Following a weekend of streamers adding onto the HFPA boycott, NBC went a step further and cancelled the 2022 Golden Globes broadcast.

The HFPA had been sitting on their own 20 yard line and were looking at 4th-and-long. There was no first down to be had. They ended up getting sacked and not just in the football metaphor kind of way.

The latest news came as Tom Cruise took the protest a step further by returning all three Golden Globe Awards! My cap is off to Cruise for this. It’s one thing to just write a press statement but another to actually return the awards. I hope more talent and filmmakers see what he’s doing and do the same thing.

When I last wrote about the HFPA on Saturday night, Mark Ruffalo and Scarlett Johansson had joined the chorus with statements. Suffice it to say, the weekend only got worse for the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. On Monday, NBC went on to pull the plug on the Golden Globes broadcast for 2022. Let’s just say that karma can be a bitch.

I’m of the belief–and I’ve been saying this for so long–that Hollywood is giving the HFPA way too much power. Honestly, no group of under 100 members should have this much power. And yet, they are the first televised awards ceremony out of the gate. The Critics Choice Awards–voted on by a more diverse organization–traditionally takes place on the following Sunday. The Critics Choice Association has a relationship with The CW so it’s hard to see the CCA switching networks. Maybe we’ll see some parties being thrown after the CCA? What happens now that that the Globes won’t be televised next year? Will they still hold a ceremony but for members and guests? It’s hard to tell what happens. Publicists are still shutting out the HFPA so the chances of talent arriving to a smaller non-televised ceremony is small.

Could other guilds take the slot next year on NBC? I honestly don’t know. In terms of the major guild awards, it would be nice to see both Producers, Directors, and Writers Guild Awards be televised. Of course, combining  the ceremonies is easier said than done.

It bears repeating that once the HFPA resumes the Golden Globe Awards in 2023, the brand will still be tainted. This taint is going to follow the Golden Globes no matter what happens. Honestly, they can do all the reforms in the world but the taint from previous years will still be there. If NBC still wants to air a major awards show, they’ve got a few options. One possibility is that they could combine the PGA and DGA Awards into one ceremony. Another possibility is that the Hollywood International Entertainment Press fills the void. This might be a suitable alternative if NBC wants foreign journalists to keep the early January slot. The group has a small Twitter following but that’s typical for awards-voting critics groups that don’t have a NBC broadcast.

If you recall from late February, British journalist Gillian Pringle told The Times that “the HFPA would retaliate against any publicist who granted us access to interview talent and therefore no publicist would.” Again, NO GROUP should have this much power with publicists.