After last year’s teetotaling ceremony, the Golden Globes celebrated their return by presenting an old-fashioned primetime bubbly and popping a cork for the show.

The 82nd annual Golden Globes was set with host Nikki Glaser providing watered-down drinks and spicules. TV wins replicated the Emmys, and movie wins resembling Oscars. The show, previously associated with boozy, shambolic, and mean-spirited shows, had little controversy, with many TV and Oscar-bound wins. 

Awards shows must adapt to the evolving media landscape, and a move upmarket might be the best strategy to transform Five Buck Chuck into Dom Périgon. 

The show featured an “awkward” casting couch joke and a tentative swipe at Hollywood’s support of Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. Glaser admitted to being “scared” by Trump 2.0 and hoping for more Globes gigs. She then headed into the monologue-safe territory, calling out celebrities with ribbing, sexual innuendo, and Ozempic quips… But no one’s feelings got hurt.

Glaser’s goal of auditioning for future Globes hosting stints was achieved with a night of predictable wins, including a return invite. Nate Bargatze offered himself as an alternative in the Stand-Up comedy on Television category, but Glaser was well-prepared for her potential at the Globes.

Zoe Saladañ’s “inappropriate outbursts” over her Emilia Pérez win drew attention. Still, Glaser briefly hinted at a more serious issue when she commented on Sean “Diddy” Combs and the accusations against him. She suggested that some people in the entertainment industry, including the ballroom Sean, might be involved or aware of the situation. This brief, quiet moment demonstrates Glaser’s willingness to speak up about challenging issues despite keeping things a bit more low-key.

Glaser’s Wicked and Conclave mash-up with Elton John and Cypress Hill references was not as sucky as the host joked onstage, but it wasn’t the classiest stance to appeal to Catholics in the heartland.

The 2025 Golden Globes resembled the 2024 Globes, except last year’s car-crash monologue by host Jo Koy.

The show featured angled-camera star team-ups, scripted banter, fast turnovers, and glitches in teleprompters. Returning producers Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner introduced old-school 1990s MTV on-screen factoids for social media and pin drops of nominees in the crowd—the show also execs stars in the audience, such as Jeremy Strong and Ted Sarandos.

The CBS broadcast shindig was too busy, with Canadian skits from Catherine O’Hara and Seth Rogan causing it to be too busy. To trim things down for the three-hour ceremony, honorary awards to Viola Davis and Ted Danson were given out last week, with only clips making it to Sunday’s show.

The reinvention of the once-scandal-plagued Globes is a work in progress, and it’s better for Dick Clark Productions, owned by Deadlin’s parent company PMC, to push against the wall to see what sticks.

Emmy winners Hacks, The Bear, Baby Reindeer, True Detective: Night Country, and Shōgun received well-deserved wins, while Oscar hopefuls Emilia Pérez, Adrien Brody, The Brutalist, Wicked, Fernanda Torres, Conclave and Demi Moore received significant boosts, including a speech of the night.

The absence of Deadpool and Wolverine stars and nominees Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman may have impacted the Globes, with Blake Lively potentially being the real draw.

Hollywood’s top talk this week was the It Ends with Us actress’s public legal clash with co-star Justian Baldoni over allegations of sexual harassment and online smear campaign, Glaser kept her promise not to bring up the topic, despite potential Globes roasting. The IEWU’s dirty laundry could have been a distraction, but the issue lies not in Glaser’s refusal to poke Blake but rather in the industry’s growing circumspect and kowtowing, which Reynolds may mock in the future.

Hollywood is experiencing a calmer period in early 2025 than the contentious controversy surrounding Donald Trump’s return to the White House. The chill is affecting studios, streamers, and tech companies, with everyone from C-suites to PR dens and on-set craft services aiming to keep their heads down. The trend is mild cheek-pinching, more than the cultural courting that has been the cultural couture of the past decade. 

Sebastian Stan, who played Trump in The Apprentice, did not directly mention Trump in his speech for his A Different Man win.

The Globes face the burden of maintaining a topical and freewheeling atmosphere despite the Praetorian Guard protecting attendees and the ceremony, despite law enforcement outside the Beverly Hilton. 

Halfway through the Globes, Glaser said, “You lose someone, you win someone.” Colin Farrell, the Penguin star and Golden Globe winner, declared, “Guess it’s prosthetic from here on out.”

Once beloved and hated, the Golden Globes show has ended; Long Live the Golden Globes.