‘Godless’: Netflix enters Best Limited Series races at 2018 Golden Globes thanks to star-studded cast
Netflix dipped its toe into the Limited Series/TV Movie categories at the Emmys this year, winning Best TV Movie and Best Writing (Charlie Brooker) for “Black Mirror: San Junipero." Now the streaming networks turns its sights to the Golden Globes and the Best Limited Series/TV Movie races with its original series “Godless.” But in order to take the prize they’ll have to get past HBO and FX, which have had a stranglehold on these categories as of late.
Set in the 1880s west, "Godless" stars Jack O’Connell ("Unbroken") as Roy Goode, a young man who turns on his outlaw father-figure Frank Griffin, played by Emmy winner Jeff Daniels (“The Newsroom"). Roy turns up at the ranch owned by the twice-widowed Alice Fletcher, portrayed by Emmy nominee Michelle Dockery (“Downton Abbey"). The ranch is located in a unique town of La Belle, New Mexico that is made up solely of women, including the Mayor’s widow Mary Agnes, brought to life by Emmy winner Merritt Wever (“Nurse Jackie").
The reviews for “Godless” have been strong. It scored an 89% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a solid 76 rating on Metacritic. But the critics seem to be unanimous that Wever gives the best performance of this talented cast. David Wiegand (San Francisco Chronicle) declares, “Wever makes Mary Agnes the most interesting female character in the cast. Mary Agnes is a woman of few words, but when she speaks, it is with a directness that implicitly challenges anyone within earshot to disagree with her.” Jen Chaney (Vulture) dreams, “Wever oozes so much low-key strength that I found myself wishing Mary Agnes had her own spin-off.” And Ken Tucker (Yahoo TV) raves, “Wever’s Mary Agnes, who totes a rifle and talks as tough as any male gunslinger. Wever, who won an Emmy for her far more meek character in 'Nurse Jackie,' has a great time in this juicy role.”
In the race for Best Limited Series/TV Movie,“ Godless” sits in seventh place with odds of 80/1. Currently leading is recent Emmy winner “Big Little Lies” with odds of 8/5, trailing its Emmy also-rans "Feud: Bette and Joan” with odds of 4/1 and “Fargo” with odds of 9/1. “Twin Peaks,” a past Best TV Drama Series winner (1991), is in fourth place with odds of 9/1. And “Top of the Lake,” a past also-ran (2014) resides in fifth place with odds of 12/1.
Both Daniels and O’Connell will compete for Best Limited Series/Movie Actor. Daniels, a past four-time Golden Globe nominee for his work in both film and television, sits on the bubble in sixth place with odds of 20/1. O’Connell will need a little help in landing his first Globe nom as he is in 11th place with odds of 100/1.
For Dockery (14/1 odds) to score a nomination for Best Limited Series/Movie Actress she’ll have to bump out Elizabeth Moss, who reprises her Globe-winning “Top of the Lake” role in the 2017 sequel “China Girl." If that wouldn’t prove to be hard enough she’ll also have to hold off a trio of strong competitors: Carrie Coon (“Fargo”), Oprah Winfrey (“The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks”), and Edie Falco (“Law & Order: The Menendez Murders”).
Wever will face the hardest challenge in landing her first Golden Globe nomination in the Best TV Supporting Actress race as it combines both comedies, dramas and limited series/TV movies. Making this race extra unpredictable will be “The Handmaid’s Tale” and its mostly female cast which could dominate the category. But working in “Godless'” favor will be the Hollywood Foreign Press Association's favorite thing — it will be one of the newest limited series to compete and they love to be the first to award a series.
Be sure to make your Golden Globe predictions so that Hollywood insiders can see how their TV shows and performers are faring in our odds. You can keep changing your predictions until just before nominations are announced on December 11. And join in the fierce debate over the 2018 Golden Globes taking place right now with Hollywood insiders in our TV forums. Read more Gold Derby entertainment news.
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Where did you get Dockery’s 14/1 odds from? She isn’t in the prediction center from what I can see.