The biggest snubs and surprises of the 2020 Golden Globe nominations

There were more than a few surprises in the nomination list for the 2020 Golden Globes — and not all of them positive.

While Netflix's resounding success signalled a changing of the guard when it comes to the types of projects recognized, some of the films and series left off the list spoke more loudly to fans.

Women were once again ignored in the best director field, other wildly popular shows were completely shut out and some virtually unknown films were honoured above more well-known ones.

Here's a breakdown of some of those snubs and surprises from the nominations list, as well as a look at why some fans are upset.

SNUB: Movies directed by women

Despite a large crop of successful movies directed by women this year, the Golden Globes didn't give a nod to any of them. Like last year, the best director nominations were given to only men: Bong Joon-ho for Parasite, Sam Mendes for 1917, Todd Phillips for Joker, Martin Scorsese for The Irishman, and Quentin Tarantino for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

Greta Gerwig, who was also previously denied a best director nod for her 2017 film Lady Bird, is potentially the most notable exception for Little Women, though there were also complaints that Lulu Wang (The Farewell), Marielle Heller (A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood), Lorene Scafaria (Hustlers) and others weren't recognized.

It's not an entirely new phenomenon: In the 77-year history of the Golden Globes, only five women have ever been nominated for best director, and only one — Barbra Streisand in 1984 for Yentl — has won.

SNUB: Cats

Despite months-long buzz and persistent ad campaigns, voters didn't appear to enjoy Cats, the star-studded Andrew Lloyd Webber remake. With a cast that includes Judi Dench, Ian McKellen, Idris Elba, Jennifer Hudson and Taylor Swift rendered as cats with "digital fur technology," the film was not considered for any performance or technical awards.

That didn't equal a complete shutout: they did receive a best original song nomination for Beautiful Ghosts, written by Swift for the movie.

SNUB: Schitt's Creek

There was similarly little love for Canadian sitcom Schitt's Creek. Despite the series running its sixth and final season this year, it earned no nominations either in the outstanding comedy series category or for its stars, including Eugene Levy or Catherine O'Hara.

Though ignored by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the group of journalists who vote for the Globes, it is up for five awards for the 25th Annual Critics' Choice Awards.

For that ceremony, both Levy and O'Hara are in the running for best comedy actor and actress awards respectively, while Dan Levy and Annie Murphy are among the nominees for best supporting actor and actress in a comedy series.

SURPRISE: Netflix dominates

The nominations also loudly announced the arrival of a new moment in film and television: the streaming era. Netflix dominated the list with a total of 34 nominations, with the most going to Noah Bambach's Marriage Story. The family drama led the pack with six nominations, more than any other film, while Netflix's The Irishman scored five. 

Dolemite is My Name and The Two Popes — also Netflix productions — found significant success as well. The Two Popes is nominated for best motion picture, best actor (Jonathan Pryce) and best supporting actor (Anthony Hopkins) in the drama category, along with best screenplay, while Dolemite is nominated for best motion picture and best actor (Eddie Murphy) in the musical or comedy category.

Competing streaming service Amazon gained two best television series nominations (Fleabag and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) and best foreign language motion picture (Les Misérables), while Apple entered the awards field for the first time with their TV drama series The Morning Show earning three nominations, marking the first time a streaming service has been nominated in its launch year.

SNUB: Shia LaBeouf, smaller productions

Amid the popularity of films produced by streaming houses, smaller traditional productions seem to have suffered. Shia LaBeouf's intensely personal Honey Boy — which he both wrote and starred in — received no nominations, and neither did The Peanut Butter Falcon, which he starred in.

At the same time, indie powerhouse A24 received only two nominations (for The Farewell), despite releasing The Lighthouse, Uncut Gems, Waves, Midsommar and The Last Black Man in San Francisco in the eligible period.

SURPRISE: Where'd You Go, Bernadette

The little-known Where'd You Go, Bernadette may have opened and closed with a whimper and garnered mostly mediocre reviews, but scored a best actress nomination (musical or comedy) for its star Cate Blanchett. Blanchett is no stranger to the Globes; this will be the 10th nomination for the Australian actress, who currently has three wins.

The film, based on the 2012 novel of the same name, had a budget of roughly $18 million US, but only managed to make around $10 million at the box office.

SNUB: When They See Us

When it comes to TV, Chernobyl, The Crown and Unbelievable unsurprisingly cleaned up, each earning four nominations. What surprised fans was Ava DuVernay's When They See Us failed to earn a single one, despite earning 16 Emmy nods — and two wins.

The series, about the infamous Central Park Five case of 1989, captivated audiences earlier this year and was also the most recognized show in the Critics' Choice Awards nominations.