Succession, Fleabag Win Best TV Series At 2020 Golden Globes
After the Emmys give out their statues, the Golden Globes decide the best of the best when it comes to television in the new year. This year, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association anointed two very different shows as the new standard-bearers of television excellence.
Much like the Emmy Awards, the Golden Globes split its television categories into Comedy and Drama, giving a huge variety of series a shot at the top prize. At the 2020 Golden Globes, the two very best shows of the year were HBO's Succession, which won for Drama, and Amazon's Fleabag, which won for Comedy. Spoilers for both shows to follow!
Fleabag's ascension to heaven
The first season of the Amazon original series Fleabag made waves thanks to its innovative script and excellent anchoring performance by creator and writer Phoebe Waller-Bridge, but its second season was an even bigger success. After grappling with the untimely death of her best friend and her uncomfortable family dynamic on the first season of the series, Fleabag (portrayed by Waller-Bridge) does her best to reform herself as the second season kicks off... then ends up falling in love with a priest (played to perfection by Andrew Scott).
Viewers loved when Fleabag broke the fourth wall by turning to the camera and confessing her feelings on the first season of the show, but the second season kicked this method of audience connection up a notch when the Priest turned towards the camera too, showing that he understood Fleabag on an entirely different level. By the end of the season, they confessed their love for each other — but the Priest chose God, and Fleabag chose herself, abandoning the audience and walking off into the distance. Ultimately, audiences and critics loved this journey; beyond overwhelmingly positive reviews, the series pulled a huge upset at the 2019 Emmy Awards to take Best Actress (for Waller-Bridge) and Best Series, even though HBO's Veep was the favorite to win for its final season.
Unfortunately for Fleabag's fans, the show feels very finished. Waller-Bridge has said she won't push for a third season since the second season provided a particularly definitive ending. But even so, it's thrilling that the Golden Globes rewarded Fleabag's impeccable final season.
Succession succeeds again
The HBO series Succession pulled its own upset at the 2019 Emmys when it beat the series finale of Game of Thrones for Outstanding Writing for a Drama, and during the 2020 Golden Globes, it triumphed over a crowded field to take home the statue for Best Drama Series.
Succession tells the story of the uber-powerful Roy family, which operates a New York City media conglomerate and is run by the aging Logan Roy (Brian Cox), who initially tells his scheming children that he's ready to give up his role to one of them. In this King Lear-style tale, however, the monarch eventually stays on his throne — and Logan Roy holds onto his role as the CEO of Waystar Royco, giving audiences a new anti-hero for the ages.
The second season of Succession brought an even darker edge to the Roy family story, giving Kendall Roy (Jeremy Strong) a backbone after a brutal fall on the first season. With a healthy dose of humor and a strong narrative, Succession soared to the top of the pack in its second season — and clearly, the Golden Globes noticed.