The Golden Globes was established by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, an organization that sought to create a series of filmmaking awards in parallel with the Oscars. Unfortunately, the Golden Globes have been subject to constant criticism and controversies for a variety of reasons, in particular for the absence of diversity among members of the voting bloc.

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A number of industry figures have declared that the Golden Globes are in dire need of "fundamental reform," including Scarlett Johansson and Mark Ruffalo. As such, it's not surprising that these awards have been offered to movies, TV shows, and actors who weren't critically expected to win their respective Golden Globe in the first place.

10 Glee's Two-Time Award For Best Television Comedy (2010-2011)

Cast of Glee

Glee was a spectacular hit on the audience front — a musical sitcom revolving around teenagers was ripe for the picking after the monumental success of High School Musical (2006). Glee managed to earn the respect of several reviewers, as well, many of whom praised the show's "quirky charm and bravado."

On the other hand, Glee won Best Television Comedy at the Golden Globes in 2010 and 2011, displacing series like 30 Rock, Modern Family, The Office, and The Big Bang Theory, which made little sense. In addition, later seasons of Glee failed to regain the critical kudos offered to the earlier episodes.

9 The Cardinal Won Best Motion Picture In 1963

The Cardinal

Otto Preminger's stunning directorial vision was brought to life in The Cardinals, a film that went on to receive six Oscar nominations. However, it's quite telling that The Cardinals didn't get the prestigious Best Picture nomination at the Academy Awards and still won the respective award at the Golden Globes.

In fact, no movie since The Cardinals have won the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture without at least an Oscar nomination for the same. Even stranger is the fact that Cleopatra, The Great Escape, and Lilies of the Field were also in the running.

8 Mozart In The Jungle Won Best Television Comedy In 2016

Mozart in the Jungle

Mozart in the Jungle is a series loosely based on the career of celebrated oboist Blair Tindall. With Gael García Bernal in the lead role, Mozart in the Jungle was acclaimed by critics before its unfortunate cancelation after Season 4. The show is indubitably well-designed, "proving long on charm even when it's short on laughs."

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Despite Mozart in the Jungle's evident popularity, it defeated far stronger contenders for the Golden Globe, including Orange Is the New Black, Silicon Valley, Veep, and Transparent — an inscrutable decision by the HFPA.

7 Casey Affleck Won Best Actor For Manchester By The Sea In 2016

Manchester by the Sea

Manchester by the Sea is a heart-wrenching story about a troubled person and his struggles to raise his deceased brother's adolescent son. The movie was instantly recognized as a towering achievement, in particular for its main cast.

Casey Affleck was awarded the Oscar for Best Actor as well as the corresponding award at the Golden Globes. Affleck's win might be deserved, but it negated masterful performances from Denzel Washington in Fences and Joel Edgerton in Loving. In fact, many critics predicted that Washington was a shoo-in for the award.

6 Anne Of The Thousand Days Won Best Motion Picture In 1970

Anne of the Thousand Days

The life and times of Anne Boleyn were tumultuous, to say the least, mostly because of her marriage to the divorce-happy King Henry VIII. Richard Burton and Geneviève Bujold make the film come alive; their regal portrayals earned them applause from all quarters.

Anne of the Thousand Days amassed a whopping ten nominations at the Academy Awards, but won only one: Best Costume Design. At the same time, the movie inexplicably triumphed over Midnight Cowboy, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid at the Golden Globes.

5 Sarah Jessica Parker's Four Best Actress Awards For Sex And The City

Sex and the City the big journey

Sarah Jessica Parker is unquestionably talented, but winning four Golden Globes for playing Carrie Bradshaw on Sex and the City is a bit of a stretch. More importantly, critics have retroactively reevaluated Bradshaw's character as purely self-serving, referring to "her brattiness and self-absorption."

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Sarah Jessica Parker's four awards took away from equally impressive (if not better) performances by actresses like Calista Flockhart in Ally McBeal, Jane Kaczmarek in Malcolm in the Middle, Debra Messing in Will & Grace, and Bitty Schram in Monk.

4 Homeland Won Best Television Drama Back To Back (2012-2013)

Homeland

Homeland is a brilliant jewel in the Fox 21 crown, having won dozens of prestigious prizes across the board, from Primetime Emmys to Golden Globes and everything in between. Even President Obama has announced his affection for the show. Homeland garnered Golden Globes for Best Actress, Best Actor, and Best Television Drama (twice).

Few would have thought to question this series' merits had it not been for co-nominees Boardwalk Empire, Game of Thrones, The Newsroom, Downton Abbey, and Breaking Bad.

3 Atonement Won Best Motion Picture In 2008

Atonement film with Keira Knightley

It is difficult to imagine the combustible pairing of James McAvoy and Keira Knightley to fizzle out and rightly so, as proven by their scintillating performances in Atonement. The film accrued innumerable nominations and prizes from a range of awarding organizations.

Reviewers noted Atonement's "brilliant cinematography and unique score" as well as "deft performances," explaining why the movie was such a critical hit. As bizarre as it sounds, however, Atonement somehow wrested the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture from No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood, both of which happen to be era-defining examples of filmmaking.

2 Nick Nolte Won Best Actor Over Anthony Hopkins In 1991

The Prince of Tides

Barbra Streisand directed and acted in The Prince of Tides, a romantic drama with Nick Nolte as the titular character. Critics praised Streisand's deft directorial hand, stating that she managed to "coax a fine performance out of Nolte."

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The latter went on to win the Golden Globe for Best Actor in 1991, despite competing with Sir Anthony Hopkins in The Silence of the Lambs. Hopkins' portrayal of the maniacal cannibal Dr. Hannibal Lecter has since made him a Hollywood legend, while Nolte's Tom Wingo has all but faded into obscurity.

1 Once Upon A Time In Hollywood Won Best Motion Picture In 2019

once-upon-a-time-in-hollywood-bruce-lee

Quentin Tarantino's cinematic artistry notwithstanding, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood failed to make a fraction of the impact as his earlier works. The Guardian mentioned that Tarantino was seemingly "in search of increasingly gruesome settings to validate his revenge fantasies," and The New Yorker declared it to be "obscenely regressive."

On the flip side, several critics openly admitted that Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was "layered and ambitious." Regardless, it won the Best Motion Picture award at the Golden Globes, edging out cinematic masterpieces such as Dolemite Is My Name and Knives Out.