Golden Globe Surprises and Snubs: Smash Tastes Success; Mad Men Gets the Cold Shoulder

If there's one thing we can count on from the Golden Globes, it's that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association will never fail to be simultaneously great and frustrating. Such was the case with its nominations for the 70th annual show. Smash—yes, Smash—managed a series nod, while Mad Men is nowhere to be seen. But those weren't the only shockers Thursday morning.
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Surprises

Smash: Everyone knows that the Globes loves fresh blood and being the first awards body to anoint someone. This year, they welcomed Nashville, The Newsroom, Veep and Girls into the fold, and perhaps most comically, Smash, in comedy/musical series. There are arguably lots of more worthy nominees (see: snubs below), but you can't be too shocked at its inclusion. Smash is so obviously up the HFPA's alley: It puts the "musical" in the category name, is shiny, glossy and new, is about showbiz and has big-name pedigree (executive producer Steven Spielberg) behind it. How could they not vote for it? If it weren't for fellow freshman musical series Nashville's Connie Britton and Hayden Panettiere, it probably would've snagged acting nods as well.
Mandy Patinkin: Again, leave it to the Globes to finally be the first major awards show to recognize the Showtime drama's heretofore unsung (no pun intended) hero. Claire Danes and Damian Lewis get all the flashy, bait-y scenes, but it's Patinkin (and his beard) who quietly anchors Homeland.
Magic City: And this year's random, head-scratching nomination that no one predicted goes to Danny Huston in supporting actor for Magic City. No offense, but that famous surname might have something to do with it as much as his performance, which makes it all the surprising that the HFPA missed the chance to nominate Anjelica Huston (Smash) alongside her bro.
Archie Panjabi: As often as the Globes (tries to) set trends, it sometimes finds itself behind a few as well (see: awarding 30 Rock and Modern Family well after their Emmy wins). Panjabi snagged her first Globe nod in supporting actress for a particularly weak and divisive year for her on The Good Wife. Guess they really liked that ice cream scene?
Breaking Bad: Speaking of playing catch-up, Breaking Bad breaks into the drama series race for the first time. Until now, Bryan Cranston had been the sole representative of the AMC drama at the Globes, and seeing that the show's gritty nature is the opposite of the glossy stuff the HFPA likes (hence perpetual snubs for Sons of Anarchy and the like), we were almost ready to accept the fact that it might never be nominated.

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Snubs
Mad Men: That year off the air for Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce did more harm than good. The three-time champ and four-time nominee was dropped in favor of the usual suspects, network mate Breaking Bad and contentious newbie The Newsroom. Maybe there's only room for one AMC show in the HFPA's eyes? More likely that Mad Men, still brilliant as ever, is old news to them. Still, Matt Weiner & Co. ought to be proud of the fact that they've defied the odds with their success at the Globes: Mad Men was the first and only drama series to three-peat.Gone too soon: Sometimes oldies are still goodies. Besides Mad Men, the HFPA also dropped such worthy former champs and nominees as 30 Rock (in its final season, no less!) and Game of Thrones (along with defending supporting actor champ Peter Dinklage). And while it's nice to see Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation) and Louis C.K. (Louie) shortlisted, we wish their shows were too over, say, Smash.
Ryan Murphy: The HFPA's love affair with Murphy may be over. After giving his shows Nip/Tuck a drama series win, Glee two comedy/musical series awards and American Horror Story a drama series nomination last year, the Globes gave American Horror Story: Asylum the shaft outside of the requisite mention for Jessica Lange. Did the switch to miniseries/TV movie hurt it?Network dramas: For the second year in a row, the drama series lineup is all cable. With the same situation at the Emmys and the Screen Actors Guild Awards, when will a broadcast show end the dubious streak?

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What were you most surprised by? Who do you wish had been nominated?