Golden Globes 2018: The nominations, the snubs, and the surprises
The Golden Globe nominees have been announced to widespread surprise and upset. The Hollywood Foreign Press has given nods to a variety of categories while snubbing some flicks completely. The Big Sick doesn’t appear at all, and HBO’s Veep garnered no notice in the comedy category; The Florida Project, expected to make a splash in the big awards shows, also made a paltry showing in just a few categories. Some of our favorites like The Good Place and Mindhunter made no showing whatsoever. James Franco and Daniel Kaluuya are going head to head in the Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy category. Franco’s turn as alien filmmaker Tommy Wiseau in The Disaster Artist has been critically lauded, but Kaluuya remains the odds-on favorite for his Get Out showing. The Best Supporting Actor category was stuffed with faves, including Willem Dafoe for his performance in A24’s The Florida Project and Armie Hammer for Call Me By Your Name. Making the cheekiest showing in awards history, Christopher Plummer also garnered a nom in the category despite being a last-minute replacement for scandal-ridden Kevin Spacey in Ridley Scott’s All the Money in the World. For Best Actress, Drama, Jessica Chastain was given a nomination for her role in the upcoming Sorkin special Molly’s Game. Sally Hawkins received the same recognition for her turn in The Shape of Water, while Best TV Series, Drama has given The Crown the lead – but The Handmaid’s Tale also has a rightful nod. Get Out was absent from quite a few categories, such as Best Screenplay and Best Director, for Jordan Peele. It’s quite the snub, although Christopher Nolan is finally in that category and may be headed for his first Oscar win with WWII survivalist epic Dunkirk. There’s a lot of competition this year in the most erratic awards season in recent memory. Categories like Best Actress are stuffed with incredible performances, and a few snubs mean it’s quite the open field for some lesser-known material. We’re still reeling from that Plummer nomination though – shocking and amusing at the same time.
Actual Ceremony Winners and Standouts
The 75th Golden Globe Awards unfolded on January 7, 2018, after nominations dropped the previous month. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri claimed Best Motion Picture – Drama and collected multiple trophies across the evening. James Franco secured the Best Actor prize in Musical or Comedy for The Disaster Artist, prevailing over Daniel Kaluuya and the rest of the field. On the television side, Big Little Lies swept several categories and established itself as the night’s dominant series. These outcomes supplied concrete results to the nomination chatter that had filled December coverage.
The Shape of Water’s Path to Oscar Success
Guillermo del Toro earned the Golden Globe for Best Director for The Shape of Water, and Sally Hawkins had already been recognized in the Best Actress race. The film carried that momentum into the Academy Awards, where it captured Best Picture along with several other wins. Its blend of fantasy, romance, and political allegory resonated across both ceremonies and helped elevate the year’s awards conversation beyond standard studio fare.
Long-Term Legacy of 2018 Globes Controversies
Christopher Plummer’s nomination for All the Money in the World came after he replaced Kevin Spacey amid misconduct allegations, and the film earned additional attention for that recast. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association later faced sustained scrutiny over its membership and practices. In 2023 the organization rebranded as the Golden Globe Foundation and introduced an expanded voting body intended to increase diversity. Those structural shifts trace back to the same institutional pressures visible during the 2018 cycle.
TV Category Highlights Beyond Drama
Big Little Lies dominated the television wins that night, taking home multiple awards and confirming its status as the standout limited series. The Handmaid’s Tale received its expected nomination in the drama category, keeping the adaptation in the conversation even as comedy entries like Veep were overlooked. The spread of recognition across both drama and limited-series formats underscored how the awards were beginning to reflect shifting viewing habits.
Contemporary reports from outlets such as CBS News and IndieWire confirmed the scale of the snubs, including the complete absence of The Big Sick, limited nods for The Florida Project, and the omission of Get Out from screenplay and directing categories. Those gaps were widely discussed at the time and remain part of the historical record. The 2018 ceremony ultimately balanced surprise nominations with clear winners, giving later observers a fuller picture of how the season played out.
