The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has announced the exciting news that The Astronauts creator Daniel Knauf (Carnivàle, The Blacklist) has been nominated in the "Children's Episodic, Long Form and Specials" category of the 2021 Writers Guild Awards for his writing work on the show's launch episode, "Countdown"!
The Writers Guild Awards honor outstanding writing in film, television, new media, news, radio, and promotional categories. The winners will be honored at a joint 2021 Writers Guild Awards virtual ceremony on Sunday, March 21, 2021. A full list of Writers Guild Awards 2021 nominees can be found at https://awards.wga.org.
A huge congratulations and good luck to Bret Calvert, Seth Harrington, Rosemarie DiSalvo and Nickelodeon!
The Astronauts is a live-action series follows a group of kids who embark on the adventure of a lifetime when they are mistakenly launched into space. The series is executive produced by Imagine Entertainment Executive Chairmen Brian Grazer and Ron Howard, and Imagine Kids+Family President Stephanie Sperber. The series is created by Daniel Knauf (Carnivàle, The Blacklist), who also serves as writer and executive producer.
In the hour-long premiere of The Astronauts, the spacecraft Odyssey II is set to launch on a mission to retrieve a foreign object that could potentially save mankind. The plan quickly goes awry when five untrained kids use their parents’ security clearances to sneak onto the empty ship. Soon after they board, the onboard AI system triggers the launch sequence. Unable to stop the ship from blasting off, the kids must assume their new role as astronauts and brave harrowing tasks, as their parents rush to find a way to take control of the situation.
The group traveling together through space are: Samantha “Samy” Sawyer-Wei, played by Miya Cech (Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Always Be My Maybe); Elliott Combs, played by Bryce Gheisar (Wonder, A Dog’s Purpose); Martin Taylor, played by Keith L. Williams (Good Boys, The Last Man on Earth); Doria Taylor, played by Kayden Grace Swan (A Black Lady Sketch Show); and Will Rivers, played by Ben Daon (Child’s Play). Matilda, the ship’s onboard AI system, is voiced by Paige Howard (The Employer, Adventureland).
The premiere episodes of The Astronauts are directed by DGA Award nominee Dean Israelite (Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Power Rangers movie, Project Almanac), who also serves as executive producer. The series is also directed by Jonathan Frakes (Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Picard, The Orville), and Marcus Stokes (Criminal Minds, The Flash, 911). Will Davis served as creative executive for Imagine Kids+Family.
Production of The Astronauts for Nickelodeon is overseen by Shauna Phelan, Senior Vice President, Live Action Scripted Content; and Zack Olin, Senior Vice President, Live Action. Brian Banks serves as Nickelodeon’s Executive in Charge of Production for the series.
The Astronauts is the first production to hail from Imagine Kids+Family. Imagine has a rich history telling stories rooted in space adventure, including the multiple Academy Award-winning film Apollo 13 (celebrating its 25th anniversary this year), the hybrid docuseries Mars for NatGeo, and the Emmy Award-winning series From The Earth To The Moon for HBO.
The Astronauts made its world premiere on Nickelodeon USA on Friday, November 13, winning the day with Kids 6-11 across all TV for L+SD and L+3. The premiere posted a +31% increase with Kids 6-11, up from 1.3 (L+SD) to 1.7 (L+3). It also saw a double digit increase in L+3 ratings (+55%) year over year. Additionally, The Astronauts delivered a strong co-viewing audience with 40% of Adults 18-49 watching the series premiere with a Kid 6-11.
Below is the full nominee listing for the "Children's Episodic, Long Form and Specials" category of the 2021 Writers Guild Awards:
- “Countdown” (The Astronauts), Written by Dan Knauf; Nickelodeon
- “Mo Willems And The Storytime All Stars Present: Don't Let The Pigeon Do Storytime,” Written by Mo Willems, Based on the children's books and published by Hyperion: Leonard the Terrible Monster; Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale; A Busy Creature's Day Eating!; Elephant and Piggy's Waiting is Not Easy!; and Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus; HBO Max
- “The Not Too Late Show with Elmo,” Writers: Geri Cole, Scott Gray, Benjamin Lehmann, Wendy Marston, Andrew Moriarty, Ken Scarborough, Moujan Zolfaghari; HBO Max
- “The Power of We: A Sesame Street Special,” Written by Geri Cole; HBO Max
- “The Sleepover,” Written by Sarah Rothschild; Netflix
- “Speaking of Cancer” (Alexa & Katie), Written by Leo Chu & Eric S. Garcia & Julia Miranda; Netflix
A huge congratulations and good luck to Dan and Nickelodeon!
H/T: Variety.
Originally published: Thursday, February 04, 2021.
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