The Golden Globes have an ear for musical drama, handing two nominations to ABC’s new “Nashville” and a nod to NBC’s freshman series “Smash.”
But the broadcast networks were largely overlooked, as usual. They were snubbed entirely in categories such as best actor in a drama series and best actress in a TV film, while the Globes mostly recognized familiar cable fare like “Homeland,” ‘‘Downton Abbey,” ‘‘Boardwalk Empire” and “Breaking Bad.”
HBO led among all outlets with 17 nominations, far ahead of cable network runner-up Showtime (seven nominations), followed by broadcast networks ABC (five), and CBS, NBC and PBS (four each). Fox had two.
The Globes will be handed out Jan. 13 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, hosted by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, and will air live on NBC.
Leading the pack among all shows was HBO’s “Game Change,” which told the story of the 2008 presidential race between Barack Obama and John McCain. It picked up five nods, including best TV film, best actress (Julianne Moore, who wowed viewers as GOP vice presidential hopeful Sarah Palin), best actor (Woody Harrelson), best supporting actor (Ed Harris) and best supporting actress (Sarah Paulson).
Right behind was Showtime spy drama “Homeland,” the winner of two Globes trophies last year and six Emmys this fall. It picked up four Globes nominations: for best series, best actress (Claire Danes), best actor (Damian Lewis) and best supporting actor (Mandy Patinkin).