WGAW member urges “AI Protections Now” at 9/12’s Showrunner Solidarity picket at Fox. Photo courtesy of WGA.
Hollywood –– at least, the part that relies on scripted material featuring actors –– has been largely at a standstill since May of this year, as the Writers Guild, followed, by the actors/performers union SAG-AFTRA went on strike for a better deal from the studios, as represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).
It has been 146 days since the start of the writers’ strike, but on Sunday, after a long stretch of negotiations before the weekend and through it, a deal has been agreed, at least on paper.
This doesn’t however, mean that the strike ends immediately. While picketing has been suspended by writers, the union’s members still have to vote to ratify a new three-year contract featuring the improved terms negotiated.
Assuming the guild approves the deal, the strike could be officially over by the end of the week.
WGA speaks out
WGA + SAG-AFTRA members walk the line at Showrunner Solidarity picket at Fox on 9/12. Photo courtesy of WGA.
This is what the WGA’s leadership sent to members once the deal was finalized:
“What we have won in this contract — most particularly, everything we have gained since May 2nd — is due to the willingness of this membership to exercise its power, to demonstrate its solidarity, to walk side-by-side, to endure the pain and uncertainty of the past 146 days. It is the leverage generated by your strike, in concert with the extraordinary support of our union siblings, that finally brought the companies back to the table to make a deal.”
The actors’ strike, which began on July 14th, follows similar action by the Writers Guild of America, the workers looking for a better deal.
The WGA went on strike on May 2nd, after its own contract ran out with the AMPTP.
Much like the Writers’ Guild, the actors’ unions had been negotiating with the AMPTP to secure a new contract. Actors have long been unhappy with reduced residuals brought about by streaming services and are displeased by studios claiming they can’t pay more while company CEOs earn millions. And roughly 12% of actors working today make the minimum required to trigger health benefits and keep their livelihoods.
Here’s SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher on the actors’ strike announcement:
“The gravity of this move is not lost on me or our negotiating committee or our board members who have voted unanimously to proceed with a strike. It’s a very serious thing that impacts thousands, if not millions, of people all across this country and around the world.”
Another key issue has been studios’ concerning efforts to bring in new technology to replace physical performers. When the strike was called yesterday, SAG-AFTRA revealed one pertinent detail of a studio offer –– digitizing the likeness of background players (or extras), paying them for one day’s work but then being able to use their image in perpetuity and however they please with no other payment.
Now, at last, it appears everyone is on a path to get back to work, which means an end to movies and TV series being delayed, a return for shows to the air and fresh development on new projects.
Hundreds of showrunners gather for group shot at Showrunner Solidarity Day at Fox on 9/12. Photo: J.W. Hendricks.
That makes Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty even stronger frontrunners to win the adapted Oscar. However, Bo Burnham isn’t even nominated for the original Oscar.
In his speech, Burnham joked, “Have fun at the Oscars, losers!”
On the television side, “The Americans” continued to rake in awards for its final season, while “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” continued its streaking of winning everything in sight.
Here’s the full list of 2019 WGA Award winners:
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
“Eighth Grade,” Written by Bo Burnham; A24 (WINNER)
“Green Book,” Written by Nick Vallelonga & Brian Currie & Peter Farrelly; Universal Pictures
“A Quiet Place,” Screenplay by Bryan Woods & Scott Beck and John Krasinski, Story by Bryan Woods & Scott Beck; Paramount Pictures
“Roma,” Written by Alfonso Cuarón; Netflix
“Vice,” Written by Adam McKay; Annapurna Pictures
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
“BlacKkKlansman,” Written by Charlie Wachtel & David Rabinowitz and Kevin Willmott & Spike Lee, Based on the book by Ron Stallworth; Focus Features
“Black Panther,” Written by Ryan Coogler & Joe Robert Cole, Based on the Marvel Comics by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
“Can You Ever Forgive Me?,” Screenplay by Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty, Based on the book by Lee Israel; Fox Searchlight (WINNER)
“If Beale Street Could Talk,” Screenplay by Barry Jenkins, Based on the novel by James Baldwin; Annapurna Pictures
“A Star is Born,” Screenplay by Eric Roth and Bradley Cooper & Will Fetters, Based on the 1954 screenplay by Moss Hart and the 1976 screenplay by John Gregory Dunne & Joan Didion and Frank Pierson, Based on a story by William Wellman and Robert Carson; Warner Bros.
DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY
“Bathtubs Over Broadway,” Written by Ozzy Inguanzo & Dava Whisenant; Focus Features (WINNER)
“Fahrenheit 11/9,” Written by Michael Moore; Briarcliff Entertainment
“Generation Wealth,” Written by Lauren Greenfield; Amazon Studios
“In Search of Greatness,” Written by Gabe Polsky; Art of Sport
VIDEO GAME WRITING
“Assassin’s Creed Odyssey,” Associate Narrative Directors Matthew Zagurak, Joel Janisse, James Richard Mittag; Narrative Director Melissa MacCoubrey; Story by Jonathan Dumont, Melissa MacCoubrey, Hugo Giard; Scriptwriters Madeleine Hart, Betty Robertson, Jesse Scoble, Diana Sherman, Kelly Bender, Jojo Chia, Ian Fun, Zachary M. Parris, Ken Williamson, Daniel Bingham, Jordan Lemos, Simon Mackenzie, Katelyn MacMullin, Susan Patrick, Alissa Ralph, Stephen Rhodes; Team Lead Writer Sam Gill; AI Writers Jonathan Flieger, Kimberly Ann Sparks; Ubisoft Quebec
“Batman: The Enemy Within,” Episode 5-Same Stitch, Lead Writer James Windeler; Written by Meghan Thornton, Ross Beeley, Lauren Mee; Story by Meghan Thornton, Michael Kirkbride; Telltale Games
“God of War,” Written by Matt Sophos, Richard Zangrande Gaubert, Cory Barlog; Story and Narrative Design Lead Matt Sophos; Story and Narrative Design Richard Zangrande Gaubert; Narrative Design Orion Walker, Adam Dolin; Sony Interactive Entertainment (WINNER)
“Marvel’s Spider-Man,” Story Lead Jon Paquette; Writers Benjamin Arfmann, Kelsey Beachum; Co-Written by Christos Gage; Additional Story Contributions by Dan Slott; Insomniac Games & Sony Interactive Entertainment
“Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire,” Narrative Designers Alex Scokel, Eric Fenstermaker, Kate Dollarhyde, Megan Starks, Olivia Veras, Paul Kirsch; Additional Writing Tony Evans, John Schmautz, Casey Hollingshead, Nitai Poddar; Narrative Design Leads Carrie Patel, Josh Sawyer; Obsidian Entertainment
DRAMA SERIES
“The Americans,” Written by Peter Ackerman, Hilary Bettis, Joshua Brand, Joel Fields, Sarah Nolen, Stephen Schiff, Justin Weinberger, Joe Weisberg, Tracey Scott Wilson; FX Networks (WINNER)
“Better Call Saul,” Written by Ann Cherkis, Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould, Gennifer Hutchison, Heather Marion, Bob Odenkirk, Thomas Schnauz, Gordon Smith, Alison Tatlock; AMC
“The Crown,” Written by Tom Edge, Amy Jenkins, Peter Morgan; Netflix
“The Handmaid’s Tale,” Written by Yahlin Chang, Nina Fiore, Dorothy Fortenberry, John Herrera, Lynn Renee Maxcy, Bruce Miller, Kira Snyder, Eric Tuchman; Hulu
“Succession,” Written by Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Jon Brown, Jonathan Glatzer, Anna Jordan, Lucy Prebble, Georgia Pritchett, Tony Roche, Susan Soon He Stanton, Daniel Zelman; HBO
COMEDY SERIES
“Atlanta,” Written by Ibra Ake, Donald Glover, Stephen Glover, Taofik Kolade, Jamal Olori, Stefani Robinson, Paul Simms; FX Networks
“Barry,” Written by Alec Berg, Duffy Boudreau, Bill Hader, Emily Heller, Liz Sarnoff, Ben Smith, Sarah Solemani; HBO
“GLOW,” Written by Liz Flahive, Tara Herrmann, Nick Jones, Jenji Kohan, Carly Mensch, Marquita Robinson, Kim Rosenstock, Sascha Rothchild, Rachel Shukert; Netflix
“The Good Place,” Written by Megan Amram, Christopher Encell, Kate Gersten, Cord Jefferson, Andrew Law, Joe Mande, Kassia Miller, Dylan Morgan, Matt Murray, Rae Sanni, Daniel Schofield, Michael Schur, Josh Siegal, Jen Statsky, Tyler Staessle; NBC
“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” Written by Kate Fodor, Noah Gardenswartz, Jen Kirkman, Sheila Lawrence, Daniel Palladino, Amy Sherman Palladino; Prime Video (WINNER)
NEW SERIES
“Barry,” Written by Alec Berg, Duffy Boudreau, Bill Hader, Emily Heller, Liz Sarnoff, Ben Smith, Sarah Solemani; HBO (WINNER)
“The Haunting of Hill House,” Written by Meredith Averill, Charise Castro Smith, Mike Flanagan, Jeff Howard, Rebecca Leigh Klingel, Scott Kosar, Liz Phang; Netflix
“Homecoming,” Written by Micah Bloomberg, Cami Delavigne, Eli Horowitz, Shannon Houston, Eric Simonson, David Wiener; Prime Video
“Pose,” Written by Steven Canals, Brad Falchuk, Todd Kubrak, Janet Mock, Ryan Murphy, Our Lady J; FX Networks
“Succession,” Written by Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Jon Brown, Jonathan Glatzer, Anna Jordan, Lucy Prebble, Georgia Pritchett, Tony Roche, Susan Soon He Stanton, Daniel Zelman; HBO
LONG FORM ORIGINAL
“Castle Rock,” Writers: Marc Bernardin, Scott Brown, Lila Byock, Mark Lafferty, Sam Shaw, Dustin Thomason, Gina Welch, Vinnie Wilhelm; Hulu (WINNER)
“My Dinner with Hervé,” Teleplay by Sacha Gervasi, Story by Sacha Gervasi & Sean Macaulay; HBO
“Paterno,” Written by Debora Cahn and John C. Richards; HBO
LONG FORM ADAPTED
“The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story,” Writers: Maggie Cohn, Tom Rob Smith, Based on the book Vulgar Favors by Maureen Orth; FX Networks (WINNER)
“The Looming Tower,” Writers: Bash Doran, Dan Futterman, Alex Gibney, Shannon Houston, Adam Rapp, Ali Selim, Lawrence Wright, Based on the book The Looming Tower by Lawrence Wright; Hulu
“Maniac,” Writers: Nick Cuse, Cary Joji Fukunaga, Amelia Gray, Danielle Henderson, Mauricio Katz, Patrick Somerville, Caroline Williams, Based on the Norwegian television series Maniac by Espen PA Lervaag, Håakon Bast Mossige, Kjetil Indregard and Ole Marius Araldsen; Netflix
“Sharp Objects,” Writers: Ariella Blejer, Scott Brown, Vince Calandra, Gillian Flynn, Dawn Kamoche, Alex Metcalf, Marti Noxon, Based upon the book written by Gillian Flynn; HBO
SHORT FORM NEW MEDIA ORIGINAL
“After Forever,” Written by Michael Slade & Kevin Spirtas; Vimeo.com
“Class of Lies,” Written by Tessa Leigh Williams; Snapchat (WINNER)
“Love Daily,” Written by: Lauren Ciaravalli, Andrew Eisen, Aaron Eisenberg, Will Eisenberg, Alexis Jacknow, Nathaniel Katzman, Yulin Kuang, Nathan Larkin-Connolly, Alexis Roblan, Bennet D. Silverman, Ryan Wood; Go90.com
“West 40s,” Written by Mark Sam Rosenthal & Brian Sloan; West40s.com
SHORT FORM NEW MEDIA ADAPTED
“The Walking Dead: Red Machete,” Written by Nick Bernardone; AMC.com
ANIMATION
“Bart’s Not Dead” (The Simpsons), Written by Stephanie Gillis; Fox (WINNER)
“Boywatch” (Bob’s Burgers), Written by Rich Rinaldi; Fox
“Just One of the Boyz 4 Now for Now” (Bob’s Burgers), Written by Lizzie Molyneux & Wendy Molyneux; Fox
“Krusty the Clown” (The Simpsons), Written by Ryan Koh; Fox
“Mo Mommy Mo Problems” (Bob’s Burgers), Written by Steven Davis; Fox
“Send in Stewie, Please” (Family Guy), Written by Gary Janetti; Fox
EPISODIC DRAMA
“Camelot” (“Narcos: Mexico”), Written by Eric Newman & Clayton Trussell; Netflix
“The Car” (“This Is Us”), Written by Isaac Aptaker & Elizabeth Berger; NBC
“Episode 407” (“The Affair”), Teleplay by Lydia Diamond and Sarah Sutherland, Story by Jaquen Tee Castellanos and Sarah Sutherland; Showtime
“First Blood” (“The Handmaid’s Tale”), Written by Eric Tuchman; Hulu
“Paean To The People” (“Homeland”), Written by Alex Gansa; Showtime (WINNER)
“The Precious Blood of Jesus” (“Ozark”), Written by David Manson; Netflix
EPISODIC COMEDY
“Another Place” (“Forever”), Teleplay by Alan Yang and Matt Hubbard, Story by Aniz Adam Ansari; Prime Video
“Chapter One: Make Your Mark” (“Barry”), Written by Alec Berg & Bill Hader; HBO (WINNER)
“Halibut!” (“Santa Clarita Diet”), Written by Victor Fresco; Netflix
“Kimmy and the Beest!” (“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”), Written by Robert Carlock; Netflix
“Pilot” (“The Kids Are Alright”), Written by Tim Doyle; ABC
“Who Knows Better Than I” (“Orange Is the New Black”), Written by Jenji Kohan; Netflix
COMEDY/VARIETY TALK SERIES
“Full Frontal With Samantha Bee,” Writers: Kristen Bartlett, Samantha Bee, Ashley Nicole Black, Pat Cassels, Mike Drucker, Eric Drysdale, Mathan Erhardt, Joe Grossman, Miles Kahn, Nicole Silverberg, Melinda Taub; TBS
“Last Week Tonight with John Oliver;” Writers: Tim Carvell, Raquel D’Apice, Josh Gondelman, Dan Gurewitch, Jeff Maurer, Daniel O’Brien, John Oliver, Brian Parise, Owen Parsons, Ben Silva, Will Tracy, Jill Twiss, Seena Vali, Juli Weiner; HBO (WINNER)
“Late Night with Seth Meyers;” Supervising Writers: Sal Gentile, Seth Reiss; Writers: Jermaine Affonso, Alex Baze, Bryan Donaldson, Matt Goldich, Dina Gusovsky, Jenny Hagel, Allison Hord, Mike Karnell, John Lutz, Seth Meyers, Ian Morgan, Amber Ruffin, Mike Shoemaker; NBC Universal
“The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” Head Writers: Jay Katsir, Opus Moreschi; Writers: Emmy Blotnick, Michael Brumm, Aaron Cohen, Stephen T. Colbert, Cullen Crawford, Paul Dinello, Ariel Dumas, Glenn Eichler, Django Gold, Gabe Gronli, Greg Iwinski, Barry Julien, Daniel Kibblesmith, Matt Lappin, Michael Pielocik, Kate Sidley, Jen Spyra, Brian Stack, John Thibodeaux; CBS
COMEDY/VARIETY SKETCH SERIES
“At Home with Amy Sedaris,” Writers: Cindy Caponera, Paul Dinello, Jodi Lennon, Meredith Scardino, Amy Sedaris; truTV
“I Love You, America,” Head Writer: Dave Ferguson; Writers: Glenn Boozan, Leann Bowen, Raj Desai, Kyle Dunnigan, John Haskell, Tim Kalpakis, Opeyemi Olagbaju, Gavin Purcell, Diona Reasonover, Jocelyn Richard, Christopher J. Romano, Sarah Silverman, Beth Stelling, Dan Sterling, Nick Wiger; Hulu
“Nathan For You,” Writers: Leo Allen, Nathan Fielder, Carrie Kemper, Michael Koman, Adam Locke-Norton, Eric Notarnicola; Comedy Central (WINNER)
“Portlandia,” Writers: Fred Armisen, Carrie Brownstein, Jonathan Krisel, Karey Dornetto, Megan Neuringer, Phoebe Robinson, Graham Wagner; IFC
“Saturday Night Live,” Head Writers: Michael Che, Colin Jost, Kent Sublette, Bryan Tucker; Supervising Writers: Fran Gillespie, Sudi Green, Streeter Seidell; Writers: James Anderson, Kristen Bartlett, Megan Callahan, Steven Castillo, Andrew Dismukes, Anna Drezen, Claire Friedman, Alison Gates, Steve Higgins, Sam Jay, Erik Kenward, Rob Klein, Nick Kocher, Michael Koman, Alan Linic, Eli Coyote Mandel, Erik Marino, Dave McCary, Brian McElhaney, Dennis McNicholas, Lorne Michaels, Nimesh Patel, Josh Patten, Katie Rich, Simon Rich, Gary Richardson, Marika Sawyer, Pete Schultz, Mitch Silpa, Will Stephen, Julio Torres, Bowen Yang; NBC Universal
COMEDY/VARIETY SPECIALS
2018 Rose Parade Hosted by Cord & Tish, Written by Will Ferrell, Jake Fogelnest, Andrew Steele; Prime Video
Drew Michael Stand-Up Special, Written by Drew Michael; HBO
The Fake News with Ted Nelms, Written by John Aboud, Andrew Blitz, Michael Colton, Ed Helms, Elliott Kalan, Joseph Randazzo, Sara Schaefer; Comedy Central (WINNER)
The Oscars 2018, Written by Dave Boone, Carol Leifer, Jon Macks; Special Material Written by Megan Amram, Tony Barbieri, Jonathan Bines, Joelle Boucai, Gonzalo Cordova, Adam Carolla, Devin Field, Gary Greenberg, Josh Halloway, Sal Iacono, Eric Immerman, Jesse Joyce, Bess Kalb, Jimmy Kimmel, Molly McNearney, Danny Ricker, Joe Strazzullo; ABC
QUIZ AND AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION
“Hollywood Game Night,” Head Writers: Ann Slichter, Grant Taylor; Writers: Michael Agbabian, Alexandra Kokesh, Dwight D. Smith; NBC
“Jeopardy!,” Written by Matthew Caruso, John Duarte, Harry Friedman, Mark Gaberman, Deborah Griffin, Michele Loud, Robert McClenaghan, Jim Rhine, Steve D. Tamerius, Billy Wisse; ABC
“Paid Off with Michael Torpey,” Head Writer: Ethan Berlin; Writers: John Chaneski, Rosemarie DiSalvo, Leigh Hampton, Katie Hartman, Amanda Melson, Larry Owens, Jennie Sutton, Michael Torpey, Jeremy Weiner; truTV
“Who Wants To Be A Millionaire,” Head Writer: Stephen A. Melcher, Jr.; Writers: Kyle Beakley, Tom Cohen, Patricia A. Cotter, Ryan Hopak, Gary Lucy, James Rowley, Ann Slichter, Dylan Snowden; Disney/ABC Syndication (WINNER)
DAYTIME DRAMA
“Days of Our Lives,” Head Writer: Ron Carlivati; Writers: Sheri Anderson, Lorraine Broderick, David Cherrill, Joanna Cohen, Lisa Connor, Carolyn Culliton, Richard Culliton, Rick Draughon, Cydney Kelley, David Kreizman, David A. Levinson, Rebecca McCarty, Ryan Quan, Dave Ryan, Katherine Schock, Elizabeth Snyder, Tyler Topits; NBC
“General Hospital,” Head Writers: Shelly Altman, Christopher Van Etten; Writers: Barbara Bloom, Anna Theresa Cascio, Suzanne Flynn, Charlotte Gibson, Lucky Gold, Kate Hall, Elizabeth Korte, Daniel James O’Connor, Donny Sheldon, Scott Sickles; ABC (WINNER)
CHILDREN’S EPISODIC AND SPECIALS
“Carnivorous Carnival: Part One” (A Series of Unfortunate Events), Teleplay by Joe Tracz; Netflix
“The Ersatz Elevator: Part One” (A Series of Unfortunate Events), Teleplay by Daniel Handler; Netflix (WINNER)
“For The Last Time” (Andi Mack), Written by Jonathan S. Hurwitz; Disney Channel
“Picture Day” (Alexa & Katie), Written by Ray Lancon; Netflix
“Warehouse Towel Fight” fka “Emil Strikes Back” (Prince of Peoria), Written by Marty Donovan; Netflix
DOCUMENTARY SCRIPT – CURRENT EVENTS
“Black Hole Apocalypse” (Nova), Written by Rushmore DeNooyer; PBS
“Blackout in Puerto Rico” (Frontline), Written by Rick Young; PBS
“The Gang Crackdown” (Frontline), Written by Marcela Gaviria; PBS
“Trump’s Takeover” (Frontline), Written by Michael Kirk & Mike Wiser; PBS (WINNER)
DOCUMENTARY SCRIPT – OTHER THAN CURRENT EVENTS
“Bitter Rivals: Iran and Saudi Arabia – Part 1” (Frontline), Written by David Fanning & Linda Hirsch & Martin Smith; PBS
“The Circus, Part One” (American Experience), Written by Sharon Grimberg; PBS
“The Eugenics Crusade” (American Experience), Written by Michelle Ferrari; PBS (WINNER)
“Into The Amazon” (American Experience), Written by John Maggio; PBS
NEWS SCRIPT – REGULARLY SCHEDULED, BULLETIN, OR BREAKING REPORT
“Catastrophe” (60 Minutes), Written by Scott Pelley, Katie Kerbstat, Nicole Young; CBS News
“Las Vegas Massacre” (CBS Evening News with Anthony Mason), Written by Jerry Cipriano and Joe Clines; CBS News
“The Spotted Pig” (60 Minutes), Written by Anderson Cooper and Oriana Zill de Granados; CBS News
NEWS SCRIPT – ANALYSIS, FEATURE, OR COMMENTARY
“100,000 Women” (60 Minutes), Written by Scott Pelley and Oriana Zill de Granados; CBS News
“On Broadway: Rodgers and Hammerstein” (CBS Sunday Morning), Written by Mo Rocca and Kay M. Lim; CBS News
“War Crime” (60 Minutes), Written by Scott Pelley, Katie Kerbstat, Nicole Young; CBS News
“Wounds of War” (60 Minutes), Written by Scott Pelley, Katie Kerbstat, Nicole Young; CBS News
DIGITAL NEWS
“D.C.’s Biggest Homeless Shelter Is About to Close. Will Amazon Take Its Place?,” Written by Emma Roller; Splinter
“How To Not Die In America,” Written by Molly Osberg; Splinter
“Inside The Culture Of Sexism At Riot Games,” Written by Cecilia D’Anastasio; Kotaku.com (WINNER)
RADIO/AUDIO DOCUMENTARY
“2017 Year in Review,” Written by Gail Lee; CBS News Radio
“RFK: 50 Years After Shots Rang Out at The Ambassador Hotel,” Written by Andrew Evans; ABC News Radio (WINNER)
RADIO/AUDIO NEWS SCRIPT—REGULARLY SCHEDULED, BULLETIN, OR BREAKING REPORT
“5pm CBS News Radio Glor Newscast,” Written by James Hutton; CBS News Radio
“ABC News 6p Hourly 9-27-2018,” Written by Stephanie Pawlowski; ABC News Radio
“Remembering The Good, The Bad and the Brilliant,” Written by Gail Lee; CBS News Radio (WINNER)
“World News This Week 9-21-2018,” Written by Joan B. Harris; ABC News Radio
RADIO/AUDIO NEWS SCRIPT – ANALYSIS, FEATURE, OR COMMENTARY
“John McCain: A Life of Service,” Written by Gail Lee; CBS News Radio (WINNER)
“A Tribute to Le Grand Orange,” Written by Thomas A. Sabella; CBS Radio News
ON-AIR PROMOTION (RADIO OR TELEVISION)
“FBI 2018 Promo Reel,” Written by Ralph Buado; CBS
“Tribute to Star Trek for the 2019 Creative Arts Emmys,” Written by Sean Brogan; CBS (WINNER)
“Westworld: Season 2 Promo (Super Bowl spot),” Written by Jonathan Nolan; HBO
Awards season is officially in full swing, and the latest group to announce nominations for its annual awards is the Writers Guild of America.
The WGA revealed its nominees for the best film screenplays of the year on Monday, in three different categories: Original, adapted, and documentary. There are plenty of names in the WGA’s lineup that should already sound familiar to those that have been following awards season, including “Black Panther,” “A Star Is Born,” “Roma,” and newly-minted Best Comedy Golden Globewinner “Green Book.”
But the WGA is also known for including some less high-profile nominees each year — titles that are critically beloved, but not entirely on the Best Picture Oscar radar, either. This year’s honorees feature films such as “Eighth Grade,” “Can You Ever Forgive Me?,” and potential-but-not-a-lock-just-yet candidate “A Quiet Place.”
The full lineup — including nominees in the video game writing category — is below. The Writers Guild Awards winners will be announced at simultaneous ceremonies in New York City and Los Angeles on Sunday, February 17.
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Eighth Grade
Written by Bo Burnham; A24
Green Book
Written by Nick Vallelonga & Brian Currie & Peter Farrelly; Universal Pictures
A Quiet Place
Screenplay by Bryan Woods & Scott Beck and John Krasinski, Story by Bryan Woods & Scott Beck; Paramount Pictures
Roma
Written by Alfonso Cuarón; Netflix
Vice
Written by Adam McKay; Annapurna Pictures
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
BlackKklansman
Written by Charlie Wachtel & David Rabinowitz and Kevin Willmott & Spike Lee, Based on the book by Ron Stallworth; Focus Features
Black Panther
Written by Ryan Coogler & Joe Robert Cole, Based on the Marvel Comics by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Screenplay by Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty, Based on the book by Lee Israel; Fox Searchlight
If Beale Street Could Talk
Screenplay by Barry Jenkins, Based on the novel by James Baldwin; Annapurna Pictures
A Star is Born
Screenplay by Eric Roth and Bradley Cooper & Will Fetters, Based on the 1954 screenplay by Moss Hart and the 1976 screenplay by John Gregory Dunne & Joan Didion and Frank Pierson, Based on a story by William Wellman and Robert Carson; Warner Bros.
DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY
Bathtubs Over Broadway
Written by Ozzy Inguanzo & Dava Whisenant; Focus Features
Fahrenheit 11/9
Written by Michael Moore; Briarcliff Entertainment
Generation Wealth
Written by Lauren Greenfield; Amazon Studios
In Search of Greatness
Written by Gabe Polsky; Art of Sport
VIDEOGAME WRITING
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
Associate Narrative Directors Matthew Zagurak, Joel Janisse, James Richard Mittag; Narrative Director Melissa MacCoubrey; Story by Jonathan Dumont, Melissa MacCoubrey, Hugo Giard; Scriptwriters Madeleine Hart, Betty Robertson, Jesse Scoble, Diana Sherman, Kelly Bender, Jojo Chia, Ian Fun, Zachary M. Parris, Ken Williamson, Daniel Bingham, Jordan Lemos, Simon Mackenzie, Katelyn MacMullin, Susan Patrick, Alissa Ralph, Stephen Rhodes; Team Lead Writer Sam Gill; AI Writers Jonathan Flieger, Kimberly Ann Sparks; Ubisoft Quebec
Batman: The Enemy Within, Episode 5-Same Stitch
Lead Writer James Windeler; Written by Meghan Thornton, Ross Beeley, Lauren Mee; Story by Meghan Thornton, Michael Kirkbride; Telltale Games
God of War
Written by Matt Sophos, Richard Zangrande Gaubert, Cory Barlog; Story and Narrative Design Lead Matt Sophos; Story and Narrative Design Richard Zangrande Gaubert; Narrative Design Orion Walker, Adam Dolin; Sony Interactive Entertainment
Marvel’s Spider-Man
Story Lead Jon Paquette; Writers Benjamin Arfmann, Kelsey Beachum; Co-Written by Christos Gage; Additional Story Contributions by Dan Slott; Insomniac Games & Sony Interactive Entertainment
Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire
Narrative Designers Alex Scokel, Eric Fenstermaker, Kate Dollarhyde, Megan Starks, Olivia Veras, Paul Kirsch; Additional Writing Tony Evans, John Schmautz, Casey Hollingshead, Nitai Poddar; Narrative Design Leads Carrie Patel, Josh Sawyer; Obsidian Entertainment
The Oscars race continues to heat up, with the Writers Guild of America announcing its nominees for best screenplays of the year.
As expected, frontrunners “La La Land,” “Manchester By the Sea,” and “Moonlight” all scored nods in the original screenplay category. But the adapted screenplay category had a surprise nomination for “Deadpool,” the snarky superhero movie. Then again, the Writers Guild has shown appreciation for superhero movies, with “Guardians of the Galaxy” previously landing a nomination.
The outcome of the WGA Awards may not be a reliable predictor of the Oscars, since there is some category differentiation — “Moonlight” and “Loving” are considered adapted screenplays by the Academy.
Here is the full list of nominees. The awards will be handed out Feb. 19.
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
“Hell or High Water,” Written by Taylor Sheridan; CBS Films
“La La Land,” Written by Damien Chazelle; Lionsgate
“Loving,” Written by Jeff Nichols; Focus Features
“Manchester by the Sea,” Written by Kenneth Lonergan; Amazon Studios/Roadside Attractions
“Moonlight,” Written by Barry Jenkins, Story by Tarell McCraney; A24
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
“Arrival,” Screenplay by Eric Heisserer; Based on the Story “Story of Your Life” by Ted Chiang; Paramount Pictures
“Deadpool,” Written by Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick; Based on the “X-Men” Comic Books; Twentieth Century Fox Film
“Fences,” Screenplay by August Wilson; Based on his Play; Paramount Pictures
“Hidden Figures,” Screenplay by Allison Schroeder and Theodore Melfi; Based on the Book by Margot Lee Shetterly; Twentieth Century Fox Film
“Nocturnal Animals,” Screenplay by Tom Ford; Based on the Novel Tony and Susan by Austin Wright; Focus Features
DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY
“Author: The JT LeRoy Story,” Written by Jeff Feuerzeig; Amazon Studios
“Command and Control,” Telescript by Robert Kenner and Eric Schlosser, Story by Brian Pearle and Kim Roberts; Based on the book “Command and Control” by Eric Schlosser; American Experience Films
“Zero Days,” Written by Alex Gibney; Magnolia Pictures
The Writers Guild of America has released its nominations for the best television programming of 2016, and among the nominees are perennial favorites as well as plenty of new series that have gotten some major attention this year.
As has been the trend in recent years from many awards groups, cable and streaming programming dominated the WGA’s slate of nominees, with only one broadcast show breaking into the guild’s major categories. NBC’s “This Is Us,” a buzzy hit for the network, was the lucky selection, earning citations for Best Drama Series, Best New Series, and best writing for a single episode (“The Trip”).
“Stranger Things,” “Westworld,” and “Atlanta” were three of the other biggest successes among the WGA’s nominees, with each doubling up on nods in the best series and best new series categories. “Atlanta” also scored a nomination for writing for an individual episode (“Streets on Lock”).
The complete list of nominees for television and new media is below. The Writers Guild Awards will be handed out at a ceremony on February 19, 2017.
DRAMA SERIES
The Americans, Written by Peter Ackerman, Tanya Barfield, Joshua Brand, Joel Fields, Stephen Schiff, Joe Weisberg, Tracey Scott Wilson; FX
Better Call Saul, Written by Ann Cherkis, Vince Gilligan, Jonathan Glatzer, Peter Gould, Gennifer Hutchison, Heather Marion, Thomas Schnauz, Gordon Smith; AMC
Game of Thrones, Written by David Benioff, Bryan Cogman, Dave Hill, D.B. Weiss; HBO
Stranger Things, Written by Paul Dichter, Justin Doble, The Duffer Brothers, Jessica Mecklenburg, Jessie Nickson-Lopez, Alison Tatlock; Netflix
Westworld, Written by Ed Brubaker, Bridget Carpenter; Dan Dietz, Halley Gross; Lisa Joy; Katherine Lingenfelter, Dominic Mitchell, Jonathan Nolan, Roberto Patino, Daniel T. Thomsen, Charles Yu; HBO
COMEDY SERIES
Atlanta, Written by Donald Glover, Stephen Glover, Stefani Robinson, Paul Simms; FX
Silicon Valley, Written by Megan Amram, Alec Berg, Donick Cary, Adam Countee, Jonathan Dotan, Mike Judge, Carrie Kemper, John Levenstein, Dan Lyons, Carson Mell, Dan O’Keefe, Clay Tarver, Ron Weiner; HBO
Transparent, Written by Arabella Anderson, Bridget Bedard, Micah Fitzerman-Blue, Noah Harpster, Jessi Klein, Stephanie Kornick, Ethan Kuperberg, Ali Liebegott, Our Lady J, Faith Soloway, Jill Soloway; Amazon Studios
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Written by Emily Altman, Robert Carlock, Azie Mira Dungey, Tina Fey, Lauren Gurganous, Sam Means, Dylan Morgan, Marlena Rodriguez, Dan Rubin, Meredith Scardino, Josh Siegal, Allison Silverman, Leila Strachan; Netflix
Veep, Written by Rachel Axler, Sean Gray, Alex Gregory, Peter Huyck, Eric Kenward, Billy Kimball, Steve Koren, David Mandel, Jim Margolis, Lew Morton, Georgia Pritchett, Will Smith, Alexis Wilkinson; HBO
NEW SERIES
Atlanta, Written by Donald Glover, Stephen Glover, Stefani Robinson, Paul Simms; FX
Better Things, Written by Pamela Adlon, Louis C.K., Cindy Chupack, Gina Fattore; FX
Stranger Things, Written by Paul Dichter, Justin Doble, The Duffer Brothers, Jessica Mecklenburg, Jessie Nickson-Lopez, Alison Tatlock; Netflix
This Is Us, Written by Isaac Aptaker, Elizabeth Berger, Bekah Brunstetter, Dan Fogelman, Vera Herbert, Joe Lawson, Kay Oyegun, Aurin Squire, K.J. Steinberg, Donald Todd; NBC
Westworld, Written by Ed Brubaker, Bridget Carpenter, Dan Dietz, Halley Gross, Lisa Joy, Katherine Lingenfelter, Dominic Mitchell, Jonathan Nolan, Roberto Patino, Daniel T. Thomsen, Charles Yu; HBO
LONG FORM ORIGINAL
American Crime, Written by Julie Hébert, Sonay Hoffman, Keith Huff, Stacy A. Littlejohn, Kirk A. Moore, Davy Perez, Diana Son; ABC
Confirmation, Written by Susannah Grant; HBO
Harley and the Davidsons, Written by Seth Fisher, Nick Schenk, Evan Wright; Discovery Channel
Surviving Compton: Dre, Suge & Michel’le, Written by Dianne Houston; Lifetime
LONG FORM ADAPTED
11.22.63, Written by Bridget Carpenter, Brigitte Hales, Joe Henderson, Brian Nelson, Quinton Peeples, Based on the novel by Stephen King; Hulu
American Crime Story: The People vs. O.J. Simpson, Written by Scott Alexander, Joe Robert Cole, D.V. DeVincentis, Maya Forbes, Larry Karaszewski, Wally Wolodarsky, Based on the book The Run of His Life by Jeffrey Toobin; FX
Madoff, Written by Ben Robbins, Inspired by the Book The Madoff Chronicles: Inside the Secret World of Bernie and Ruth by Brian Ross; ABC
The Night Of, Written by Richard Price, Steve Zaillian, Based on the BBC Series Criminal Justice Created by Peter Moffat; HBO
Roots, Written by Lawrence Konner, Alison McDonald, Charles Murray, Mark Rosenthal, Based upon the Book by Alex Haley; History Channel
SHORT FORM NEW MEDIA – ORIGINAL
“Episode 101” (Now We’re Talking), Written by Tug Coker, Tommy Dewey; go90.com
“Escape the Room” (Life Ends at 30), Written by Michael Field; vimeo.com
“Itsy Bitsy Spider” Episode 1 (Thug Passion), Written by Motrya Tomycz; vimeo.com
“The Party” (The Commute), Written by Linsey Stewart & Dane Clark; youtube.com
SHORT FORM NEW MEDIA – ADAPTED
“Passage” Part 4 (Fear the Walking Dead), Written by Lauren Signorino & Mike Zunic; amc.com
“Under Siege” (The Strain), Written by Bradley Thompson & David Weddle, Based on the novels by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan; fxnetworks.com
ANIMATION
“Barthood” (The Simpsons), Written by Dan Greaney; Fox
“First Day of Rule” (Elena of Avalor), Written by Craig Gerber; Disney Channel
“Fish Out of Water” (BoJack Horseman), Written by Elijah Aron & Jordan Young; Netflix
“A Princess on Lothal” (Star Wars Rebels), Written by Steven Melching; Disney XD
“Stop the Presses” (BoJack Horseman), Written by Joe Lawson; Netflix
EPISODIC DRAMA
“Gloves Off” (Better Call Saul), Written by Gordon Smith; AMC
“I Am a Storm” (Shameless), Written by Sheila Callaghan; Showtime
“Klick” (Better Call Saul), Written by Heather Marion & Vince Gilligan; AMC
“Switch” (Better Call Saul), Written by Thomas Schnauz; AMC
“The Trip” (This Is Us), Written by Vera Herbert; NBC
“The Winds of Winter” (Game of Thrones), Written for Television by David Benioff & D.B. Weiss; HBO
EPISODIC COMEDY
“Kimmy Finds Her Mom!” (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), Written by Tina Fey & Sam Means; Netflix
“Kimmy Goes on a Playdate!” (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), Written by Robert Carlock; Netflix
“Pilot” (One Mississippi), Written by Diablo Cody & Tig Notaro; Amazon Studios
“R-A-Y-C-Ray-Cation” (Speechless), Written by Carrie Rosen & Seth Kurland; ABC
“Streets on Lock” (Atlanta), Written by Stephen Glover; FX
“A Taste of Zephyria” (Son of Zorn), Written by Dan Mintz; Fox
COMEDY / VARIETY (INCLUDING TALK) – SERIES
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, Writers: Dan Amira, David Angelo, Steve Bodow, Devin Delliquanti, Zach DiLanzo, Travon Free, Hallie Haglund, David Kibuuka, Matt Koff, Adam Lowitt, Dan McCoy, Lauren Sarver Means, Trevor Noah, Joe Opio, Zhubin Parang, Owen Parson, Daniel Radosh, Michelle Wolf; Comedy Central
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Writers: Kevin Avery, Tim Carvell, Josh Gondelman, Dan Gurewitch, Geoff Haggerty, Jeff Maurer, John Oliver, Scott Sherman, Will Tracy, Jill Twiss, Juli Weiner; HBO
Late Night with Seth Meyers, Writers: Jermaine Affonso, Alex Baze, Bryan Donaldson, Sal Gentile, Matt Goldich, Jenny Hagel, Allison Hord, Mike Karnell, Andrew Law, John Lutz, Aparna Nancherla, Chioke Nassor, Seth Meyers, Ian Morgan, Conner O’Malley, Seth Reiss, Amber Ruffin, Mike Scollins, Mike Shoemaker, Ben Warheit, Michelle Wolf; NBC
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Writers: Mike Brumm, Nate Charny, Aaron Cohen, Stephen Colbert, Cullen Crawford, Paul Dinello, Eric Drysdale, Ariel Dumas, Glenn Eichler, Gabe Gronli, Barry Julien, Jay Katsir, Daniel Kibblesmith, Matt Lappin, Opus Moreschi, Tom Purcell, Jen Spyra, Brian Stack; NBC
COMEDY / VARIETY – SKETCH SERIES
Documentary Now!, Writers: Bill Hader, John Mulaney, Seth Meyers; IFC
Inside Amy Schumer, Writers: Kim Carmele, Kyle Dunnigan, Jessi Klein, Michael Lawrence, Kurt Metzger, Christine Nangle, Claudia O’Doherty, Dan Powell, Tami Sagher, Amy Schumer; Comedy Central
Maya and Marty in Manhattan, Head Writers: Mikey Day, Matt Roberts, Bryan Tucker Writers: Eli Bauman, Jeremy Beiler, Chris Belair, Hallie Cantor, David Feldman, R J Fried, Melissa Hunter, Paul Masella, Tim McAuliffe, John Mulaney, Diallo Riddle, Maya Rudolph, Bashir Salahuddin, Marika Sawyer, Streeter Seidell, Martin Short; Emily Spivey, Steve Young; NBC
Nathan For You, Written by Leo Allen, Nathan Fielder, Adam Locke-Norton, Eric Notarnicola; Comedy Central
Saturday Night Live, Head Writers: Rob Klein, Bryan Tucker Writers: James Anderson, Fred Armisen, Jeremy Beiler, Chris Belair, Megan Callahan, Michael Che, Mikey Day, Jim Downey, Tina Fey, Fran Gillespie, Sudi Green, Tim Herlihy, Steve Higgins, Colin Jost, Zach Kanin, Chris Kelly, Erik Kenward, Paul Masella, Dave McCary, Dennis McNicholas, Seth Meyers, Lorne Michaels, Josh Patten, Paula Pell, Katie Rich, Tim Robinson, Sarah Schneider, Pete Schultz, Streeter Seidell, Dave Sirus, Emily Spivey, Andrew Steele, Will Stephen, Kent Sublette; NBC
68th Primetime Emmy Awards, Written by Jack Allison, Tony Barbieri, Jonathan Bines, Joelle Boucai, Robert Cohen, Gary Greenberg, Josh Halloway, Sal Iacono, Eric Immerman, Jimmy Kimmel, Bess Kalb, Jeff Loveness, Jon Macks, Molly McNearney, Danny Ricker, Jeff Stilson, Joe Strazzullo, Alexis Wilkinson; ABC
73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards, Written by Barry Adelman; Special Material Written by Dave Boone, Ricky Gervais, Jon Macks, Matthew Robinson; NBC
88th Annual Academy Awards, Written by Dave Boone, Billy Kimball; Special Material Written by Scott Aukerman, Rodney Barnes, Neil Campbell, Matthew Claybrooks, Lance Crouther, Mike Ferrucci, Langston Kerman, Jon Macks, Steve O’Donnell, Nimesh Patel, Vanessa Ramos, Chris Rock, Frank Sebastiano, Chuck Sklar, Jeff Stilson, Michelle Wolf; CBS
Triumph’s Election Special, Written by Andy Breckman, Josh Comers, David Feldman, R J Fried, Jarrett Grode, Ben Joseph, Matthew Kirsch, Michael Koman, Mike Lawrence, Brian Reich, Craig Rowin, Robert Smigel, Zach Smilovitz, Andrew Weinberg; Hulu
QUIZ AND AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION
Hollywood Game Night, Head Writer: Grant Taylor; Writers: Michael Agbabian, Alex Chauvin, Ann Slichter, Dwight D. Smith; NBC
Jeopardy!, Written by John Duarte, Harry Friedman, Mark Gaberman, Deborah Griffin, Michele Loud, Robert McClenaghan, Jim Rhine, Steve D. Tamerius, Billy Wisse; ABC
DAYTIME DRAMA
General Hospital, Writers: Shelly Altman, Anna Theresa Cascio, Andrea Archer Compton, Suzanne Flynn, Janet Iacobuzio, Elizabeth Korte, Daniel James O’Connor, Jean Passanante, Dave Rupel, Katherine Schock, Scott Sickles, Chris Van Etten, Christopher Whitesell; ABC
CHILDREN’S SCRIPT – EPISODIC AND SPECIALS
“Girl Meets Commonism” (Girl Meets World), Written by Joshua Jacobs & Michael Jacobs; Disney Channel
“Just Add Mom” (Just Add Magic), Written by John-Paul Nickel; Amazon Studios
“Mel vs. The Night Mare of Normal Street” (Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street), Written by Laurie Parres; Amazon Studios
“Mucko Polo, Grouch Explorer” (Sesame Street), Written by Belinda Ward; HBO
CHILDREN’S SCRIPT – LONG FORM OR SPECIAL
Dance Camp, Teleplay by Nick Turner & Rex New and Cameron Fay, Story by Nick Turner & Rex New; youtube.com
Once Upon a Sesame Street Christmas, Written by Geri Cole & Ken Scarborough; HBO
R.L. Stine’s Monsterville: Cabinet Of Souls, Written by Billy Brown & Dan Angel; Freeform
DOCUMENTARY SCRIPT – CURRENT EVENTS
“Chasing Heroin” (Frontline), Written by Marcela Gaviria; PBS
“The Choice 2016” (Frontline), Written by Michael Kirk & Mike Wiser; PBS
“Inside Assad’s Syria” (Frontline), Written by Martin Smith; PBS
DOCUMENTARY SCRIPT – OTHER THAN CURRENT EVENTS
“American Reds,” Written by Richard Wormser; WPTS Dayton
“Jackie Robinson, Part One,” Written by David McMahon & Sarah Burns; PBS
“Netanyahu at War” (Frontline), Written by Michael Kirk & Mike Wiser; PBS
NEWS SCRIPT – REGULARLY SCHEDULED, BULLETIN, OR BREAKING REPORT
“Ambush In Dallas” (World News Tonight With David Muir), Written by David Bloch, Karen Mooney, David Muir, David Schoetz; ABC News
“Brussels Under Attack” (World News Tonight With David Muir), Written by David Bloch, Karen Mooney, David Muir, David Schoetz; ABC News
“Muhammad Ali: Remembering A Legend” (48 Hours), Written by Jerry Cipriano, John Craig Wilson; CBS News
NEWS SCRIPT – ANALYSIS, FEATURE, OR COMMENTARY
“CBS Sunday Morning Almanac” June 12, 2016 (CBS Sunday Morning), Written by Thomas A. Harris; CBS
Amy Schumer’s very good year just got even better.
The actress/writer/producer already has an Emmy and Peabody on her shelf, and she’s up for a Golden Globe. Now, she’s also vying for a Writers Guild of America award.
The guild announced the 2016 nominees for theatrical and documentary screenplays, and Schumer notched a nod for writing the summer hit comedy “Trainwreck,” which she also starred in.
Also receiving original screenplay nominations were the blockbuster hip-hop drama “Straight Outta Compton” and this award season’s frontrunner, “Spotlight.”
Here is the full list of WGA nominees:
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Bridge of Spies
Written by Matt Charman and Ethan Coen & Joel Coen; DreamWorks Pictures
Sicario
Written by Taylor Sheridan; Lionsgate
Spotlight
Written by Josh Singer & Tom McCarthy; Open Road Films
Straight Outta Compton
Screenplay by Jonathan Herman and Andrea Berloff; Story by S. Leigh Savidge & Alan Wenkus and Andrea Berloff; Universal Pictures
Trainwreck
Written by Amy Schumer; Universal Pictures
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
The Big Short
Screenplay by Charles Randolph and Adam McKay; Based on the Book by Michael Lewis; Paramount Pictures
Carol
Screenplay by Phyllis Nagy; Based on the Novel The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith; The Weinstein Company
The Martian
Screenplay by Drew Goddard; Based on the Novel by Andy Weir; Twentieth Century Fox
Steve Jobs
Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin; Based on the Book by Walter Isaacson; Universal Pictures
Trumbo
Written by John McNamara; Based on the Biography by Bruce Cook; Bleecker Street Media
DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY
Being Canadian
Written by Robert Cohen; Candy Factory Films
Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief
Written by Alex Gibney; HBO Documentary Films
Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck
Written by Brett Morgen; HBO Documentary Films
Prophet’s Prey
Written by Amy J. Berg; Showtime Documentary Films
The Writers Guild of America announced Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” scored a nomination for best series, as well as an overall best new series nod. “The Last Man on Earth” also landed in that latter category, and was singled out for its pilot episode writing, too.
On the drama side of the equation, lauded “Breaking Bad” spinoff “Better Call Saul” also got best series and best new series nominations, in addition to a an episode writing nod. Newly-minted Emmy winner “Game of Thrones” also scored a best drama citation, as well as an episodic writing nomination.
The full list of nominees released this week are below. Nominations in the theatrical and documentary categories will be announced on January 6.
The WGA Awards will be handed out on February 13.
TELEVISION AND NEW MEDIA NOMINEES:
DRAMA SERIES
“The Americans,” Written by Peter Ackerman, Joshua Brand, Joel Fields, Stephen Schiff, Lara Shapiro, Joe Weisberg, Tracy Scott Wilson, Stuart Zicherman; FX
“Better Call Saul,” Written by Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould, Gennifer Hutchison, Bradley Paul, Thomas Schnauz, Gordon Smith; AMC
“Game of Thrones,” Written by David Benioff, Bryan Cogman, Dave Hill, D.B. Weiss; HBO
“Mad Men,” Written by Lisa Albert, Semi Chellas, Jonathan Igla, Janet Leahy, Erin Levy, Tom Smuts, Robert Towne, Matthew Weiner, Carly Wray; AMC
“Mr. Robot,” Written by Kyle Bradstreet, Kate Erickson, Sam Esmail, David Iserson, Randolph Leon, Adam Penn, Matt Pyken; USA
COMEDY SERIES
“Broad City,” Written by Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, Naomi Ekperigin, Ilana Glazer, Abbi Jacobson, Chris Kelly, Anthony King, Jen Statsky; Comedy Central
“Silicon Valley,” Written by Amy Aniobi, Alec Berg, Carrie Kemper, Sonny Lee, Dan Lyons, Carson Mell, Dan O’Keefe, Clay Tarver, Ron Weiner; HBO
“Transparent,” Written by Arabella Anderson, Bridget Bedard, Micah Fitzerman-Blue, Noah Harpster, Ethan Kuperberg, Ali Liebegott, Our Lady J, Faith Soloway, Jill Soloway; Amazon Studios
“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” Written by Emily Altman, Jack Burditt, Robert Carlock, Azie Mira Dungey, Tina Fey, Lauren Gurganous, Charla Lauriston, Sam Means, Dan Rubin, Meredith Scardino, Allison Silverman, Lon Zimmet; Netflix
“Veep,” Written by Simon Blackwell, Jon Brown, Kevin Cecil, Roger Drew, Peter Fellows, Neil Gibbons, Rob Gibbons, Sean Gray, Callie Hersheway, Armando Iannucci, Sean Love, Ian Martin, Georgia Pritchett, David Quantick, Andy Riley, Tony Roche, Will Smith; HBO
NEW SERIES
“Better Call Saul,” Written by Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould, Gennifer Hutchison, Bradley Paul, Thomas Schnauz, Gordon Smith; AMC
“Bloodline,” Written by Jonathan Glatzer, Carter Harris, Glenn Kessler, Todd A. Kessler, Addison McQuigg, Arthur Phillips, Jeff Shakoor, Daniel Zelman; Netflix
“The Last Man On Earth,” Written by Andy Bobrow, Liz Cackowski, Erik Durbin, Will Forte, Kira Kalush, Matt Marshall, Tim McAuliffe, David Noel, Erica Rivinoja, John Solomon, Emily Spivey; Fox
“Mr. Robot,” Written by Kyle Bradstreet, Kate Erickson, Sam Esmail, David Iserson, Randolph Leon, Adam Penn, Matt Pyken; USA
“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” Written by Emily Altman, Jack Burditt, Robert Carlock, Azie Mira Dungey, Tina Fey, Lauren Gurganous, Charla Lauriston, Sam Means, Dan Rubin, Meredith Scardino, Allison Silverman, Lon Zimmet; Netflix
LONG FORM ORIGINAL
“American Horror Story: Hotel,” Written by Brad Falchuk, John J. Gray, Todd Kubrak, Crystal Liu, Ned Martel, Tim Minear, Ryan Murphy, Jennifer Salt, James Wong; FX
“Flesh and Bone,” Written by Bronwyn Garrity, Jami O’Brien, Adam Rapp, Moira Walley-Beckett, David Wiener; Starz
“Saints & Strangers,” Written by Seth Fisher, Walon Green, Chip Johannessen, Eric Overmyer; National Geographic Channel
“Sons of Liberty,” Written by Stephen David, Kirk Ellis, David C. White; History Channel
LONG FORM ADAPTED
“Fargo,” Written by Steve Blackman, Bob DeLaurentis, Noah Hawley, Ben Nedivi, Matt Wolpert, Based on the film Fargo; FX
“The Red Tent,” Written by Elizabeth Chandler, Anne Meredith, Based on the book The Red Tent by Anita Diamant; Lifetime
“Show Me A Hero,” Written by David Simon, William F. Zorzi, Based on the book by Lisa Belkin; HBO
SHORT FORM NEW MEDIA – ORIGINAL
“Back to Reality” (Weight), Written by Daryn Strauss; weighttheseries.com
“Born This Way” (Anyone But Me), Written by Susan Miller; hulu.com
SHORT FORM NEW MEDIA – ADAPTED
“Chapter Two: Phoebe” (Heroes Reborn: Dark Matters), Written by Zach Craley; nbc.com
“Part 8” (Fear The Walking Dead: Flight 462), Written by L. Signorino & Mike Zunic; amc.com
“The Summer of Love, Part 1: Meet Charlie” (Aquarius), Written by Mike Moore & David Reed; nbc.com
ANIMATION
“Gayle Makin’ Bob Sled” (“Bob’s Burgers”), Written by Lizzie Molyneux & Wendy Molyneux; Fox
“Halloween of Horror” (“The Simpsons”), Written by Carolyn Omine; Fox
“Hank After Dark” (“BoJack Horseman”), Written by Kelly Galuska; Netflix
“Housetrap” (“Bob’s Burgers”), Written by Dan Fybel; Fox
“Sky Police” (“The Simpsons”), Written by Matt Selman; Fox
“Walking Big & Tall” (“The Simpsons”), Written by Michael Price; Fox
EPISODIC DRAMA
“Explosivos” (“Narcos”), Written by Andy Black; Netflix
“International Assassin” (“The Leftovers”), Written by Damon Lindelof & Nick Cuse; HBO
“Mind’s Eye” (“The Good Wife”), Written by Robert King & Michelle King; CBS
“Mother’s Mercy” (“Game of Thrones”), Written for Television by David Benioff & D.B. Weiss; HBO
“Person to Person” (“Mad Men”), Written by Matthew Weiner; AMC
“Uno” (“Better Call Saul”), Written by Vince Gilligan & Peter Gould; AMC
EPISODIC COMEDY
“Alive in Tucson” (“The Last Man On Earth”), Written by Will Forte; Fox
“Connection Lost” (“Modern Family”), Written by Megan Ganz & Steven Levitan; ABC
“Joint Session” (“Veep”), Teleplay by Simon Blackwell & Georgia Pritchett, Story by Armando Iannucci & Simon Blackwell & Georgia Pritchett; HBO
“Racegate” (“Maron”), Written by Dave Anthony; IFC
“Rock, Paper, Scissors, Gun” (“black-ish”), Written by Peter Saji; ABC
“Sand Hill Shuffle” (“Silicon Valley”), Written by Clay Tarver; HBO
COMEDY / VARIETY (INCLUDING TALK) – SERIES
“Conan,” Writers: Jose Arroyo, Josh Comers, Andres du Bouchet, Jessie Gaskell, Michael Gordon, Brian Kiley, Laurie Kilmartin, Rob Kutner, Todd Levin, Levi MacDougall, Conan O’Brien, Matt O’Brien, Andy Richter, Frank Smiley, Brian Stack, Mike Sweeney; TBS
“The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” Writers: Dan Amira, Steve Bodow, Travon Free, Hallie Haglund, Elliott Kalan, Matt Koff, Adam Lowitt, Dan McCoy, Jo Miller, Zhubin Parang, Owen Parsons, Daniel Radosh, Lauren Sarver, Jon Stewart, Delaney Yeager; Comedy Central
“The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” Writers; Michael Brumm, Nate Charny, Aaron Cohen, Stephen Colbert, Cullen Crawford, Paul Dinello, Eric Drysdale, Rob Dubbin, Ariel Dumas, Glenn Eichler, Gabriel Gronli, Barry Julien, Jay Katsir, Daniel Kibblesmith, Matt Lappin, Opus Moreschi, Tom Purcell, Jen Spyra, Brian Stack; CBS
“Real Time with Bill Maher,” Writers: Scott Carter, Adam Felber, Matt Gunn, Brian Jacobsmeyer, Jay Jaroch, Chris Kelly, Bill Maher, Billy Martin, Danny Vermont; HBO
“The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” Writers: Jonathan Adler, Patrick Borelli, Gerard Bradford, Luke Cunningham, Mike DiCenzo, Mike Drucker, Jess Dweck, Dicky Eagan, Caroline Eppright, John Haskell, JR Havlan, Arthur Meyer, A.D. Miles, Chase Mitchell, Dan Opsal, Gavin Purcell, Jon Rineman, Albertina Rizzo, David Young; NBC
COMEDY / VARIETY – SKETCH SERIES
“Inside Amy Schumer,” Head Writer: Jessi Klein Writers: Hallie Cantor, Kim Caramele, Kyle Dunnigan, Jon Glaser, Kurt Metzger, Christine Nangle, Dan Powell, Tami Sagher, Amy Schumer; Comedy Central “Key & Peele,” Written by Colton Dunn, Rebecca Drysdale, Keegan-Michael Key, Phil Augusta Jackson, Jay Martel, Jordan Peele, Ian Roberts, Alex Rubens, Charlie Sanders, Rich Talarico; Comedy Central
“Saturday Night Live,” Head Writer: Colin Jost, Rob Klein, Bryan Tucker Writers: James Anderson, Jeremy Beiler, Megan Callahan, Michael Che, Mikey Day, Steve Higgins, Zach Kanin, Chris Kelly, Erik Kenward, Dave McCary, Dennis McNicholas, Lorne Michaels, Claire Mulaney, Mike O’Brien, Josh Patten, Alison Rich, Katie Rich, Tim Robinson, Natasha Rothwell, Nick Rutherford, Meredith Scardino, Sarah Schneider, Pete Schultz, Streeter Seidell, John Solomon, Kent Sublette; NBC
“The 69th Annual Tony Awards,” Written by Dave Boone; Special Material by Adam Goldman, Carol Leifer; CBS
“2014 Kennedy Center Honors,” Written by Lewis Friedman, Sara Lukinson, Nell Scovell, George Stevens, Jr., Michael Stevens; CBS
“2015 Film Independent Spirit Awards,” Written by Benji Aflalo, Wayne Federman, Marika Sawyer, Frank Sebastiano, Erik Weiner; IFC
“Amy Schumer: Live at The Apollo,” Written by Amy Schumer; HBO
“Jimmy Kimmel Live: 10th Annual After The Oscars Special,” Written by Jack Allison, Tony Barbieri, Jonathan Bines, Joelle Boucai, Greg Dorris, Gary Greenberg, Josh Halloway, Sal Iacono, Eric Immerman, Jimmy Kimmel, Bess Kalb, Jeff Loveness, Molly McNearney, Danny Ricker, Joe Strazzullo, Bridger Winegar; ABC
“Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special,” Written by James Anderson, Fred Armisen, Tina Fey, Steve Higgins, Chris Kelly, Erik Kenward, Rob Klein, Seth Meyers, Lorne Michaels, John Mulaney, Paula Pell, Jeff Richmond, Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, Tom Schiller, Sarah Schneider, Marc Shaiman, Michael Shoemaker, Robert Smigel, Emily Spivey, Kent Sublette, Jorma Taccone, Bryan Tucker; NBC
QUIZ AND AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION
“Hollywood Game Night,” Head Writer: Grant Taylor; Writers: Michael Agbabian, Alex Chauvin, Ann Slichter, Dwight D. Smith; NBC
“Jeopardy!,” Written by John Duarte, Harry Friedman, Mark Gaberman, Deborah Griffin, Michele Loud, Robert McClenaghan, Jim Rhine, Steve D. Tamerius, Billy Wisse; ABC
DAYTIME DRAMA
The Bold and the Beautiful, Head Writers: Bradley P. Bell, Michael Minnis Writers: Rex M. Best, Shannon Bradley, Adam Dusevoir, Tracey Ann Kelly, Patrick Mulcahey, Mark Pinciotti, Michele Val Jean; CBS
General Hospital, Writers: Ron Carlivati, Anna Theresa Cascio, Andrea Archer Compton, Suzanne Flynn, Kate Hall, Elizabeth Korte, Daniel James O’Connor, Elizabeth Page, Jean Passanante, Katherine Schock, Scott Sickles, Chris Van Etten; ABC
CHILDREN’S SCRIPT – EPISODIC AND SPECIALS
“Endless Night” (“Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street”), Written by Gretchen Enders & Aminta Goyel; Amazon Studios
“Girl Meets I am Farkle” (“Girl Meets World”), Written by Mark Blutman; Disney Channel
“Gortimer and the Surprise Signature” (“Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street”), Written by Garrett Frawley & Brian Turner; Amazon Studios
“Gortimer vs The Relentless Rainbow of Joy” (“Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street”), Written by David Anaxagoras and Luke Matheny; Amazon Studios
“Ranger vs. The Fabled Flower of Normal Street” (“Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street”), Written by Laurie Parres; Amazon Studios
CHILDREN’S SCRIPT – LONG FORM OR SPECIAL
“Descendants,” Written by Josann McGibbon & Sara Parriott; Disney Channel
DOCUMENTARY SCRIPT – CURRENT EVENTS
“American Terrorist” (“Frontline”), Written by Thomas Jennings; PBS
“Gunned Down: The Power of the NRA” (“Frontline”), Written by Michael Kirk & Mike Wiser; PBS
DOCUMENTARY SCRIPT – OTHER THAN CURRENT EVENTS
“Firestone and the Warlord” (“Frontline”), Written by Marcela Gaviria; PBS
“The Forgotten Plague” (“American Experience”), Written by Chana Gazit; PBS
“The Great Math Mystery” (“Nova”), Written by Daniel McCabe; PBS
“Secrets, Politics and Torture” (“Frontline”), Written by Michael Kirk & Mike Wiser; PBS
TV NEWS SCRIPT – REGULARLY SCHEDULED, BULLETIN, OR BREAKING REPORT
“Cuba” (“60 Minutes”), Written by Scott Pelley, Nicole Young, Oriana Zill de Granados, Andy Court and Robert Anderson; CBS News
“Yogi Berra Tribute,” Written by Gerald Mazza; CBS Newspath
TV NEWS SCRIPT – ANALYSIS, FEATURE, OR COMMENTARY
“The Storm After the Storm” (60 Minutes), Written by Sharyn Alfonsi, Michael Rey and Oriana Zill de Granados; CBS News
RADIO NOMINEES:
RADIO DOCUMENTARY
“Marking the End of Vietnam: 40 Years Later,” Written by Andrew Evans; ABC News Radio
RADIO NEWS SCRIPT—REGULARLY SCHEDULED, BULLETIN, OR BREAKING REPORT
“Remembering New York Icons,” Written by Thomas A. Sabella; CBS Radio News
“Showtop,” Written by Chris Barry; ABC News Radio
“World News This Week, January 9, 2015,” Written by Andrew Evans; ABC News Radio
RADIO NEWS SCRIPT – ANALYSIS, FEATURE, OR COMMENTARY
“Death of a Baseball Icon,” Written by Andrew Evans; ABC News Radio
“Passages,” Written by Gail Lee; CBS Radio News
PROMOTIONAL WRITING NOMINEES:
ON-AIR PROMOTION (TELEVISION, NEW MEDIA OR RADIO)
“Elementary Promos,” Written by Molly J. Neylan; CBS
“CBS On-Air Promos,” Written by Jessica Katzenstein; CBS
“The McCarthys and Under the Dome Promos,” Written by Erial Tompkins; CBS
The Oscars race continues to heat up, with the Writers Guild of America announcing its nominees for best screenplays of the year.
The Writers Guild of America has released its 
Amy Schumer’s very good year just got even better.
The Writers Guild of America announced Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” scored a nomination for best series, as well as an overall best new series nod. “The Last Man on Earth” also landed in that latter category, and was singled out for its pilot episode writing, too.