Will ‘The Bear’ be the biggest comedy Golden Globe winner in 15 years?
Last year, “The Bear” earned two Golden Globe nominations and won one, Best TV Comedy/Musical Actor for Jeremy Allen White. This year, it received five bids and could win all five, but it’s projected to win three, which would be quite the notable achievement as well. It’s expected to win the three comedy categories — series, lead actor again for White and lead actress for Ayo Edebiri — which would make it the first show to complete the comedy hat trick since “30 Rock” 15 years ago.
Just how rare is this in comedy? You have to back to 1993 for the next instance with “Roseanne.” “The Bear” lost the series award last year to “Abbott Elementary,” which won three prizes from five bids, but the ABC sitcom underperformed this year and swapped nomination hauls with “The Bear,” going down to two. It’s in fourth place in the odds, just ahead of another former champ, “Ted Lasso,” which as three nominations for its third and likely last (at least in this form) season. “The Bear” suffered no sophomore slump with an even better received second season over the summer, so it feels like it’s Carmy & Co.’s to lose. “Jury Duty” is a distant second, but the reality-comedy hybrid was a surprise hit last year, so don’t be shocked if its name is read.
SEE ‘The Bear’ looks to serve up a rare comedy trifecta at the Golden Globes
No disrespect to the other nominees, but White will ostensibly cruise to a second straight win in Best TV Comedy/Musical Actor. He’s on the hottest show that exploded in Season 2 and the Globes are not allergic to back-to-back wins either. Jason Sudeikis just did it for the first two seasons of “Ted Lasso.” Perhaps a sign of just how far ahead JAW is in this race, Sudeikis — the only other former winner in the category — is in third place. Bill Hader is in second for the final season of “Barry,” which has never won a Golden Globe.
“The Bear’s” potential comedy sweep also wouldn’t be possible if it were not for one strategic move. Edebiri shifted to lead for Season 2 after competing in supporting for Season 1. She wasn’t even nominated last year at the Globes but is nominated in supporting at the Emmys, which will finally take place eight days after the Globes after being postponed due to the writers’ and actors’ strikes. She has a healthy lead in Best TV Comedy/Musical Actress over defending champ Quinta Brunson. The “Abbott Elementary” creator and star’s repeat chances took a hit with her show’s underperformance.
“The Bear” could cook up one or two more wins in the supporting categories, which are genre-neutral again after being separated into comedy/drama and TV movie/limited last year. Both Ebon Moss-Bacharach, who had a sensational showcase in “Forks” in Season 2, and Abby Elliott are in third place in their respective categories. Matthew Macfadyen (“Succession”) and James Marsden (“Jury Duty”) are ahead of Moss-Bachrach, while Meryl Streep (“Only Murders in the Building”) and Elizabeth Debicki (“The Crown”) are 1-2 in Best TV Supporting Actress. Dramatic performances, unsurprisingly, have the edge over comedic ones in the catch-all supporting categories. Not counting last year’s split categories, the last time a comedy prevailed in either one was in 2011 when “Glee” won both for Chris Colfer and Jane Lynch. “The Bear” isn’t an LOL comedy (or one at all, if you ask some people), but its dramatic heft could be an asset here.
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