On Outlander season 3 and its early Golden Globes odds

Today, the official Emmy nominations were announced, and we’re sure as a result of that there was sadness among Outlander fans to not see the show there. Granted, there is no way that it could be there — this isn’t like the past two years, given that it was not eligible to be included on the list. There is no season within the nomination window this time; that will change for season 3, but we’ll get more into that in the moment.

The main goal today is looking at Outlander within the context of the next awards-show circuit in the 2018 Golden Globe Awards, which will announce its nominations in December. Traditionally, this is the major TV awards show that has been the kindest to the series over the years, with both it and star Caitriona Balfe receiving some love. With that in mind, doesn’t it feel right to be fairly optimistic for the show’s future now? We certainly do like to think so!

Of course, it does feel a little strange to speak about a show’s awards-show chances without actually having seen it; for now, we’re writing under the assumption that season 3 is as high-quality as the two iterations that came before it.

The first thing that could aid the show is actually timing. The Hollywood Foreign Press has a tendency to recognize shows that air primarily in the second half of the year. When you look back at some of their past winners, the last show to win the Drama Series prize that didn’t air in the summer / fall was The Shield, and that was all the way back in 2003. Clearly, shows premiering in June / July onward have a huge advantage and that the recency bias is a thing. With Outlander premiering on September 10, it will be very much fresh in voters’ minds. (There’s a little more flexibility when it comes to acting nominees / winners, though the majority of the latter also do come from shows that have fairly recent premieres.)

Another thing that does aid Outlander tremendously here is the international nature of the production. Remember that this is the Hollywood Foreign Press voting, and this is a series that films in Scotland and, on this past season, South Africa. It also has a global audience, and the Globes do love period pieces. Look at the success of The Crown this past season! There’s little reason to think that they would avoid Outlander now; even though some shows do get diminishing return at awards shows as time goes on, we don’t think that we’re there yet with Outlander. It’s only season 3, and the quality will hopefully remain top-notch.

In the end, we’re saying to watch out for Outlander in a big way later this year, even if it has some monster competition from Game of Thrones, given that this show is also premiering later in the year than it has in the past. It Outlander benefits from timing, it may also — and it’s certainly received plenty of love in the past.

How are you feeling about the Outlander – Golden Globe chances for this coming year? Share in the comments!

Meanwhile, if you missed it yesterday, be sure to check out our in-depth analysis of the recent season 3 motion teaser. (Photo: Starz.)