'The Crown,' 'Game of Thrones,' 'The Good Fight,' and "Watchmen' lead drama series about politics and government at the Critics' Choice Awards

I concluded Drink a London Lemming for Norther by telling my readers to "Stay tuned for an entry analyzing the television nominees about government and politics at tonight's Critics' Choice Awards."  That's because "the television nominees...are very busy tackling politics" just like the television nominees at the 2020 WGA Awards.  Without any further ado, here are the drama series nominees at tonight's Critics' Choice Awards that tackle politics and government.

I begin with drama series, where six of the eight nominees tackle government, politics, and activism.

BEST DRAMA SERIES

The Crown (Netflix)
David Makes Man (OWN)
Game of Thrones (HBO)
The Good Fight (CBS All Access)
Pose (FX)
Succession (HBO)
This Is Us (NBC)
Watchmen (HBO)

Four of the field earned four nominations each, "The Crown," "Game of Thrones," "The Good Fight," and "Watchmen."  Following them are "Pose" and "Succession," both with three nominations apiece.  While "Game of Thrones" had good nights at the Saturn Awards and Emmy Awards, it had only one nomination at the Golden Globes, but lost it to "Succession," which won two Golden Globes.  Of the field, "Succession" won the equivalent award at the Golden Globes.  Watch NBC's "Succession" Wins Best Television Series, Drama - 2020 Golden Globes.

The producers of "Succession" accept the award for Best Television Series - Drama at the 77th Annual Golden Globe Awards.

While I think "Succession" has a good chance, it's hard to use the Golden Globes as a good method to handicap the field, as "David Makes Man," "The Good Fight," "This Is Us" and "Watchmen" were not even nominated at those awards.  Speaking of which, the most nominated entry at the Critics' Choice Awards is "This Is Us" with five nominations and I wouldn't be surprised if it pulled off an upset here.

Follow over the jump for the rest of the categories.

Next, the other category in which "Succession" walked away with an equivalent Golden Globe.

BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

Sterling K. Brown – This Is Us (NBC)

Mike Colter – Evil (CBS)

Paul Giamatti – Billions (Showtime)

Kit Harington – Game of Thrones (HBO)

Freddie Highmore – The Good Doctor (ABC)

Tobias Menzies – The Crown (Netflix)

Billy Porter – Pose (FX)

Jeremy Strong – Succession (HBO)

Watch Brian Cox Wins Best Actor in a Television Drama - 2020 Golden Globes, who beat Kit Harington of "Game of Thrones" for the award.

Brian Cox accepts the award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama at the 77th Annual Golden Globe Awards.

Cox may have won the Golden Globe, but he's not even nominated for Best Actor in a Drama Series here.  Instead, his co-star Jeremy Strong is, but I wouldn't place money on him.  I think Billy Porter of "Pose," who won the equivalent award at the Emmys last year, is the favorite.  The other nominees from shows that examine politics and government are Paul Giamatti from "Billions" and Tobias Menzies from "The Crown."

Speaking of "The Crown," one of its performers won the next award at the Golden Globes.

BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES

Christine Baranski – The Good Fight (CBS All Access)

Olivia Colman – The Crown (Netflix)

Jodie Comer – Killing Eve (BBC America)

Nicole Kidman – Big Little Lies (HBO)

Regina King – Watchmen (HBO)

Mj Rodriguez – Pose (FX)

Sarah Snook – Succession (HBO)

Zendaya – Euphoria (HBO)

Watch Olivia Colman: Best Actress in a TV Drama - 2020 Golden Globes.

Olivia Colman accepts the award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Drama at the 77th Annual Golden Globe Awards.

I think Colman is a strong contender — she won an Oscar for portraying another queen — but she's far from a prohibitive favorite as Jodie Comer won the Emmy for "Killing Eve."  Considering that her co-star Sandra Oh won this award last year, I think she has a good claim on the trophy as well.  That written, so do Christine Baranski of "The Good Fight," a show that the critics love but the creators other than musicians ignore during awards, Regina King from "Watchmen," Mj Rodriguez of "Pose," and Sarah Snook from "Succession," which is my choice for a complete upset.

Next, a category that I think "Game of Thrones" has a good chance of winning.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

Asante Blackk – This Is Us (NBC)

Billy Crudup – The Morning Show (Apple)

Asia Kate Dillon – Billions (Showtime)

Peter Dinklage – Game of Thrones (HBO)

Justin Hartley – This Is Us (NBC)

Delroy Lindo – The Good Fight (CBS All Access)

Tim Blake Nelson – Watchmen (HBO

The Golden Globes provide no guidance in this category, as the winner of the closest equivalent is competing in the limited series category.  Instead, I'm using the Emmy Awards, where Peter Dinklage won for his role in "Game of Thrones."  The rest of the nominees from dramas about politics and government are Asia Kate Dillon of "Billions," Delroy Lindo from "The Good Fight," and Tim Blake Nelson of "Watchmen."  I'm undecided about whether "The Morning Show" counts as being about politics and government, so I'm not including Billy Crudup.  That written, I don't think any of them counts as Dinklage's strongest competition.  Instead, I believe Asante Blackk might upset him for his role in "This Is Us" if the vote doesn't end up split between him and his co-star Justin Hartley.

While half of the nominees in the next category act in drama series that examine politics and government, I don't think any of them will win.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES

Helena Bonham Carter – The Crown (Netflix)

Gwendoline Christie – Game of Thrones (HBO)

Laura Dern – Big Little Lies (HBO)

Audra McDonald – The Good Fight (CBS All Access)

Jean Smart – Watchmen (HBO)

Meryl Streep – Big Little Lies (HBO)

Susan Kelechi Watson – This Is Us (NBC)

The winner of the equivalent category at the Golden Globes was Laura Dern for her role in "Big Little Lies."  I think she's favored if her co-star Meryl Streep, a bigger name, doesn't end up splitting the vote.  As for the competitors from political series, they are Helena Bonham Carter for "The Crown," Gwendoline Christie from "Game of Thrones," Audra McDonald of "The Good Fight," and Jean Smart from "Watchmen."  Out of all of them, the strongest actress is Carter, but I don't know if she can beat either Dern or Streep.

While there are a lot of other categories with nominees that examine politics and government, I'll save those for when I write about the winners.  Stay tuned.