Golden Globes 2013: 'Homeland' wins for best TV drama

Golden Globes 2013: ‘Homeland’ wins for best TV drama

By Meredith Blake

Jan. 13, 2013 12 AM PT

Showtime’s “Homeland” has won the Golden Globe award for best television drama series for the second year in a row. It triumphed over a field that included “Breaking Bad” (AMC), “The Newsroom” (HBO), “Downton Abbey” (PBS) and “Boardwalk Empire” (HBO).

The series wrapped its second season on Showtime in December. Based on an Israeli series called “Hatufim,” it stars Claire Danes as a psychologically troubled CIA agent who believes that a U.S. Marine, played by Damian Lewis, has been turned by Al Qaeda after eight years in captivity. The show premiered to rave reviews in 2011 and swept the Emmys this past September, but some critics were less pleased with the dramatic plot twists of the second season.

“Breaking Bad,” about the downward spiral of a cancer-stricken high school chemistry teacher turned crystal meth kingpin played by Bryan Cranston, has been nominated for numerous Emmys. But it has proved a tougher sell with the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. This is the first time the show was nominated in the series category, and only the second nomination for Cranston, who won the lead actor Emmy for three years running. The final eight episodes of “Breaking Bad” will air on AMC later this year.

Set in Prohbition-era Atlantic City and featuring Steve Buscemi as a crooked-politician-turned-gangster, “Boardwalk Empire” recently wrapped its third season on HBO. It won in 2011. “Boardwalk Empire”also starsGretchen Mol, Michael Shannon and Kelly Macdonald.

“Downton Abbey” airs in the U.S. as part of the long-running “Masterpiece” series, and garnered record ratings for its third season premiere Jan. 6. The British-made show follows the trials and tribulations of the aristocratic Crawley family and their team of servants. It stars Maggie Smith, Dan Stevens, Hugh Bonneville and Michelle Dockery.

“The Newsroom,” a behind-the-scenes look at a fictional news show starring Jeff Daniels as a flawed but idealistic anchor, was considered a long shot going into the evening. Created by Oscar-winning writer Aaron Sorkin, the series was met with fierce criticism when it premiered last year. However, the backlash wasn’t enough to sour the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn., which nominated “The Newsroom” over favorites like “Mad Men” and “Game of Thrones.”

The Golden Globes are being held at the Beverly Hilton and are being televised on NBC.

ALSO:

Golden Globe Awards 2013: The complete list of nominations

Golden Globes’ world of partying

Photos: Golden Globes 2013: Snubs and surprises

Twitter.com/MeredithBlake