This past Saturday, the WGA honored the hard work that entertainment writers had done in TV and film with the 76th annual Writers Guild Awards. The event took place simultaneously in both New York City and Los Angeles. According to The Hollywood Reporter, shows such as Succession, Beef, and The Bear all took home awards.
There was no question whether the 2023 WGA strike was going to be mentioned or not. At the NYC ceremony, which was hosted by Josh Gondelman (Josh Gondelman: People Pleaser), he joked about the later slot that the awards were given in the year due to the strike. He also commented on how the strike made it difficult for writers to work for a while, with several nods to comedians such as Jon Stewart (The Daily Show).
“This year we’re the final event of awards season. The Golden Globes, ancient history. The Oscars were our opening act. The Writers Guild Awards are the headliner of all of the awards shows. It has been a little while since some of the nominated work was released. The Succession finale was so long ago that since it aired Tom Wambsgans has already run the Waystar-Royco company fully into the ground.”
Gondelman continued, “Since the writer’s strike ended, as a show of solidarity, I have remained unemployed. The strikes ended back in the fall, but some people are still getting back on their feet. Just to make ends meet, Jon Stewart was forced to take a part-time job working Monday nights.”
The president of WGAE, Lisa Takeuchi Cullen, presented the Jablow Award and shared her thoughts and sentiments towards the hard work TV writers and members of SAG-AFTRA did during the strike. She said: “To me, the most pivotal moments of the WGA strike of 2023 were each and every time we were joined by our sister unions. Each and every time Local 802 of the American Federation of Musicians showed up to play honky tonk on the sidewalks of New York City. Each and every time a Teamster truck driver refused to cross our line. Each and every time an IATSE crew member sacrificed their day’s pay for our cause. Each and every time a SAG-AFTRA actor grabbed a megaphone out of our hands and chanted chants that did not rhyme. Thank you for your solidarity. We are one union, and we stand by your side, forever.”
As the night went on, Hulu’s The Bear won best comedy series, and Succession took home the title of best drama series and took home the most awards of the night. Beef took home best-limited series writing.
In LA, the presenters for the awards included entertainers such as Jimmy Fallon (The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon), Tony Hale (Veep), Tig Notaro (Army of the Dead), Randall Park (Fresh Off The Boat), Nathan Fielder (Nathan For You), Maria Sten (Reacher), and Bill Burr (The King of Staten Island), among others. In New York, the presenters included Michael Cyril Creighton (Only Murders In The Building), Bridget Everett (Somebody, Somewhere), Neil Gaiman (Good Omens), Ilana Glazer (Broad City), Chris Hayes (All In With Chris Hayes), Sandra Oh (Grey’s Anatomy), and Bowen Yang (Saturday Night Live) among others.
The full list of winners in the TV categories at the WGA awards are listed below according to THR. Check it out!
Drama Series
The Crown, Written by Peter Morgan; Netflix
The Curse, Written by Carmen Christopher, Nathan Fielder, Alex Huggins, Carrie Kemper, Benny Safdie; Showtime
The Diplomat, Written by Eli Attie, Debora Cahn, Mia Chung, Anna Hagen, Amanda Johnson-Zetterstrom, Peter Noah; Netflix
The Last of Us, Written by Neil Druckmann, Craig Mazin; HBO | Max
Succession, Written by Will Arbery, Jesse Armstrong, Miriam Battye, Jon Brown, Jamie Carragher, Ted Cohen, Nate Elston, Francesca Gardiner, Callie Hersheway, Lucy Prebble, Georgia Pritchett, Tony Roche, Susan Soon He Stanton, Will Tracy; HBO | Max (WINNER)
Comedy Series
Abbott Elementary, Written by Quinta Brunson, Ava Coleman, Riley Dufurrena, Justin Halpern, Joya McCrory, Morgan Murphy, Brittani Nichols, Kate Peterman, Brian Rubenstein, Patrick Schumacker, Justin Tan, Jordan Temple, Garrett Werner; ABC
Barry, Written by Emma Barrie, Alec Berg, Duffy Boudreau, Bill Hader, Nicky Hirsch, Taofik Kolade, Liz Sarnoff; HBO | Max
The Bear, Written by Karen Joseph Adcock, Joanna Calo, Kelly Galuska, Rene Gube, Sofya Levitsky-Weitz, Stacy Osei-Kuffour, Alex Russell, Catherine Schetina, Christopher Storer; FX Networks (WINNER)
Jury Duty, Written by Tanner Bean, Lee Eisenberg, Marcos Gonzalez, Cody Heller, Mekki Leeper, Katrina Mathewson, Kerry O’Neill, Ese Shaw, Gene Stupnitsky, Andrew Weinberg, Evan Williams; Amazon Freevee
Only Murders in the Building, Written by Matteo Borghese, Madeleine George, Sas E. Goldberg, Joshua Allen Griffith, John Hoffman, Elaine Ko, Noah Levine, Tess Morris, J.J. Philbin, Ben Philippe, Jake Schnesel, Ben Smith, Siena Streiber, Pete Swanson, Rob Turbovsky; Hulu
New Series
The Diplomat, Written by Eli Attie, Debora Cahn, Mia Chung, Anna Hagen, Amanda Johnson-Zetterstrom, Peter Noah; Netflix
Jury Duty, Written by Tanner Bean, Lee Eisenberg, Marcos Gonzalez, Cody Heller, Mekki Leeper, Katrina Mathewson, Kerry O’Neill, Ese Shaw, Gene Stupnitsky, Andrew Weinberg, Evan Williams; Amazon Freevee
The Last of Us, Written by Neil Druckmann, Craig Mazin; HBO | Max (WINNER)
Poker Face, Written by Christine Boylan, Wyatt Cain, Chris Downey, CS Fischer, Rian Johnson, Alice Ju, Joe Lawson, Natasha Lyonne, Charlie Peppers, Lilla Zuckerman, Nora Zuckerman; Peacock
Shrinking, Written by Wally Baram, Rachna Fruchbom, Brian Gallivan, Neil Goldman, Brett Goldstein, Bill Lawrence, Annie Mebane, Bill Posley, Jason Segel, Sofia Selig; Apple TV+
Limited Series
A Murder at the End of the World, Written by Zal Batmanglij, Cherie Dimaline, Brit Marling, Melanie Marnich, Rebecca Roanhorse; FX Networks
Beef, Written by Joanna Calo, Bathsheba Doran, Jean Kyoung Frazier, Niko Gutierrez-Kovner, Lee Sung Jin, Alice Ju, Carrie Kemper, Mike Makowsky, Marie Hanhnhon Nguyen, Kevin Rosen, Alex Russell; Netflix (WINNER)
Daisy Jones & The Six, Written by Susan Coyne, Jihan Crowther, Harris Danow, Charmaine DeGraté, Will Graham, Nora Kirkpatrick, Jenny Klein, Liz Koe, Judalina Neira, Scott Neustadter, Stacy Traub, Michael H. Weber; Prime Video
Fargo, Written by Thomas Bezucha, Bob DeLaurentis, Noah Hawley, April Shih; FX Networks
Lessons in Chemistry, Written by Victoria Bata, Lee Eisenberg, Hannah Fidell, Emily Jane Fox, Susannah Grant, Rosa Handelman, Elissa Karasik, Boo Killebrew, Mfoniso Udofia; Apple TV+
Episodic Drama
“Crown Jewels” (Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story), Written by Shonda Rhimes; Netflix
“Kill List” (Succession), Written by Jon Brown & Ted Cohen; HBO | Max
“The Last Generation” (Star Trek: Picard), Written by Terry Matalas; Paramount +
“Living+” (Succession), Written by Georgia Pritchett & Will Arbery; HBO | Max (WINNER)
“Our Black Shining Prince” (Godfather of Harlem), Written by Chris Brancato & Michael Panes; MGM+
“Sleep, Dearie Sleep” (The Crown), Written by Peter Morgan; Netflix
Episodic Comedy
“Escape From Shit Mountain” (Poker Face), Written by Nora Zuckerman & Lilla Zuckerman; Peacock (WINNER)
“Fishes” (The Bear), Written by Joanna Calo & Christopher Storer; FX Networks
“Forks” (The Bear), Written by Alex Russell; FX Networks
“House Made of Bongs” (Reservation Dogs), Written by Tommy Pico and Sterlin Harjo; FX Networks
“Ice” (The Great), Written by Tony McNamara; Hulu
“Pride Parade” (What We Do in the Shadows), Written by Jake Bender & Zach Dunn; FX Networks
Comedy/Variety Talk Series
The Daily Show, Head Writer Dan Amira Senior Writers Daniel Radosh, Lauren Sarver Means Writers David Angelo, Nicole Conlan, Devin Delliquanti, Anthony DeVito, Zach DiLanzo, Jennifer Flanz, Jason Gilbert, Dina Hashem, Scott Hercman, Josh Johnson, David Kibuuka, Matt Koff, Lenny Marcus, Joseph Opio, Randall Otis, Zhubin Parang, Kat Radley, Lanee’ Sanders, Scott Sherman, Ashton Womack, Sophie Zucker; Comedy Central
Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Sketches by Rory Albanese Writers Jamie Abrahams, Tony Barbieri, Jonathan Bines, Joelle Boucai, Bryan Cook, Blaire Erskine, Devin Field, Gary Greenberg, Josh Halloway, Eric Immerman, Jesse Joyce, Jimmy Kimmel, Greg Martin, Jesse McLaren, Molly McNearney, Keaton Patti, Danny Ricker, Troy Walker, Louis Virtel; ABC
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver, Senior Writers Daniel O’Brien, Owen Parsons, Charlie Redd, Joanna Rothkopf, Seena Vali Writers Johnathan Appel, Ali Barthwell, Tim Carvell, Liz Hynes, Ryan Ken, Mark Kramer, Sofia Manfredi, John Oliver, Taylor Kay Phillips, Chrissy Shackelford; HBO | Max (WINNER)
Late Night With Seth Meyers, Head Writer Alex Baze Writing Supervised By Seth Reiss, Mike Scollins Closer Look Writing Supervised By Sal Gentile Writers Jermaine Affonso, Karen Chee, Bryan Donaldson, Matt Goldich, Dina Gusovsky, Jenny Hagel, Allison Hord, Mike Karnell, John Lutz, Seth Meyers, Ian Morgan, Amber Ruffin, Mike Shoemaker, Ben Warheit, Jeff Wright; NBC Universal Television
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, Head Writers Ariel Dumas, Jay Katsir Writers Delmonte Bent, Michael Brumm, Aaron Cohen, Stephen T. Colbert, Paul Dinello, Glenn Eichler, Gabe Gronli, Barry Julien, Michael Cruz Kayne, Eliana Kwartler, Matt Lapin, Caroline Lazar, Pratima Mani, Carlos Felipe Torres Medina, Opus Moreschi, Carley Moseley, Asher Perlman, Michael Pielocik, Tom Purcell, Kate Sidley, Brian Stack, John Thibodeaux, Steve Waltien; CBS Studios
The Problem With Jon Stewart, Head Writer Kris Acimovic Writers Henrik Blix, Rob Christensen, Jay Jurden, Alexa Loftus, Tocarra Mallard, Maria Randazzo, Robby Slowick, Jon Stewart, Kasaun Wilson; Apple TV+
Comedy/Variety Sketch Series
History of the World, Part II, Writers Ike Barinholtz, Emmy Blotnick, Guy Branum, Owen Burke, Adam Countee, Lance Crouther, Ana Fabrega, Fran Gillespie, Janelle James, Jennifer Kim, Nick Kroll, Sergio Serna, David Stassen, Wanda Sykes; Hulu
How To with John Wilson, Written by John Wilson, Michael Koman, Allie Viti; HBO | Max
I Think You Should Leave With Tim Robinson, Writers Tim Robinson, Zach Kanin, John Solomon, Gary Richardson, Reggie Henke, Brendan Jennings, Patti Harrison; Netflix (WINNER)
Saturday Night Live, Head Writers Kent Sublette, Alison Gates, Streeter Seidell Writers Rosebud Baker, Dan Bulla, Megan Callahan-Shah, Michael Che, Mike DiCenzo, Alex English, Jimmy Fowlie, Martin Herlihy, John Higgins, Steve Higgins, Vannessa Jackson, Colin Jost, Erik Kenward, Steve Koren, Ben Marshall, Dennis McNicholas, Lorne Michaels, Jake Nordwind, Ceara O’Sullivan, Josh Patten, Gary Richardson, Pete Schultz, KC Shornima, Ben Silva, Will Stephen, Bryan Tucker, Asha Ward, Auguste White, Celeste Yim; NBC
Comedy/Variety Specials
Adam Sandler: The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, Written by Jon Macks, Rita Brent, Jeff Stilson, Meggie McFadden; CNN
Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love, Written by Jon Macks, Carol Leifer; NBC
Marc Maron: From Bleak to Dark, Written by Marc Maron; HBO | Max
Sarah Silverman: Someone You Love, Written by Sarah Silverman; HBO | Max (WINNER)
Daytime Drama
Days of Our Lives, Head Writer Ron Carlivati Creative Consultant Ryan Quan Writers Sonja Alar, Jazmen Darnell Brown, Joanna Cohen, Carolyn Culliton, Richard Culliton, Cheryl Davis, Kirk Doering, Christopher Dunn, Jamey Giddens, David Kreizman, Henry Newman, Dave Ryan, Katherine D. Schock; Peacock (WINNER)
General Hospital, Head Writers Dan O’Connor, Chris Van Etten Writers Ashley Cook, Emily Culliton, Suzanne Flynn, Charlotte Gibson, Lucky Gold, Kate Hall, Elizabeth Korte, Shannon Peace, Stacey Pulwer, Dave Rupel, Lisa Seidman, Scott Sickles; ABC
Children’s Episodic, Long Form and Specials
“The Ballad of the Last Men” (Sweet Tooth), Written by Jim Mickle & Bo Yeon Kim & Erika Lippoldt; Netflix
“I Accidentally Vaporize My Pre-Algebra Teacher” (Percy Jackson and the Olympians), Written by Rick Riordan & Jonathan E. Steinberg; Disney+
“Romance Dawn” (One Piece), Written by Matt Owens & Steven Maeda; Netflix (WINNER)
“Say Cheese and Die!” (Goosebumps), Written by Rob Letterman & Nicholas Stoller; Disney+
“What Guy Are You” (American Born Chinese), Written by Kelvin Yu & Charles Yu; Disney+