‘Succession’ has gone out with one final bang: The HBO drama won two Writers Guild of America Awards on Sunday night — the most of any series — for best drama series and also for best drama episode. Creator Jesse Armstrong was on hand in New York to accept the award, while several of the show’s writers were also in LA to accept the honor.
This reps the final major awards show where “Succession” (which ended its run last May) was still eligible. Besides best drama, the show also won the episodic drama prize, for the episode “Living+,” written by Georgia Pritchett and Will Arbery.
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The WGA Awards recognized the best of 2023’s television and film via its annual event held this year at the Hollywood Palladium for the West Coast edition and at New York’s Edison Ballroom for the East Coast ceremony.
Big winners on the film side included “American Fiction” writer Cord Jefferson, who landed the adapted screenplay WGA Award and also was recognized with the Paul Sevlin Award. Other major winners included comedy series for FX’s “The Bear,” limited series for Netflix’s “Beef,” new series for HBO’s “The Last of Us,” and comedy/variety talk series for HBO’s “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.”
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the night was for comedy/variety sketch series, where Netflix’s “I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson” won, beating out the more established “Saturday Night Live.”
HBO/Max led all outlets with five awards, followed by Netflix with three.
In Los Angeles, Niecy Nash-Betts, who recently won an Emmy for her role on Netflix’s “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story,” hosted this year’s event. L.A. awards exec producer Hugh Fink (“Saturday Night Live”) was joined by producer Benn Fleishman of Avalon Harbor Entertainment to oversee this year’s ceremony, taking place in L.A. at the Hollywood Palladium. In the East, comedian Josh Gondelman served as host.
This repped the first WGA Awards following last year’s Hollywood strikes (which also led to the decision to delay this year’s ceremony until April, a month after the Oscars).
“We fought for equal pay, equal say and our rights to make it to the end of a 10-episode season,” Nash-Betts said.
Presenters appearing at this year’s L.A. awards show included Bill Burr (“Old Dads,” “F is For Family”), Diedrich Bader (“Veep,” “The Drew Carey Show”), Gina Yashere (“Bob Hearts Abishola”), Lindsay Dougherty (secretary-treasurer of Teamsters Local 399), Maria Sten (“Big Sky,” “Reacher”), Nathan Fielder (“The Curse,” “The Rehearsal”), Randall Park (“Always Be My Maybe,” “Fresh Off The Boat”), Tig Notaro (“One Mississippi,” “Tig Notaro: Boyish Girl Interrupted”), Tony Hale (“Veep,” “Arrested Development”), Wendi McLendon-Covey (“The Goldbergs,” “Reno 911!”) and more.
Additionally, Drew Carey (“The Drew Carey Show”), who spent millions of dollars providing free meals to WGA members during the strike, appeared to a standing ovation from the L.A. audience.
Among the honorary awards, David A. Goodman and Chris Keyser received the Morgan Cox Guild Service Award, while Walter Hill was set to receive the Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement. Also, Linda Bloodworth Thomason was honored with the Laurel Award for Television Writing Achievement, and Jefferson received the Paul Sevlin Award.
“Though this strike is over, the fight goes on,” Goodman said as he and Keyser accepted their honor.
In New York, Ron Nyswaner received the Walter Bernstein Award and the Richard B. Jablow Award was given to the members and leadership of IATSE, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, SAG-AFTRA and American Federation of Musicians “for demonstrating unwavering support and sacrifice during the WGA’s 148-day strike.” And Tony Gilroy received a standing ovation while accepting the Ian McLellan Hunter Award.
Here are this year’s winners, bolded and noted.
SCREENPLAY NOMINEES
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
“Air,” Written byAlex Convery; Amazon MGM Studios
“Barbie,”Written byGreta Gerwig&Noah Baumbach; Warner Bros. Pictures
WINNER: “The Holdovers,” Written byDavid Hemingson; Focus Features
“May December,” Screenplay bySamy Burch, Story bySamy Burch&Alex Mechanik; Netflix
“Past Lives,” Written byCeline Song; A24
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
WINNER: “American Fiction,” Screenplay byCord Jefferson, Based upon the novel“Erasure”by Percival Everett; Amazon MGM Studios
“Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.,” Screenplay byKelly Fremon Craig, Based on the book by Judy Blume; Lionsgate
“Killers of the Flower Moon,” Screenplay byEric RothandMartin Scorsese, Based on the book by David Grann; Apple Original Films
“Nyad,”Screenplay byJulia Cox, Based on the book“Find a Way”by Diana Nyad; Netflix
“Oppenheimer,” Screenplay byChristopher 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 byJeff L. Lieberman; Re-Emerging Films
“It Ain’t Over,”Written bySean Mullin; Sony Pictures Classics
WINNER: “The Pigeon Tunnel,”Written byErrol Morris; Apple Original Films
“Stamped from the Beginning,”Written byDavid Teague,Based on the bookStamped From the Beginningby Dr. Ibram X. Kendi; Netflix
“What the Hell Happened to Blood, Sweat & Tears?,”Written byJohn Scheinfeld; Abramorama
TELEVISION, NEW MEDIA, AND NEWS NOMINEES
DRAMA SERIES
“The Crown,”Written byPeter Morgan; Netflix
“The Curse,”Written byCarmen Christopher,Nathan Fielder,Alex Huggins,Carrie Kemper,Benny Safdie; Showtime
“The Diplomat,”Written byEli Attie,Debora Cahn,Mia Chung,Anna Hagen,Amanda Johnson-Zetterstrom,Peter Noah; Netflix
“The Last of Us,”Written byNeil Druckmann,Craig Mazin; HBO | Max
WINNER: “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
“Abbott Elementary,” Written byQuinta 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
WINNER: “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
“Jury Duty,” Written byTanner 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 byMatteo 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 byEli Attie,Debora Cahn,Mia Chung,Anna Hagen,Amanda Johnson-Zetterstrom,Peter Noah; Netflix
“Jury Duty,” Written byTanner Bean,Lee Eisenberg,Marcos Gonzalez,Cody Heller,Mekki Leeper,Katrina Mathewson,Kerry O’Neill,Ese Shaw,Gene Stupnitsky,Andrew Weinberg,Evan Williams; Amazon Freevee
WINNER: “The Last of Us,”Written byNeil Druckmann,Craig Mazin; HBO | Max
“Poker Face,”Written byChristine Boylan,Wyatt Cain,Chris Downey,CS Fischer,RianJohnson,Alice Ju,Joe Lawson,Natasha Lyonne,Charlie Peppers,Lilla Zuckerman,Nora Zuckerman; Peaco*ck
“Shrinking,” Written byWally 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 byZal Batmanglij,Cherie Dimaline,Brit Marling,Melanie Marnich,Rebecca Roanhorse; FX Networks
WINNER: “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
“Daisy Jones & The Six,”Written bySusan 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 byThomas Bezucha,Bob DeLaurentis,Noah Hawley,April Shih; FX Networks
“Lessons in Chemistry,”Written byVictoria Bata,Lee Eisenberg,Hannah Fidell,Emily Jane Fox,Susannah Grant,Rosa Handelman,Elissa Karasik, Boo Killebrew, Mfoniso Udofia;Apple TV+
TV & NEW MEDIA MOTION PICTURES
“Finestkind,” Written byBrian Helgeland; Paramount +
“Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie,”Written byAndy Breckman; Peaco*ck
“No One Will Save You,” Written byBrian Duffield; Hulu
WINNER: “Quiz Lady,” Written byJen D’Angelo; Hulu
“Totally Killer,”Screenplay byDavid Matalon&Sasha Perl-RaverandJen D’Angelo, Story byDavid Matalon&Sasha Perl-Raver; Prime Video
ANIMATION
“A Mid-Childhood Night’s Dream” (The Simpsons), Written byCarolyn Omine; Fox
WINNER: “Carl Carlson Rides Again” (The Simpsons), Written byLoni Steele Sosthand; Fox
“Homer’s Adventure Through the Windshield Glass” (The Simpsons), Written byTim Long; Fox
“I Know What You Did Next Xmas” (Futurama), Written byAriel Ladensohn; Hulu
“Thirst Trap: A Corporate Love Story” (The Simpsons), Written byRob LaZebnik; Fox
EPISODIC DRAMA
“Crown Jewels” (Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story), Written byShonda Rhimes; Netflix
“Kill List” (Succession), Written byJon Brown & Ted Cohen; HBO | Max
“The Last Generation” (Star Trek: Picard), Written byTerry Matalas;Paramount +
WINNER: “Living+” (Succession), Written byGeorgia Pritchett & Will Arbery; HBO | Max
“Our Black Shining Prince” (Godfather of Harlem), Written byChris Brancato & Michael Panes; MGM+
“Sleep, Dearie Sleep” (The Crown), Written byPeter Morgan; Netflix
EPISODIC COMEDY
WINNER: “Escape From sh*t Mountain” (Poker Face),Written byNora Zuckerman&Lilla Zuckerman; Peaco*ck
“Fishes” (The Bear), Written byJoanna Calo&Christopher Storer; FX Networks
“Forks” (The Bear), Written byAlex Russell; FX Networks
“House Made of Bongs” (Reservation Dogs), Written byTommy PicoandSterlin Harjo; FX Networks
“Ice” (The Great), Written byTony McNamara; Hulu
“Pride Parade” (What We Do in the Shadows), Written byJake Bender&Zach Dunn; FX Networks
COMEDY/VARIETY TALK SERIES
“The Daily Show,”Head WriterDan Amira;Senior WritersDaniel Radosh, Lauren Sarver MeansWritersDavid 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 byRory Albanese;WritersJamie 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
WINNER: “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver,” Senior WritersDaniel O’Brien, Owen Parsons, Charlie Redd, Joanna Rothkopf, Seena Vali;WritersJohnathan 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 WriterAlex Baze;Writing Supervised BySeth Reiss, Mike Scollins;Closer LookWriting Supervised BySal Gentile;WritersJermaine 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 WritersAriel 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 WriterKris Acimovic;WritersHenrik 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,” WritersIke 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 byJohn Wilson, Michael Koman, Allie Viti; HBO | Max
WINNER: “I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson,” WritersTim Robinson, Zach Kanin, John Solomon, Gary Richardson, Reggie Henke, Brendan Jennings, Patti Harrison; Netflix
“Saturday Night Live,” Head WritersKent Sublette, Alison Gates, Streeter Seidell;WritersRosebud 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 byJon Macks,Rita Brent,Jeff Stilson,Meggie McFadden; CNN
“Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love,”Written byJon Macks,Carol Leifer; NBC
“Marc Maron: From Bleak to Dark,” Written byMarc Maron; HBO | Max
WINNER: “Sarah Silverman: Someone You Love,”Written bySarah Silverman; HBO | Max
QUIZ AND AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION
“Baking It,”WritersChad Carter, Neil Casey, Jessica McKenna, Zach Reino, Nicolle Yaron;Peaco*ck
WINNER: “The Chase,”Head WriterDavid Levinson Wilk;WritersErik 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!,”WritersMarcus Brown,Michael Davies,John Duarte,Mark Gaberman, Debbie Griffin, Michele Loud,Robert McClenaghan, Jim Rhine, Billy Wisse; ABC
“Weakest Link,” Head WriterAnn Slichter;WritersChip 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
WINNER: “Days of Our Lives,” Head WriterRon Carlivati;Creative ConsultantRyan Quan;WritersSonja 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
“General Hospital,”Head WritersDan O’Connor, Chris Van Etten;WritersAshley 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 byJim Mickle&Bo Yeon Kim&Erika Lippoldt; Netflix
“I Accidentally Vaporize My Pre-Algebra Teacher” (Percy Jackson and the Olympians), Written byRick Riordan&Jonathan E. Steinberg; Disney+
WINNER: “Romance Dawn” (One Piece), Written byMatt Owens&Steven Maeda; Netflix
“Say Cheese and Die!” (Goosebumps), Written byRob Letterman&Nicholas Stoller; Disney+
“What Guy Are You” (American Born Chinese), Written byKelvin Yu&Charles Yu; Disney+
SHORT FORM NEW MEDIA
WINNER: “Carpool Karaoke,” Written byCasey Stewart, David Young; Apple TV+
“Command Z,” Written byKurt 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 bySharon Grimberg; PBS
“Clarence and Ginni Thomas: Politics, Power and the Supreme Court” (Frontline), Written byMichael Kirk&Mike Wiser; PBS
WINNER: “Episode One: Blood Memory” (The American Buffalo), Written byDayton Duncan; PBS
NEWS SCRIPT – REGULARLY SCHEDULED, BULLETIN, OR BREAKING REPORT
“Black History Month – Hall Of Fame Hero” (CBS News New York), Written byJoe McLaughlin; WCBS-TV
“Deadly Tornadoes Unleash Terror Across the Central U.S.” (CBS Evening News with Norah O’Donnell), Written byJames Hutton, Rob Rivielle; CBS News
WINNER: “Surprise Attack!” (CBS Weekend News), Written byJ. Craig Wilson, Ambrose Raferty; CBS News
NEWS SCRIPT – ANALYSIS, FEATURE, OR COMMENTARY
“Convoy of Life” (60 Minutes), Written byScott Pelley, Kristin Steve, Nicole Young; CBS News
WINNER: “Healing and Hope” (60 Minutes), Written byScott Pelley, Nicole Young, Kristin Steve; CBS News
“Hide and Seek” (60 Minutes), Written bySharyn Alfonsi, Oriana Zill de Granados; CBS News
“Put To The Test” (CBS Sunday Morning), Written byRichard Buddenhagen, Lesley Stahl; CBS News
“Targeting Seniors” (60 Minutes), Written bySharyn Alfonsi, Emily Gordon, Oriana Zill de Granados; CBS News
DIGITAL NEWS
“How Paris Kicked Out the Cars,” Written byHenry Grabar; Slate
WINNER: “The Persuaders: A 5-Part Investigation into the Union-Busting Industry,” Written byDave Jamieson; HuffPost
“The Rise of ‘Gas Station Heroin,’” Written byManisha Krishnan; Vice News
“Want to Stare Into the Republican Soul in 2023?,” Written byAlexander Sammon; Slate
“The Woman on the Line,” Written byAymann IsmailandMary Harris; Slate
RADIO/AUDIO NOMINEES
RADIO/AUDIO DOCUMENTARY
“America’s Blackest Child” (Slow Burn: Becoming Justice Thomas), Written byJoel Anderson; Slate
“The Black Box: Even AI’s creators don’t understand it” (Unexplainable), Written byNoam Hassenfeld; Vox
WINNER: “The Call” (This American Life), Written byMary Harris; Slate
“Emmery” (Party Crews: The Untold Story), Written byJanice Llamoca; Vice
“Expecting: Pregnancy Souvenirs” (Unexplainable), Written byByrd Pinkerton; Vox
RADIO/AUDIO NEWS SCRIPT – REGULARLY SCHEDULED, BULLETIN, OR BREAKING REPORT
“The Ballad of Tucker Carlson” (What Next), Written byPaige OsburnandMary Harris; Slate
WINNER: “World News This Week – Week of March 17, 2023,” Written byJoy Piazza; ABC News Radio
“World News Roundup Late Edition – October 9, 2023,” Written bySpencer Raine; CBS News
RADIO/AUDIO NEWS SCRIPT – ANALYSIS, FEATURE, OR COMMENTARY
WINNER: “The Diagnosis Was Fatal. She Couldn’t Get an Abortion” (What Next), Written byMadelineDucharmeandMary Harris; Slate
“Lacrosse – Spirit of the Land” (ABC News Radio), Written byRobert Hawley; ABC News
“Stephen King Is Just as Confused About Blue Checks as You Are” (What Next: TBD), Written byLizzie O’LearyandEvan Campbell; Slate
PROMOTIONAL WRITING NOMINEES
ON AIR PROMOTION
“Cross Walk, Cyber Bullying, VR Meditation” (KCAL News), Written byAdam Thiele; CBS News
“Strange New Promos,” Written byMolly Neylan; CBS / Paramount+
WINNER: “WCBS AM Promos,” Written byBill Tynan; WCBS Newsradio 880
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