The Golden Globes may have some competition next year. The CW entertainment president Brad Schwartz thinks the Critics Choice Awards can replace the big night at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
“We think that that show, with a little bit of support, a little bit of marketing, a little bit more push behind it, could almost replace the Golden Globes, maybe, with everything that happens there,” Schwartz said.
The network president called the 2023 Critics Choice Awards “absolutely” a better show than the Globes. “Much more fun, much more energy. Chelsea Handler killed him,” Schwartz said. “It was a much better predictor of the Academy Awards than the Golden Globes.” He also singled out the celebrities the event attracted, saying “everyone” was in the room, including Julia Roberts.
The Critics Choice Awards will air again on The CW in 2024. Next year, it will air on January 14, a week after the Golden Globes. At the moment, the Globes don’t have a broadcast partner. The awards show has been broadcast on NBC since 1996, but as of the 2023 ceremony, that contract ended.
The “everything that goes on there” that Schwartz refers to is probably the Globe’s long list of recent controversies. This year, Globe nominee Brendan Fraser did not attend the ceremony following allegations that he was groped in 2003 by former HFPA president Phillip Berk. awards became so hot that NBC decided not to broadcast it. In 2021, the organization was criticized for not having black members among its voting ranks, and Berk was expelled from the organization for calling Black Lives Matter a “racist hate movement.” It’s been a tough few years for the Globes.
Comparatively, the Critics Choice Awards have been scandal-free. The event dovetails with The CW’s renewed commitment to live events. The network currently has an agreement with LIV Golf, which has led to discussions with “every league” in today’s sports market. That being said, The CW doesn’t imagine it will be airing the NFL any time soon.
“We are seeing a lot of different live events. I think we’ll do a few more. We like them,” Schwartz said. “But then again, as we reimagine, we reinvent The CW, we need to focus more of our money on things that can bring people back week after week, things that can bring people back season after season. So really focusing on scripted and unscripted series is more where we should bet.”
The 28th Critics Choice Awards were presented at the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles. “Everything Everywhere All at Once” took home the Best Picture award on the movie side. As for television, “Abbott Elementary” won for Best Comedy and “Better Call Saul” won for Best Drama. The awards show is often considered a decent predictor of nominations ahead of Oscar season. Not only did it predict the Best Picture win for “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” it also predicted the triumphs of “Nomadland” in 2021 and “The Shape of Water” in 2018.
