Golden Globes 2016: Predicting the Winners

Who will take home gold at the 73rd annual Golden Globes.

ByABC News
January 8, 2016, 2:59 AM

— -- No matter who takes home gold today, the 73rd annual Golden Globes will likely reflect this year's trends in film and television.

On the TV side, the dominance of cable and streaming continues to grow, with Netflix earning a leading eight nods.

"This year suggests that once again there's a real chasm developing between network shows and what's on cable and streaming," Yahoo! TV critic-at-large Ken Tucker told ABC News. "There are so few network shows. It's pretty striking. Shows that in years past would have been cult shows, like 'Outlander' and 'Mr. Robot,' end up getting major nominations. Broadcast shows are getting squeezed out by critical darlings."

On the film side, there's no strong front-runner. Even Carol, which leads the overall nominations with five, is considered the "soft favorite," Jordan Zakarin, a writer for Yahoo! Movies, told ABC News.

"It's the year of parity for the big prestige movie," Zakarin said. "There are a lot of pretty good to really good films."

That said, both critics have predictions for who will win when the 73rd annual Golden Globes are broadcast live, starting at 8 p.m. ET.

Best TV Series, Comedy

Tucker points out that not a single broadcast show, not even "Modern Family," made the cut this year. All six nominees come from either cable or streaming. The battle comes down to Amazon's "Transparent" and HBO's "Veep."

"Both have critical acclaim and hype, but I think it will be 'Veep.'"

Best Actress in a TV Series, Comedy

Perennial favorite Julia Louis-Dreyfus remains a "serious contender as always," Tucker said. But he thinks Lily Tomlin is a stronger contender. "There's a lot of affection for her among voters," he said. "She gives a strong performance in a great new show."

Best Actor in a TV Series, Comedy

Rob Lowe is the only nominee from a network show, "The Grinder," but he like the others doesn't stand much of a chance "against the big tiger in the room," Jeffrey Tambor, he said. Last year's Golden Globe winner, he is the guy to beat and Tucker predicts he will win. But, he added, Aziz Ansari stands a "good chance" with his new Netflix show, "Master of None."

Best TV Series, Drama

Newcomers "Mr. Robot" and "Narcos" take on sophomore shows "Outlander" and "Empire" and veteran "Game of Thrones." Although audiences have really latched on to "Mr. Robot," Tucker believes this category comes down to "Game of Thrones" and "Empire."

"It wouldn't surprise me if 'Empire' wins," he said. "I think that's the one area where a network show, which had such a huge audience, really can dominate."

Best Actress in a TV Series, Drama

Robin Wright, who has dominated this category in the past, winning in 2014, could hit a "big roadblock" with Taraji P. Henson and Viola Davis. "Boy, it's a tossup between Taraji and Viola," Tucker said.

When Henson and Davis went head to head at the Emmys, Davis took home the gold. For that reason, Tucker added, "I would give the nod to Taraji."

Best Actor in a TV Series, Drama

Jon Hamm finally got his due at the Emmy's but he's still making up for all those times he was denied a major award. Tucker calls him the "clear favorite," but "if there's an upset, it will be Rami Malek. "He really made a breakthrough on 'Mr. Robot' and people have really latched onto him," Tucker said.

Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Limited-Series, or TV Movie