Our Dream Golden Globe Nominations: Parks and Rec, Homeland, New Girl and More!

In advance of tomorrow's announcement, we offer up a few suggestions for the popular awards

By Drusilla Moorhouse, Tierney Bricker Dec 15, 2011 12:41 AMTags
Amy Poehler, Claire Danes, Zooey DeschanelFOX; Showtime; NBC

A Golden Globe statue in the trophy case at Greendale Community College! A few globes mounted on Leslie Knope's desk tucked away in the Parks Department of Pawnee! A TV ghost/serial killer taking home an award!

These are just a few of our hopes and dreams for the 2012 Golden Globes, and with the nominees being announced tomorrow morning, we decided to compile a list of shows (including Game of Thrones, American Horror Story and Happy Endings!) and actors we hope to see recognized come sun-up mañana.

Please note that these are shows and actors we hope are nominated, not predictions. So yes, we know Modern Family is the bee's knees and Boardwalk Empire is all that and a bag of chips. Trust.

Best Drama

American Horror Story: While the FX show from Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk could be described as "controversial," there's no denying how much we love it. Seriously, there's nothing like it on TV and never fails to entertain (and scare) us. Plus, the cast, led by powerhouses Connie Britton (Tami Taylor, y'all!), Dylan McDermott and Jessica Lange, is superb. We think the show is shaping up to be the dark horse of the season.

Game of Thrones: It's hard for us to explain why GOT deserves to be nominated (and win) this category because we love it so much. I mean, it has dragons, people! DRAGONS. It also has one of the most talented casts on TV, which the show isn't afraid to kill off in the name of great storytelling.

Homeland: The shocking twists in this terrorism thriller—driven by impossibly superb performances by Claire Danes, Damian Lewis and Mandy Patinkin—make us feel like we're riding a roller coaster…blindfolded. But we never want this ride to end.

Best Comedy

Community: Remember that time NBC shelved Community, TV's most original comedy? Well, we do, so thanks NBC for forcing the world to live in the darkest timeline. What better way to fight back? With a Golden Globe nomination! In fact, the only thing better than the show getting nominated would be having Donald Glover and Danny Pudi host the show in character as Troy and Abed. "Troy and Abed at the Globes!"

Happy Endings: We know it's a longshot, but we just love this show, and its hilarious cast, so hard. So, so hard. Plus, if they get nominated, we promise to make a video of Team WWK twirling àa la Brad (Damon Wayans Jr.). Who doesn't want to see that?!

Parks & Recreation: Hands down, Parks & Rec's third season is one of the best, if not the best, seasons in TV history. The show made like the '07 Patriots and went 16-0...as in putting out 16 flawless episodes in a row. Even better? The fourth season is just as strong.

HBO/Nick Briggs

Lead Actor in Drama

Sean Bean, Game of Thrones: Oh, GOT, you cruel, cruel show. Hiring an actor of Bean's stature just to (Spoiler Alert!) kill him off in episode nine was just plain mean. Also mean? Overlooking Bean, whose noble character Ned Stark (may he rest in peace!) was the show's grounding force, in this category.

Kyle Chandler, Friday Night Lights: OK, we know Chandler has a pretty strong chance of being nominated for his portrayal of Coach Eric Taylor (aka the greatest husband, father, coach, king maker, human being, etc.), but we just didn't want to jinx it by leaving him off this list. Yes, we almost cried while writing this. And yes, we know we should seek professional help regarding our attachment to FNL.

Timothy Olyphant, Justified: Because he looks good in a henley, that's why! We jest, we jest. The dude's actually got some major skills and is a complete badass. Olyphant plays Raylan Givens with such a confident swagger and so perfectly captures the humor of Elmore Leonard.

Lead Actress in a Drama

Connie Britton, Friday Night Lights: You know that saying, behind every great man is an even greater woman? Yeah, in Tami Taylor's case, she's standing next to him as his equal, and the same goes for Britton. How great would it be to see Britton and Chandler nominated together one last time? Or, you know, at least until the FNL movie comes out and cleans up at the Oscars.

Claire Danes, Homeland: My So-Called Life's angsty Angela Chase has grown up to be one of fiercest actors of her generation. Danes is downright terrifying as Homeland's relentless, manic-depressive (emphasis on the manic) CIA analyst Carrie Matheson. Plus, her pair of Golden Globes are lonely.

Nina Dobrev, The Vampire Diaries: Yes, we went there...and we bought property. Dobrev is probably the most underrated actress on TV right now, masterfully playing two characters: Elena, the emotional and strong teenager who has lost so much, and Katherine, the hundreds-year old vampire with charisma to spare who leaves a trail of broken hearts and death wherever she goes.

Lead Actor in a Comedy

Will Arnett, Up All Night: Christina Applegate will most likely be nominated and we think her onscreen hubby is just as deserving. Also, it'd be pretty awesome to see Arnett and wife Amy Poehler, our favorite comedy couple ever, both up for awards. 

Steve Carell, The Office: Carell being nominated for a Golden Globe wouldn't even begin to make up for missing out on winning an Emmy for his portrayal of Michael Scott, but it's a start. Rainn Wilson said it best on Emmy night: "The world of TV should be ashamed of itself that Steve Carell never won an Emmy for Michael Gary Scott. Goodnight." And drops the mic.

Joel McHale, Community: While we should be used to award shows snubbing the insanely talented Community cast led by McHale, sometimes we just want the impossible. Plus, McHale's Dean Pelton (Jim Rash) impression was legendary.

Lead Actress in a Comedy

Zooey Deschanel, New Girl: Really, there's no word to describe Deschanel as Jess other than adorkable. While most actresses might have turned the character into a caricature, Deschanel brilliantly walks the line between crazy and relatable, immature and emotional.

Amy Poehler, Parks & Recreation: You know what, we're just going to say it: Our homegirl deserves to win this category. Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose...when Leslie drops a Friday Night Lights reference...at Christmastime, people!

Cobie Smulders, How I Met Your Mother: If Smulder's heartbreaking and devastatingly good performance in this season's "Symphony of Illumination" doesn't earn her a nomination (her first!), nothing will.

Supporting Actor

Giancarlo Esposito, Breaking Bad: The quietly menacing drug kingpin commanded his every scene—even those he shared with Emmy-winning costars Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul. And as the fastidious Gus Fring, he had a hand in not one but two of TV's most spectacular deaths. We'll never look at box cutters and call bells the same way again.

Nick Offerman, Parks & Recreation: Um, he's Ron F--cking Swanson, and that's the only explanation needed.

Evan Peters, American Horror Story: While his costar Lange is virtually (and deservedly) a shoo-in for a nomination, we'd love to see Peters—whose portrayal of the show's OG ghost Tate Langdon is so haunting and complex you don't know whether to like him or despise him from one minute to the next—earn a nod for his work on the FX show.

Supporting Actress

Naya Rivera, Glee: Holy breakout, Batman! Rivera is basically owning this season of Glee and has turned a role that could've easily been a one-note mean girl into a complex and three-dimensional character. As Brittany S. Pierce (Heather Morris) would say, she's basically a unicorn.

Maggie Siff, Sons of Anarchy: Costar Katey Sagal was nominated last year and will most likely find herself on the ballot again this year. Still, our fingers are crossed that the underrated Siff, who truly shined this season, will be nominated. In fact, since Tara's hand is broken, we'll cross our toes, too.  

Madeleine Stowe, Revenge: While we'd love to see the show nominated for Best Drama, we don't think that's going to happen, this season at least. Stowe is the show's best chance at earning a nod. Why, you ask? This is why. Boom.

Now that you've heard our dream picks, hit up the comments and tell us which shows and actors you'd love to see nominated tomorrow morning! Ready, set, comment!

PHOTOS: Top TV Dramas of 2011!