Hollywood awards season officially kicks off Sunday with the 82nd Golden Globe Awards, a looser alternative to the Oscars that recognizes achievement in both film and television.
Here’s a look at what to expect from a show that bills itself as “Hollywood’s Party of the Year.”
How to watch
The Globes will take place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Sunday and air live on CBS starting at 8 p.m. ET. The telecast will stream on the Paramount+ platform in the U.S. (CBS acquired broadcast rights to the Globes in November 2023, stepping in for NBC.)
NBC News staffers will also be live-blogging updates on Sunday on NBCNews.com.
Who is hosting?
Emmy- and Grammy-nominated stand-up comedian Nikki Glaser will make her debut as Globes emcee. She is the first woman to host the ceremony solo. In recent years, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler hosted together four times, while Sandra Oh split hosting duties with Andy Samberg in 2019.
In an interview with the Globes’ official website, Glaser said headlining the show was “scary,” but she was excited about the challenge.
“It’s a well-lit room, which is not conducive to comedy; there are a lot of people I admire, which also is not conducive to comedy. It’s live, so you can’t do retakes,” Glaser said. “The level of difficulty is through the roof, and that’s thrilling to me.”
Glaser is coming off a high-profile year. “Nikki Glaser: Someday You’ll Die,” her second HBO stand-up special, debuted on the network in May. She also appeared in Netflix’s “The Roast of Tom Brady.”
What are the film front-runners?
The Globes, unlike the Academy Awards, splits the best film prize into two categories: drama and musical/comedy. It’s a model that allows voters to recognize a wider array of film projects, with six entrants in each race.
The editors of Gold Derby, an awards prediction website, say the drama movies with the best odds are “The Brutalist,” an epic saga of the postwar immigrant experience, and “Conclave,” a thriller about the top-secret battle for the papacy. The other drama nominees are “A Complete Unknown,” “Dune: Part Two,” “Nickel Boys” and “September 5.”
In the musical/comedy category, Gold Derby editors say the odds favor “Anora,” a madcap portrait of a Brooklyn sex worker, and “Wicked,” an adaptation of the popular Broadway musical. The other contenders are “Challengers,” “Emilia Pérez,” “A Real Pain” and “The Substance.”
“Conclave” and “Wicked” were both released by units of NBCUniversal, the parent company of NBC News.
Gold Derby predictions aside, the film that goes into the night with the most nominations is “Emilia Pérez,” a genre-busting song-and-dance spectacle about a Mexican drug cartel boss who undergoes gender-affirming surgery and attempts to start a new life as an anti-violence humanitarian. The movie, distributed by Netflix, nabbed 10 nominations.
What about blockbusters?
The group behind the Globes introduced a new category last year: Cinematic and Box Office Achievement. It’s a field that allows voters to recognize movies that have “garnered extensive global audience support” (read: ticket sales); last year, the prize went to “Barbie.”
Eight hit movies are in the running this year: “Alien: Romulus,” “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” “Deadpool & Wolverine,” “Gladiator II,” “Inside Out 2,” “Twisters,” “Wicked” and “The Wild Robot.”
“Inside Out 2” and “Deadpool & Wolverine” were the two highest-grossing titles of 2024, each raking in more than $600 million at the domestic box office. But don’t be surprised if the award goes to the third highest-grossing release: “Wicked.”
What are the television front-runners?
Globes voters also recognize achievement in TV. In the drama series race, Gold Derby gives the best odds to “Shōgun,” a saga set in feudal Japan. (The acclaimed series won the equivalent prize at the most recent Emmys.) The other nominees in the drama series category are “The Day of the Jackal,” “The Diplomat,” “Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” “Slow Horses” and “Squid Game.”
In the comedy series field, “Hacks” appears to have momentum after claiming the equivalent trophy at the most recent Emmys. The other contenders in the category are “Abbott Elementary,” “The Bear,” “The Gentlemen,” “Nobody Wants This” and “Only Murders in the Building.”
Any historic nominations?
Karla Sofía Gascón, who plays the title character in “Emilia Pérez,” made history as the first openly transgender woman to be nominated for a Globe for a leading film role. Gascón’s victory would be an LGBTQ+ milestone for the ceremony.
The other performers in the best musical/comedy actress category are Amy Adams for “Nightbitch,” Cynthia Erivo for “Wicked,” Mikey Madison for “Anora,” Demi Moore for “The Substance” and Zendaya for “Challengers.”
Denzel Washington, nominated for his supporting turn in Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator II,” goes into the show as the most-nominated Black performer in Globes history, with 11 career nods to his name.
Who is presenting?
This year’s robust list of A-list presenters includes Andrew Garfield, Anthony Mackie, Anthony Ramos, Anya Taylor-Joy, Ariana DeBose, Aubrey Plaza, Auliʻi Cravalho, Awkwafina, Brandi Carlile, Catherine O’Hara, Colin Farrell, Colman Domingo, Demi Moore, Dwayne Johnson, Édgar Ramírez, Elton John, Gal Gadot, Glenn Close, Jeff Goldblum, Jennifer Coolidge, Kaley Cuoco, Kate Hudson, Kathy Bates, Ke Huy Quan, Kerry Washington, Margaret Qualley, Melissa McCarthy, Michael Keaton, Michelle Yeoh, Miles Teller, Mindy Kaling, Morris Chestnut, Nate Bargatze, Nicolas Cage, Rachel Brosnahan, Rob McElhenney, Salma Hayek Pinault, Sarah Paulson, Seth Rogen, Sharon Stone, Vin Diesel, Viola Davis and Zoë Kravitz.
Who will get special recognition?
Two entertainment industries luminaries are set to receive special awards. Ted Danson will be recognized with the Carol Burnett Award recognizing “outstanding contributions to television on or off the screen.” The prize has previously gone to Ryan Murphy, Norman Lear, Ellen DeGeneres and — yes — Carol Burnett.
Viola Davis, part of an elite group of artists who have won the four trophies making up an “EGOT” (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony), will be honored with the Cecil B. DeMille Award recognizing “outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment.” In recent years, the same prize has gone to Eddie Murphy, Jane Fonda, Tom Hanks, Jeff Bridges and Oprah Winfrey.
