Golden Globes 2016: Predicting the Winners

— -- 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

"It's a very diverse list, which ranges from Regina King's role (in 'American Crime') to Joanne Froggatt in 'Downton Abbey' to Maura Tierney in 'The Affair,' which is really a starring role," Tucker said. Though Uzo Aduba won last year for "Orange Is the New Black," Tucker believes Judith Light has the best chance of winning for "Transparent."

"Her role has increased as the series has gone on," he said. "It comes down to Maura versus Judith, and I bet Judith will win."

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

The networks have another chance of winning a Globe with Alan Cumming in "The Good Wife." Even with all the fond feeling for Christian Slater in "Mr. Robot" and Ben Mendelsohn's critically acclaimed performance in Netlix's "Bloodline," Tucker thinks Cumming will win. "If there's one network show, this will be the one where it triumphs," he said.

Best Motion Picture, Drama

Even with a leading five nominations, "Carol" is not a lock for this category, Zakarin of Yahoo! Movies said. "'Spotlight' has been picking up a lot of awards," he said. "It's considered the front-runner. It's the soft front-runner."

Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama

It there's anything close to a sure bet, it's that Leonardo DiCaprio, who is "still searching for that elusive Oscar," will get another Golden Globe. The Globes have awarded him in the past for performances in which he has suffered much less. "It's been well documented that he froze and starved and was mauled by a mechanical bear," Zakarin said.

Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama

The Globes have pitted "Carol" co-stars Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara against one another. "If it was just Cate, she would be the frontrunner," Zakarin said. "It might split votes, and I could see Brie Larson, who was really great in 'Room,' winning."

Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy

"A lot of people's eyebrows were (raised) when 'The Martian' was nominated in this category," Zakarin said. "It was a bit of a surprise." But he thinks the more savagely funny, "The Big Short," by comedy mastermind Adam McKay, will win. "But I wouldn't be totally surprised to see 'The Martian' win," he added.

Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy

"The Martian" may not win, but its star Matt Damon could. "He had by far the best performance, playing against plants and a space station," Zakarin said. "He's by far the favorite."

Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy

"The Globes do love stars, and there's no bigger star than Jennifer Lawrence," Zakarin said. "She's definitely the best part of 'Joy,' which was uneven and mildly to poorly reviewed." But even more than stars, the Globes love dark horses and Lawrence's new friend Amy Schumer is considered one for her film "Trainwreck."

"Either way, we will have a good speech," he predicted.

Best Director – Motion Picture

Zakarin predicts veteran Ridley Scott will win for "The Martian," his best film in years. But, he added, people loved "Mad Max: Fury Road." "The vision George Miller had for that movie, he could take it," Zakarin said.

Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture

This category is truly up for grabs. "There's no huge standout performance," Zakarin said. "Alicia Vikander, who is nominated twice this year, was great as a cyborg in 'Ex Machina.' Kate Winslet has a lot of star power. No one would be (surprised), even Jane Fonda (for 'Youth'), who is such a legend."

Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture

Zakarin thinks the Globes will go with the sentimental favorite, Sylvester Stallone, for his performance in "Creed." "It was a great emotional performance -- the softest version of Rocky yet," he said. "Everyone wants to see him win it."

Stallone was first nominated for a Globe in 1976 for his original performance as Rocky. He lost but the film won.

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