Is this the best ya got?
On Sunday, the Golden Globes gave its first award for podcasting. The winner was Amy Poehler and "Good Hang." Not bad for a pod that's been around for 10 months. It edged out other heavyweights like "SmartLess," "Armchair Expert," and "Call Her Daddy." The Golden Globe Foundation, which replaced the disbanded Hollywood Foreign Press Association in 2023, previously released its "eligibility list" which included many more politically-oriented podcasts such as those from Ben Shapiro and Joe Rogan. Ultimately the batch of nominees were largely brand-safe, celebrity chat shows instead of more controversial titles.
There have been lots of articles about why the Globes, which have honored achievement in film and television, would suddenly want to weigh in on podcasts. Sure, they've grown in cultural relevance, and nearly all of those on its list of 25 have a video component that makes them look like the things they've been awarding anyway. Many writers have come to the conclusion that the Globes are simply seeking cultural relevance.
How that list of 25 was composed (through data-driven eligibility standards, like audience size) and what voting members were supposed to judge the shows on (excellence in audience engagement and impact?) are not the most important questions. It's whether the Golden Globes are honoring the right kinds of podcasts. None of the nominees were longform nonfiction narratives such as "Bone Valley" or dramatic fictional series like "You Feeling This." These podcasts are so much closer to the kind of outstanding art the Globes say they honor. The awards recognize great television, but those kinds of celebrity chat shows don't get nominated. Why would the Golden Globe Foundation shortlist Tucker Carlson's podcast when they'd never nominate his TV show? (Okay...maybe some questions answer themselves.)
Was the inaugural "Excellence in Podcasting" award destined to be a name-recognition contest? Of course. Will all the same shows wind up in next year's top 25 shortlist? At least 20 of them, for sure. But if the Golden Globe Foundation actually wants to recognize the best in podcasting, they ought to listen to people who think about these things well after "awards season."