Apple TV+ hit Ted Lasso, animated movie Wolfwalkers and Bill Murray — one of the stars of On the Rocks — all received nominations Wednesday for the 78th annual Golden Globe Awards.
Rewarding the best movies and TV shows of the past year, as voted on by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the prizes will be handed out at an awards show on February 28.
Ted Lasso scored twice. It earned a nomination for Best Television Series, Musical or Comedy. And series star Jason Sudeikis got a nod Best Actor in a TV Series, Musical or Comedy Series.
Ted Lasso, which Apple TV+ already renewed for two more seasons, is the closest thing the streaming service has to a big hit. The show is all about a haplessly optimistic American football coach who is recruited to lead an English soccer team. The results are both hilarious and oddly uplifting — perfect viewing for the world in 2021.
While Apple hasn’t revealed audience figures for the show (or any other), it’s anecdotally the Apple TV+ series people most often talk favorably about. On Rotten Tomatoes, it current boasts a critic score of 90% and an audience score of 98%. (You can read Cult of Mac‘s mostly positive Ted Lasso review here.)
The show also recently earned three nominations for the upcoming 26th annual Critics Choice Awards.
Wolfwalkers gets a Golden Globes nomination
Wolfwalkers, for its part, was nominated for Best Motion Picture, Animated. One of Apple TV+’s first animated films, it’s the work of Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon. It’s a fantasy involving wolves and a magical family in the Irish town of Kilkenny. You can check out our positive review here.
On the Rocks
Finally, Bill Murray got a nomination for Best Performance By An Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture for his role in Sofia Coppola’s On the Rocks. (Check our review here.)
On the Rocks reunited Coppola with Murray for the first time since 2003’s classic Lost in Translation. While the picture isn’t Lost in Translation great, it’s certainly a rewarding watch — with Murray playing opposite Rashida Jones.
How does Apple TV+ measure up?
Apple refuses to reveal the number of Apple TV+ subscribers. However, the service lags considerably behind the likes of Netflix and Disney+. Where it has excelled has been in terms of quality. So far, Apple TV+ possesses a great batting average when it comes to turning out high-quality shows.
Apple supposedly made winning awards a big part of its Apple TV+ strategy. Although awards don’t necessarily translate to audience figures, they do cement a stamp of perceived quality on a service. That, in turn, can help it through word of mouth.
The four Golden Globe nominations for Apple TV+ pale in comparison to Netflix’s haul. The streaming leader took home 42 Golden Globes noms this year. Meanwhile, Disney+ picked up five nominations and HBO Max scored a pair.
Now available to watch on Apple TV+
Ted Lasso season one, Wolfwalkers and On the Rocks are currently available to view on Apple TV+. The service is available for $4.99 per month. You can also get it free for one year if you buy a new iPad, iPhone, Mac or Apple TV. And it’s also available for a reduced monthly rate if you subscribe to Apple One, the company’s bundle subscription service.
Source: Deadline
