The 2019 Producers Guild Awards motion picture nominations are in, and they’re going to set the stage for the Oscar Best Picture nods. Not included is “First Man,” which I think now eliminates that film– a real tragedy. But the 10 films they chose are excellent, and all much deserving.

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

“Black Panther”

Producer: Kevin Feige

“BlacKkKlansman”

Producers: Sean McKittrick, Jason Blum, Raymond Mansfield, Jordan Peele, Spike Lee

“Bohemian Rhapsody”

Producer: Graham King

“Crazy Rich Asians”

Producers: Nina Jacobson & Brad Simpson, John Penotti

“The Favourite”

Producers: Ceci Dempsey, Ed Guiney, Lee Magiday, Yorgos Lanthimos

“Green Book”

Producers: Jim Burke, Charles B. Wessler, Brian Currie, Peter Farrelly, Nick Vallelonga

“A Quiet Place”

Producers: Michael Bay, Andrew Form, Brad Fuller

“Roma”

Producers: Gabriela Rodríguez, Alfonso Cuarón

“A Star Is Born”

Producers: Bill Gerber, Bradley Cooper, Lynette Howell Taylor

“Vice”

Producers: Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Kevin Messick, Adam McKay

The Award for Outstanding Producer of Documentary Motion Pictures:

The PGA previously announced the nominations in this category on November 20, 2018. The nominees are listed below, along with eligible producers’ names.

“The Dawn Wall”

Producers: Josh Lowell, Peter Mortimer, Philipp Manderla

“Free Solo”

Producers: Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin, Evan Hayes, Shannon Dill

“Hal”

Producers: Christine Beebe, Jonathan Lynch, Brian Morrow

“Into the Okavango”

Producer: Neil Gelinas

“RBG”

Producers: Betsy West, Julie Cohen

“Three Identical Strangers”

Producers: Becky Read, Grace Hughes-Hallett

“Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”

Producers: Morgan Neville, Nicholas Ma, Caryn Capotosto

The Award for Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures:

“Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch”

Producers: Chris Meledandri, Janet Healy

“Incredibles 2”

Producers: John Walker, Nicole Grindle

“Isle of Dogs”

Producers: *Eligibility Determination Pending*

“Ralph Breaks the Internet”

Producer: Clark Spencer

“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”

Producers: Avi Arad, Phil Lord & Christopher Miller, Amy Pascal, Christina Steinberg

The television nominees are listed below in alphabetical order, along with eligible producers’ names.

The Norman Felton Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television – Drama:

“The Americans” (Season 6)

Producers: Joe Weisberg, Joel Fields, Chris Long, Graham Yost, Justin Falvey, Darryl Frank, Stephen Schiff, Mary Rae Thewlis, Tracey Scott Wilson, Peter Ackerman, Joshua Brand

“Better Call Saul” (Season 4)

Producers: Peter Gould, Vince Gilligan, Mark Johnson, Melissa Bernstein, Thomas Schnauz, Gennifer Hutchison, Nina Jack, Diane Mercer, Gordon Smith, Alison Tatlock, Ann Cherkis, Bob Odenkirk, Robin Sweet

“The Handmaid’s Tale” (Season 2)

Producers: Bruce Miller, Warren Littlefield, Elisabeth Moss, Daniel Wilson, Fran Sears, Mike Barker, Sheila Hockin, Eric Tuchman, Kira Snyder, Yahlin Chang, Frank Siracusa, John Weber, Joseph Boccia, Dorothy Fortenberry, Margaret Atwood, Ron Milbauer

“Ozark” (Season 2)

Producers: Jason Bateman, Chris Mundy, Bill Dubuque, Mark Williams, David Manson, Alyson Feltes, Ryan Farley, Patrick Markey, Matthew Spiegel, Erin Mitchell

“This Is Us” (Season 3)

Producers: Dan Fogelman, Isaac Aptaker, Elizabeth Berger, John Requa, Glenn Ficarra, Ken Olin, Charles Gogolak, Jess Rosenthal, Steve Beers, KJ Steinberg, Kevin Falls, Julia Brownell, Vera Herbert, Bekah Brunstetter, Shukree Hassan Tilghman, Cathy Mickel Gibson, Nick Pavonetti

The Danny Thomas Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television – Comedy:

“Atlanta” (Season 2)

Producers: *Eligibility Determination Pending*

“Barry” (Season 1)

Producers: Alec Berg, Bill Hader, Aida Rodgers, Emily Heller, Liz Sarnoff

“GLOW” (Season 2)

Producers: Jenji Kohan, Liz Flahive, Carly Mensch, Tara Herrmann, Mark A. Burley, Nick Jones, Kim Rosenstock, Sascha Rothchild, Leanne Moore

“The Good Place” (Season 3)

Producers: Michael Schur, David Miner, Morgan Sackett, Drew Goddard, Josh Siegal, Dylan Morgan, Joe Mande, Megan Amram, David Hyman, Jen Statsky

“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (Season 2)

Producers: Amy Sherman‐Palladino, Daniel Palladino, Dhana Rivera Gilbert, Sheila Lawrence

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

“The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story” (Season 2)

Producers: Ryan Murphy, Nina Jacobson, Brad Simpson, Alexis Martin Woodall, Tom Rob Smith, Daniel Minahan, Brad Falchuk, Scott Alexander, Larry Karaszewski, Chip Vucelich, Maggie Cohn, Eric Kovtun, Lou Eyrich, Eryn Krueger Mekash

“Escape at Dannemora”

Producers: Ben Stiller, Nicholas Weinstock, Michael De Luca, Bryan Zuriff, Brett Johnson, Michael Tolkin, Bill Carraro, Adam Brightman, Lisa M. Rowe

“Maniac”

Producers: Patrick Somerville, Cary Joji Fukunaga, Michael Sugar, Doug Wald, Jonah Hill, Emma Stone, Pal Kristiansen, Anne Kolbjørnsen, Espen Huseby, Carol Cuddy, Mauricio Katz, Caroline Williams, Ashley Zalta, Jessica Levin, Jon Mallard

“The Romanoffs”

Producers: *Eligibility Determination Pending*

“Sharp Objects”

Producers: *Eligibility Determination Pending*

The Award for Outstanding Producer of Streamed or Televised Motion Pictures:

“Fahrenheit 451”

Producers: Sarah Green, Ramin Bahrani, Michael B. Jordan, Alan Gasmer, Peter Jaysen, David Coatsworth

“King Lear”

Producers: *Eligibility Determination Pending*

“My Dinner with Hervé”

Producers: *Eligibility Determination Pending*

“Paterno”

Producers: Barry Levinson, Jason Sosnoff, Tom Fontana, Edward R. Pressman, Rick Nicita, Lindsay Sloane, Amy Herman

“Sense8: Together Until the End”

Producers: *Eligibility Determination Pending*

The Award for Outstanding Producer of Non-Fiction Television:

“30 for 30” (Season 9)

Producers: Connor Schell, John Dahl, Libby Geist, Erin Leyden, Adam Neuhaus, Jenna Anthony, Gentry Kirby, Marquis Daisy, Deirdre Fenton

“Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown” (Season 11, Season 12)

Producers: Anthony Bourdain, Christopher Collins, Lydia Tenaglia, Sandra Zweig

“Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath” (Season 3)

Producers: *Eligibility Determination Pending*

“Queer Eye” (Season 1, Season 2)

Producers: David Collins, Michael Williams, Rob Eric, Jennifer Lane, Jordana Hochman, Mark Bracero, Rachelle Mendez

“Wild Wild Country” (Season 1)

Producers: Mark Duplass, Jay Duplass, Josh Braun, Dan Braun, Juliana Lembi

The Award for Outstanding Producer of Live Entertainment & Talk Television:

“The Daily Show with Trevor Noah” (Season 24)

Producers: Trevor Noah, Steve Bodow, Jennifer Flanz, Jill Katz, Justin Melkmann, David Kibuuka, Zhubin Parang, Max Browning, Eric Davies, Pamela DePace, Ramin Hedayati, Elise Terrell, Dave Blog, Adam Chodikoff, Jimmy Donn, Jeff Gussow, Kira Klang Hopf, Allison MacDonald, Ryan Middleton

“Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” (Season 5)

Producers: *Eligibility Determination Pending*

“The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (Season 4)

Producers: Stephen Colbert, Chris Licht, Tom Purcell, Jon Stewart, Barry Julien, Denise Rehrig, Tanya Michnevich Bracco, Paul Dinello, Matt Lappin, Opus Moreschi, Emily Gertler, Aaron Cohen, Michael Brumm, Paige Kendig, Jake Plunkett

“Real Time with Bill Maher” (Season 16)

Producers: Bill Maher, Scott Carter, Sheila Griffiths, Marc Gurvitz, Billy Martin, Dean E. Johnsen, Chris Kelly, Matt Wood

“Saturday Night Live” (Season 44)

Producers: *Eligibility Determination Pending*

The Award for Outstanding Producer of Game & Competition Television:

“The Amazing Race” (Season 30)

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

“America’s Got Talent” (Season 13)

Producers: *Eligibility Determination Pending*

“RuPaul’s Drag Race” (Season 10)

Producers: *Eligibility Determination Pending*

“Top Chef” (Season 15)

Producers: Dan Cutforth, Jane Lipsitz, Casey Kriley, Tom Colicchio, Padma Lakshmi, Doneen Arquines, Tara Siener, Justin Rae Barnes, Blake Davis, Wade Sheeler, Brian Fowler, Elida Carbajal Araiza, Zoe Jackson, Patrick Schmedeman, Diana Schmedeman

“The Voice” (Season 14, Season 15)

Producers: John de Mol, Mark Burnett, Audrey Morrissey, Stijn Bakkers, Chad Hines, Amanda Zucker, Kyra Thompson, Teddy Valenti, Carson Daly

The PGA does not vet the individual producers of short-form programs, sports programs, or children’s programs. The winning productions will be recognized at the official ceremony on January 19th.

The Award for Outstanding Short-Form Program:

“Biography: History, Herstory” (Season 1)

“Carpool Karaoke: The Series” (Season 2)

“Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” (Season 5)

“Her America: 50 Women, 50 States” (Season 1)

“Kevin Hart: What The Fit” (Season 1)

The Award for Outstanding Sports Program:

“Being Serena” (Season 1)

“E:60” (2018)

“Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Cleveland Browns” (Season 13)

“Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel” (Season 24)

“SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt” (Season 4)

The Award for Outstanding Children’s Program:

“Fuller House” (Season 4)

“PJ Masks” (Season 2)

“A Series of Unfortunate Events” (Season 2)

“Sesame Street” (Season 48)

“Teen Titans Go!” (Season 4)

My favorite films, your favorite films. Everyone had their favorite films. Some lists include “The Favourite,” certainly a favorite film. Three of my favorite films of 2018 were in a foreign language. What does that say?

The three foreign language films were: Florian von Henckel Donnersmark’s “Never Look Away,” Nadine Labaki’s “Capernaum,” and Alfonso Cuaron’s “Roma.” No “Cold War,” you say? I found it a little…cold. But that one scene of Joanna Kulig dancing on a table top was memorable.

We all know about “Roma,” it’s masterpiece, and quite lovely. It will win a lot of awards. Cuaron makes it look easy. It’s not.

“Capernaum” is as about as good as filmmaking can be. Labiki has made her signature film for all time. It’s enchanting and serious at the same time. The score is like a character, and must be nominated for an Oscar. The kids are unforgettable.

“Never Look Away” comes from the director of “The Lives of Others,” which, in 2006 should have been a Best Picture nominee. It won Best Foreign Language film. “Never Look Away” is a masterwork. Is it better than “Roma”? Only in the sense that it isn’t a personal memoir. It’s a work of fiction inspired by the life of artist Gerhard Richter. von Dommersmarck presents a three act screenplay of uncommon vision. This is a movie that will be studied (if people still do that). Three hours go by quickly. You’re totally involved in the characters, the history. It’s almost built like a mathematical problem that resolves finally in a glorious sum.

The other best films of 2018:

“Green Book” and “First Man” were two of my top movies for 2018. Why they didn’t register with the audience — those are other other stories. I do think “First Man” was set up somehow in Venice– the idea that it wasn’t patriotic was ludicrous. That didn’t happen by accident. “Green Book” being backward or racist– that, too, is a set up. Universal simply didn’t know what to do when they were hit with this crap. But they are strong, fine films that will hold up over time.

First Reformed— Paul Schrader has made his best film from his best screenplay, and don’t forget he wrote “Raging Bull” and “Taxi Driver.” Ethan Hawke continues to astound. The fact that they couldn’t find a distributor until after the critics found it says a lot.

Blackkklansman — Spike Lee doesn’t get any more accessible personally over the years. But this is his most accessible work in decades. John David Washington and Adam Driver strike the right balance. The story is timely, and the ending is profound.

Destroyer — Nicole Kidman’s work here is so outstanding that you can forgive the film itself for being familiar. But Karyn Kusama has concentrated on Nicole, and she is glorious as a messed up, dirty cop too far gone to save herself. Kidman takes more chances than any other actor working, and is batting around a thousand. She’s so smart. She looks at a screenplay and knows if she can make it work. And then she does it. This is an Oscar performance.

A Quiet Place and Mary Poppins Returns had one important thing in common: Emily Blunt. How lucky is she that in 20 years she can write a memoir called “To Be Perfectly Blunt”? In the meantime, this actress (like Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Saoirse Ronan) will take up the next decade of Oscar nominations. Blunt is that magical mixture of Star and Actor. Plus her husband, John Krasinski, made one of the cleverest films of all with “A Quiet Place.”

Overall performance of the year-– Lady Gaga in “A Star is Born.” Bradley Cooper did a very good job making a strong, commercial hit. Somewhere in the middle the screenplay sags, but we’re so hooked on Lady Gaga that it doesn’t matter. She’s the performer of this generation, she can do anything.

In the end, who did I feel strongest about? Strangely enough, it was Glenn Close. Her performance in “The Wife” is just exquisite. That is a small movie with a big idea. And watching Close tango with Jonathan Pryce was one of the really transcendent moments of the year. I hope she wins the Oscar not just because it’s about time. but dammit– it’s about time. And she’s great in this role.

Equal to Gaga in every way– Rami Malek, as Freddie Mercury in “Bohemian Rhapsody.” I loved this movie. No one directed it, everyone did, it was directed en masse. Rami wasn’t the first choice for Freddie. But he subsumed him. He played Freddie like he was a super-hero from a comic book movie. Hubris was Freddie’s Kryptonite.

One last note about “Black Panther.” Ryan Coogler has quickly established himself as a top tier director. “Fruitvale Station” was such a powerful entrance into the business. “Creed” hit all the right notes updating a popular piece of nostalgia. “Black Panther” made $700 million– it’s shocking– because it struck chords for so many audiences. It’s the best made comic book movie to date. I thought Letitia Wright was the breakout actress. Seeing Michael B. Jordan and Chadwick Boseman up there was thrilling, but the women made the movie. When Angela Bassett made her entrance, there were cheers in the theater. “Black Panther” made 2018 a special year in films.