The Golden Globes are usually a boozy party. This year’s show might have a different vibe.

In a normal year, the Golden Globes show is the ultimate Hollywood shindig: thousands of glasses of champagne, freewheeling acceptance speeches, backstage antics, dozens of stars drinking at crowded banquet tables. .

If the Oscars show the film industry in its most formal form, the Globes give us Quentin Tarantino spitting his glass when he loses a directing award to Ben Affleck.

“It’s usually a big party,” said Anne Thompson, an editor at IndieWire Film Publishing.

But this year – like weddings, office meetings, and just about every other event involving people outside your home – the Globes will be a largely virtual event. In a socially distant style, the co-hosts will appear on opposite sides of the country: Tina Fey of the Rainbow Room in New York City and Amy Poehler at the Beverly Hilton, the traditional home of the ceremony.

The producers of the Globes have sent camera kits to the nominees that will allow them to stream on the show, no matter where they are. The mostly virtual Emmy Awards at the end of September attempted a similar approach. Fey, Poehler, some in-person presenters and other crew members will adhere to strict Covid-19 security protocols.

In an interview with Seth Meyers last month, Poehler joked about the unusual nature of this year’s industry honors. “The preparation is going so well. We just have a few final questions, namely: when, how, why, where and what? That’s all we need to find out, but we’ll find out.

The restrictions required by Covid-19 could mean this year’s Golden Globes (8 p.m. ET Sunday on NBC) lose some of the alcoholic, spontaneous spontaneity of the typical show. “Although people can drink at home,” said Chris Beachum, editor of the Gold Derby price prediction website.

In particular, the spread of the era of the pandemic could rob viewers of ‘memorable’ moments that have become more common over the past decade, said Joyce Eng, editor of Gold Derby – as the 2016 viral GIF of Leonardo DiCaprio who seems to flinch as Lady Gaga brushed against him to accept a statuette.

The pricing experts have all said that last fall’s Emmys, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, ABC’s late-night personality, provided a solid and largely glitch-free model for the Globes. Beachum said it was especially entertaining to see winners such as Zendaya and the cast of “Schitt’s Creek” accepting awards from far flung places, giving viewers a greater sense of personal connection.

“It was exciting to see someone win alongside their parents, spouse or kids, right there in the room with them,” Beachum said. “You couldn’t see this in a normal televised ceremony.

The wider context of this year’s Golden Globes is also a challenge for producers. The nation is grappling with social and economic crises that could make a Hollywood awards show particularly quirky, unless the backstage gurus find a way to balance the self-congratulation with seriousness.

“The question of how such a frivolous and frivolous company is going to present itself is an interesting one,” said Thompson, who has covered award races for many years. “I’m curious to see how they do it. Everyone will want to find the right tone.

Over the past decade, as conventional linear television has lost ground to streaming services, awards ratings have generally declined. (Ratings for the Globes aired last January, hosted for the fifth time by Ricky Gervais, were at an eight-year low.)

Eng said she didn’t expect audiences to rebound for this year’s Globes, although she wondered if Hollywood glitter could offer a welcome departure from grim reality.

“It’s been such a tough year, so I think there’s a certain escape here: three hours of your Sunday night where you can watch a fun awards show and make fun of the celebrities,” Eng said. “Maybe there will also be a curiosity factor.”

Thompson added that some casual viewers might be drawn to the large number of films and TV shows nominated by popular streaming services – especially Netflix, which amassed 42 nominations. In an era of theater closures, she said, most moviegoers watched new releases at home.

Two of Netflix’s well-reviewed titles – “Mank” by David Fincher and “The Trial of the Chicago 7” by Aaron Sorkin – are considered the pioneers of the Drama Film Award, while the Saga of British Royalty from the platform of streaming “The Crown” leads the field of TV nominees with six nods.