Golden Globe Awards 2024: How to watch, who’s hosting and why this year will be a test for the future

It’s almost officially awards season!

Over the next three months we’re going to be inundated with ceremonies celebrating the best in film and TV in 2023.

First cab off the rank is the 81st Golden Globe Awards which are coming back after a disastrous few years of scandals, boycotts and reinvention.

Here’s how you can watch and what you need to know. 

When are the 2023 Golden Globes?

For us Aussies the 81st Golden Globe Awards will take place at 11am AEDT on Monday, January 8.

But it’ll be Sunday evening in the US, where the awards are broadcast from.

The event will be aired live from the Beverly Hilton Hotel in California.

How do I watch the Golden Globes in Australia?

Streaming service Stan will be airing the whole ceremony — including red carpet arrivals — live from 11am AEDT on January 8.

The three hour awards ceremony will then start from midday.

ABC News will also be live blogging the whole event from 11am to keep you company.

Who is hosting the Golden Globes?

The Globes usually ropes in internationally known comedians like Ricky Gervais, Jimmy Fallon and Andy Samberg to guide the event but Aussies might not be as familiar with the 2024 host.

Taking on hosting duties this year is US comedian Jo Koy.

Koy has been performing stand-up in the states since the ’90s and has four comedy specials under his belt — his most recent two for Netflix in 2017 and 2019.

In 2023, Ko had bit parts in the Haunted Mansion remake and as a voice actor in Adam Sandler’s Netflix animated comedy Leo.

Here’s a clip from his 2019 Netflix special, Jo Koy: Comin’ In Hot.

Who are the presenters?

A huge number of Hollywood A-listers will be handing out awards on the night.

So far, the following people have been announced:

• America Ferrera
• Daniel Kaluuya
• Florence Pugh
• Hailee Steinfeld
• Issa Rae
• Oprah Winfrey
• Shameik Moore
• Simu Liu
• Amanda Seyfried
• Angela Bassett
• George Lopez
• Julia Garner
• Justin Hartley
• Michelle Yeoh
• Will Ferrell
• Gabriel Macht
• Partick J. Adams

Who are the award frontrunners?

There’s a name we’re going to hear a lot of this awards season — Barbie.

The pastel pink fever dream is storming its way towards Oscardom, first stop: the Golden Globes.

Greta Gerwig’s film has a whopping nine nominations, including best picture music or comedy, acting nominations for stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as well as three (!) nods for best original song.

Barbie’s partner in memes, Oppenheimer, is not far behind with eight nominations, including best picture drama and for actors Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr. and Emily Blunt.

But don’t write off quiet achievers Past Lives and Poor Things.

The former is an A24 romantic drama that was released almost a year ago and spent most of 2023 garnering critical and audience praise internationally.

Past Lives is threatening the Barbenheimer supremacy with five nominations including best picture — drama, best director and best screenplay.

Poor Things, the audacious sci-fi/black comedy/coming of age film from Greek auteur Yorgos Lanthimos, is on the other end of the spectrum having only been released on Boxing Day in Australia.

But the reverence for the film is coming thick and fast, particularly for Emma Stone’s leading performance and Aussie writer Tony McNamara’s screenplay.

Poor Things has seven nominations, including for best picture — comedy or musical.

On the television side of things, the recently departed Succession is a shoe in for at least several awards — including one for Australian Sarah Snook.

Fellow Aussie Elizabeth Debicki is also in with a chance for her work as Princess Diana in The Crown.

What’s different this year?

This year is a massive test for the Golden Globes.