Shocker verdict: ‘Jury Duty’ snares multiple Golden Globe nominations

My immediate reaction is that they got it right vis-a-vis television nominees for the upcoming 81st Annual Golden Globe Awards, airing live Jan. 7 on CBS.

The nominations, announced Monday morning by Cedric the Entertainer and Wilmer Valderrama, held few surprises, with all the expected series and stars (that’s you, “Succession”) receiving nods in several different categories. Snubs, meanwhile, were kept to a minimum for an awards show that hit historic viewership lows last year — and can’t seem to find anyone willing to host this year’s telecast, produced by Dick Clark Productions, which bought the Golden Globes from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

This year’s nominees were chosen by a racially and ethnically diverse group of voters from around the world.

It’s been a tough year for the TV industry with the writers’ WGA) and actors’ (SAG-AFTRA) strikes impeding most of the fall schedule from launching new shows, and with most returning favorites in reruns, but that seems to have been taken into account — or maybe boosted the profile of series like “Jury Duty,” which premiered in April just before the WGA strike.

ABC is the only broadcast network to be nominated this year (for “Abbott Elementary”); you can either blame that on the dual strikes — and voters with short attention spans — but it’s more likely the reality that the Big Four networks (ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC) are on a downward spiral into near-oblivion when pertaining to viewership — which, in turn, impacts their chances come award season. (This also holds true for the Emmy Awards.)

Regarding the nominees, there weren’t any shockers in any of the categories, save for the occasional misfire.

The best musical or comedy TV series category features breakout hit “The Bear” (and its star, Jeremy Allen White), who both received nominations, as did “Ted Lasso,” “Barry” and “Abbott Elementary” and their stars Jason Sudeikis, Bill Hader and Quinta Brunson, respectively. (Although Brunson’s co-stars were shut out — including Tyler James Williams, who snared a Golden Globe statuette last year.)

The one big (pleasant) surprise in the best TV series category is “Jury Duty,” Amazon Freevee’s came-outta-nowhere mockumentary series which staged a fake trial with fake jurors-actors (including James Marsden) in on the joke — save for real-life “juror” Ronald Gladden. His reactions and equilibrium morphed him into a TV cult hero of sorts (and earned him a production deal with Amazon MGM Studios). I believe Gladden’s nomination is the first-of-its-kind for this type of series.

There were no surprises, either, in the best TV drama category, although I thought “The Diplomat,” starring Keri Russell, was boring. (But what do I know? It was renewed for a second season on Netflix.) All the usual suspects are here — including “Succession,” “The Morning Show” and “The Crown” – but it’s good to see “1923” snare a nomination along with its star Helen Mirren. (Her co-star, Harrison Ford, wasn’t nominated for this or for “Shrinking” on Apple TV+.)

I figure Steve Martin and Martin Short will cancel each other out in the best actor in a television series category, and “Shrinking” star Jason Segel, who joins them as a nominee (along with the aforementioned Hader, Sudeikis and White), is, I think, a dark-horse candidate to grab a Golden Globes statuette.

I’m glad to see Natasha Lyonne snare a much-deserved nod for best female actor in a television series for “Poker Face” as she was terrific in the Peacock series, which will return for a second season. She’s also nominated for an Emmy, which gives her the chance to win back-to-back statuettes. (The Emmys air Jan. 15 on Fox.)

Lyonne joins Brunson in this category along with Ayo Edebiri (“The Bear”), Selena Gomez (“Only Murders in the Building”), Elle Fanning (“The Great” — now canceled) and Rachel Brosnahan for the enough-already “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” — a lazy nomination if I’ve ever seen one for a series that was well past its sell-by date even before its final season.

No one was surprised by all the “Succession” nominees in the category of Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Series – Drama: Brian Cox, Kieran Culkin and Jeremy Strong, who might just cancel each other out – but it’s nice to see Gary Oldman for the understated Apple TV+ series “Slow Horses.” “The Crown’s” Dominic West, a terrific actor, seems like an afterthought here.

The aforementioned Mirren faces staunch competition in the Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Television series. Emma Stone has been garnering raves for “The Curse,” which only recently premiered, so it’s good to see her work acknowledged here, and Bella Ramsey is terrific in “The Last of Us,” so kudos to her. This category is rounded out by Sarah Snook (“Succession”), Imelda Staunton (“The Crown”) and the aforementioned Russell for “The Diplomat.” Note that neither Reese Witherspoon or Jennifer Aniston were nominated here for “The Morning Show” — a bit of a surprise given their (and the show’s high profile).