Keeping track of which seasons of TV are eligible for awards consideration is hard when each ceremony has different rules. The difference between the air dates and eligibility windows of the Golden Globes and Emmy Awards are particularly confusing, as they are typically the first and last TV awards shows of each season but their eligibility windows greatly differ.
With the 2025 Golden Globe Awards nominations set to be announced on Monday, December 9 (with the ceremony taking place on Sunday, January 5, 2025), we’re breaking down its eligibility rules and how its lineup of nominees will be different from the recent 2024 and next year’s 2025 Emmys. (For reference, see the full 2025 Golden Globes timetable here, Awards Rules and Categories here, and Campaign Guidelines here.)
What is the 2025 Golden Globes eligibility window?
Mercifully, the Globes have a very simple calendar. To be considered, a TV show (or made-for-TV movie and select live events) had to have first aired during primetime hours on TV (or been made available on demand) at some point in the calendar year of 2024. Primetime hours, as defined by the Golden Globes’ rules, are 8-11:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 7-11:00 p.m. Sunday. The exact 82nd Golden Globe Awards “qualifying year” is January 1 through December 31, 2024.
TV shows in hopes of nominations this year are required to have made their shows available in advance to all Golden Globe voters on the Golden Globes Screening Platform either before they premiere, at the time of the initial broadcast, or by November 4, 2024 at the latest. That means that shows that have yet to premiere for the masses by the time of the December 9 nominations, like Squid Game Season 2 (premiering in full on December 26), could be nominated this year.
The Critics Choice Awards nominations eligibility period is also the calendar year.
Which seasons of TV are eligible for 2025 Golden Globes?
It’s odd to think of the Golden Globes as the “start” of TV awards season and the Emmys as the “end” when the same season of Shōgun just rewarded at the 2024 Emmys is up for Globes nominations on December 9. The Bear Season 2, however, was the one winning Emmys in September 2024, but Season 3 is what’s being considered for Globes this year. That’s because the Emmys eligibility window for the September 15, 2024 ceremony was June 1, 2023 – May 31, 2024. Shōgun aired from February 27 to April 23, 2024, putting it into Emmys 2024 but Globes 2025 eligibility.
Shows had to have aired at least six episodes by May 31 to be eligible for 2024 Emmys, which is why Interview With the Vampire Season 2 (which premiered on May 12) missed the cutoff but is eligible for Globes noms on Monday. It will be eligible for Emmy consideration at the 2025 ceremony (the Emmys traditionally take place in the fall). House of the Dragon Season 2, with its June-August 2024 air dates, is in the same boat.
Per the rules, “The eligibility of television programs does not depend on the language(s) used in the program. Non-English-language television programs released in the United States are eligible if they meet the other qualifying criteria.” Animated programs can also be considered for the major categories (Best Series – Drama, Best Series – Musical or Comedy, etc.) as long as they meet the other qualifying category criteria. Reality and other entirely or primarily non-scripted programming are not eligible for any TV award category. Variety shows or other programs composed of musical acts, sketches, and other talent performances are only eligible in the Best Performance in Stand-Up Comedy on Television category.It’s quite simple to remember: TV shows are eligible for Golden Globes nominations in the relevant categories so long as they aired during primetime hours from January 1-December 31, 2024.CBSWhat are the Golden Globes TV categories?They’re as follows:Best Television Series – DramaBest Television Series – Musical or ComedyBest Television Limited Series, Anthology Series, or Motion Picture Made for TelevisionBest Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Series – DramaBest Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Series – DramaBest Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Series – Musical or ComedyBest Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Series – Musical or ComedyBest Performance by a Female Actor in a Limited Series, Anthology Series, or a Motion Picture Made for TelevisionBest Performance by a Male Actor in a Limited Series, Anthology Series, or a Motion Picture Made for TelevisionBest Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role on TelevisionBest Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role on TelevisionBest Performance in Stand-Up Comedy on TelevisionNote that the Golden Globes don’t separate the TV supporting actor categories by genre.How do Golden Globes submissions work?TV shows do not have to formally submit themselves in order to be considered for nominations. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), the body that determines the winners, adds qualifying content to its eligibility list if not. The option to submit for consideration is always available to studios, networks, and streamers, provided that they submit for consideration by the listed deadline. The submission application for the 2025 Golden Globes opened on August 1, 2024, and closed on November 4, 2024.How many TV episodes have to be out to be considered for Golden Globes?Related2025 Golden Globes: Ted Danson to Receive Carol Burnett Award — When & How to WatchThere’s always the possibility that some shows will only air a couple of episodes in the calendar year. The Globes base eligibility on minutes aired during the calendar year. For recurring Drama, Musical or Comedy series, at least 150 program minutes (about 2.5 hours) must have aired during the calendar year to be eligible. Each episode must be a minimum of 20 program minutes. The same applies to limited and anthology series. Basically, two episodes or more must have come out this year for a show to be eligible for Globes nominations at the 2025 ceremony.If a limited series is nominated at the 2025 Globes but is later renewed for another season, that new season will be “classified as a series or again as a limited series in that later season depending on the degree of continuity in theme, storyline, main characters, and production supervision from the original limited series to the later year of the series,” the rules state. While Shōgun was originally billed as a limited series, its Season 2 renewal by FX just before the 2024 Emmys consideration deadline meant that it is now a recurring series. It will most likely be nominated in the Drama Series categories during the December 9 nominations.What are the Golden Globes rules for the performance categories?Who’s considered a lead and who’s considered supporting actor is a common question among fans. Here’s how the Golden Globes define a lead and supporting actors.Lead actor: “Lead cast members in a television series, limited series, anthology series, or motion picture made for television must be the central characters who appear in a substantial portion of the eligible television program and who drive the narrative of the program.”Supporting actor: “Supporting cast members in a television series, limited series, anthology series, or motion picture made for television must appear in a minimum of 5 percent of total program time for all episodes first aired during the qualifying year.”The rules note that “actors in ensemble casts with comparable roles in a television series should be classified as either all lead or all supporting actors.”This is where the submission rules come back into play. As stated above, shows are not required to submit in any category in order to be considered for nominations in said categories. If the show fits the category and eligibility criteria, they can receive votes. What submitting likely does do for shows and actors, however, is tell the HFPA voters the categories for which they’d like to be considered, like lead vs. supporting actor.The television nomination ballots were provided to all voters by November 18. The TV voting deadline was November 25 at 8/7c. The movie nominations ballots were sent on November 26, with the voting deadline being December 4 at 8/7c. After the nominations are announced on December 9, the final ballots will be sent out on December 13. The final voting deadline is January 1 at 8/7c. The winners will be announced at the January 5 ceremony, hosted by Nikki Glaser.2025 Golden Globe Awards, Sunday, January 5, 8/7c, CBS
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