The nominees for the 78th annual Golden Globe Awards were announced Wednesday morning, kicking off this year’s Hollywood awards season. With the past year’s release calendars completely scrambled, things were already expected to look a little different in 2021, and while some safe bets did make the official nominations list (we’re looking at you, “Mank”), other names – or the absence of them – left many viewers scratching their heads.

It was a pleasant surprise to see that three of the five nominees for Best Director, Motion Picture are women (Emerald Fennell for “Promising Young Woman,” Regina King for “One Night in Miami,” and Chloé Zhao for “Nomadland”), marking the first time more than one woman is nominated in a single year in the history of the Golden Globes. However, other critically-acclaimed potential contenders were still completely left out of the race. 

Here are some of the biggest snubs and surprises of this year’s shortlist:

SNUB: “I May Destroy You,” Michaela Coel

Seriously? Michaela Coel’s original series was one of the most praised shows of 2020 with its gut-wrenching, witty take on sexual assault and relationships that was inspired by the writer’s own experience, tackling delicate themes with a sagacity not many can achieve. And yet, it did not receive a single nod among this year’s nominees.

SURPRISE: “Emily in Paris” 

After becoming one of last year’s most meme-able Netflix shows for some of its questionable moments, and besides receiving criticism for what many considered to be a stereotypical view of Parisian life, Darren Star’s “Emily in Paris” managed to score not only one but two nominations this year (Best Television Series, Musical or Comedy and Best Actress in a TV Series, Musical or Comedy for Lily Collins). Très chic. 

SNUB: Zendaya

Zendaya’s been building a career as one of the biggest and most talented Hollywood stars out there. After last year’s “Euphoria” snub, many anticipated she would get a nod for the upcoming Netflix film “Malcolm & Marie,” which, to be fair, has been receiving mixed reviews despite her fiery performance alongside John David Washington. However, it’s still disappointing not to see her name there.

SURPRISE: James Corden and “The Prom”

Despite a 56% score on Rotten Tomatoes, “The Prom” still received two nominations, including Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy for James Corden. The most shocking part? Awards darling and co-star Meryl Streep didn’t.

SNUB: “Da 5 Bloods,” Spike Lee

The critically-acclaimed Vietnam War drama had distinguished performances from Delroy Lindo, Clarke Peters, and Chadwick Boseman – but apparently, not enough to impress the Hollywood Foreign Press Association: zero nominations in sight. (Boseman did get nominated for “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.”)

SURPRISE: Kate Hudson and “Music”

Sia’s soon-to-be-released “Music” has already received mixed reviews, especially because of the controversial choice of casting Maddie Ziegler as a girl on the autism spectrum instead of an actor who actually is. Nonetheless, it still garnered nominations for Best Picture, Musical or Comedy and Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy for Kate Hudson. 

SNUB: Steven Yeun and Yuh-Jung Youn

“Minari” did receive a (controversial) nomination for Best Picture, Foreign Language, but actors Steve Yeun and Yuh-Jung Youn did not get the love they deserved for their outstanding performances in the drama, which tells the story of an immigrant family who moved from Korea to the U.S. looking for a better life, and the challenges they face since then. 

SURPRISE: Jared Leto

The only other time Leto was nominated for (and won) a Golden Globe was in 2013 for his role in “Dallas Buyers Club,” so it comes as a huge surprise that he scored a nomination this year for “The Little Things” – John Lee Hancock’s thriller that has just been released, literally, less than a week ago. We’ll see.