2026 Golden Globes Predictions: Who I Think Will Win, from ‘Sinners’ to ‘Adolescence’

• The Nominees:
  Frankenstein
  Hamnet
  It Was Just an Accident
  The Secret Agent
  Sentimental Value
  Sinners
• PureWow Predicts: Sinners
• Last Year's Winner: The Brutalist

My favorite movie of 2025 comes from Ryan Coogler (Black Panther) and stars Michael B. Jordan (also Black Panther) as a pair of brothers, Stack and Smoke, who return to Mississippi to open a juke joint. What initially feels like a period drama quickly takes a genre-bending turn with a series of tense and thrilling twists that truly kept me on the edge of my seat. The movie is scary, sexy, thrilling, hilarious and littered with meaning and metaphors—no wonder it has a 97 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

• The Nominees:
  Joel Edgerton, Train Dreams
  Oscar Isaac, Frankenstein
  Dwayne Johnson, The Smashing Machine
  Michael B. Jordan, Sinners
  Wagner Moura, The Secret Agent
  Jeremy Allen White, Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere
• PureWow Predicts: Michael B. Jordan, Sinners
• Last Year's Winner: Adrien Brody, The Brutalist

I’m seriously rooting for Jordan at the Golden Globes this year (even if I am pissed Wunmi Mosaku didn’t get a nod too). And unlike at the Oscars where he'll have stiff competition against Timothée Chalamet for Marty Supreme, at the Globes he's in the specific Drama category where he should dominate. Unless The Rock surprises everyone...

Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama

• The Nominees:
  Jessie Buckley, Hamnet
  Jennifer Lawrence, Die My Love
  Renate Reinsve, Sentimental Value
  Julia Roberts, After the Hunt
  Tessa Thompson, Hedda
  Eva Victor, Sorry, Baby
• PureWow Predicts: Jessie Buckley, Hamnet
• Last Year's Winner: Fernanda Torres, I’m Still Here

This is one of the easiest categories of the year to predict. Buckley is practically a shoo-in for Best Actress in a Drama for her beautiful and moving performance as Agnes Shakespeare in Hamnet. As PureWow's Editor-in-Chief Jillian Quint points out in her review, "Jessie Buckley is transcendent in the role of Agnes, with a weathered, freckled face capable of both raw pain and hardened perseverance."

Best Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical

• The Nominees:
  Blue Moon
  Bugonia
  Marty Supreme
  No Other Choice
  Nouvelle Vague
  One Battle After Another
• PureWow Predicts: One Battle After Another
• Last Year's Winner: Emilia Pérez

This feels like another slam-dunk of a prediction, especially given the recent buzz around the film. It won Best Picture at the Critics' Choice Awards just this week, in addition to Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. Though he likely won't win himself, Leonardo DiCaprio shines as a paranoid revolutionary living off the grid with his daughter, played by the equally fabulous Chase Infiniti.

Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical

• The Nominees:
  Timothée Chalamet, Marty Supreme
  George Clooney, Jay Kelly
  Leonardo DiCaprio, One Battle After Another
  Ethan Hawke, Blue Moon
  Lee Byung-Hun, No Other Choice
  Jesse Plemons, Bugonia
• PureWow Predicts: Timothée Chalamet, Marty Supreme
• Last Year's Winner: Sebastian Stan, A Different Man

After Chalamet got a mouthed "I love you" from girlfriend Kylie Jenner at the Critics' Choice Awards during his acceptance speech, the world collectively seemed to accept that he would sweep this awards season. He should have no problem here at the Globes, though he'll face bigger competition in Sinners star Jordan come Oscars night.

Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical

• The Nominees:
  Rose Byrne, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
  Cynthia Erivo, Wicked: For Good
  Kate Hudson, Song Sung Blue
  Chase Infiniti, One Battle After Another
  Amanda Seyfried, The Testament of Ann Lee
  Emma Stone, Bugonia
• PureWow Predicts: Amanda Seyfried, The Testament of Ann Lee
• Last Year's Winner: Demi Moore, The Substance

This category in particular seems wide open. And while I'd love to see Erivo defy gravity and walk away with a win for Elphaba and green girls everywhere, it's more likely that Infiniti or Seyfried will step away with the statuette. If I had to pick (and I do!), my money would be on Seyfried for her portrayal of Ann Lee, the founder of the Shakers religious movement.

Best Limited Series

• The Nominees:
  Adolescence 
  All Her Fault 
  The Beast In Me 
  Black Mirror 
  Dying for Sex 
  The Girlfriend 
• PureWow Predicts: Adolescence
• Last Year's Winner: Baby Reindeer

Another slam-dunk here. (Who am I with these sports references?! Must be thanks to Heated Rivalry...) Adolescence has dominated awards show buzz since it debuted on Netflix back in March 2025. The limited series is a tough, but important watch. And the acting is truly quite stellar. No wonder it won Emmys for Outstanding Limited Series, Outstanding Lead Actor, Outstanding Supporting Actor and Outstanding Supporting Actress.

Best TV Series, Drama

• The Nominees:
  The Diplomat
  The Pitt 
  Pluribus 
  Severance 
  Slow Horses
  The White Lotus 
• PureWow Predicts: The Pitt 
• Last Year's Winner: Shōgun

What perfect timing for The Pitt to snag the win at the Globes in the same week that season two hits HBO. The Noah Wyle-led, non-ER-reboot is a serious frontrunner, especially after taking home the Emmy back in September. That said, there could be a surprise upset with strong contenders like Pluribus, Severance and Slow Horses nipping at its heels.

Best Actor in a Drama Series

• The Nominees:
  Sterling K. Brown, Paradise
  Diego Luna, Andor
  Gary Oldman, Slow Horses
  Mark Ruffalo, Task
  Adam Scott, Severance
  Noah Wyle, The Pitt
• PureWow Predicts: Noah Wyle, The Pitt
• Last Year's Winner: Hiroyuki Sanada, Shōgun

Another stacked category for sure. But the buzziest show often takes the statuette—and in this case, that's The Pitt. Wyle also won the Emmy for his portrayal of Dr. Michael "Robby" Robinavitch, who works in a Pittsburgh emergency room. The show and his performance are surprisingly emotional (as anyone who's watched season one knows).

Best Actress in a Drama Series

• The Nominees:
  Kathy Bates, Matlock
  Britt Lower, Severance
  Helen Mirren, Mobland
  Bella Ramsey, The Last of Us
  Keri Russell, The Diplomat
  Rhea Seehorn, Pluribus
• PureWow Predicts: Rhea Seehorn, Pluribus
• Last Year's Winner: Anna Sawai, Shōgun

I love me some Britt Lower—and she did win the Emmy—but I'm betting on Seehorn for the win here. She is absolutely fabulous as the most miserable person on Earth in the twisty and twisted new sci-fi show Pluribus. Seehorn previously made waves in Better Call Saul, but she takes the stellar acting to especially new heights here, often appearing alone on screen for huge chunks of Pluribus episodes.

Best TV Series, Musical or Comedy

• The Nominees:
  Abbott Elementary
  The Bear 
  Hacks 
  Nobody Wants This 
  Only Murders in the Building 
  The Studio 
• PureWow Predicts: The Studio
• Last Year's Winner: Hacks

This series seriously took me by surprise when I first gave it a go. It's really well-made, fast-paced, funny, well-written and supremely acted. The cast—featuring Seth Rogen, Ike Barinholtz, Kathryn Hahn, Bryan Cranston and Catherine O'Hara—create a whirlwind vision of Hollywood, complete with high stakes, unruly celebrities and mountains of self-sabotage. Honestly, it's a must-watch.

Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy Series

• The Nominees:
  Adam Brody, Nobody Wants This
  Steve Martin, Only Murders in the Building,
  Glen Powell, Chad Powers
  Seth Rogen, The Studio
  Martin Short, Only Murders in the Building
  Jeremy Allen White, The Bear
• PureWow Predicts: Seth Rogen, The Studio
• Last Year's Winner: Jeremy Allen White, The Bear

If there's anyone who can take down Jeremy Allen White, it's Rogen for his portrayal of a bumbling Hollywood studio executive in The Studio—his comedic timing is spot on. And while White usually wins the awards in the "comedy" category, we've all known for years now that The Bear is hardly a laugh-out-loud comedy. The Studio, on the other hand, is very much providing the laughs, largely thanks to Rogen.

Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy Series

• The Nominees:
  Kristen Bell, Nobody Wants This
  Ayo Edebiri, The Bear
  Selena Gomez, Only Murders In the Building
  Natasha Lyonne, Poker Face
  Jenna Ortega, Wednesday
  Jean Smart, Hacks
• PureWow Predicts: Jean Smart, Hacks
• Last Year's Winner: Jean Smart, Hacks

And, finally, I absolutely predict another win by comedy queen Jean Smart. Yes, she always wins for Hacks. Yes, she's always deserved to win. And, yes, she'll win again. Her portrayal of Deborah Vance reaches new extreme and emotional levels in season four and I'd be shocked if they didn't earn her the statue.