It’s officially the most wonderful time of the year.  Forget tinsel and red and green ornaments.  That’s for amateurs.  I’m talking gold.  Gold statues to be exact.  That’s right, the Golden Globe nominations were announced this morning, and SHOWTIME has received 8 nominations in total!  Not only is SHOWTIME tied for the most series nominations of any network – both cable and broadcast – but HOMELAND takes the cake as being the most nominated freshman series this year.  Considering the caliber of television shows that debuted this season, I’d say that’s quite an honor.  Both Claire Danes and Damian Lewis were recognized for their roles as CIA agent Carrie Mathison and returned POW Sgt. Nicholas Brody, in addition to the show itself receiving a nomination for the coveted Best TV Series, Drama category.

While we’d like to root for Damian Lewis, he’s going to have some steep competition from within the SHOWTIME family, as Jeremy Irons was also nominated for his portrayal of Rodrigo Borgia in THE BORGIAS.  If only there could be a tie…

There’s going to be another battle of the SHOWTIME boys in the comedy sector, as both Matt LeBlanc and David Duchovny have been nominated for Best Actor, TV Series Comedy.  If you watched EPISODES (which you should have, considering it just received a nom for Best TV Series, Comedy), then you know it’s no surprise why LeBlanc was nominated for playing an alternate version of himself.  And who doesn’t love Duchovny’s Hank Moody in CALIFORNICATION (or at least love to hate him, or hate to love him…there’s always a gray area with Hank)?  The Hollywood Foreign Press surely does, considering Duchovny is a 7-time nominee and 2-time winner.

Rounding out the nominations is THE BIG C’s Laura Linney for her inspiring interpretation of a Midwestern cancer patient rediscovering the joys of life.  After winning the Globe in 2011 for Best Actress in a TV Series, Comedy, it’s no wonder that she’s been nominated once again.  I’m sure we can all agree that season 2 of THE BIG C showed even more of Linney’s talent and range than season 1 (who knew that was even possible?), and we at SHOWTIME are proud to have such a phenomenal actress representing the network in this category. 

In addition to the Golden Globes, the Screen Actors Guild announced the SAG Awards nominations yesterday morning, and SHOWTIME was recognized in 4 different categories.  Not too shabby, right?  America’s favorite serial killer was nominated 3 times, with Michael C Hall getting a nod for his role as Dexter in the Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series category, in addition to the entire DEXTER cast receiving a nomination in the Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series category.  We all know the pain and torture (literally) endured to create such a fine show, so it makes perfect sense that DEXTER would also be nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series.  But DEXTER is not alone.  Edie Falco also received a well-deserved nomination in the Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series category for her title role in NURSE JACKIE.

All in all, it’s been a great two days over here at SHOWTIME.  Let’s give a big congrats to all those nominated, and don’t forget to keep your fingers crossed and tune in to the Golden Globes on Sunday, January 15^th and the SAG Awards on Sunday, January 29^th to see who takes home the gold.