Producers Guild (PGA) preview and predictions: Is it a two-way race or is there a spoiler in the mix?

The Producers Guild of America (PGA) will be announcing their winners on Wednesday, March 24 (in the middle of the week, so weird) and in an already wild and crazy season, are we in store for an upset?

The Writers Guild of America (WGA) revealed their winners in a virtual ceremony on Sunday, making them the first of the major guilds to go first (they’re usually last). Although the results of the WGA won’t have any direct impact on PGA (voting ended on the 19th), the winners there – Promising Young Woman and Borat Subsequent Moviefilm – opened the door for the Producers Guild to be a tougher race to predict.

Although the PGA uses the same preferential ballot process as Oscar’s Best Picture, they’ve hit a few bumps in the second half of the last decade as a predictor. That may be due in part to the Academy’s adventurous increase in membership with the PGA’s has made no such effort. When they picked La La Land, Oscar picked Moonlight. When they picked 1917, Oscar picked Parasite. While this exceptional year seemed to once again be setting up a two-film battle for Best Picture, we may actually be looking at four films ready to stake a claim.

Nomadland has been the overwhelming critical hit of the season, also snapping up Critics Choice and the Golden Globe, making it the favorite for PGA too. Chloé Zhao’s languid tone poem has also been an audience favorite from its fall festival appearances to its theatrical and television release. But that preferential ballot could provide us with a more populist, consensus choice like Aaron Sorkin’s The Trial of the Chicago 7, which has a timeliness and timeless factor that could prove hard to pass up. Emerald Fennell’s Promising Young Woman bested Trial at the WGA, which could give it a leg up in this race as well as the Oscars. It’s a film that has shown itself to be less divisive than some thought it would be or tried to make it. Lee Isaac Chung’s Minari has also crossed thresholds with history-making nominations for its Asian cast members and a good chance of a SAG win in two weeks. Although I don’t think it stands a chance here, the overperformance by Borat Subsequent Moviefilm so far puts it much higher here than I would have expected a month ago. This all makes for a wider race than we’ve seen in recent years but my gut says Nomadland steamrolls and goes all the way.

The 32nd Producers Guild of America (PGA) Awards will be held on Wednesday, March 24 at 5pm PT in a virtual ceremony for film and television as well as juried awards: the David O. Selznick Achievement Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures, presented in recognition of a producer or producing team’s extraordinary body of work; the Norman Lear Achievement Award in Television, presented to a producer or producing team for an extraordinary body of work in television; The Milestone Award, recognizing an individual or team who has made historic contributions to the entertainment industry and the Visionary Award, honoring producers across television, film or new media who share inspiring, uplifting stories that add unique value to society and culture.

On Saturday, the PGA announced four winners during its A Day With the PGA Award Nominees virtual event: Apple TV’s Carpool Karaoke: The Series won for Outstanding Short Form Program; The Power of We: A Sesame Street Special won for Outstanding Children’s Program; and YouTube’s Defying Gravity: The Untold Story of Women’s Gymnastics took Outstanding Sports Program.

Presenters include Viola Davis, Daniel Kaluuya, Sacha Baron Cohen, Carey Mulligan, Steven Yeun, Amanda Seyfried, Paul Raci, Regina King, Eddie Redmayne, Swankie, Riz Ahmed, Darren Criss, Kaley Cuoco, Daveed Diggs, Gal Gadot, Mindy Kaling, Nicole Kidman, Paul Mescal, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Sarah Jessica Parker and Jurnee Smollett. Tracee Ellis Ross will be the ceremony’s de facto emcee, with opening and closing remarks, and Anthony Mackie will give an introduction to this year’s In Memoriam segment.

Here are my ranked predictions in film and television for the 32nd Producers Guild of America (PGA) awards.

FILM

Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures

1. Nomadland (Searchlight Pictures)
Producers: Mollye Asher, Dan Janvey, Frances McDormand, Peter Spears, Chloé Zhao

2. Promising Young Woman (Focus Features)
Producers: Josey McNamara, Ben Browning, Ashley Fox, Emerald Fennell

3. The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Netflix)
Producers: Marc Platt, Stuart Besser

4. Minari (A24)
Producer: Christina Oh

5. Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (Amazon Studios)
Producers: Sacha Baron Cohen, Monica Levinson, Anthony Hines

6. Judas and the Black Messiah (Warner Bros)
Producers: Charles D. King, Ryan Coogler, Shaka King

7. Sound of Metal (Amazon Studios)
Producers: Bert Hamelinck, Sacha Ben Harroche

8. Mank (Netflix)
Producers: Ceán Chaffin, Eric Roth, Douglas Urbanski

9. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix)
Producers: Denzel Washington, Todd Black

10. One Night in Miami (Amazon Studios)
Producers: Jess Wu Calder, Keith Calder, Jody Klein

Award for Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures

1. Soul (Pixar)
Producer: Dana Murray

2. Wolfwalkers (Apple TV Plus/GKIDS)
Producers: Paul Young, Nora Twomey, Tomm Moore, Stéphan Roelants

3. Onward (Pixar)
Producer: Kori Rae

4. Over the Moon (Netflix)
Producers: Gennie Rim, Peilin Chou

5. The Croods: A New Age (DreamWorks Animation)
Producer: Mark Swift

Award for Outstanding Producer of Documentary Motion Pictures

1. Time (Amazon Studios)
Lauren Domino, Kellen Quinn, and Garrett Bradley, Producers

2. My Octopus Teacher (Netflix)
 Craig Foster, Producer

3. Dick Johnson Is Dead (Netflix)
 Kirsten Johnson, Katy Chevigny, and Marilyn Ness, Producers

4. The Truffle Hunters (Sony Pictures Classics)
Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw, Producers

5. David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet (Netflix)
Jonnie Hughes, Producer

6. A Thousand Cuts (PBS/Frontline)
 Ramona S. Diaz, Leah Marino, Julie Goldman, Christopher Clements, and Carolyn Hepburn, Producers

7. Softie (PBS/POV)
Toni Kamau and Sam Soko, Producers

TELEVISION

Norman Felton Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television – Drama

1. The Crown (Netflix) – Season 4
Producers: Peter Morgan, Suzanne Mackie, Stephen Daldry, Andy Harries, Benjamin Caron, Matthew Byam Shaw, Robert Fox, Michael Casey, Andy Stebbing, Martin Harrison, Oona O’Beirn

2. The Mandalorian (Disney+) – Season 2
Producers: Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni, Kathleen Kennedy, Colin Wilson, Karen Gilchrist, John Bartnicki, Carrie Beck

3. Bridgerton – (Netflix) – Season 1
Producers: eligibility determination pending

4. Ozark (Netflix) – Season 3
Producers: Jason Bateman, Chris Mundy, Bill Dubuque, Mark Williams, Patrick Markey, John Shiban, Miki Johnson, Matthew Spiegel, Erin Mitchell, Martin Zimmerman, Peter Thorell

5. Better Call Saul (AMC) – Season 5

Producers: eligibility determination pending

Danny Thomas Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television – Comedy

1. Ted Lasso (Apple TV+) – Season 1
Producers: Bill Lawrence, Jason Sudeikis, Jeff Ingold, Bill Wrubel, Liza Katzer, Jane Becker, Jamie Lee, Kip Kroeger, Brendan Hunt, Tina Pawlik, Joe Kelly

2. Schitt’s Creek (Pop TV) – Season 6
Producers: Eugene Levy, Daniel Levy, Andrew Barnsley, Fred Levy, David West Read, Ben Feigin, Michael Short, Kurt Smeaton, Kosta Orfanidis

3. The Flight Attendant (HBO Max) – Season 1
Producers: Greg Berlanti, Kaley Cuoco, Steve Yockey, Meredith Lavender, Marcie Ullin, Sarah Schechter, Suzanne McCormack, Jess Meyer, Raymond Quinlan, Jennifer Lence, Erika Kennair

4. What We Do in the Shadows (FX) – Season 2
Producers: Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi, Paul Simms, Scott Rudin, Garrett Basch, Eli Bush, Stefani Robinson, Sam Johnson, Marika Sawyer, Derek S. Rappaport

5. Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO) – Season 10
Producers: eligibility determination pending

David L. Wolper Award for Outstanding Producer of Limited Series Television

1. The Queen’s Gambit (Netflix)
Producers: William Horberg, Allan Scott, Scott Frank, Marcus Loges, Mick Aniceto

2. Unorthodox (Netflix)

Producers: Anna Winger, Henning Kamm, Alexa Karolinksi

3. Normal People (Hulu)
Producers: Lenny Abrahamson, Sally Rooney, Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe, Emma Norton, Anna Ferguson, Catherine Magee

4. The Undoing (HBO)

Producers: Susanne Bier, David E. Kelley, Per Saari, Nicole Kidman, Bruna Papandrea, Stephen Garrett, Celia Costas, Deb Dyer

5. I May Destroy You (HBO)
Producers: eligibility determination pending

Outstanding Producer of Televised or Streamed Motion Pictures

1. Bad Education (HBO)
Producers: Fred Berger, Eddie Vaisman

2. Hamilton (Disney Plus)
Producers: Thomas Kail, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Jeffrey Seller

3. What the Constitution Means To Me (Amazon Studios)
Producers: eligibility determination pending

4. Jane Goodall: The Hope (Disney+)
Producers: eligibility determination pending

5. Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square (Netflix)

Producers: eligibility determination pending

Outstanding Producer of Non-Fiction Television

Outstanding Producer of Live Entertainment & Talk Television

1. The Last Dance (ESPN) – Season 1
Producers: eligibility determination pending

2. 60 Minutes (CBS) – Season 53
Producer: Bill Owens

3. Laurel Canyon (EPIX)
Producers: eligibility determination pending

4. McMillion$ (HBO) – Season 1
Producers: eligibility determination pending

5. Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness (Netflix)

Producers: eligibility determination pending

Outstanding Producer of Live Entertainment & Talk Television

1. Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO) – Season 7

Producers: eligibility determination pending

2. 8:46 – Dave Chappelle (Special) (Netflix)
Producers: eligibility determination pending

3. The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (CBS) – Season 6
Producers: eligibility determination pending

4. The Daily Show with Trevor Noah (Comedy Central) – Season 26
Producers: eligibility determination pending

5. Saturday Night Live (NBC) – Season 46
Producers: eligibility determination pending

Outstanding Producer of Game & Competition Television

1. RuPaul’s Drag Race ( (Season 12)
Producers: eligibility determination pending

2. The Masked Singer (FOX) – Season 3, Season 4
Producers: eligibility determination pending

3. The Voice (NBC) – Season 18, Season 19
Producers: eligibility determination pending

4. The Amazing Race (CBS) – Season 32

Producers: Jerry Bruckheimer, Bertram van Munster, Jonathan Littman, Elise Doganieri, Mark Vertullo, Phil Keoghan

5. Nailed It! (Netflix) – Season 4

Producers: eligibility determination pending

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Erik Anderson

Erik Anderson is the founder/owner and Editor-in-Chief of AwardsWatch and has always loved all things Oscar, having watched the Academy Awards since he was in single digits; making lists, rankings and predictions throughout the show. This led him down the path to obsessing about awards. Much later, he found himself in film school and the film forums of GoldDerby, and then migrated over to the former Oscarwatch (now AwardsDaily), before breaking off to create AwardsWatch in 2013.

He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Hollywood Critics Association (HCA) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.

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