Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another
Best Motion Picture – Non-English Language
- It Was Just an Accident (France)
- No Other Choice (South Korea)
- The Secret Agent (Brazil)
- Sentimental Value (Norway)
- Sirat (Spain)
- The Voice of Hind Rajab (Tunisia)
Best Motion Picture – Animated
- Arco (Neon)
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Infinity Castle (Aniplex, Crunchyroll, Sony)
- Elio (Disney)
- KPop Demon Hunters (Netflix)
- Little Amélie or the Character of Rain (Gkids)
- Zootopia 2 (Disney)
Notable additions include the Cinematic and Box Office Achievement category, nodding to summer smashes like Sinners and Zootopia 2, which grossed over $1.2 billion worldwide combined.
TV Nominations: *The White Lotus* Reigns Supreme
On the small screen, HBO's The White Lotus Season 3 topped with six nominations, including Best Drama Series and nods for Carrie Coon and Walton Goggins in supporting roles.
Apple TV+ favorites like Severance and Slow Horses also shone, reflecting the platform's binge-worthy grip - Apple's original content viewership spiked 25% in 2025.
Best Television Series – Drama
- The Diplomat (Netflix)
- The Pitt (HBO)
- Pluribus (Apple TV+)
- Severance (Apple TV+)
- Slow Horses (Apple TV+)
- The White Lotus (HBO)
Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy
- Abbott Elementary* (ABC)
- The Bear (FX/Hulu)
- Hacks (HBO)
- Nobody Wants This (Netflix)
- Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)
- The Studio (Apple TV+)
Best Limited Series, Anthology Series or TV Movie
- Adolescence (Netflix)
- All Her Fault (Peacock)
- The Beast in Me (Netflix)
- Black Mirror (Netflix)
- Dying for Sex (FX/Hulu)
- The Girlfriend (Prime Video)
Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Series – Drama
- Sterling K. Brown – Paradise
- Diego Luna – Andor
- Gary Oldman – Slow Horses
- Mark Ruffalo – Task
- Adam Scott – Severance
- Noah Wyle – The Pitt
Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Series – Drama
- Kathy Bates – Matlock
- Britt Lower – Severance
- Helen Mirren – Mobland
- Bella Ramsey – The Last of Us
- Keri Russell – The Diplomat
- Rhea Seehorn – Pluribus
For the full TV acting categories, including comedy leads like Ayo Edebiri (*The Bear*) and stand-up nods for Ricky Gervais, head to the official HFPA site.
The Sinners Controversy: Acclaimed Horror or Overhyped Mess?
Not everyone's toasting Sinners' seven nominations, including Best Director for Coogler and a lead nod for Michael B. Jordan. Detractors, echoing sentiments on Reddit, slam it as "choppy editing and bad writing" masquerading as depth, a "fake positive" darling propped by star power.
Released in April 2025, the Southern Gothic horror-blaxploitation hybrid follows twin brothers (both Jordan) confronting racial trauma and supernatural vengeance in Jim Crow-era Mississippi. But facts paint a rosier picture: It boasts a 98% Rotten Tomatoes score from 224 reviews, with Roger Ebert calling it "a feature film that masterfully weaves horror, blues, and history."
The New York Times dubbed it Coogler's "passionate praise song about life and love," crediting its romantic undercurrents and gore-soaked spectacle for grossing $450 million globally. Coogler's post-Black Panther pivot to personal folklore, scored by Ludwig Göransson (also nominated), resonates as timely commentary on intraracial divides - perhaps why voters overlooked the flaws. Love it or loathe it, Sinners proves the Globes reward bold swings.
Erivo and Grande's Wicked Encore: Cringe or Crowning Glory?
Then there's the double whammy for Wicked: For Good - Cynthia Erivo's second straight Best Actress (Musical/Comedy) nod as Elphaba and Ariana Grande's supporting turn as Glinda. Fans decry it as "cringe overload," questioning the pop stars' acting chops in Jon M. Chu's emerald-hued sequel, which wrapped a $1.8 billion franchise bow.
Yet reactions skew celebratory: Erivo, making history as the first Black actress with consecutive Globe nods for a musical lead, told The Hollywood Reporter, "It doesn't feel like a goodbye... more like a see you later," praising Grande's "magic" on set.
Grande echoed the joy, posting on Instagram about their "back-to-back sisterhood." Critics laud Erivo's vocal powerhouse and emotional rawness, with Variety noting she "broke Globes records" for sheer range. Grande's bubbly pivot? It's charmed voters, earning her first supporting nom amid Wicked's box-office sorcery. In an era craving feel-good escapism, this duo's encore feels less cringe, more coronation.
As the January showdown looms, these noms reflect Hollywood's push-pull: innovation meets nostalgia, acclaim clashes with critique. Will Anderson's battle royale conquer? Tune in - Glaser’s got the mic, and the drama's just beginning.
Also read:
- Pentagon's AI Revolution: 3 Million Troops and Civilians Log Into Google Gemini-Powered GenAI.mil
- Quentin Tarantino Declares 2019 the Last Year of "Real Cinema" Before Streaming Took Over
- The Last Generation That Still Believes in People
Author: Slava Vasipenok
Founder and CEO of QUASA (quasa.io) - Daily insights on Web3, AI, Crypto, and Freelance. Stay updated on finance, technology trends, and creator tools - with sources and real value.
Innovative entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in IT, fintech, and blockchain. Specializes in decentralized solutions for freelancing, helping to overcome the barriers of traditional finance, especially in developing regions.
