Los Angeles and New York – Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) and Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) tonight announced the winners of the 2020 Writers Guild Awards for outstanding achievement in writing for film, television, new media, news, radio/audio, and promotional categories at concurrent ceremonies at The Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles and the Edison Ballroom in New York City.
FILM WINNERS
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Parasite, Screenplay by Bong Joon Ho and Han Jin Won, Story by Bong Joon Ho; Neon
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Jojo Rabbit, Screenplay by Taika Waititi, Based on the book Caging Skies by Christine Leunens; Fox Searchlight
DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY
The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley, Written by Alex Gibney; HBO Documentary Films
TELEVISION AND NEW MEDIA WINNERS
DRAMA SERIES
Succession, Written by Jesse Armstrong, Alice Birch, Jon Brown, Jonathan Glatzer, Cord Jefferson, Mary Laws, Lucy Prebble, Georgia Pritchett, Tony Roche, Gary Shteyngart, Susan Soon He Stanton, Will Tracy; HBO
COMEDY SERIES
Barry, Written by Alec Berg, Duffy Boudreau, Bill Hader, Emily Heller, Jason Kim, Taofik Kolade, Elizabeth Sarnoff; HBO
NEW SERIES
Watchmen, Written by Lila Byock, Nick Cuse, Christal Henry, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Cord Jefferson, Jeff Jensen, Claire Kiechel, Damon Lindelof, Janine Nabers, Stacy Osei-Kuffour, Tom Spezialy, Carly Wray; HBO
ORIGINAL LONG FORM
Chernobyl, Written by Craig Mazin; HBO
ADAPTED LONG FORM
Fosse/Verdon, Written by Debora Cahn, Joel Fields, Ike Holter, Thomas Kail, Steven Levenson, Charlotte Stoudt, Tracey Scott Wilson, Based on the book Fosse by Sam Wasson; FX Networks
ORIGINAL SHORT FORM NEW MEDIA
Special, Written by Ryan O’Connell; Netflix
ANIMATION
“Thanksgiving of Horror” (The Simpsons), Written by Dan Vebber; Fox
EPISODIC DRAMA
“Tern Haven” (Succession), Written by Will Tracy; HBO
EPISODIC COMEDY
“Pilot” (Dead to Me), Written by Liz Feldman; Netflix
COMEDY/VARIETY TALK SERIES
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Senior Writers: Dan Gurewitch, Jeff Maurer, Jill Twiss, Juli Weiner Writers: Tim Carvell, Daniel O’Brien, John Oliver, Owen Parsons, Charlie Redd, Joanna Rothkopf, Ben Silva, Seena Vali; HBO
COMEDY/VARIETY SPECIALS
Full Frontal with Samantha Bee Presents: Not the White House Correspondents’ Dinner Part 2, Head Writer Melinda Taub, Writing Supervised by Joe Grossman, Nicole Silverberg, Writers Samantha Bee, Kristen Bartlett, Pat Cassels, Sean Crespo, Mike Drucker, Mathan Erhardt, Lewis Friedman, Miles Kahn, Sahar Rizvi, Special Material by Allison Silverman; TBS
COMEDY/VARIETY SKETCH SERIES
I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson, Writers: Jeremy Beiler, Zach Kanin, Tim Robinson, John Solomon; Netflix
QUIZ AND AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION
Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?, Head Writer Bret Calvert, Writers Seth Harrington, Rosemarie DiSalvo; Nickelodeon
DAYTIME DRAMA
The Young and the Restless, Writers: Amanda L. Beall, Jeff Beldner, Sara Bibel, Matt Clifford, Annie Compton, Christopher Dunn, Sara Endsley, Janice Ferri Esser, Mellinda Hensley, Lynn Martin, Anne Schoettle, Natalie Minardi Slater, Teresa Zimmerman; CBS
CHILDREN’S EPISODIC, LONG FORM AND SPECIALS
“Remember Black Elvis?” (Family Reunion), Written by Howard Jordan, Jr.; Netflix
DOCUMENTARY SCRIPT – CURRENT EVENTS
“Trump’s Trade War” (Frontline), Written by Rick Young; PBS
DOCUMENTARY SCRIPT – OTHER THAN CURRENT EVENTS
“Right To Fail” (Frontline), Written by Tom Jennings; PBS
NEWS SCRIPT – REGULARLY SCHEDULED, BULLETIN, OR BREAKING REPORT
“Terror in America: The Massacres in El Paso and Dayton” (Special Edition of the CBS Evening News with Norah O’Donnell), Written by Jerry Cipriano, Joe Clines, Bob Meyer; CBS News
NEWS SCRIPT – ANALYSIS, FEATURE, OR COMMENTARY
“Fly Like An Eagle” (60 Minutes), Written by Katie Kerbstat Jacobson, Scott Pelley, Nicole Young; CBS News
DIGITAL NEWS
“Stories About My Brother,” Written by Prachi Gupta, jezebel.com
RADIO/AUDIO WINNERS
RADIO/AUDIO NEWS SCRIPT—REGULARLY SCHEDULED, BULLETIN, OR BREAKING REPORT
“Hail and Farewell: Remembering Some Headline Makers,” Written by Gail Lee; CBS News Radio
RADIO/AUDIO NEWS SCRIPT – ANALYSIS, FEATURE, OR COMMENTARY
“The Enduring Legacy of Jackie Kennedy Onassis,” Written by Dianne E. James, Gail Lee; CBS News Radio
PROMOTIONAL WINNER
ON-AIR PROMOTION
“Star Trek: Picard” and “All Rise Promos,” Written by Jessica Katzenstein; CBS
****
Writers Guild of America West’s Los Angeles awards ceremony was hosted by acclaimed actress-comedian-singer Ana Gasteyer (Saturday Night Live, The Goldbergs, Sugar & Booze). Presenters who appeared at the L.A. show included: Emmy and SAG Award-winning actor-writer Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul, Breaking Bad, SNL), Good Girls co-star Retta, Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actor Henry Winkler (Barry, Happy Days), BFCA Award-nominated actor Nico Santos (Crazy Rich Asians, Superstore), Golden Globe-winning actress-host Jane Lynch (Hollywood Game Night, Glee), Bob Hearts Abishola co-star Gina Yashere, Emmy-nominated and SAG Award-winning Veep co-star Matt Walsh (Widows, Brooklyn Nine-Nine), Daytime Emmy Award-winning talk show host-actress Aisha Tyler (Criminal Minds, The Talk, Archer), comedian-actor Sebastian Maniscalco (The Irishman, Green Book, Stay Hungry), Daytime Emmy-nominated actor Richard Brooks (Law & Order, The Rich & the Ruthless, Being Mary Jane), Emmy and SAG Award-nominated actress Cheryl Hines (Curb Your Enthusiasm, A Bad Moms Christmas, Suburgatory), and Imagen Award-winning actor Jaime Camil (Jane the Virgin, BoJack Horseman), Emmy-nominated actor Will Arnett (BoJack Horseman, Arrested Development, 30 Rock), Critics Choice and SAG Award-nominated actress Wendi McLendon-Covey (The Goldbergs, Bridesmaids, Bob’s Burgers), and actor Taran Killam (Single Parents, SNL, Drunk History).
In addition, the WGAW presented several honorary special achievement and service awards at its West Coast ceremony. This year’s honorees included: Trailblazing screenwriter-director Nancy Meyers (Private Benjamin, Something’s Gotta Give, It’s Complicated), who received WGAW’s Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement, presented to Meyers by Golden Globe-winning and Academy Award-nominated actress Diane Keaton (Something’s Gotta Give, Annie Hall); Emmy-winning, pioneering TV comedy writer Merrill Markoe (The David Letterman Show, Late Night with David Letterman), who received WGAW’s Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award for Television Writing Achievement, presented to Markoe by actress Laraine Newman (Saturday Night Live, Los Espookys); television creator-director-producer Brad Falchuk (The Politician, Glee, Pose), who received WGAW’s Valentine Davies Award, in recognition of his positive impact on young writers to increase literacy and promote self-esteem through arts education in schools, presented to Falchuk by Golden Globe-winning and Academy Award-nominated actress Kate Hudson (Glee, Almost Famous), and Writers Guild and Academy Award-winning screenwriter Charles Randolph (The Big Short), who received WGAW’s Paul Selvin Award for his Bombshell screenplay, an incisive retelling of Fox News’ sexual harassment scandal in the #MeToo era, presented to Randolph by Oscar-winning actress and Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media Founder Geena Davis (The Accidental Tourist, Thelma & Louise, Commander in Chief).
Additional attendees at WGAW’s show included: WGA Original Screenplay winner-Parasite co-screenwriter Han Jin Won, WGA Original Long Form winner-Chernobyl creator Craig Mazin, WGA Comedy Series winner-Barry co-creator Alec Berg, actress Gwyneth Paltrow (The Politician), WGA Episodic Comedy winner-Dead to Me creator Liz Feldman, President Pro Tem of the California State Senate Toni Atkins, Bombshell director Jay Roach, screenwriter-director David O. Russell, AFM Local 47 President John Acosta, Teamsters Local 399 President Kenny Farnell and Sec.-Treasurer Steve Dayan.
The Writers Guild of America, East’s New York Ceremony was hosted by actor, comedian, and TV and radio host John Fugelsang. Presenters who appeared in New York City included Golden Globe and SAG Award-winning actor Kevin Bacon (City on a Hill), Emmy Award winner and Writers Guild Award-nominated writer and talk show host Samantha Bee (Full Frontal with Samantha Bee),Emmy Award winner and Writers Guild Award-nominated writer and talk show host Jimmy Fallon (The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon), BAFTA Award-nominated actor Sam Heughan (Outlander), Daytime Emmy Award-nominated talk show host Sunny Hostin (The View), Essence Black Women in Hollywood honoree and actress Dominique Jackson (Pose), Emmy Award-winning actor Luke Kirby (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Emmy Award winner and Writers Guild Award-nominated actress and writer Natasha Lyonne (Russian Doll), Golden Globe-nominated actress Sienna Miller (The Loudest Voice), Film Independent Spirit Award-nominated actor Tim Blake Nelson (Watchmen), and Emmy Award and Writers Guild Award-nominated writer and on-screen talent Amber Ruffin (Late Night with Seth Meyers). The announcer for the evening was Emmy Award-winning correspondent and actress Nancy Giles (CBS News Sunday Morning).
The WGAE presented three honorary awards at the New York ceremony. Richard Price, the Academy Award-nominated writer of The Color of Money, the co-creator of The Night Of, and a writer for The Wire and The Deuce, was presented with the Ian McLellan Hunter Award for Career Achievement by Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton; The Bourne Identity). Writer and actress Paula Pell, who has won five Writers Guild Awards and received another nine nominations for her work at Saturday Night Live, in addition to writing credits for 30 Rock, A.P. Bio and the feature film Sisters, was presented with the Herb Sargent Award for Comedy Excellence and Mentorship by Amy Poehler, who recently directed Pell in Wine Country. Writer, WGAE Council member and co-chair of the WGAE Committee for Inclusion and Equity Lisa Takeuchi Cullen (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit) was presented the Richard B. Jablow Award for Devoted Service to the Guild by last year’s recipient, Randall Jansta.
Additional guests at the WGAE’s New York ceremony included WGA Original Screenplay winner Bong Joon Ho (Parasite), WGA Adapted Screenplay winner Taika Waititi (Jojo Rabbit), WGA Documentary Screenplay winner Alex Gibney (The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley), WGA Episodic Drama and Drama Series winner Will Tracy (Succession), WGA Drama Series winners Georgia Pritchett (Succession), Tony Roche (Succession), Susan Soon He Stanton (Succession) and Gary Shteyngart (Succession), WGA New Series winner Branden Jacobs-Jenkins (Watchmen), WGA Adapted Long-Form winners Thomas Kail (Fosse/Verdon), Steven Levenson (Fosse/Verdon), Joel Fields (Fosse/Verdon) and Debora Cahn (Fosse/Verdon), WGA Documentary Script – Other than Current Events winner Tom Jennings (FRONTLINE), Greta Gerwig (Little Women), Rian Johnson (Knives Out), Noah Baumbach (Marriage Story), Katie Silberman (Booksmart), Amy Sherman-Palladino (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Dan Palladino (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Amy Sedaris (At Home with Amy Sedaris), Chloe Sevigny (Queen & Slim), Tina Fey (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), Rachel Dratch (Shameless), Warren Leight (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit), Cirocco Dunlap (Russian Doll), Tim Greenberg (Living with Myself), Jason Jones (The Detour), Paul Simms (What We Do In The Shadows), Gabriel Sherman (The Loudest Voice), Desi Lydic (The Daily Show with Trevor Noah), John Lutz (Late Night with Seth Meyers), Jenny Hagel (Late Night with Seth Meyers), Michael Wiser (FRONTLINE), Lorraine Broderick (Days of Our Lives), Ron Carlivati (Days of Our Lives), Shelly Altman (General Hospital), Eleanor Bergstein (Dirty Dancing), New York City Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment Commissioner Anne del Castillo, New York State AFL-CIO President Mario Cilento, IATSE International President Matthew Loeb, Teamsters Local 817 President Tom O’Donnell, Producers Guild of America East Managing Director Michelle Byrd, AFL-CIO DPE President Jennifer Dorning, New York Women in Film & Television Executive Director Cynthia López, and Writers Guild of America, East President Beau Willimon (House of Cards).
Production credits for the WGAW’s show included: Executive Producer Hugh Fink; Producer Joselyn Allen (Decoupage Productions); Co-Producer Kelly Brock; Director Nick Murray; Head Writer Joe O’Brien; Writers Ed Lee, Danielle Koenig, Shelly Goldstein, and Charity L. Miller; Line Producer Shannon Walden; and Production Designer Chris Giammalvo.
Production credits for the WGAE’s show included: Co-Executive Producers Bonnie Datt, Shannon Walker; Producer Caroline Waxler; Head Writer Ann Cohen; Writers Doug Abeles, David Stephen Cohen, Bonnie Datt, Don Hooper, Dru Johnston, Kristy Lopez-Bernal, Monique Moses, Dan Perlman, Bill Scheft, Sasha Stewart, Shannon Walker, Caroline Waxler, Cody Wilkins; Line Producer LBI Audio, Video & Scenic Solutions; Clips/Tribute Reel Editors Ben Garst, Chris Lewis; and Event Videographer Kathryn Porter.
The Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) and the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) are labor unions representing writers in motion pictures, television, cable, digital media, and broadcast news. The Guilds negotiate and administer contracts that protect the creative and economic rights of their members; conduct programs, seminars, and events on issues of interest to writers; and present writers’ views to various bodies of government. For more information on the Writers Guild of America West, visit www.wga.org. For more information on the Writers Guild of America, East, visit www.wgaeast.org.
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