The Producers Guild of America announced its 2011 PGA nominees for television on Tuesday (Jan. 4), a weirdly outdated field reflecting the guild’s oddball nomination window.
The Norman Felton Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama are “Breaking Bad,” “Dexter,” “Lost,” “Mad Men” and “True Blood,” exactly the same five shows nominated last year.
Up for Danny Thomas Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Comedy are “30 Rock,” “Glee,” “Modern Family,” “The Office” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”
“But wait,” you might be saying, “‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ hasn’t aired an original episode since November of 2009, why the heck would that show be eligible for a 2011 award?”
The answer is strange, but simple: Unlike the Golden Globes and every other major award-giving guild that presents honors in December and January, the Producers Guild of America maintains an Emmy-style eligibility period. These nominations reflect shows that aired between June 1, 2009 and May 31, 2010. Yes. The PGA nominations are more than six months behind the actual TV schedule.
So even though the PGA film nominations honor cinema’s best of the 2010 calendar year, the TV eligibility window shuts out recent Golden Globe and guild favorites like “Boardwalk Empire” and “The Walking Dead” (among summer and fall of 2010 premieres). In fact, the “Mad Men,” “Dexter” and “True Blood” seasons being honored presumably aren’t their most recently completed seasons, but the seasons completed back in 2009.
The PGA is in such a time warp, that the “Glee” and “Modern Family” nods in the comedy category are both show’s first PGA nods.
Your 2011 Producers Guild Award nominees for Television:
The Danny Thomas Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Comedy:
“30 Rock” (NBC)
Producers: Robert Carlock, Tina Fey, Marci Klein, Jerry Kupfer, Lorne Michaels, David Miner, Jeff Richmond, Don Scardino
“Curb Your Enthusiasm” (HBO)
Producers: Alec Berg, Larry David, Jeff Garlin, Tim Gibbons, David Mandel, Erin O”Malley, Jeff Schaffer
“Glee” (FOX)
Producers: Ian Brennan, Dante Di Loreto, Brad Falchuk, Ryan Murphy, Kenneth Silverstein
“Modern Family” (ABC)
Producers: Steven Levitan, Christopher Lloyd, Jeff Morton, Dan O”Shannon, Jason Winer, Bill Wrubel, Danny Zuker
“The Office” (NBC)
Producers: Randy Cordray, Greg Daniels, Howard Klein, Paul Lieberstein
The Norman Felton Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama:
“Breaking Bad” (AMC)
Producers: Melissa Bernstein, Vince Gilligan, Mark Johnson, Stewart Lyons, Michelle MacLaren
“Dexter” (Showtime)
Producers: Sara Colleton, John Goldwyn, Robert Lloyd Lewis, Clyde Phillips
“Lost” (ABC)
Producers: Jack Bender, Bryan Burk, Carlton Cuse, Ra”uf Glasgow, Jean Higgins, Adam Horowitz, Edward Kitsis, Damon Lindelof, Liz Sarnoff, Paul Zbyszewski
“Mad Men” (AMC)
Producers: Lisa Albert, Scott Hornbacher, Andre Jacquemetton, Maria Jacquemetton, Blake McCormick, Dwayne Shattuck, Matthew Weiner
“True Blood” (HBO)
Producers: Alan Ball, Brian Buckner, Gregg Fienberg, Mark McNair, Nancy Oliver, Raelle Tucker, Alexander Woo
The David L. Wolper Award for Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television:
“Murder on the Orient Express” (PBS)
Producer(s): Awaiting final credit determination
“Pillars of the Earth” (Starz)
Producer(s): Awaiting final credit determination
“Temple Grandin” (HBO)
Producers: Gil Bellows, Scott Ferguson, Emily Gerson Saines, Paul Lister, Alison Owen
“The Pacific” (HBO)
Producers: Gary Goetzman, Tom Hanks, Eugene Kelly, Todd London, Cherylanne Martin, Bruce C. McKenna, Steven Shareshian, Steven Spielberg, Tony To, Tim Van Patten, Graham Yost
“You Don”t Know Jack” (HBO)
Producers: Scott Ferguson, Steve Lee Jones, Barry Levinson, Lydia Dean Pilcher
The Award for Outstanding Producer of Non-Fiction Television:
“Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations” (Travel Channel)
Producer(s): Awaiting final credit determination
“Deadliest Catch” (Discovery Channel)
Producer(s): Awaiting final credit determination
“Intervention” (A&E)
Producer(s): Awaiting final credit determination
“Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List” (Bravo)
Producer(s): Awaiting final credit determination
“Undercover Boss” (CBS)
Producer(s): Awaiting final credit determination
The Award for Outstanding Producer of Live Entertainment and Competition Television:
“The Amazing Race” (CBS)
Producers: Jerry Bruckheimer, Amy Chacon, Elise Doganieri, Jonathan Littman, Bertram van Munster, Mark Vertullo
“The Colbert Report” (Comedy Central)
Producers: Meredith Bennett, Stephen T. Colbert, Richard Dahm, Tom Purcell, Allison Silverman, Jon Stewart
“Project Runway” (Lifetime)
Producer(s): Awaiting final credit determination
“Real Time with Bill Maher” (HBO)
Producers: Scott Carter, Sheila Griffiths, Dean E. Johnsen, Bill Maher, Billy Martin
“Top Chef” (Bravo)
Producer(s): Awaiting final credit determination