‘This Is’ Ours
People vote NBC drama, Bieber and ‘Fast Saga’ among year’s best
The power is in the hands of the people once more as fans and stars alike celebrate the best in music, film and TV with the 47th annual People’s Choice Awards, airing Tuesday, Dec. 7, on NBC and E! For audiences, it will be another starstudded night, complete with bowls of popcorn and wardrobe critique. For celebrities and icons, it’s another chance to dress up and celebrate everyone’s success this year.
At the top of the nomination board is the NBC drama “This Is Us,” which has built a dedicated following over five seasons. The heartwarming series created by Dan Fogelman (“Life Itself,” 2018) follows a set of triplets and their parents as they navigate life struggles. “A Walk to Remember’s” (2002) Mandy Moore and “Gilmore Girls’” Milo Ventimiglia are among the cast members, as are Chrissy Metz (“Breakthrough,” 2019), Justin Hartley (“Injustice,” 2021) and Sterling K. Brown (“Black Panther,” 2018).
But it isn’t all emotional family drama this year; “F9: The Fast Saga” is getting a lot of love, too!
There’s no shortage of Vin Diesel (“Guardians of the Galaxy,” 2014) in our lifetime, and he, Michelle Rodriguez (“Lost”) and the cast of “F9” are off to the races at this year’s ceremony.
“F9” follows the Fast & Furious franchise’s sometimes-protagonist, sometimes-antagonist lead, Dom Toretto (Diesel), as he faces another threat to his off-the-grid peace. He must face his past and fight off a global threat, though, of course, not without the help of his crew.
If the diversity of the two highest nominated productions weren’t enough of an indication, the People’s Choice categories are known to showcase a wide array of media and performance. On the music side, Latinx stars Becky G, J Balvin and Daddy Yankee compete against the likes of Justin Bieber and Adele, while in Reality TV land, Symone from “RuPaul’s Drag Race” goes head-to-head with JoJo Siwa from “Dancing With the Stars.”
Also to keep an eye on are athletes Naomi Osaka, Bubba Wallace and Simone Biles in the Game Changer category, and Bo Burnham (“Inside”) and Ali Wong (“Birds of Prey,” 2020) for Comedy Act of 2021.
Social Star nominees include none other than pop culture icons Justin Bieber, Lil Nas X and the recently “free” Britney Spears, to name a few.
Hosting this fun event is “Saturday Night Live” royal Kenan Thompson (“Home Sweet Home Alone,” 2020), who is also nominated for two awards this year: Comedy TV Star and Male TV Star. The Emmy-nominated actor is the longest-running cast member on SNL and will also be returning for Season 2 of his selftitled NBC comedy series, “Kenan.”
And while the voting officially closed online and on Twitter as of midnight on Wednesday, Nov. 17, it’s important to note that the “committee” in charge of selecting the winners are, of course, the fans (or, “people”). That’s how it’s been since the PCAs’ inception — even though the voting system has evolved with the times.
Until the 31st annual ceremony in 2005, voting was based on a Gallup poll, which occasionally led to groundbreaking ties. Most famously, in 2003, both “Spider-Man” and “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” won the award for Favorite Motion Picture — the numbers were just too close to declare a definitive winner.
The PCAs have since used online voting, with nominees first determined by research and samples taken by Knowledge Network. By 2010, the PCAs had partnered with Visible Measures, a company specializing in internet video behavior metrics (similar to Nielson).
The first-ever PCAs were organized by producer Bob Stivers (“Celebrity Daredevils”) in 1975, awarding 1974’s “The Sting” Favorite Picture, Barbara Streisand (“The Way We Were,” 1973) Favorite Movie Actress, and John Wayne (“The Train Robbers,” 1973) Favorite Film Actor.
Ratings and viewership soared over the next two years, and the third annual ceremony achieved peak viewership as pop culture staples Farrah Fawcett (“Charlie’s Angels”) and Mary Tyler Moore (“The Mary Tyler Moore Show”) took home awards. The ceremony traditionally
aired on CBS, until E! (owned by NBC) acquired the broadcasting rights in 2018.
A lot has changed since the 1975 inaugural show; the categories have expanded, the content is more varied and technology has made voting much easier for fans. But despite the upgrades and changes, the PCAs continue to reflect the broad interests of the media-consuming public. As it’s the people who decide — rather than an official academy — the PCAs are a masterful way to capture a culture as if by snapshot, airing live for one night only.
And this year marks the first time NBC will be simulcasting the event alongside its sister station, E!
“The People’s Choice Awards has always been about the fans, and this show quickly became a must-watch for audiences around the world on E!” Frances Berwick, chairman of Entertainment Networks at NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, said in an official statement. “With our new structure, we now have the opportunity to extend that experience to NBC, bringing together the power of our portfolio to celebrate everyone’s favorite shows, artists and stars with our biggest broadcast yet.”
Celebrate your favorites on Tuesday, Dec. 17, when the 47th annual People’s Choice Awards air on NBC and E!