Zombies and gangsters are breaking up this year's Golden Globes song and dance.
Fox's "Glee" led in the Golden Globes television nominations with five as the comedy and musical categories stayed consistent. But the drama side was shaken up by the arrival of HBO's new "Boardwalk Empire" and AMC's "The Walking Dead" -- plus the long overdue nomination of main "Breaking Bad" meth-maker Bryan Cranston, winner of three straight Emmys.
Also read: The Full List of Golden Globe Nominations
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which will hand out the awards on Jan. 16, seems to subscribe to the idea that comedy should be reassuring and drama disruptive -- or so it would seem from their picks.
Eleven of the 16 nominees in the comedic or musical series and lead actor and actress categories stayed the same, but only seven nominees returned to the dramatic series and the lead actor and actress categories. (The Press Association had six comedic or musical series nominees this year, one more than last year.)
Also read: 'King's Speech' Tops Golden Globes Nominations
The dramatic series nominees turned over almost entirely, with "Walking Dead," "Boardwalk Empire," and CBS' "The Good Wife" displacing last year's nominees, HBO's "Big Love" and "True Blood" and Fox's "House." Only Showtime's "Dexter" and AMC's three-time winner "Mad Men" returned. Breakout hit "The Walking Dead" was a particular surprise because the Press Association traditionally hasn't recognized horror or sci-fi.
"Glee," NBC's "30 Rock" and ABC's "Modern Family" returned to the comedy series category, where they were joined by CBS' "Big Bang Theory" and Showtime's "The Big C" and "Nurse Jackie." The new additions displaced last year's nominees, HBO's "Entourage" and NBC's "The Office."
Also read: "Breaking Bad," "30 Rock," "Simpsons," "Modern Family" Lead WGA Nominations
The TV categories spread the nominations around more than the film categories, in which "The King's Speech," detailing King George VI attempts to overcome his speech impediment on the eve of World War II, led with seven nominations. "The Social Network," which profiles the creation of Facebook, and "The Fighter," starring Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale, each received six, while "Black Swan," "Inception" and the very modern family drama of "The Kids Are All Right" had four each.
But the starry-eyed Globes also threw in a few wild cards like the three nominations for the critically reviled box-office bomb "The Tourist": one as best musical or comedy and two for its stars Johnny Depp (who was also nominated for "Alice in Wonderland") and Angelina Jolie.
Even with their more diverse choices, the TV categories were mostly weirdness-free. The Press Association finally took note of Cranston, who has won an Emmy for every season of his character's transformation from a humble chemistry teacher to a methamphetamine mastermind. Newcomer Steve Buscemi ("Boardwalk Empire") joined him in the best actor in a TV drama series category, as did returning nominees Michael C.
