Golden Globes 2023: US shows dominated the TV categories in a quiet night for British drama

It was a tough night for the Brits as the Golden Globes TV awards were handed out, missing out in all the acting categories, with The Crown, for a change, overlooked entirely.

The show, the ‘fictional’ (don’t forget!) drama of which has paled into insignificance in recent weeks compared with real Windsor shenanigans, lost out in the Best TV Series – Drama category to Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon. There was, at least, UK representation on the podium for that show as director and co-showrunner Miguel Sapochnik accepted the award. “It was really heart-warming to know we tread in the footsteps of Game of Thrones, because that was one really good show,” he said. In fact his Targaryen family drama went one better, as the original series never won a Golden Globe.

Both Olivia Colman and Claire Foy have won Golden Globes playing the Queen in The Crown, but Imelda Staunton failed to make it a hat-trick (for now at least), with the award for Best Actress in a TV Actress – Drama going to Zendaya, star of Euphoria – aka the kids are not alright – with another Brit, Emma D’Arcy also missing out in the category for their turn in House of the Dragon – though they did join Sapochnik on stage for the series’ win.

Elizabeth Debicki was by far the best thing about The Crown series five, with an extraordinary rendition of Princess Diana, but the Australian still missed out on the Best Supporting Actress in a TV Series to Julia Garner for Netflix’s Ozark.

After its first series won nothing at the Golden Globes, season two of The White Lotus, set in the delicious surroundings of Sicily, landed the award for Best TV Limited Series or TV Movie in 2023, and much deserved it was too. For a show written so brilliantly, perhaps it wasn’t a surprise that it brought the best speeches too. Creator Mike White pointed out many in the audience had passed on the show “so its very gratifying to have this moment” and said he would take a bullet for the White Lotus team, “maybe not in the heart, but in the foot or leg.”

Jennifer Coolidge, White Lotus’ absolute stand-out, also brought the house down with her speech as she won Best Supporting Actress – TV Limited Series or TV Movie, her comedy chops on full display, and dropped a massive spoiler for the show. Incidentally The White Lotus was the only show not taken from a true story in the category. Fiction isn’t dead!

Best TV Series – Musical or Comedy went to Abbott Elementary, about a group of teachers in Philadelphia, which may mean it is discovered by a few more people on Disney+ over here. Creator Quinta Brunson also won Best TV Actress – Comedy or Musical, and Tyler James Williams was named best supporting actor for the show, beating a trio of Johns – John Lithgow, John Turturro and Jonathan Pryce (for his role as Prince Philip in The Crown) as well as Henry Winkler, aka the Fonz.

Golden Globe Awards 2023

Amanda Seyfried was named Best Actress in Limited Series for The Dropout, beating Lily James’ sensational performance as Pamela Anderson in Pam & Tommy. Evan Peters won the best actor award for Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, the hugely popular and controversial Netflix true crime show (Brit interest in the category was Taron Egerton, Colin Firth and Andrew Garfield). Accepting the award, Peters said, “It was a difficult show to watch, and a difficult show to make, but I sincerely hope some good came out of it.”

Kevin Costner has had something of a renaissance with Yellowstone, which is huge in the US, won Best TV Actor – Drama, beating fellow old stager Jeff Bridges, and Bob Odenkirk who was the favourite for his performance in the final series of Better Call Saul. Just like Zendaya and Seyfried – and Cate Blanchett, a winner in the film section, who claimed ‘filming commitments’, Costner wasn’t at the ceremony, but if it was part of a boycott, it didn’t have much impact.