Not everyone can’t be nominated. That means with this year’s nominations for the 81st annual Golden Globe Awards; there were going to be some noticeable snubs, with some being more surprising than others.Perhaps the biggest snub of the day was for the movie adaptation of the Broadway musical, The Color Purple. This film seemed like a lock in the Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy category, but it was noticeably absent.

The film did score nominations for Fantasia Barino in the Lead Actress Musical or Comedy category; and one for Danielle Brooks in Supporting. The new version of the Alice Walker-originated story was expected to be represented with a major nod. So what took its spot? Some are speculating it was the Ben Affleck-directed Air, which could spark a debate about whether it even qualifies as a comedy. The Color Purple could still show up big at the Academy Awards, but this is a major miss for the awards hopeful.

The Holdovers scored some major award nominations with a Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy nod as well as notices for Paul Giamatti and Da’Vine Joy Randolph, but David Hemingson’s acclaimed screenplay was overlooked by the Hollywood Foreign Press. Also, while more of a longshot given the competition, Alexander Payne also missed out on a Best Director nomination. It’s a pretty competitive year in that category, so this snub isn’t as big, but Hemingson’s script had a much better shot of scoring a nomination but failed to do so.

In another case of stiff competition, America Ferrera didn’t join her Barbie co-stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as a nominee in the Supporting Actress category. Ferrera’s monologue in the film about the impossible standards placed on women was named an early highlight of the film, with many critics believing it gave her a big shot at scoring some nominations this awards season. Don’t count her out of the Oscar conversation just yet because it’s possible that Globe nominees in the Supporting Actress category, such as Rosamund Pike for Saltburn, Jodie Foster for NYAD, and to a lesser extent, Emily Blunt for Oppenheimer, might see Ferrera snagging their spot at other upcoming ceremonies.

Another potential snub in the Supporting Actress category was Viola Davis, playing Michael Jordan’s mother in the critically acclaimed Air. Davis has gotten some notices along the way for her role, but this, once again, could just be a case of stuff competition in the respective category.

Napoleon

Ridley Scott and Michael Mann saw zero love for their films Napoleon and Ferrari. Napoleon had an outside shot of scoring acting nominations, particularly for Vanessa Kirby, but the competition was just too stacked. Joaquin Phoenix was nominated today not for Napoleon but rather for Beau Is Afraid. As for Ferrari, much like Napoleon, reviews have been decent but not great for Mann’s latest directorial effort, so that could be why neither film was recognized by the Globes today.

The snubs on the TV side of things weren’t as glaring, but it feels like Nicolas Braun was the only actor from Succession not nominated for the show’s final season. Cousin Greg certainly had some moments and could’ve scored with the other members of the ensemble cast, but he was left out. That’s not to say he was the biggest head-scratcher of the Succession nominations because Brian Cox got a Lead Actor nod, and that makes one wonder if the voting body even watched the final season of the show.

Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone prequel series 1923 got some love in the Best Drama Series category as well as a nod for Helen Mirren in the Lead Actress category, but her co-star Harrison Ford didn’t wake up to a phone call congratulating him for his nomination since the Globes snubbed the veteran actor. Ford also missed a potential nomination for the Apple TV+ series Shrinking, which some believed he had a shot at showing up for.

What were some of your biggest snubs and surprises of today’s Golden Globe nominations?

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