The Golden Globes Return to Primetime With a Focus on Diversity

The Golden Globes returned to television screens yesterday after a year off the air. Controversy erupted last year when it was reported that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association was lacking in diversity and included no Black members. The 80th annual ceremony held last night showcased a renewed focus on diversity (and a ton of sparkly gowns and flashy suits).

Right off the bat, host Jerrod Carmichael joked about the controversy before Jennifer Hudson handed out the night's first awards to Angela Bassett ("Black Panther: Wakanda Forever") and Ke Huy Quan ("Everything Everywhere All at Once") for their supporting roles. Bassett's win is the first major acting award for a role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Quan's co-star Michelle Yeoh won Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy, while "The Banshees of Inisherin" star Colin Farrell won in the Actor category. Austin Butler ("Elvis") and Cate Blanchett ("Tár") won in the dramatic lead categories.

"The Banshees of Inisherin," a dark comedy set 100 years ago on a remote Irish island, went into the night leading the pack with eight nominations. The film won three, including Best Screenplay, Motion Picture, for director/writer Martin McDonagh, and Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy. Steven Spielberg won his third Golden Globe for Best Director, Motion Picture, with his autobiographical film "The Fabelmans," which also won Best Motion Picture, Drama. Spielberg previously won for "Saving Private Ryan" and "Schindler's List" and went on to win Oscars for both films. These major wins make "The Banshees of Inisherin" and "The Fabelmans" frontrunners for the top prize at the Oscars. Nominations will be announced on January 24 with the ceremony scheduled for March 12.

On the small screen, ABC's "Abbott Elementary" was the night's big winner with three awards: Best TV Series, Musical or Comedy; Best Performance by an Actress in a TV Series, Musical or Comedy, for Quinta Brunson; and Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a TV Musical, Comedy or Drama Series, for Tyler James Williams. Jeremy Allen White won Best Performance by an Actor in a TV Series, Musical or Comedy, for Hulu's "The Bear," a dark comedy about a chef under a lot of pressure to keep his family's Chicago sandwich shop afloat. Julia Garner won Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a TV Musical, Comedy or Drama Series, for Netflix's "Ozark."

HBO's "The White Lotus" also won multiple awards: Best Limited Series, Anthology Series or a Motion Picture Made for TV, and Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a TV Limited Series, Anthology Series or TV Movie, for Jennifer Coolidge. Paul Walter Hauser ("Black Bird") won the award for Best Actor in that category. In the drama fields, Zendaya ("Euphoria") and Kevin Costner ("Yellowstone") triumphed, while the trophies for Limited Series, Anthology Series or a TV Movie, went to Evan Peters ("Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story") and Amanda Seyfried ("The Dropout"). HBO's "House of the Dragon" was the surprise winner for Best Television Series, Drama. Its predecessor "Game of Thrones" never won the coveted award despite five nominations between 2011 and 2017.

Two honorary awards were also handed out during the ceremony. Billy Porter presented Ryan Murphy with the honorary Carol Burnett award for "outstanding contributions to television on or off the screen." Porter and Murphy collaborated on FX's groundbreaking series "Pose," which filmed all three of its seasons at Broadway Stages. Jamie Lee Curtis and Tracy Morgan honored Eddie Murphy with the Cecil B. DeMille Award for "outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment."

Congratulations to all the winners! Awards season is heating up, with the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) announcing nominees today for their 29th annual awards ceremony, taking place on February 26. The NAACP Image Award nominees will be announced tomorrow, with the ceremony to follow on February 25, and the Critics Choice Awards will take place on Sunday night, with Chelsea Handler hosting. Keep checking our blog for the latest updates on the 2023 awards season, and see a full list of Golden Globe winners here.