‘American Fiction,’ ‘Barbie,’ ‘Oppenheimer’ Nominated for Writers Guild Awards

The Writers Guild of America, which is bringing up the rear this awards season with an April 14 ceremony, has announced a lineup of nominees that includes “Barbie,” “Oppenheimer,” “American Fiction” and “The Holdovers.”

“Air,” “Barbie,” “The Holdovers,” “May December” and “Past Lives” were nominated in the Best Original Screenplay category, while “American Fiction,” “Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret.,” “Killers of the Flower Moon,” “Nyad” and “Oppenheimer” were nominated in the Best Adapted Screenplay category.

While four of the five original-screenplay nominees are also Oscar screenwriting nominees, the adapted-screenplay category looks dramatically different from the Academy’s, with only “American Fiction” and “Oppenheimer” making both lists.

That’s because two of the Oscar-nominated adapted screenplays, “Poor Things” and “The Zone of Interest,” were not on the ballot under WGA rules that restrict eligibility to films written under the guild’s Minimum Basic Agreement or a similar agreement from an affiliated international guild. A third Oscar nominee, “Barbie,” was deemed an original screenplay by the guild and nominated in that category, but classified as adapted by the Academy.

Other screenplays ineligible for WGA Awards were the Oscar-nominated “Anatomy of a Fall,” the international films “All of Us Strangers,” “Society of the Snow” and “The Taste of Things” as well as the animated features “The Boy and the Heron” and “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.”

The nominations mean that “Barbie,” “The Holdovers,” “Killers of the Flower Moon” and “Oppenheimer” are the only films to be nominated by all four of the major Hollywood guilds, the Directors Guild, Producers Guild, Screen Actors Guild and Writers Guild. “Poor Things” would no doubt have joined that list if it were eligible.

In the television categories, “Succession” and “The Bear” each received three nominations to lead all programs. “Succession” was nominated in the Drama Series category alongside “The Crown,” “The Curse,” “The Diplomat” and “The Last of Us,” and also took two nominations in the Episodic Drama category, which honors individual episodes.

“The Bear” was nominated in the Comedy Series category with “Abbott Elementary,” “Barry,” “Jury Duty” and “Only Murders in the Building,” and also had two nominations for individual episodes.

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Other programs with multiple nominations included “The Diplomat,” “The Last of Us” and “Jury Duty,” which were recognized in the series categories and in the New Series category.

The Writers Guild is often the last of the four major guilds to hold its awards show, which generally takes place before the Oscars but after the DGA, PGA and SAG awards ceremonies. This year, though, the guild opted in the wake of the lengthy WGA strike to move the awards out of Oscar season, placing the show more than a month after the March 10 Academy Awards.   

Here is the full list of nominees.

FILM NOMINEES

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Air, Written by Alex Convery; Amazon MGM Studios                      

Barbie, Written by Greta Gerwig & Noah Baumbach; Warner Bros. Pictures

The Holdovers, Written by David Hemingson; Focus Features

May December, Screenplay by Samy Burch, Story by Samy Burch & Alex Mechanik; Netflix      

Past Lives, Written by Celine Song; A24

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

American Fiction, Screenplay by Cord Jefferson, Based upon the novel Erasure by Percival Everett; Amazon MGM Studios

Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret., Screenplay by Kelly Fremon Craig, Based on the book by Judy Blume; Lionsgate       

Killers of the Flower Moon, Screenplay by Eric Roth and Martin Scorsese, Based on the book by David Grann; Apple Original Films

Nyad, Screenplay by Julia Cox, Based on the book Find a Way by Diana Nyad; Netflix   

Oppenheimer, Screenplay by Christopher Nolan, Based on the book American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin; Universal Pictures    

DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY

Bella!, Written by Jeff L. Lieberman; Re-Emerging Films

It Ain’t Over, Written by Sean Mullin; Sony Pictures Classics

The Pigeon Tunnel, Written by Errol Morris; Apple Original Films

Stamped from the Beginning, Written by David Teague, Based on the book Stamped From the Beginning by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi; Netflix

What the Hell Happened to Blood, Sweat & Tears?, Written by John Scheinfeld; Abramorama 

TELEVISION, NEW MEDIA AND NEWS NOMINEES

DRAMA SERIES

The Crown, Written by Peter Morgan; Netflix          

The Curse, Written by Carmen ChristopherNathan FielderAlex HugginsCarrie Kemper, Benny Safdie; Showtime 

The Diplomat, Written by Eli AttieDebora CahnMia ChungAnna HagenAmanda Johnson-ZetterstromPeter Noah; Netflix            

The Last of Us, Written by Neil DruckmannHalley GrossCraig Mazin, Bo Shim; HBO | Max

Succession, Written by Will ArberyJesse ArmstrongMiriam BattyeJon BrownJamie CarragherTed CohenNate ElstonFrancesca GardinerCallie HershewayLucy PrebbleGeorgia PritchettTony RocheSusan Soon He StantonWill Tracy; HBO | Max

COMEDY SERIES

Abbott Elementary, Written by Quinta BrunsonAva ColemanRiley DufurrenaJustin HalpernJoya McCroryMorgan MurphyBrittani NicholsKate PetermanBrian RubensteinPatrick SchumackerJustin TanJordan 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

Jury Duty, Written by Tanner BeanLee EisenbergMarcos GonzalezCody HellerMekki LeeperKatrina MathewsonKerry O’NeillEse ShawGene StupnitskyAndrew WeinbergEvan Williams; Amazon Freevee

Only Murders in the Building, Written by Matteo BorgheseMadeleine GeorgeSas E. GoldbergJoshua Allen GriffithJohn HoffmanElaine KoNoah LevineTess MorrisJ.J. PhilbinBen PhilippeJake SchneselBen SmithSiena StreiberPete SwansonRob Turbovsky; Hulu

NEW SERIES

The Diplomat, Written by Eli AttieDebora CahnMia ChungAnna HagenAmanda Johnson-ZetterstromPeter Noah; Netflix            

Jury Duty, Written by Tanner BeanLee EisenbergMarcos GonzalezCody HellerMekki LeeperKatrina MathewsonKerry O’NeillEse ShawGene StupnitskyAndrew WeinbergEvan Williams; Amazon Freevee

The Last of Us, Written by Neil DruckmannHalley GrossCraig Mazin, Bo Shim; HBO | Max

Poker Face, Written by Christine BoylanWyatt CainChris DowneyCS FischerRian JohnsonAlice JuJoe LawsonNatasha LyonneCharlie PeppersLilla ZuckermanNora Zuckerman; Peacock

Shrinking, Written by Wally BaramRachna 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 BatmanglijCherie DimalineBrit MarlingMelanie MarnichRebecca Roanhorse; FX Networks

Beef, Written by Joanna CaloBathsheba DoranJean Kyoung FrazierNiko Gutierrez-KovnerLee Sung JinAlice JuCarrie KemperMike MakowskyMarie Hanhnhon NguyenKevin RosenAlex Russell; Netflix

Daisy Jones & The Six, Written by Susan CoyneJihan CrowtherHarris DanowCharmaine DeGratéWill GrahamNora KirkpatrickJenny KleinLiz KoeJudalina NeiraScott NeustadterStacy TraubMichael H. Weber; Prime Video

Fargo, Written by Thomas BezuchaBob DeLaurentisNoah HawleyApril Shih; FX Networks

Lessons in Chemistry, Written by Victoria BataLee EisenbergHannah FidellEmily Jane FoxSusannah GrantRosa HandelmanElissa Karasik, Boo Killebrew, Mfoniso Udofia; Apple TV+

TV & NEW MEDIA MOTION PICTURES

Finestkind, Written by Brian Helgeland; Paramount +

Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie, Written by Andy Breckman; Peacock

No One Will Save You, Written by Brian Duffield; Hulu

Quiz Lady, Written by Jen D’Angelo; Hulu

Totally Killer, Screenplay by David Matalon & Sasha Perl-Raver and Jen D’Angelo, Story by David Matalon & Sasha Perl-Raver; Prime Video 

ANIMATION

“A Mid-Childhood Night’s Dream” (The Simpsons), Written by Carolyn Omine; Fox

“Carl Carlson Rides Again” (The Simpsons), Written by Loni Steele Sosthand; Fox 

“Homer’s Adventure Through the Windshield Glass” (The Simpsons), Written by Tim Long; Fox

“I Know What You Did Next Xmas” (Futurama), Written by Ariel Ladensohn; Hulu

“Thirst Trap: A Corporate Love Story” (The Simpsons), Written by Rob LaZebnik; Fox

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

“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

“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

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

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 MacksRita BrentJeff StilsonMeggie McFadden; CNN

Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love, Written by Jon MacksCarol 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

QUIZ AND AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION

Baking It, Writers Chad Carter, Neil Casey, Jessica McKenna, Zach Reino, Nicolle Yaron; Peacock

The ChaseHead Writer David Levinson Wilk Writers Erik 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

Jeopardy!, Writers Marcus BrownMichael Davies, John Duarte, Mark Gaberman, Debbie Griffin, Michele Loud, Robert McClenaghan, Jim Rhine, Billy Wisse; ABC

Weakest Link, Head Writer Ann Slichter Writers Chip Dornell, Ryan Hopak, Walter Kelly, Stuart Krasnow, Jon Macks, Meggie McFadden, Rylee Newton, Ryan O’Dowd, Scott Saltzburg, Doug Shaffer, Aaron Solomon, Grant Taylor, Mia Taylor; NBC

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

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

“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+

SHORT FORM NEW MEDIA

Carpool Karaoke, Written by Casey Stewart, David Young; Apple TV+

Command Z, Written by Kurt Andersen, Larry Doyle, Emily Flake, Akilah Hughes, Jiehae Park, Chloe Radcliffe, Nell Scovell, Roy Wood, Jr.commandzseries.com

DOCUMENTARY SCRIPT

“The Busing Battleground” (American Experience), Written by Sharon Grimberg; PBS

“Clarence and Ginni Thomas: Politics, Power and the Supreme Court” (Frontline), Written by Michael Kirk & Mike Wiser; PBS

“Episode One: Blood Memory” (The American Buffalo), Written by Dayton Duncan; PBS

NEWS SCRIPT – REGULARLY SCHEDULED, BULLETIN OR BREAKING REPORT 

“Black History Month – Hall Of Fame Hero” (CBS News New York), Written by Joe McLaughlin; WCBS-TV

“Deadly Tornadoes Unleash Terror Across the Central U.S.” (CBS Evening News with Norah O’Donnell), Written by James Hutton, Rob Rivielle; CBS News

“Surprise Attack!” (CBS Weekend News), Written by J. Craig Wilson, Ambrose Raferty; CBS News

NEWS SCRIPT – ANALYSIS, FEATURE OR COMMENTARY 

“Convoy of Life” (60 Minutes), Written by Scott Pelley, Kristin Steve, Nicole Young; CBS News

“Healing and Hope” (60 Minutes), Written by Scott Pelley, Nicole Young, Kristin Steve; CBS News

“Hide and Seek” (60 Minutes), Written by Sharyn Alfonsi, Oriana Zill de Granados; CBS News

“Put To The Test” (CBS Sunday Morning), Written by Richard Buddenhagen, Lesley Stahl; CBS News

“Targeting Seniors” (60 Minutes), Written by Sharyn Alfonsi, Emily Gordon, Oriana Zill de Granados; CBS News

DIGITAL NEWS

“How Paris Kicked Out the Cars,” Written by Henry Grabar; Slate

“The Persuaders: A 5-Part Investigation into the Union-Busting Industry,” Written by Dave Jamieson; HuffPost

“The Rise of ‘Gas Station Heroin,’” Written by Manisha Krishnan; Vice News

“Want to Stare Into the Republican Soul in 2023?,” Written by Alexander Sammon; Slate

“The Woman on the Line,” Written by Aymann Ismail and Mary Harris; Slate

RADIO/AUDIO NOMINEES

RADIO/AUDIO DOCUMENTARY

“America’s Blackest Child” (Slow Burn: Becoming Justice Thomas), Written by Joel Anderson; Slate

“The Black Box: Even AI’s creators don’t understand it” (Unexplainable), Written by Noam Hassenfeld; Vox 

“The Call” (This American Life), Written by Mary Harris; Slate

“Emmery” (Party Crews: The Untold Story), Written by Janice Llamoca; Vice

“Expecting: Pregnancy Souvenirs” (Unexplainable), Written by Byrd Pinkerton; Vox

RADIO/AUDIO NEWS SCRIPT – REGULARLY SCHEDULED, BULLETIN OR BREAKING REPORT

“The Ballad of Tucker Carlson” (What Next), Written by Paige Osburn and Mary Harris; Slate

“World News This Week – Week of March 17, 2023,” Written by Joy Piazza; ABC News Radio

“World News Roundup Late Edition – October 9, 2023,” Written by Spencer Raine; CBS News

RADIO/AUDIO NEWS SCRIPT – ANALYSIS, FEATURE OR COMMENTARY

“The Diagnosis Was Fatal. She Couldn’t Get an Abortion” (What Next), Written by Madeline Ducharme and Mary Harris; Slate

“Lacrosse – Spirit of the Land” (ABC News Radio), Written by Robert Hawley; ABC News

“Stephen King Is Just as Confused About Blue Checks as You Are” (What Next: TBD), Written by Lizzie O’Leary and Evan Campbell; Slate

PROMOTIONAL WRITING NOMINEES

ON AIR PROMOTION

“Cross Walk, Cyber Bullying, VR Meditation” (KCAL News), Written by Adam Thiele; CBS News

“Strange New Promos,” Written by Molly Neylan; CBS / Paramount+

“WCBS AM Promos,” Written by Bill Tynan; WCBS Newsradio 880

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