Could CODA and Don’t Look Up be on their way to Oscars? The Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) and Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) announced the winners of the 2022 WGA Awards for outstanding achievement in writing for film, television, new media, news, radio/audio, and promotional categories during a joint, virtual ceremony hosted by Ashley Nicole Black (Ted Lasso).
Coming off a Producers Guild Award victory on Saturday, CODA kicked off the virtual show by winning Best Adapted Screenplay. The category also included Dune, Nightmare Alley, tick, tick…BOOM! and West Side Story. The two of the biggest challengers to CODA in the Oscar race for adapted screenplay, The Power of the Dog and The Lost Daughter, were not eligible for the award because of WGA regulations.
In the Best Original Screenplay category, Don’t Look Up scored a surprise victory over the favorite, Licorice Pizza, , and King Richard. Two other Oscar nominees, Belfast and The Worst Person in the World, were ineligible.
In addition, Barry Jenkins received WGAW’s Paul Selvin Award for the episode “Chapter 9: Indiana Winter” of the series The Underground Railroad (Teleplay by Barry Jenkins). The Selvin Award is given to the script that best embodies the spirit of the constitutional and civil rights and liberties that are indispensable to the survival of free writers everywhere.
Legendary late-night host, writer, and comedian Dick Cavett received WGAE’s Evelyn F. Burkey Award, awarded to a person or organization whose contributions have brought honor and dignity to writers everywhere.
The full list of WGA Award Winners are below:
WGA FILM WINNERS
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Don’t Look Up, Screenplay by Adam McKay, Story by Adam McKay & David Sirota; Netflix
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
CODA, Screenplay by Siân Heder, Based on the Original Motion Picture La Famille Belier Directed by Eric Lartigau, Written by Victoria Bedos, Stanislas Carree de Malberg, Eric Lartigau and Thomas Bidegain; Apple
DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY
Exposing Muybridge, Written by Marc Shaffer; Inside Out Media
WGA TELEVISION AND NEW MEDIA WINNERS
DRAMA SERIES
Succession, Written by Jesse Armstrong, Jon Brown, Jamie Carragher, Ted Cohen, Francesca Gardiner, Lucy Prebble, Georgia Pritchett, Tony Roche, Susan Soon He Stanton, Will Tracy; HBO/HBO Max
COMEDY SERIES
Hacks, Written by Genevieve Aniello, Lucia Aniello, Joanna Calo, Jessica Chaffin, Paul W. Downs, Jess Dweck, Cole Escola, Janis Hirsch, Ariel Karlin, Katherine Kearns, Andrew Law, Joe Mande, Pat Regan, Samantha Riley, Michael Schur, Jen Statsky; HBO/HBO Max
NEW SERIES
Hacks, Written by Genevieve Aniello, Lucia Aniello, Joanna Calo, Jessica Chaffin, Paul W. Downs, Jess Dweck, Cole Escola, Janis Hirsch, Ariel Karlin, Katherine Kearns, Andrew Law, Joe Mande, Pat Regan, Samantha Riley, Michael Schur, Jen Statsky; HBO/HBO Max
ORIGINAL LONG FORM
Mare of Easttown, Written by Brad Ingelsby; HBO/HBO Max
ADAPTED LONG FORM
Maid, Written by Bekah Brunstetter, Marcus Gardley, Michelle Denise Jackson, Colin McKenna, Molly Smith Metzler, Inspired by the book by Stephanie Land; Netflix
ORIGINAL & ADAPTED SHORT FORM NEW MEDIA
Debunking Borat, Written by Robyn Adams, Paul Hogan, Jack Youngelson; Prime Video
ANIMATION
“Planteau” (Tuca & Bertie), Written by Lisa Hanawalt; Cartoon Network
EPISODIC DRAMA
“Retired Janitors of Idaho” (Succession), Written by Tony Roche &Susan Soon He Stanton; HBO/HBO Max
EPISODIC COMEDY
“Alone At Last” (The Great), Written by Tony McNamara; Hulu
COMEDY/VARIETY TALK SERIES
Conan, Head Writer: Matt O’Brien Writers: Jose Arroyo, Glenn Boozan, Daniel Cronin, Andres du Bouchet, Jessie Gaskell, Skyler Higley, Brian Kiley, Laurie Kilmartin, Todd Levin, Levi MacDougall, Conan O’Brien, Andy Richter, Frank Smiley, Mike Sweeney; TBS
COMEDY/VARIETY SKETCH SERIES
I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson, Writers: Zach Kanin, Tim Robinson, John Solomon; Netflix
COMEDY/VARIETY SPECIALS
Full Frontal Wants to Take Your Guns, Head Writers: Kristen Bartlett, Mike Drucker Writers: Samantha Bee, Pat Cassels, Sean Crespo, Miles Kahn, Chris Thompson, Holly Walker, Alison Zeidman Writing Supervised by Joe Grossman, Sahar Rizvi Special Material byMichael Rhoa; TBS
QUIZ AND AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION
Baking It, Writers: Neil Casey, Jessica McKenna, Zach Reino, Niccole Thurman; Peacock
DAYTIME DRAMA
Days of Our Lives, Head Writer: Ron Carlivati Writers: Lorraine Broderick, Joanna Cohen, Carolyn Culliton, Richard Culliton, Jamey Giddens, David Kreizman, Rebecca McCarty, Ryan Quan, Dave Ryan, Katherine D. Schock, Elizabeth Snyder; NBC
CHILDREN’S EPISODIC, LONG FORM AND SPECIALS
“The Tale of the Midnight Magic” (Are You Afraid of the Dark?), Written by JT Billings and Alex Ebel; Nickelodeon
DOCUMENTARY SCRIPT – CURRENT EVENTS
“The Healthcare Divide” (Frontline), Written by Rick Young; PBS
REELated: Jane Campion apologizes for “thoughtless” remarks about Venus and Serena
DOCUMENTARY SCRIPT – OTHER THAN CURRENT EVENTS
“Citizen Hearst, Part One” (American Experience), Written by Gene Tempest; PBS
NEWS SCRIPT – REGULARLY SCHEDULED, BULLETIN, OR BREAKING REPORT
“The Unequal Recession” (60 Minutes), Written by Katie Kerbstat Jacobson, Scott Pelley, Nicole Young; CBS News
NEWS SCRIPT – ANALYSIS, FEATURE, OR COMMENTARY
“Handcuffed to the Truth” (60 Minutes) Written by Katie Kerbstat Jacobson, Scott Pelley, Nicole Young; CBS News
DIGITAL NEWS
“‘Men’s Rights Asians’ Think This Is Their Moment,” Written by Aaron Mak; Slate.com
WGA RADIO/AUDIO WINNERS
RADIO/AUDIO DOCUMENTARY
“One Year: 1977 ‘The Miracle Cure,’” Written by Evan Chung; Slate Podcast
RADIO/AUDIO NEWS SCRIPT—REGULARLY SCHEDULED, BULLETIN, OR BREAKING REPORT
“Surfside Condo Collapse” (CBS World News Roundup Late Edition),Written by Kathleen M. Biggins; CBS News Radio
RADIO/AUDIO NEWS SCRIPT – ANALYSIS, FEATURE, OR COMMENTARY
“The Tasmanian Devil Tattoo” (Decoder Ring), Written by Benjamin Frisch; Slate Podcast
PROMOTIONAL WINNER
ON-AIR PROMOTION
“Celebrating Powerful Female Leads: Trailers for The Equalizer & Why Women Kill,” Written by Molly Neylan; CBS
While about two-thirds of WGA winners have gone on to win the Oscar in recent years, the guild restricts eligibility for its award to screenplays written under the WGA’s minimum basic agreement, or an agreement of one of several affiliated international guilds.
This year that WGA rule disqualified scripts that are heavy favorites at the Oscars including The Power of the Dog, The Lost Daughter, Drive My Car, Belfast and The Worst Person in the World.
The 94th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 27, 2022, at the Dolby® Theatre at Hollywood & Highland in Hollywood and will be televised live on ABC at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT and in more than 200 territories worldwide.
