Considering how late they tend to run, it would probably make more sense if awards ceremonies started airing on Saturday nights so we could still have a full day of our weekend left to recover from them. And given how long the 2017 Golden Globes are likely to be, there's a good chance you should go ahead and plan a half-day on the Monday after, just in case. Because the 2017 Golden Globe Awards ceremony, airing on NBC this Sunday and hosted by Jimmy Fallon, are scheduled to run for three hours starting at 8:00 p.m. ET — and that's not even the whole story.
For the dedicated, there will be an hour of red carpet coverage on NBC starting at 7:00 p.m. that night; for the truly obsessed, a live stream of red carpet arrivals will start online even an hour earlier, at 6:00 p.m. And of course, knowing the way that these things tend to go, when speeches run over and teleprompters break and the montages pile up and the presenters go on and on and on… the ceremony itself is bound to surpass the three hours it's allotted. So you better set your DVR for 15-30 extra minutes, to be safe.
Then, if you're the type of viewer who likes to follow up their watching with some post-ceremony activities — including reading analyses of the winners and posting outraged reactions to the snubs — then you could be looking at six hours of Golden Globe-related action from start to finish. (More, if you're hosting a viewing party that involves preparation before and clean-up afterwards.) That's certainly enough to make anyone oversleep their alarm on Monday morning.
Of course, this marathon running time is complicated by the fact that the Golden Globes are famously the booziest party in Hollywood, with attendees seated at round tables with free-flowing champagne rather than the stuffy auditorium seating of the more strait-laced Oscars. So if you truly want to watch in the full spirit of the Golden Globes, naturally you'll be tuning in with a glass of bubbly (or two) in hand… which will only make things harder for you the next day, but you probably should give as few craps about that as Emma Thompson does about her shoes, to be honest.
If anything, the Golden Globe can be forgiven for running a bit long because they actually have a harder task than the Oscars: they have to award the best in both film and television. And where else are you going to get to see Jon Snow rub shoulders with Deadpool? Or watch Meryl Streep hobnob with the children of Stranger Things? (Please make that happen, telecasters.) The Golden Globes are a magical night and they only happen once a year… so it's worth being a little sleepy (or hungover) on Monday morning, if you ask me.
So sit back, relax, and enjoy Hollywood's biggest party totally guilt-free. You have Emma Thompson's permission.
