The 2024 award season is weird. Here's a guide to unpacking it

As if the glitz and glamour of award season isn’t chaotic enough, a bevy of factors are contributing to the 2024 cycle looking like a scheduling nightmare dressed up in high heels and shimmering gowns.

The most glaring factor affecting change this year is the historic dual Hollywood strikes of 2023, which notably resulted in the Emmy Awards being delayed and rescheduled for eight days after the Golden Globes this month.

• Get the latest entertainment from across Canada and around the world

Plus, there are some widespread category changes, eligibility window caveats, and, of course, the Globes’ second attempt at a rebirth after a scandal that temporarily drove the show-off TV.

It’s a lot to take in but fear not, we’re here to help explain it all so that your award season viewing is rolled out like a red carpet.

Golden Globes’ facelift

The Golden Globe Awards and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) – the small group of international journalists who made up the Globes’ voting body – have undergone a major overhaul following the 2021 diversity and ethics scandal first reported by the Los Angeles Times that rocked the organization. After going off the air in 2022 and returning to a televised format in 2023 with historically low ratings, the 2024 ceremony is promising more change.

To start, there’s a new voting body after Dick Clark Productions (DCP) and Eldridge acquired the rights to the Globes, effectively dissolving the HFPA’s membership following a turbulent couple of years as the organization attempted to address the issues uncovered in 2021. The telecast also has a new broadcast home on CBS after years on NBC, plus some new categories and general restructuring (more on that below). Comedian Jo Koy is set to host Sunday’s event.

Category changes

Part of the Globes’ overhaul includes some technical changes to the ceremony itself. The show will notably feature two new categories: Cinematic and box office excellence and best performance by a stand-up comic on television, where more widely-seen content will have an opportunity to shine. With the addition of these new categories, the presentation of the Cecil B. DeMille and Carol Burnett lifetime achievement awards are being cut.

It’s worth noting, though, that despite the new elements, the Globes still haven’t worked out the kinks on the way they categorize movies, splitting the top prize between drama and musical or comedy. That produced “musical or comedy” nominations for Netflix’s “May December,” which left a lot of people scratching their heads.

On top of everything else, the Emmys have made some changes that could shake up their presentation, with “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver,” which has won the late night category for seven consecutive years, being reclassified into the same bracket as “Saturday Night Live.” The move potentially opens the door for a nightly show – like “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” or “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” – to be recognized.

Rescheduled dates

Even before members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and SAG-AFTRA went on strike in May and July, respectively, January historically is a busy award season month, with the Golden Globes and the Critics Choice Awards kicking off the weeks-long run-up to the Oscars. Due to the strikes, however, the 2023 Primetime Emmy Awards will now be held on January 15 after it was postponed from its usual September slot. The Emmys were last postponed in 2001 due to 9/11.

The Creative Arts Emmys, honouring mostly technical areas but also some programs and performers, will be held on January 6 and 7 after they, too, were rescheduled as the result of the strikes. And since January isn’t busy enough after all of that, the Critics Choice Awards will be held on January 14, the day before the Primetime Emmys.

Eligibility windows

Given the Emmy’s four-month delay and their eligibility window being June 1, 2022 through May 31, 2023, some of the shows nominated will be getting recognized for different seasons at the Emmys and the Golden Globes.

This means viewers will see Season 1 of “The Bear” being recognized at the Emmys while Season 2 will be recognized at the Globes. Same deal with “Only Murders in the Building,” which will see recognition for Season 2 at the Emmys and Season 3 at the Globes.

The Hollywood role that’s hard to fill

The Oscars, Globes and Emmys have all secured their hosts – but it wasn’t easy. Jimmy Kimmel is returning to host the Oscars for the fourth time, and the Emmys went with Anthony Anderson, who conveniently is hosting a new game show on Fox, the network airing them.

The Globes had a tougher time with their search before locking in Koy. CNN previously reported that a search for a host was still underway in early December when the Globes announced their nominations, and that comedic talent such as Chris Rock, Ali Wong and actors and “SmartLess” podcast hosts Will Arnett, Sean Hayes and Jason Bateman all turned down offers to host the ceremony before Koy signed on.