Friends creator Marta Kauffman to receive Norman Lear Achievement Award at the 2020 Producers Guild Awards

Friends co-creator Marta Kauffman will be honored with the Norman Lear Achievement Award at the 2020 Producers Guild Awards.

"I am deeply honored to receive this award from my peers at the PGA, particularly as it's named for a legendary producer who has impacted my career from the beginning," Kauffman said in a statement. "Thank you to the Producers Guild for this meaningful recognition." 

Kauffman has won Emmy and Golden Globe Awards for her work as a television writer, producer and showrunner for Friends, which earned 63 Emmy nominations over its 10-season run. Additionally, she created and executive produces Netflix's longest-running original show, Grace and Frankie.

"Marta is a singular talent who has created characters and stories that have resonated throughout the world and across generations," said Producers Guild of America presidents Gail Berman and Lucy Fisher. "Her deep understanding of emotion, comedy, and human drama creates the perfect recipe for television, and audiences can’t get enough. Her impact on pop culture, and on television history, is undeniable."

The showrunner created Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions alongside writing partners David Crane and Kevin Bright in 1993. Through the production company, Kauffman has produced the sitcoms Veronica's Closet and Jesse.

In 2015, she co-founded Okay Goodnight with Robbie Tollin and Hannah KS Canter. Through the banner, Kauffman produces Grace and Frankie, which is currently on its seventh and final season, and the documentary Seeing Allred.

The 31st Annual Producers Guild Awards is set to be held on Saturday, January 18, at the Hollywood Palladium.