The David Hemingson-scripted Alexander Payne dramedy The Holdovers and Cord Jefferson’s American Fiction were the big film winners at the strike-delayed 2024 Writers Guild Awards, which were handed out Sunday in Los Angeles and New York.
Jefferson — who also was honored with the WGA West’s Paul Selvin Award — followed his Oscar win for Adapted Screenplay as the WGA‘s weird, wild and elongated Awards season wrapped with simultaneous ceremonies on both coasts. Hemingson scored a modicum of revenge for losing the Original Screenplay Academy Award to Justine Trietand Arthur Harari for Anatomy of a Fall.
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The latter script, however, wasn’t eligible for a Writers Guild Award. That’s because,unlike other guilds, the WGA deems ineligible any scripts for movies not produced under its Minimum Basic Agreement or a bona fide collective bargaining agreement with various affiliated countries.
Later, the Documentary prize went to Errol Morris for his Apple film The Pigeon Tunnel.
The Oscars came and went last month, leaving the WGA as the last entity to present 2023-24 awards.
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On the small screen, HBO’s Succession, FX’s The Bear and Netflix’s Beef completed their awards-season sweeps with respective wins for Drama Series, Comedy Series and Limited Series. All grabbed trophies from the Emmys, SAG Awards, Golden Globes and Critics Choice in recent months.
Succession also took the prize for Episodic Drama for the “Living+” episode after Peaco*ck’s Poker Face took the Episodic Comedy trophy.
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The WGA Award for New Series went to HBO’s The Last of Us, and Fox’s The Simpsons again won the Animation prize, this time for the episode “Carl Carlson Rides Again.”
The guild presented a slew of honors and tributes Sunday night.
In a previously unannounced tribute, The WGA East’s Richard B. Jablow Award was presented to the members and leadership of IATSE, the Teamsters, SAG-AFTRA and American Federation of Musicians for their support and sacrifice during the WGA’s 148-day strike last year.
The WGA East also honored Philadelphia scribe Ron Nyswaner will receive its Walter Bernstein Award, presented Wanda Sykes with its Herb Sargent Award for Comedy Excellence and handed the Ian McLellan Hunter Award for Career Achievement will go to Tony Gilroy.
The WGA West gave its highest honor — the Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award for Television Writing Achievement — to Designing WomenandEvening ShadecreatorLinda Bloodworth Thomason. Chris Keyser and David A. Goodman picked up the the WGAW Morgan Cox Award, and its Laurel Award for lifetime achievement went to Walter Hill,who wrote and/or directed and produced such films as48 Hrs.,The Warriors, The Getawayand many more.
Niecy Nash-Betts hosted the Los Angeles ceremony from the Hollywood Palladium, and Josh Gondelman emceed the New York show at Edison Ballroom in Manhattan.Here are the winners at the 2024 Writers Guild Awards:
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
The Holdovers, Written byDavid Hemingson; Focus Features
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
American Fiction, Screenplay byCord Jefferson, Based upon the novelErasureby Percival Everett; Amazon MGM Studios
DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY
The Pigeon Tunnel,Written byErrol Morris; Apple Original Films
DRAMA SERIES
Succession,Written byWill Arbery,Jesse Armstrong,Miriam Battye,Jon Brown,Jamie Carragher,Ted Cohen,Nate Elston,Francesca Gardiner,Callie Hersheway,LucyPrebble,Georgia Pritchett,Tony Roche,Susan Soon He Stanton,Will Tracy; HBO | Max
COMEDY SERIES
The Bear,Written byKaren Joseph Adco*ck, Joanna Calo, Kelly Galuska, Rene Gube, Sofya Levitsky-Weitz, Stacy Osei-Kuffour, Alex Russell, Catherine Schetina, Christopher Storer; FX Networks
LIMITED SERIES
Beef,Written byJoanna 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
NEW SERIES
The Last of Us,Written byNeil Druckmann,Halley Gross,Craig Mazin, Bo Shim; HBO | Max
ANIMATION
“Carl Carlson Rides Again” (The Simpsons), Written byLoni Steele Sosthand; Fox
EPISODIC DRAMA
“Living+” (Succession), Written byGeorgia Pritchett & Will Arbery; HBO | Max
EPISODIC COMEDY
“Escape From sh*t Mountain” (Poker Face),Written byNora Zuckerman&Lilla Zuckerman; Peaco*ck
COMEDY/VARIETY TALK SERIES
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Senior WritersDaniel O’Brien, Owen Parsons, Charlie Redd, Joanna Rothkopf, Seena ValiWritersJohnathan Appel, Ali Barthwell, Tim Carvell, Liz Hynes, Ryan Ken, Mark Kramer, Sofia Manfredi, John Oliver, Taylor Kay Phillips, Chrissy Shackelford; HBO | Max
COMEDY/VARIETY SPECIALS
Sarah Silverman: Someone You Love,Written bySarah Silverman; HBO | Max
COMEDY/VARIETY SKETCH SERIES
I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson, WritersTim Robinson, Zach Kanin, John Solomon, Gary Richardson, Reggie Henke, Brendan Jennings, Patti Harrison; Netflix
QUIZ AND AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION
The Chase,Head WriterDavid Levinson WilkWritersErik Agard, Kyle Beakley, Micki Boden, Megan Broussard, Jonathan Daly, Brian Greene, Robert King, Jason Lundell, Sierra Mannie, Amy Ozols, Bobby Patton, Ellen Teitel, Ari Yolkut; NBC
CHILDREN’S EPISODIC, LONG FORM AND SPECIALS
“Romance Dawn” (One Piece), Written byMatt Owens&Steven Maeda; Netflix
DAYTIME DRAMA
Days of Our Lives, Head WriterRon CarlivatiCreative ConsultantRyan QuanWritersSonja 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; Peaco*ck
TV & NEW MEDIA MOTION PICTURES
Quiz Lady, Written byJen D’Angelo; Hulu
SHORT FORM NEW MEDIA
Carpool Karaoke, Written byCasey Stewart, David Young; Apple TV+
NEWS SCRIPT – ANALYSIS, FEATURE, OR COMMENTARY
“Healing and Hope” (60 Minutes), Written byScott Pelley, Nicole Young, Kristin Steve; CBS News
NEWS SCRIPT – REGULARLY SCHEDULED, BULLETIN, OR BREAKING REPORT
“Surprise Attack!” (CBS Weekend News), Written by J.Craig Wilson, Ambrose Raferty; CBS News
DOCUMENTARY SCRIPT
“Episode One: Blood Memory” (The American Buffalo), Written byDayton Duncan; PBS
DIGITAL NEWS
“The Persuaders: A 5-Part Investigation into the Union-Busting Industry,” Written byDave Jamieson; HuffPost
RADIO/AUDIO DOCUMENTARY
“The Call” (This American Life), Written byMary Harris; Slate
RADIO/AUDIO NEWS SCRIPT – REGULARLY SCHEDULED, BULLETIN, OR BREAKING REPORT
“World News This Week – Week of March 17, 2023,” Written byJoy Piazza; ABC News Radio
RADIO/AUDIO NEWS SCRIPT – ANALYSIS, FEATURE, OR COMMENTARY
“The Diagnosis Was Fatal. She Couldn’t Get an Abortion” (What Next), Written byMadelineDucharmeandMary Harris; Slate
ON AIR PROMOTION
“WCBS AM Promos,” Written byBill Tynan; WCBS Newsradio 880
Katie Campione and Anthony D’Alessandro in Los Angeles and Jill Goldstein in New York contributed to this report.
