Golden Globes 2019: Will Bodyguard, The Terror, The Sinner, The Alienist, or Sharp Objects get Limited Series nod?
The 2019 Golden Globes are going to be airing on NBC come Sunday, January 6 on NBC, but campaign season is already underway! From now until early December, expect a wide array of campaigns from various networks and studios about specific shows and performers across a number of categories.
Here at CarterMatt, we’re getting back into the swing of things again with our own annual Golden Globes Preview Series! Our team has huddled together and come up with our own list of personal picks across some important categories, and over the next couple of weeks we’ll be sharing many of them alongside polls for you to vote for to show your support. We want this to be a fun, interactive way to help campaign for shows during this process and have some fun discussion along the way about some of the best that TV has to offer.
Just a reminder – These are not the actual Golden Globe nominees. These are just our personal picks that we hope will bring attention to these shows and actors during campaign season — that includes our focus today in Outstanding Limited Series / TV Movie.
Voting Rules – Vote however often you’d like! (If you are having trouble, there are instructions at the bottom of the page.) Voting will remain open until Friday, November 30 at 2:00 p.m. Pacific time. This allows the debate to continue for most of the campaign period. The actual nominations will be announced come December 6.
The Alienist (TNT) – Even though it aired at the start of the year, typically a time in which some period shows can be forgotten, The Alienist did bring a lot to the table. It told a compelling narrative filled with twists and turns and, beyond just that, had a style and flair that were very much unique within the crowded crime-TV landscape. Dakota Fanning hasn’t done a ton of TV work, but after this particular performance, you can certainly make a case for a whole lot more as we move further into the future.
Bodyguard (Netflix) – This British import was the talk of the UK earlier this year and while it may be primed for a second season, it’s being submitted now in this category. Richard Madden really steals the show as David Budd, a PPO sent to watch after a controversial politician named Julia Montague. Chaos erupts on the other side of it and this story can be described as one of political turmoil, paranoia, and also PTSD as David’s inner demons rise to the surface throughout the show. It’s really up to him in order to keep those at bay to the best of his ability.
Sharp Objects (HBO) – This series was designed from the start to have a limited run, largely because it had a specific source that it was adapting from and because that’s what star Amy Adams wanted. What we got on the other side of that was an at-times terrifying story of a woman stepping back into an old community and realizing that it was not anywhere close to what she thought it was. Adams is the anchor of this show, but from top to bottom there is a fantastic cast here as well as thought-provoking material that challenges both the nature of humanity and also what family truly means.
The Sinner (USA) – Is the second season on the level of the first? We think that both seasons presented an interesting tapestry of characters and complicated cases; this time around, it may actually have been a little more painful and psychological due to the murderer being a young boy and the reasons behind some of their actions being so murky. This season, Harry Ambrose was forced to confront some of his demons in a way that he did not have to in season 1; similar to what Amy Adams’ character dealt with in Sharp Objects, this was also a rather-unfortunate homecoming for him.
The Terror (AMC) – Finally, we turn to an AMC series that somehow, seems to be missing out on a lot of the attention that it should be getting. The Terror is an outstanding, chilling story of pain and misguided follies. The crew members of the Terror and the Erebus pushed themselves to the limit in their pursuit of something more, but in the process of that discovered suffering like they could not imagine. Anchored by incredible performances, including from Jared Harris and Tobias Menzies, this is a show that has somehow floated underneath the surface. Yet, it’s equally good to many other potential Limited Series nominees that are out there.
Other critical favorites
Keep your eyes out during the campaign for some other limited series / movies including The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, A Very English Scandal, Maniac, The Romanoffs, and The Little Drummer Girl.