Golden Globe Nominations Snubs and Surprises: Veep Shut Out, But Voters Still Love Amazon

Oh, Hollywood Foreign Press Association, you always know how to get people talking. Nominations for the 75th Annual Golden Globe Awards were announced Monday, and as per yoosh, we've got our crop of well-deserved, expected nominees; well-deserved, unexpected nominees; some expected, but still painful snubs; and some total WTFness. Here are the biggest snubs and surprises.

Snubs

Veep: We've said it before and we'll say it again: The Golden Globes just don't like Veep. The three-time Emmy comedy series champ didn't even get its first comedy series nomination at the Globes until two years ago. But leading lady Julia Louis-Dreyfus had always been nominated -- until now. The HFPA dropped her and the show, meaning JLD will only have one more shot to win the only trophy that's missing from her collection for playing Selina Meyer.

3/4 of Will & Grace: Will & Grace has a weird history with the Globes. During its original run, the series nabbed 27 nominations -- but zero wins. So things could've gone either way Monday morning. The show got into comedy series, but only one of the quartet, Eric McCormack, received an acting nod, which is kinda awesome; Will is the straight man (no pun intended) of the group and it's nice to see his more understated work get the spotlight over the other broader, but still great, performances.

James Franco: Franco was a stone-cold lock on the film side for The Disaster Artist, which may be why the HFPA felt OK snubbing him on the TV side for The Deuce (Maggie Gyllenhaal got in). The Globes used to hand out multiple nods like candy but have curbed that habit in recent years, perhaps due to SO MUCH TV these days, and their desires to hit as many people/networks as possible. Last year, Viola Davis and Taraji P. Henson were nominated for their films, Fences and Hidden Figures, respectively, and were snubbed for their TV shows, How to Get Away with Murder and Empire, for which they were previously nominated.

The CW: The HFPA's love affair with CW leading ladies is over for now. Past champs Jane the Virgin's Gina Rodriguez, who received three straight nods, and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend's Rachel Bloom, who earned two nods, were both dropped this year. It's not that surprising since many expected one or both to lose their slot(s) last year. Now if only the Emmys will recognize them.

Tracee Ellis Ross: Not counting Atlanta, Donald Glover, and Goliath's Billy Bob Thornton, who weren't eligible, Ross was the only defending champ from an ongoing series not to return this year, while Black-ish and her co-star Anthony Anderson, both made the cut. The HFPA has no problem dropping you cold turkey after you win; it's like them saying, "OK, we gave it to you, now we need to make room for someone else." In recent years, the HFPA dumped Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Andy Samberg, and The Affair and Ruth Wilson the year after they won.

The Good Place: Since the HFPA loves shiny new toys, it's harder for older shows to break in for the first time. The Good Place's best shot was for Ted Danson, but the best show on TV sadly walked away empty-handed. Adding insult to injury, Kristen Bell co-announced the nominations.
Twin Peaks: Kyle MacLachlan scored a nod, but Twin Peaks -- which won drama series 26 years ago -- was blanked. Maybe the HFPA were voting for it as a movie? (Too soon. It's not a movie, guys. Let's not do this.)

The Leftovers: The HFPA has never nominated The Leftovers before, so this is not shocking, but that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt.

Surprises

SMILF: SMILF's double nods for comedy series and star Frankie Shaw combines three of the Globes' favorite things: a new series, a work from an auteur (see: Atlanta and Donald Glover; Girls and Lena Dunham) and a little-seen show most viewers probably have never heard of (see: Mozart in the Jungle, Goliath, Boss).

Christian Slater: The Mr. Robot star is the waving flag for his show. Slater and the series won two years ago, and he was nominated last year alongside Rami Malek while the show was dumped, and now he's the only nomination repping Mr. Robot. It's all the more impressive since he's in the super-tough catch-all TV supporting race that combines all genres.

Kevin Bacon: A past Globe champ, Bacon received a nod for his comedy I Love Dick, supplying the Globes with the star power the HFPA loves and reinforcing the group's love of Amazon (Mozart in the Jungle, Transparent and Goliath have all won at least one Globe in the past few years). Less shocking were nods for fellow Amazon series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and its leading lady Rachel Brosnahan, whose charming ways, as we noted, are right up the HFPA's alley.

Katherine Langford: The 13 Reasons Why star made the shortlist for drama actress -- and she could give favorite Elisabeth Moss (The Handmaid's Tale) a run for her money. The Globes adore an ingénue and Langford could definitely pull off a win a la Claire Danes in My So-Called Life.

Pamela Adlon: Fresh off a surprise Emmy nomination, Adlon managed to nab a well-deserved comedy actress Globe nod for Better Things. Unlike fellow newbies Shaw and Brosnahan, however, her show did not make the comedy series cut, which might hurt her for the win.

David Harbour: Harbour's nod isn't a complete surprise -- he was Emmy-nominated after all -- but it is surprising he is the sole actor representing Stranger Things, meaning the Globes resisted buzzier options in Millie Bobby Brown -- who wasn't nominated last year -- or a repeat nod for Winona Ryder.

The drama series lineup: For a group that pounces on fresh meat, the shortlist of five remains largely unchanged from last year, with only The Handmaid's Tale subbing in for ineligible Westworld. (Last year, four of the five drama series nominees were freshmen shows.) The Crown retaining its slot makes it the first drama series defending champ since Homeland five years ago to be nominated the year after it won (of the previous misses, only Breaking Bad was ineligible to return since it ended).

The 75th Annual Golden Globe Awards air Sunday, Jan. 7 at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT on NBC.