The Queue

Awards season has officially begun with the release of the 2026 Golden Globe nominations. Here are the winners, losers, surprises, and snubs.

By Kevin Slane

December 16, 2025 | 8:36 AM

3 minutes to read

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The 2026 Oscars are still more than three months away. But with the recent announcement of the 2026 Golden Globe nominations, awards season has officially begun.

Many of the nominees were unsurprising, particularly the nine nominations for Paul Thomas Anderson’s masterpiece “One Battle After Another.” But Globe voters still had a few surprises for us, both pleasant (yay Rose Byrne!) and perplexing (uh… Julia Roberts?).

Here are a couple of the biggest winners, losers, surprises, and snubs from the 2026 Golden Globe nominations.

Winners

Warner Bros.: WB had a year for the ages both critically and at the box office, and its success was enshrined with multiple nominations for movies like “OBAA” (9) and “Sinners” (7), plus nods for shows like “The White Lotus,” “The Last of Us,” and “The Pitt.” No wonder Netflix is paying $72 billion for the studio.

Netflix: Speaking of Netflix, the streaming giant earned 35 nominations of its own across film and television, with the searing drama “Adolescence” expected to win at least a few of them.

Losers

“Wicked: For Good”: The second part of this stage adaptation got five nominations, but missed out on a Best Picture (Musical or Comedy) nod, which bodes poorly for its Oscar chances. (Read my full review.)

“Avatar: Fire & Ash”: Like “Wicked: For Good,” James Cameron’s big-screen return to Pandora missed out on a best picture nod, and was instead relegated to the lesser “box office achievement” category. Reviews of the film are embargoed until Dec. 16, but having already seen it… I think the voters got it right.

Biggest surprises

Eva Victor: I loved Eva Victor’s debut movie “Sorry, Baby” (which was filmed in Ipswich!), but the A24 project came and went without much impact at the box office. Clearly voters were watching Victor’s hilarious, heartbreaking, and life-affirming performance, though.

Lee Byung-hun: I was worried that voters would limit Park Chan-Wook’s black comedy “No Other Choice” to the international category, but Lee (best known for “Squid Game”) clearly made an impact.

Biggest snubs

“The Gilded Age”: Television voters can get stuck focusing on either new shows or shows that are airing their final seasons. That’s the only explanation for overlooking Julian Fellowes’ 1880s high-society drama, which shifted into a higher gear in its third season.

“Andor”: Only one nomination for the best show of 2025? What are we doing here?

Play or Skip: Golden Globes edition

Add these Golden Globe nominees to your watchlist:

“KPop Demon Hunters”: It’s not just for kids, I promise – though kids will definitely love this team of pop idol superheroes and their endlessly catchy songs as well. (Netflix)

“Sinners”: 33% gothic horror, 33% antebellum historical drama, 33% musical, 100% fun. (HBO Max)

“The Pitt”: Nothing reassures me more about the future of television than “ER” creator John Wells finding massive success with a conventional but excellent medical drama more than 30 years after the NBC show’s debut. (HBO Max)

… but go ahead and skip this one:

“After the Hunt”: Despite hinting at a grand thesis tying together cancel culture, #MeToo, power dynamics, and the cloistered world of academia, Luca Guadagnino’s film starring Julia Roberts, Andrew Garfield, and Ayo Edebiri is content with light provocation and half-measures. (Prime Video)

End Credits

That’s a wrap on this edition of The Queue. If you’re a fan, please consider recommending this newsletter to your friends.

Until next time, good stream hunting, everyone!

— Kevin

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