The Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) and Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) announced the winners of the 2023 WGA Awards for outstanding achievement in writing for film, television, new media, news, radio/audio, and promotional categories during concurrent ceremonies.
Severance, Everything Everywhere All at Once and Women Talking took home top prizes at Hollywood’s final major awards ceremony before next week’s 95th Oscars. With negotiations with the AMPTP about to start, the notion of striking was also on the minds of the presenters and winners.
“Welcome to the Writers Guild Awards and strike authorization vote,” said host Janelle James, star of Abbott Elementary, at the start of the Los Angeles ceremony, held at the Fairmont Century Plaza hotel.
In Los Angeles, the evening started with Sarah Polley winning for Best Adapted Screenplay for Women Talking.
Polley noted that the themes of the screenplay are similar to the issues the WGA is facing in upcoming negotiations. “It is about collective action,” Polley said. “It’s about having the hard conversations, about envisioning and taking responsibility for having the vision of a better future. That is the definition of a union.”
Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan, the co-writers and co-directors, of the unstoppable force, Everything Everywhere All at Once spoke about the importance of being recognized by the WGA. “Writing is confusing and hard, and we felt so lost so often,” Scheinert said. “Thank you to our therapists.”
Kwan also urged guests to get involved in preparations for a potential work stoppage. He called out a WGA strike captain who was sitting at his table.
“Every single benefit is something that has been hard fought and hard won,” Kwan said of the guild’s past successes. “The perverse incentives this industry has been boiling in is going to push against you in every single direction unless we stand together.”
But it was scribe Charlie Kaufman who brought the house to his feet. After being honored with the Guild’s Screenwriting Laurel Achievement Award.
“We are trained to believe that what we do is secondary to what they do,” Kaufman noted, with quiet intensity, referencing executives who make decisions out of fear in order to preserve their jobs.
“Our work is to reflect the world, say what is true in the face of so much lying. The rest is window dressing at best, ‘Triumph of the Will’ at worst,” he said.
Living Single creator, Yvette Lee Bowser, also drew a standing ovation when she was honored with the Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award for Television Writing. The pioneer spoke of her career and her early days getting started “in the war-torn trenches of A Different World Season 1.”
“I am blessed to live in my purpose, telling authentic, resonant stories and creating new opportunities for new talent to break through,” she said. Bowser also named Living Single stars Kim Coles and Queen Latifah, who insisted that Fox hire a young Black female showrunner to steer the voice of a path-breaking ensemble comedy about young Black women navigating their professional and personal lives.
REELated:
It was a night that made one proud to be a member of the WGA. All of the WGA winners are listed below:
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Everything Everywhere All At Once, Written by Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert; A24
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Women Talking, Screenplay by Sarah Polley, Based upon the Book by Miriam Toews; Orion Pictures/MGM
DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY
Moonage Daydream, Written by Brett Morgen; Neon
TELEVISION AND NEW MEDIA WINNERS
DRAMA SERIES
Severance, Written by Chris Black, Andrew Colville, Kari Drake, Dan Erickson, Mark Friedman, Helen Leigh, Anna Ouyang Moench, Amanda Overton; Apple TV+
COMEDY SERIES
The Bear, Written by Karen Joseph Adcock, Joanna Calo, Rene Gube, Sofya Levitsky-Weitz, Alex O’Keefe, Catherine Schetina, Christopher Storer; FX Networks
NEW SERIES
Severance, Written by Chris Black, Andrew Colville, Kari Drake, Dan Erickson, Mark Friedman, Helen Leigh, Anna Ouyang Moench, Amanda Overton; Apple TV+
LIMITED SERIES
The White Lotus, Written by Mike White; HBO/HBO Max
TV & NEW MEDIA MOTION PICTURES
Honor Society, Written by David A. Goodman; Paramount+
ANIMATION
“Rectify” (Undone), Written by Elijah Aron & Patrick Metcalf; Prime Video
EPISODIC DRAMA
“Plan and Execution” (Better Call Saul), Written by Thomas Schnauz; AMC
EPISODIC COMEDY
“The One, The Only” (Hacks), Written by Lucia Aniello & Paul W. Downs &Jen Statsky; HBO/HBO Max
COMEDY/VARIETY TALK SERIES
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/HBO Max
COMEDY/VARIETY SKETCH SERIES
Inside Amy Schumer, Writers Georgie Aldaco, Rosebud Baker, Jeremy Beiler, Cazzie David, Tova Diker, Rachel Feinstein, Derek Gaines, Jon Glaser, Jaye McBride, Tim Meadows, Christine Nangle, Daniel Powell, Tami Sagher, Yamaneika Saunders, Amy Schumer, Sascha Seinfeld Joe Strazzullo, Sydnee Washington, Ron Weiner; Paramount+
COMEDY/VARIETY SPECIALS
Jerrod Carmichael: Rothaniel, Written by Jerrod Carmichael; HBO/HBO Max
QUIZ AND AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION
Baking It, Writers Neil Casey, Chad Carter, Jessica McKenna, Zach Reino; Peacock
DAYTIME DRAMA
Days of Our Lives, Head Writer Ron Carlivati Writers Lorraine Broderick, Jazmen Darnell Brown, Joanna Cohen, Carolyn Culliton, Richard Culliton, Cheryl Davis, Kirk Doering, Christopher Dunn, Jamey Giddens, David Kreizman, Ryan Quan, Dave Ryan, Katherine D. Schock; NBC
CHILDREN’S EPISODIC, LONG FORM AND SPECIALS
“Prison or Palace” (Life by Ella), Written by Hernan Barangan; Apple TV+
SHORT FORM NEW MEDIA
Three Busy Debras, Written by Sandy Honig, Mitra Jouhari, Sarah Sherman, Alyssa Stonoha, Diana Tay, Evan Waite; Adult Swim
DOCUMENTARY SCRIPT – CURRENT EVENTS
“Lies, Politics and Democracy” (Frontline), Written by Michael Kirk & Mike Wiser; PBS
DOCUMENTARY SCRIPT – OTHER THAN CURRENT EVENTS
“Episode Two: An American (1775 – 1790)” (Benjamin Franklin), Written by Dayton Duncan; PBS
NEWS SCRIPT – REGULARLY SCHEDULED, BULLETIN, OR BREAKING REPORT
“The Water Crisis in Jackson, Mississippi” (CBS Evening News with Norah O’Donnell), Written by James Hutton, Rob Rivielle; CBS News
NEWS SCRIPT – ANALYSIS, FEATURE, OR COMMENTARY
“Targeting Americans” (60 Minutes), Written by Scott Pelley, Oriana Zill de Granados; CBS News
DIGITAL NEWS
“How Oregon’s Prison System Retaliated Against Its Most Effective Jailhouse Lawyer,” Written by Jessica Schulberg; HuffPost.com
RADIO/AUDIO NOMINEES
RADIO/AUDIO DOCUMENTARY
“The War in Jennifer Weiss” (Crime Show), Written by Emma Courtland & Mitch Hansen; Gimlet Media
RADIO/AUDIO NEWS SCRIPT – REGULARLY SCHEDULED, BULLETIN, OR BREAKING REPORT
“Hail And Farewell: Saluting 5 Who Made A Difference,” Written by Gail Lee; CBS Radio
RADIO/AUDIO NEWS SCRIPT – ANALYSIS, FEATURE, OR COMMENTARY
“What I Wish I Knew Before I Started IVF” (The Waves), Written by Cheyna Roth; Slate
PROMOTIONAL WRITING NOMINEES
ON AIR PROMOTION
“CBS Celebrates Juneteenth,” Written by Justin DiLauro; CBS News
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