For years, Kaley Cuoco saw nominations rain down upon some of her “Big Bang Theory” co-stars without receiving the major awards recognition for her work on the hit sitcom.
But thanks to the HBO Max series “The Flight Attendant,” which she executive produced and starred in, you can officially put “Golden Globe nominee” before her name.
Cuoco received her first Golden Globe nominations for her work on the globe-trotting comedic thriller on Wednesday morning, picking up nods for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy and Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy.
In a video posted to her Instagram account, Cuoco is seen in bed listening to the nominations as they are announced. When her name is read aloud, she bursts into tears, collapsing onto herself, while repeatedly exclaiming “Oh my god.”
“Thank you @goldenglobes #hfpa I will never ever forget this moment and I can’t stop crying,” she wrote alongside the video, before giving a shoutout to her production company, which she named after her beloved late dog. “So proud of my entire team @flightattendantonmax ✈️ !!!!! YES NORMAN! 🐾”
Cuoco will have serious competition in both categories. Lily Collins (“Emily in Paris”), Elle Fanning (“The Great”), Jane Levy (“Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist”) and Catherine O’Hara, fresh off an Emmy win for her performance in “Schitt’s Creek,” are also up for the acting trophy. And “The Flight Attendant” faces off against “Schitt’s Creek” and fellow newcomers “Emily in Paris,” “The Great” and “Ted Lasso” for the tv series award.
“The Flight Attendant” is Cuoco’s first major project since playing Penny in “The Big Bang Theory,” which ended its 12-season run on CBS in May 2019. While the sitcom was a consistent ratings hit, Jim Parsons was the only series regular to win the top awards, picking up one Golden Globe and four Emmys.
Cuoco said she was immediately interested in developing “The Flight Attendant” after reading a one-sentence summary of the novel on which it’s based.
“You know, I still don’t know if it was right or wrong,” Cuoco told Entertainment Tonight last year about developing the show after her “Big Bang” success. “I have a very strong gut feeling, and when I saw this book ... I was thinking of what the next project would be. ‘Do I want to option something? What do I want to do?’ When I saw this book and I read this girl, I thought, ‘Oh my God, this would make a really fascinating TV character.’ I just thought that it would. ... Then all of a sudden I was in New York shooting it, got a great team, and three years later, it’s amazing to see this come to life ’cause it really has been my baby.”
And there just might be more awards in Cuoco’s future, as a second season was cleared for take-off in December after the show became HBO Max’s No. 1 series overall during its run.