Emmys vs. Golden Globes: Who made the better pick?

Golden Globes
Best Drama Series: "The Sopranos"
Best Comedy or Musical: "Sex and the City"
Emmys
Outstanding Drama Series: "The West Wing"
Outstanding Comedy Series: "Will & Grace"

Who made the better pick?: It's the battle of network vs. cable, and after ABC dominated completely the year before, it's NBC that gets the network love (with HBO as the cable gem). It's the first season of "The Sopranos" and "Sex and the City's" second season, vs. "The West Wing's" first season and "Will & Grace's" second season. These decisions are such perfect mirror images of each other that, honestly, it's impossible to decide. Both awards shows made the right decisions, just for different reasons.

Golden Globes
Best Drama Series: "The West Wing"
Best Comedy or Musical: "Sex and the City"
Emmys
Outstanding Drama Series: "The West Wing"
Outstanding Comedy Series: "Sex and the City"

Who made the better pick?: Well, it’s unanimous this year. And it was a big year: "Sex and the City" become the first premium cable show to win Outstanding Comedy Series, and this particular Emmys ceremony was postponed twice: first because of 9/11 and then because of the start of the war in Afghanistan.

Golden Globes
Best Drama Series: "Six Feet Under"
Best Comedy or Musical: "Sex and the City"
Emmys
Outstanding Drama Series: "The West Wing"
Outstanding Comedy Series: "Friends"

Who made the better pick?: The first season of "Six Feet Under" makes the Golden Globes choice a no-brainer this year. But the Emmys deserve a shoutout here for finally awarding "Friends" Outstanding Comedy Series (with Season 8 also being the last season you could argue it really deserved it).

Golden Globes
Best Drama Series: "The Shield"
Best Comedy or Musical: "Curb Your Enthusiasm"
Emmys
Outstanding Drama Series: "The West Wing"
Outstanding Comedy Series: "Everybody Loves Raymond"

Who made the better pick?: The Golden Globes might just have been ahead of the curve on this one. Not that there’s anything wrong with network television — especially the two shows that won with the Emmys this year — but there’s a forward-thinking in choosing two outside-the-box cable shows instead of the safe bets.

Golden Globes
Best Drama Series: "24"
Best Comedy or Musical: "The Office"
Emmys
Outstanding Drama Series: "The Sopranos"
Outstanding Comedy Series: "Arrested Development"

Who made the better pick?: "The Sopranos" became the first cable show to beat a network show in Outstanding Drama Series. The Emmys also gave a first season show the rub for Outstanding Comedy Series in the form of "Arrested Development." This is 100 percent the Emmys this year.

Golden Globes
Best Drama Series: "Nip/Tuck"
Best Comedy or Musical: "Desperate Housewives"
Emmys
Outstanding Drama Series: "Lost"
Outstanding Comedy Series: "Everybody Loves Raymond"

Who made the better pick?: Well, the Emmys had "Emmy Idol," one of the most important bits in the history of awards shows. (Here , Kristen Bell sings “Fame,” from " Fame.") And the Globes apparently chose so-called “guilty pleasures” for the winners. This is a 50-50 split: Emmys were right to pick the first season of "Lost" (though Season 2 of "Nip/Tuck" was before it went completely off the rails), but the Globes were right to go with the first season of "Desperate Housewives." Both were right not to let the last season (at the time) of "Will & Grace" win.

Golden Globes
Best Drama Series: "Lost"
Best Comedy or Musical: "Desperate Housewives"
Emmys
Outstanding Drama Series: "24"
Outstanding Comedy Series: "The Office"

Who made the better pick?: It’s interesting to see what shows don’t make it onto both awards shows’ nominees list, as all four of these winners were not even nominated for the opposing awards. The Golden Globes’ love for ABC this year works in its drama choice, for "Lost’s" second season. But the Globes' comedy choice is for another second-season ABC show, "Desperate Housewives." And that season doesn't play any better with hindsight: “Wisteria Lane discovers black people” is still a mess. Praise the Emmys for picking a different sophomore comedy: "The Office."

Golden Globes
Best Drama Series: "Grey’s Anatomy"
Best Comedy or Musical: "Ugly Betty"
Emmys
Outstanding Drama Series: "The Sopranos"
Outstanding Comedy Series: "30 Rock"

Who made the better pick?: Amazingly, neither "The Sopranos" nor "30 Rock" was nominated for a Golden Globe. "30 Rock" premiered (in its debut season) just a couple of weeks before what was probably the cutoff date for Golden Globes entry, but that doesn’t explain "The Sopranos" (the final season) part. This year belongs to the Emmys.

Golden Globes
Best Drama Series: "Mad Men"
Best Comedy or Musical: "Extras"
Emmys
Outstanding Drama Series: "Mad Men"
Outstanding Comedy Series: "30 Rock"

Who made the better pick?: Not only did the Golden Globes fall during the 2007-08 Writers Strike, meaning there was no actual awards ceremony, but this also was the last Emmy Awards with five nominees per category. Emmys win on both counts (though they both agreed on Drama, a first-season "Mad Men" ), but the Golden Globes win in spirit for not existing to have a five-host (Tom Bergeron, Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel, Jeff Probst, Ryan Seacrest) gimmick.

Golden Globes
Best Drama Series: "Mad Men"
Best Comedy or Musical: "30 Rock"
Emmys
Outstanding Drama Series: "Mad Men"
Outstanding Comedy Series: "30 Rock"

Who made the better pick?: Another year of being on the same page.

Golden Globes
Best Drama Series: "Mad Men"
Best Comedy or Musical: "Glee"
Emmys
Outstanding Drama Series: "Mad Men"
Outstanding Comedy Series: "Modern Family"

Who made the better pick?: Remember the beautiful time when we could all just agree on "Mad Men" being the best of television? Also, while it doesn’t hold up as much the further we get away from it, the Golden Globes were right to go with "Glee." It was the right choice at the right time (and no time after).

Golden Globes
Best Drama Series: "Boardwalk Empire"
Best Comedy or Musical: "Glee"
Emmys
Outstanding Drama Series: "Mad Men"
Outstanding Comedy Series: "Modern Family"

Who made the better pick?: These winners are like night and day, aren’t they? And the season of "Glee" that won was the second one, which was already pushing things, qualitywise. Emmys win this round, easily. Easily. (This is the last time "Modern Family" will win in this selection “easily.”)

Golden Globes
Best Drama Series: "Homeland"
Best Comedy or Musical: "Modern Family"
Emmys
Outstanding Drama Series: "Homeland"
Outstanding Comedy Series: "Modern Family"

Who made the better pick?: While this makes it seem like 2012 was the safest year possible — and considering this was the 69th Golden Globe Awards, that wouldn't have been all that nice — "Homeland" was in contention for its first season, so this makes absolute sense. "Modern Family," on the other hand, was already doing trips to Disney in its third season. 

Golden Globes
Best Drama Series: "Homeland"
Best Comedy or Musical: "Girls"
Emmys
Outstanding Drama Series: "Breaking Bad"
Outstanding Comedy Series: "Modern Family"

Who made the better pick?: As much as "Girls" became a punchline or the subject of backlash, that first season at least made a splash. So the Golden Globes were right compared to the Emmys here. But for Drama, Emmys had the right idea.

Golden Globes
Best Drama Series: "Breaking Bad"
Best Comedy or Musical: "Brooklyn Nine-Nine"
Emmys
Outstanding Drama Series: "Breaking Bad"
Outstanding Comedy Series: "Modern Family"

Who made the better pick?: Well, both awards shows chose "Breaking Bad," so you couldn’t say either one did better there. Then again, the Golden Globes at least nominated "The Good Wife’s" fifth season, so the Emmys made the better decision in not choosing something over that season of television. (Sure, "Breaking Bad’s" final season was important, but have you seen “Hitting The Fan”?) Who did better in comedy? The Golden Globes, with "Brooklyn Nine-Nine." "Modern Family’s" chokehold on comedy categories really made no sense when you considered the competition.

Golden Globes
Best Drama Series: "The Affair"
Best Comedy or Musical: "Transparent"
Emmys
Outstanding Drama Series: "Game of Thrones"
Outstanding Comedy Series: "Veep"

Who made the better pick?: "The Affair" winning a major award feels so strange, yet it also feels so Golden Globes. The Emmys selection of HBO's big shows are probably the safer choices here, but they also just feel right. This was also the year "Game of Thrones" broke the record for most Emmy wins in a year.

Golden Globes
Best Drama Series: "Mr. Robot"
Best Comedy or Musical: "Mozart in the Jungle"
Emmys
Outstanding Drama Series: "Game of Thrones"
Outstanding Comedy Series: "Veep"

Who made the better pick?: Remember how good "Mr. Robot's" first season was? And "Mozart in the Jungle" winning was technically a surprise because of the absolute lack of buzz for the Amazon show, but it was not really a surprise because it’s a very, very Golden Globes choice. Give it to Golden Globes for both of these out-of-left-field reasons, though you can’t forget "Veep" gave us “Kissing Your Sister” this season.

Golden Globes
Best Drama Series: "The Crown"
Best Comedy or Musical: "Atlanta"
Emmys
Outstanding Drama Series: "The Handmaid’s Tale"
Outstanding Comedy Series: "Veep"

Who made the better pick?: With the exception of "Veep," both awards shows went with (relatively) new over safe and known this year. All four are solid choices, but the Golden Globes definitely has the edge on Comedy with "Atlanta’s" first season, and the Emmys have it on Drama with "The Handmaid's Tale's."

Golden Globes
Best Drama Series: "The Handmaid's Tale"
Best Comedy or Musical: "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel"
Emmys
Outstanding Drama Series: "Game of Thrones"
Outstanding Comedy Series: "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel"

Who made the better pick?: While both awards show went with "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" for Comedy, the Golden Globes and its anti-"Game of Thrones" bias makes for the better choice. Honestly, the Golden Globes Drama category was overall weaker (with nominations for "The Crown," "Stranger Things," "Game of Thrones," and "This Is Us") than the slightly superior Emmys category (with nominations for "The Americans," "The Crown," "The Handmaid's Tale," "Stranger Things," "This Is Us," and "Westworld"). But since neither went with the correct choice ("The Americans"), "The Handmaid's Tale" wins over "Game of Thrones."

Golden Globes
Best Drama Series: "The Americans"
Best Comedy or Musical: "The Kominsky Method"
Emmys
Outstanding Drama Series: "Game of Thrones"
Outstanding Comedy Series: "Fleabag"

Who made the better pick?: First of all, the Golden Globes made the better overall choice just by virtue of having Sandra Oh and Andy Samberg host. That was awesome. Second of all, the 2019 Golden Globes took place in a pre-"Game of Thrones" final season (not that it would ever award it anyway) and pre-"Fleabag" final season world. The 2019 Emmys took place after both series had ended. With all that said: The Golden Globes easily made the better pick in drama, while the Emmys easily made the better pick in comedy. And really, the Emmys poor drama pick was still at least better than the Golden Globes' poor comedy pick, as the Golden Globes had four other more reasonable choices ("Barry," "The Good Place," "Kidding," "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel") than "The Kominsky Method."