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LOS ANGELES — Amid the popping of Champagne bottles and the sound of applause, much of what was significant at the 83rd Golden Globe Awards on Sunday night remained unspoken.
The organization that had the most successful evening — Warner Bros. Discovery — took home major honors for “One Battle After Another,””Sinners,””The Pitt,” and “Hacks”— and is central to the debate about Hollywood’s future.
Within the ballroom at the Beverly Hilton, three individuals were engaged in that conflict: David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, who is managing the sale of his company, and Ted Sarandos of Netflix and David Ellison of Paramount, who are competing to acquire it. None of them were referenced in a speech or by any presenter.
Alternatively, there were chances to interpret the underlying messages, such as when several winners, including Stellan Skarsgård (“Sentimental Value”) and Ryan Coogler (“Sinners”), highlighted the significance of the movie experience, seen as a criticism of Netflix’s control. Or when host Nikki Glaser labeled Paramount-owned CBS News as “CBS News: America’s newest place to see BS news,” prompting a strong reaction from the audience, as a response to the leadership changes Ellison has implemented there.
Here’s a summary of the main points and standout highlightsfrom this year’s show,which signified the official beginning of the 2026 awards season.
Politics (primarily) away from the spotlight
Hollywood award ceremonies occasionally address current issues. However, Sunday’s Golden Globes were less focused on such topics. This change was significant as several of the year’s leading films carry political messages. “One Battle After Another” features left-wing revolutionaries. “It Was Just an Accident,” by the exiled Iranian director Jafar Panahi, and “The Secret Agent,” from Brazil, portray characters facing oppressive governments.
However, there were still some subtle political comments. “The Secret Agent” director Kleber Mendonça Filho hinted at what he called “a significant time to be creating films — in the U.S. [and] in Brazil.” Wagner Moura, the film’s lead actor, thanked his best drama film actor award to individuals “remaining true to their principles during challenging times.”
‘One Battle After Another’ and Chalamet spark Oscar buzz
Paul Thomas Anderson’s movie seems poised to win best picture at the Oscars in March. The Warner Bros. Pictures film, a thriller centered around a group of political revolutionaries evading an old enemy, entered Sunday with nine Globe nominations and took home four awards: best musical/comedy, best director (Anderson), best screenplay (Anderson), and best supporting actress (Teyana Taylor).
The Globes aren’t always accurate in forecasting Oscar success, but “One Battle” has additional accolades, such as best picture awards from the recent Critics Choice Awards, the National Society of Film Critics Awards, and the Gotham Awards. Anderson is also highly respected by film enthusiasts around the world, partly due to influential films like “Boogie Nights” and “There Will Be Blood.”
In the performance categories, Timothée Chalamet earned his first Golden Globe for portraying a highly driven table tennis athlete in “Marty Supreme.” Chalamet narrowly defeated contenders such as George Clooney (“Jay Kelly”) and Leonardo DiCaprio (“One Battle”) — positioning himself well for a potential win at the Academy Awards.
If he manages to win at the Oscars, Chalamet, 30, might break the tradition of Oscar voters favoring established industry figures.
‘The Pitt’ keeps dominating television drama
During a time when expensive, complex drama series such as “Severance” and “The Last of Us” dominate the scene, it wasn’t certain that the low-budget medical procedural “The Pitt” would stand out. However, the praised depiction of emergency room staff striving to make it through each day has turned into a success, receiving widespread acclaim and — based on Sunday’s outcomes — appearing to be a top contender during awards season.
Globes voters presented “The Pitt” with two top awards: best drama series and best drama series actor, awarded to Noah Wyle. “The Pitt” and Wyle were also recognized with similar accolades atthe Primetime Emmy AwardsIn September, placing the HBO medical drama alongside modern classics such as “Mad Men,””Breaking Bad” and “Succession.”
R. Scott Gemmill, the show’s founder, received the prize for top drama series and honored “the first responders and medical professionals, who are the true heroes, inspiring us.”
Nikki Glaser, still as sharp as ever
Glaser, in her second term as Globes host, thrilled the audience at the Beverly Hilton with sharp-witted remarks about theWarner Bros. sale, the Jeffrey Epstein files, the upheaval at CBS News, Leonardo DiCaprio’s romantic relationships, Sean Penn’s political involvement, Kevin Hart’s height — and, in a humorous and self-mocking way, her own.
As she concluded her opening speech, she adopted a more sincere approach.
I’m coming up with jokes here, but it’s truly a privilege to be in this room with all of you. Yes, I’m your host, but I’m genuinely a huge fan,” Glaser said to the audience. “Your work this year was creative; it seemed bold, motivating, and in certain instances, truly Zootopian.
Podcasts receive the Globes spotlight
For the first time, the Globes acknowledged excellence in podcasting — awarding the honor to “Good Hang with Amy Poehler,” a casual interview show led by the former “Saturday Night Live” and “Parks and Recreation” actor.
I’m not sure about award shows, but when they do it well, it makes sense,” Poehler said with a laugh. “This is an effort to bring a bit more love and humor into a tough and unfriendly world.
The honor was given by hip-hop legend Snoop Dogg. “Before podcasts, I was what you all tuned into while driving around in your cars,” he said with humor.
Daniel Arkin covered the story from New York, while Rebecca Keegan reported from Los Angeles.
This piece was first released onLive Video Streaming of a Film Online