5 Reasons Cristin Milioti and The Penguin Were Cheated at the Golden Globes 2025

The Golden Globes have always been a celebration and acknowledgment of entertainment at its best and sometimes not so much. The tradition of predictable wins and surprising snubs has been followed by the recent Golden Globe Awards, which occurred on January 5, 2025, hosted by comedian Nikki Glaser at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

Colin Farrell at the 82nd Golden Globe Awards | Credit: Golden Globes YouTube

Perhaps one of the most-discussed outcomes this year was the mishandling of the crime drama The Penguin and its breakout actress Cristin Milioti. The series showing the growth of Colin Farrell’s Oz Cobb’s character, as a gangster in Gotham, emerged as one of HBO’s biggest hits. However, both the show and Milioti as Sofia Falcone getting snubbed felt like cheating due to the following possible reasons.

Cristin Milioti’s performance redefined villains

Colin Farrell and Cristin Milioti in The Penguin | Credit: HBO

Cristin Milioti was nominated in the category of Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Limited Series, Anthology Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television for The Penguin. However, the award went to Jodie Foster for True Detective: Night Country.

Milioti wasn’t just playing another character from the comic books. She was portraying a very layered villain through Sofia Falcone. As critics also pointed out, she was able to reinterpret the character into a mafia princess who was subtly insane yet spine-chilling. She was at her best in episodes 4 and 5, which had the series’ some of the highest viewerships.

Her deliveries, like in “Daddy is dead, and we are… untamed,” showed her ability to portray simple dialogues in an unsettling way. Her role required a balance between elegance and savagery, which Milioti portrayed well without having to wear much makeup or prosthetics, like her co-star, Colin Farrell, who won the award for the same category for male actors.

Milioto went from being a sweet-natured Tracy McConnell in How I Met Your Mother to a psychopathic heiress in The Penguin. Unlike some of her fellow nominees, Milioti had to go against typecasting and the public’s expectations to develop something completely new.

The Penguin transcended its genre

Colin Farrell in The Penguin | Credit: HBO

The Penguin was not simply more of the same superhero spin-off show, it was a smart crime drama that just so existed within the Batman world. It freed itself from the constraints of genre and, at the same time, consistently maintained high production values and storytelling, which made it one of the leaders of TV shows in 2024.

According to Forbes, it also showed an increase in growth in viewership from the first episode to the last episode of the series, which is also proof of an increase in the number of people interested in the story. This steady organic growth through word-of-mouth and critical acclaim shows that the show went beyond just comic book lovers.

Even though comic book adaptations are usually not given enough respect when it comes to receiving accolades, The Penguin is much closer to prime crime dramas. It was, however, defeated by Baby Reindeer in the category of Best Television Limited Series, Anthology Series or Motion Picture Made For Television.

Competition vs. quality

Marié Botha and Cristin Milioti in The Penguin | Credit: HBO

Jodie Foster’s win for True Detective: Night Country over Milioti showed a concerning pattern in awards voting. Although Foster is certainly a gifted actress, the show was not devoid of criticism.

For Milioto, the category was filled with the finest and veteran actresses, including Cate Blanchett and Kate Winslet, which perhaps overshadowed her fresher take. Moreover, some voters could have been unwilling to endorse a performance of a comic book portrayal regardless of how good it was.

This bias becomes even more evident when one takes into account that Milioti gave an excellent performance throughout the whole of the season while Foster’s struggling show was heavily criticized, especially during its finale.

Impact of Cristin Milioti’s performance and The Penguin‘s story

Mark Strong, Michael Zegen, and Cristin Milioti in The Penguin | Credit: HBO

Sofia Falcone, played by Milioti, is a character that forces viewers to reconsider the way many approach female villains in genre television. The series’ ability to incorporate crime drama into the comics format defines a new formula for future adaptations that seemingly got missed by the Globes at their expense.

According to Variety, The Penguin debuted with 1.7 million viewers in the first episode, which increased almost 50% by the time it reached the finale with 2.1 million views. The show is rated 95% by the critics and 91% by the audience on Rotten Tomatoes, which also shows the appeal of comic book adaptations to mainstream audiences.

Failure of rising star recognition at the 82nd Golden Globe Awards

Cristin Milioti in The Penguin | Credit: HBO

Although it was Milioti’s first Golden Globe nomination ever, she has been acting for years on stage, TV, and in films, and has also been nominated for a Grammy and Tony Award, which makes her quite qualified for the win. 

The actress, however, kept it low by simply saying she was “in a state of shock” and thanked people for nominating her alongside such great names in her interview with People magazine. 

The Globes have often used this category to promote promising newcomers, as was the case with Anya Taylor-Joy and Lady Gaga. Milioti’s role in The Penguin was a missed opportunity to carry on this tradition.

Getting awarded definitely boosts morality and fame, but The Penguin and Cristin Milioti have already been written in the history of television. The opportunity that the show has had to redefine its genre and female villains will shape future works regardless of the prospects of Golden Globes. Maybe that is the real victory anyway.

The Penguin is available to stream on Max.