It’s that time of year once again, and Marlon Wayans and Skye P. Marshall have officially announced the nominees for the 83rd annual Golden Globes. Sure, the nominations have improved over the years, with a number of great films and performances securing coveted slots, but many high-profile, popular, or critically adored works have still been left out.
As One Battle After Another and The White Lotus lead the field (and they truly deserve to be), the Golden Globes also overlooked several titles that were expected to make the list, such as Dead by Lightning.
So, without further ado, here are the biggest Golden Globes snubs of the year.
Wicked: For Good
While Wicked: For Good stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande are both nominated for Best Female Actor in a Film – Musical or Comedy and Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Film, the movie itself failed to receive a Best Film nomination despite its box-office success. Its director, Jon M. Chu, also didn’t receive a Best Director nod.
The first movie earned five nominations last year, including Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, though it lost to Emilia Pérez.
Avatar: Fire and Ash
James Cameron’s masterpiece Avatar is widely considered a major awards-season contender. However, things have changed for its third installment, Avatar: Fire and Ash, which missed out entirely on Best Motion Picture – Drama and Best Director.
After the 2010 original won the award in 2011, the third film only secured nominations for Best Original Song – Film for “Dream as One” and for Cinematic and Box Office Achievement.
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
It was a huge surprise not to see Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery on the Golden Globes’ nomination list, considering the franchise’s first two movies were both nominated for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.
Its lead, Daniel Craig, was even nominated for Best Actor twice, yet the third film disappeared entirely. So, should this be a call for Benoit Blanc’s investigation to begin? This is probably the biggest snub of the year.
Death by Lightning
The Golden Globes included new shows like Pluribus and The Beast in Me on its list of nominees, but completely snubbed the critically acclaimed Death by Lightning.
This darkly comedic thriller, praised for its inventive storytelling, sharp performances, and bold direction, received no nominations at all despite strong festival buzz.
Stranger Things
Stranger Things returned for its fifth and final season with record-breaking streaming numbers and critical acclaim, along with plenty of surprises, yet it didn’t earn any Golden Globe nominations for acting, writing, or Best Television Series – Drama this year.
The show previously scored two nominations for Best Television Series – Drama (in 2017 and 2018) and two acting nods for Winona Ryder (2017) and David Harbour (2018). Sadly, it received zero Golden Globe nominations for 2026.
Gwyneth Paltrow
Gwyneth Paltrow made her big-screen return in Marty Supreme after her last movie project, Avengers: Endgame, in 2019.
While many predicted she would secure the Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture award for her role as an unhappy actress romancing Timothée Chalamet’s titular character, she failed to land even a single nomination.
Sydney Sweeney
Sydney Sweeney’s sports biopic Christy received glowing reviews, some of the best of her career, yet it wasn’t enough to earn her a nomination.
Despite her critically acclaimed performance as Christy Martin, she was completely left out, making it one of the most egregious snubs of the year, especially given her rising prominence in Hollywood.
Meryl Streep
Another big surprise was not seeing Meryl Streep in the Best Performance by a Male or Female Actor in a Supporting Role on Television category, despite the trio from Only Murders in the Building (Selena Gomez, Martin Short, and Steve Martin) each receiving acting nominations.
The legendary actress has earned 33 nominations throughout her career, winning eight times. So, it’s quite disheartening that she isn’t even mentioned this year.
The 83rd annual Golden Globe Awards will take place at The Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles on Sunday, Jan. 11, at 8 p.m. ET, airing on CBS and streaming on Paramount+.
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