The Writers Guild of America east and west divisions have announced their nominees for the best in television, new media, news, radio, and promotional writing for the past year.
“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” “Better Call Saul” and USA’s “Mr. Robot” lead with multiple nominations in company that includes institutions like “Game of Thrones” and “Mad Men.” The awards will be handed out in New York and Los Angeles at simultaneous ceremonies on Feb. 13.
Contenders for best Drama Series are FX’s “The Americans,” AMC’s “Saul,” HBO’s “Thrones” and “Robot.” The Comedy Series pack includes “Silicon Valley,” “Broad City,” “Veep,” “Kimmy Schmidt” and “Transparent.”
“Mad Men” creator Matthew Weiner will try for a last awards hurrah with the now-iconic series ender “Person to Person,” which is nominated for best episodic drama. Jon Stewart will also go for Comedy/Variety series for the last time with his iteration of “The Daily Show.”
“It” girl Amy Schumer rates twice with a nom for Best Variety/Sketch for the Comedy Central series “Insider Amy Schumer” and her HBO stand up special from the Apollo directed by Chris Rock, nominated for Comedy – Variety Special.
Read the full list of nominees:
TELEVISION AND NEW MEDIA NOMINEES
DRAMA SERIES
The Americans, Written by Peter Ackerman, Joshua Brand, Joel Fields, Stephen Schiff, Lara Shapiro, Joe Weisberg, Tracy Scott Wilson, Stuart Zicherman; FX
Better Call Saul, Written by Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould, Gennifer Hutchison, Bradley Paul, Thomas Schnauz, Gordon Smith; AMC
Game of Thrones, Written by David Benioff, Bryan Cogman, Dave Hill, D.B. Weiss; HBO
Mad Men, Written by Lisa Albert, Semi Chellas, Jonathan Igla, Janet Leahy, Erin Levy, Tom Smuts, Robert Towne, Matthew Weiner, Carly Wray; AMCMr. Robot, Written by Kyle Bradstreet, Kate Erickson, Sam Esmail, David Iserson, Randolph Leon, Adam Penn, Matt Pyken; USA
COMEDY SERIES
Broad City, Written by Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, Naomi Ekperigin, Ilana Glazer, Abbi Jacobson, Chris Kelly, Anthony King, Jen Statsky; Comedy Central
Silicon Valley, Written by Amy Aniobi, Alec Berg, Carrie Kemper, Sonny Lee, Dan Lyons, Carson Mell, Dan O’Keefe, Clay Tarver, Ron Weiner; HBO
Transparent, Written by Arabella Anderson, Bridget Bedard, Micah Fitzerman-Blue, Noah Harpster, Ethan Kuperberg, Ali Liebegott, Our Lady J, Faith Soloway, Jill Soloway; Amazon Studios
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Written by Emily Altman, Jack Burditt, Robert Carlock, Azie Mira Dungey, Tina Fey, Lauren Gurganous, Charla Lauriston, Sam Means, Dan Rubin, Meredith Scardino, Allison Silverman, Lon Zimmet; Netflix
Veep, Written by Simon Blackwell, Jon Brown, Kevin Cecil, Roger Drew, Peter Fellows, Neil Gibbons, Rob Gibbons, Sean Gray, Callie Hersheway, Armando Iannucci, Sean Love, Ian Martin, Georgia Pritchett, David Quantick, Andy Riley, Tony Roche, Will Smith; HBO
NEW SERIES
Better Call Saul, Written by Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould, Gennifer Hutchison, Bradley Paul, Thomas Schnauz, Gordon Smith; AMC
Bloodline, Written by Jonathan Glatzer, Carter Harris, Glenn Kessler, Todd A. Kessler, Addison McQuigg, Arthur Phillips, Jeff Shakoor, Daniel Zelman; Netflix
The Last Man On Earth, Written by Andy Bobrow, Liz Cackowski, Erik Durbin, Will Forte, Kira Kalush, Matt Marshall, Tim McAuliffe, David Noel, Erica Rivinoja, John Solomon, Emily Spivey; Fox
Mr. Robot, Written by Kyle Bradstreet, Kate Erickson, Sam Esmail, David Iserson, Randolph Leon, Adam Penn, Matt Pyken; USA
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Written by Emily Altman, Jack Burditt, Robert Carlock, Azie Mira Dungey, Tina Fey, Lauren Gurganous, Charla Lauriston, Sam Means, Dan Rubin, Meredith Scardino, Allison Silverman, Lon Zimmet; Netflix
LONG FORM ORIGINAL
American Horror Story: Hotel, Written by Brad Falchuk, John J. Gray, Todd Kubrak, Crystal Liu, Ned Martel, Tim Minear, Ryan Murphy, Jennifer Salt, James Wong; FX
Flesh and Bone, Written by Bronwyn Garrity, Jami O’Brien, Adam Rapp, Moira Walley-Beckett, David Wiener; Starz
Saints & Strangers, Written by Seth Fisher, Walon Green, Chip Johannessen, Eric Overmyer; National Geographic Channel
Sons of Liberty, Written by Stephen David, Kirk Ellis, David C. White; History Channel
LONG FORM ADAPTED
Fargo, Written by Steve Blackman, Bob DeLaurentis, Noah Hawley, Ben Nedivi, Matt Wolpert, Based on the film Fargo; FX
The Red Tent, Written by Elizabeth Chandler, Anne Meredith, Based on the book The Red Tent by Anita Diamant; Lifetime
Show Me A Hero, Written by David Simon, William F. Zorzi, Based on the book by Lisa Belkin; HBO
SHORT FORM NEW MEDIA – ORIGINAL
“Back to Reality” (Weight), Written by Daryn Strauss; weighttheseries.com
“Born This Way” (Anyone But Me), Written by Susan Miller; hulu.com
SHORT FORM NEW MEDIA – ADAPTED
“Chapter Two: Phoebe” (Heroes Reborn: Dark Matters), Written by Zach Craley; nbc.com
“Part 8” (Fear The Walking Dead: Flight 462), Written by L. Signorino & Mike Zunic; amc.com
“The Summer of Love, Part 1: Meet Charlie” (Aquarius), Written by Mike Moore & David Reed; nbc.com
ANIMATION
“Gayle Makin’ Bob Sled” (Bob’s Burgers), Written by Lizzie Molyneux & Wendy Molyneux; Fox
“Halloween of Horror” (The Simpsons), Written by Carolyn Omine; Fox
“Hank After Dark” (BoJack Horseman), Written by Kelly Galuska; Netflix
“Housetrap” (Bob’s Burgers), Written by Dan Fybel; Fox
“Sky Police” (The Simpsons), Written by Matt Selman; Fox
“Walking Big & Tall” (The Simpsons), Written by Michael Price; Fox
EPISODIC DRAMA
“Explosivos” (Narcos), Written by Andy Black; Netflix
“International Assassin” (The Leftovers), Written by Damon Lindelof & Nick Cuse; HBO
“Mind’s Eye” (The Good Wife), Written by Robert King & Michelle King; CBS
“Mother’s Mercy” (Game of Thrones), Written for Television by David Benioff & D.B. Weiss; HBO
“Person to Person” (Mad Men), Written by Matthew Weiner; AMC
“Uno” (Better Call Saul), Written by Vince Gilligan & Peter Gould; AMC
EPISODIC COMEDY
“Alive in Tucson” (The Last Man On Earth), Written by Will Forte; Fox
“Connection Lost” (Modern Family), Written by Megan Ganz & Steven Levitan; ABC
“Joint Session” (Veep), Teleplay by Simon Blackwell & Georgia Pritchett, Story by Armando Iannucci & Simon Blackwell & Georgia Pritchett; HBO
“Racegate” (Maron), Written by Dave Anthony; IFC
“Rock, Paper, Scissors, Gun” (black-ish), Written by Peter Saji; ABC
“Sand Hill Shuffle” (Silicon Valley), Written by Clay Tarver; HBO
COMEDY / VARIETY (INCLUDING TALK) – SERIES
Conan, Writers: Jose Arroyo, Josh Comers, Andres du Bouchet, Jessie Gaskell, Michael Gordon, Brian Kiley, Laurie Kilmartin, Rob Kutner, Todd Levin, Levi MacDougall, Conan O’Brien, Matt O’Brien, Andy Richter, Frank Smiley, Brian Stack, Mike Sweeney; TBS
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Writers: Dan Amira, Steve Bodow, Travon Free, Hallie Haglund, Elliott Kalan, Matt Koff, Adam Lowitt, Dan McCoy, Jo Miller, Zhubin Parang, Owen Parsons, Daniel Radosh, Lauren Sarver, Jon Stewart, Delaney Yeager; Comedy Central
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Writers; Michael Brumm, Nate Charny, Aaron Cohen, Stephen Colbert, Cullen Crawford, Paul Dinello, Eric Drysdale, Rob Dubbin, Ariel Dumas, Glenn Eichler, Gabriel Gronli, Barry Julien, Jay Katsir, Daniel Kibblesmith, Matt Lappin, Opus Moreschi, Tom Purcell, Jen Spyra, Brian Stack; CBS
Real Time with Bill Maher, Writers: Scott Carter, Adam Felber, Matt Gunn, Brian Jacobsmeyer, Jay Jaroch, Chris Kelly, Bill Maher, Billy Martin, Danny Vermont; HBO
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Writers: Jonathan Adler, Patrick Borelli, Gerard Bradford, Luke Cunningham, Mike DiCenzo, Mike Drucker, Jess Dweck, Dicky Eagan, Caroline Eppright, John Haskell, JR Havlan, Arthur Meyer, A.D. Miles, Chase Mitchell, Dan Opsal, Gavin Purcell, Jon Rineman, Albertina Rizzo, David Young; NBC
COMEDY / VARIETY – SKETCH SERIES
Inside Amy Schumer, Head Writer: Jessi Klein Writers: Hallie Cantor, Kim Caramele, Kyle Dunnigan, Jon Glaser, Kurt Metzger, Christine Nangle, Dan Powell, Tami Sagher, Amy Schumer; Comedy Central
Key & Peele, Written by Colton Dunn, Rebecca Drysdale, Keegan-Michael Key, Phil Augusta Jackson, Jay Martel, Jordan Peele, Ian Roberts, Alex Rubens, Charlie Sanders, Rich Talarico; Comedy Central
Saturday Night Live, Head Writer: Colin Jost, Rob Klein, Bryan Tucker Writers: James Anderson, Jeremy Beiler, Megan Callahan, Michael Che, Mikey Day, Steve Higgins, Zach Kanin, Chris Kelly, Erik Kenward, Dave McCary, Dennis McNicholas, Lorne Michaels, Claire Mulaney, Mike O’Brien, Josh Patten, Alison Rich, Katie Rich, Tim Robinson, Natasha Rothwell, Nick Rutherford, Meredith Scardino, Sarah Schneider, Pete Schultz, Streeter Seidell, John Solomon, Kent Sublette; NBC
COMEDY / VARIETY – MUSIC, AWARDS, TRIBUTES – SPECIALS
The 69th Annual Tony Awards, Written by Dave Boone; Special Material by Adam Goldman, Carol Leifer; CBS
2014 Kennedy Center Honors, Written by Lewis Friedman, Sara Lukinson, Nell Scovell, George Stevens, Jr., Michael Stevens; CBS
2015 Film Independent Spirit Awards, Written by Benji Aflalo, Wayne Federman, Marika Sawyer, Frank Sebastiano, Erik Weiner; IFC
Amy Schumer: Live at The Apollo, Written by Amy Schumer; HBO
Jimmy Kimmel Live: 10th Annual After The Oscars Special, Written by Jack Allison, Tony Barbieri, Jonathan Bines, Joelle Boucai, Greg Dorris, Gary Greenberg, Josh Halloway, Sal Iacono, Eric Immerman, Jimmy Kimmel, Bess Kalb, Jeff Loveness, Molly McNearney, Danny Ricker, Joe Strazzullo, Bridger Winegar; ABC
Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special, Written by James Anderson, Fred Armisen, Tina Fey, Steve Higgins, Chris Kelly, Erik Kenward, Rob Klein, Seth Meyers, Lorne Michaels, John Mulaney, Paula Pell, Jeff Richmond, Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, Tom Schiller, Sarah Schneider, Marc Shaiman, Michael Shoemaker, Robert Smigel, Emily Spivey, Kent Sublette, Jorma Taccone, Bryan Tucker; NBC
QUIZ AND AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION
Hollywood Game Night, Head Writer: Grant Taylor; Writers: Michael Agbabian, Alex Chauvin, Ann Slichter, Dwight D. Smith; NBC
Jeopardy!, Written by John Duarte, Harry Friedman, Mark Gaberman, Deborah Griffin, Michele Loud, Robert McClenaghan, Jim Rhine, Steve D. Tamerius, Billy Wisse; ABC
DAYTIME DRAMA
The Bold and the Beautiful, Head Writers: Bradley P. Bell, Michael Minnis Writers: Rex M. Best, Shannon Bradley, Adam Dusevoir, Tracey Ann Kelly, Patrick Mulcahey, Mark Pinciotti, Michele Val Jean; CBS
General Hospital, Writers: Ron Carlivati, Anna Theresa Cascio, Andrea Archer Compton, Suzanne Flynn, Kate Hall, Elizabeth Korte, Daniel James O’Connor, Elizabeth Page, Jean Passanante, Katherine Schock, Scott Sickles, Chris Van Etten; ABC
CHILDREN’S SCRIPT – EPISODIC AND SPECIALS
“Endless Night” (Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street), Written by Gretchen Enders & Aminta Goyel; Amazon Studios
“Girl Meets I am Farkle” (Girl Meets World), Written by Mark Blutman; Disney Channel
“Gortimer and the Surprise Signature” (Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street), Written by Garrett Frawley & Brian Turner; Amazon Studios
“Gortimer vs The Relentless Rainbow of Joy” (Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street), Written by David Anaxagoras and Luke Matheny; Amazon Studios
“Ranger vs. The Fabled Flower of Normal Street” (Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street), Written by Laurie Parres; Amazon Studios
CHILDREN’S SCRIPT – LONG FORM OR SPECIAL
“Descendants,” Written by Josann McGibbon & Sara Parriott; Disney Channel
DOCUMENTARY SCRIPT – CURRENT EVENTS
“American Terrorist” (Frontline), Written by Thomas Jennings; PBS
“Gunned Down: The Power of the NRA” (Frontline), Written by Michael Kirk & Mike Wiser; PBS
DOCUMENTARY SCRIPT – OTHER THAN CURRENT EVENTS
“Firestone and the Warlord” (Frontline), Written by Marcela Gaviria; PBS
“The Forgotten Plague” (American Experience), Written by Chana Gazit; PBS
“The Great Math Mystery” (Nova), Written by Daniel McCabe; PBS
“Secrets, Politics and Torture” (Frontline), Written by Michael Kirk & Mike Wiser; PBS
TV NEWS SCRIPT – REGULARLY SCHEDULED, BULLETIN, OR BREAKING REPORT
“Cuba” (60 Minutes), Written by Scott Pelley, Nicole Young, Oriana Zill de Granados, Andy Court and Robert Anderson; CBS News
“Yogi Berra Tribute,” Written by Gerald Mazza; CBS Newspath
TV NEWS SCRIPT – ANALYSIS, FEATURE, OR COMMENTARY
“The Storm After the Storm” (60 Minutes), Written by Sharyn Alfonsi, Michael Rey and Oriana Zill de Granados; CBS News
RADIO NOMINEES
RADIO DOCUMENTARY
“Marking the End of Vietnam: 40 Years Later,” Written by Andrew Evans; ABC News Radio
RADIO NEWS SCRIPT–REGULARLY SCHEDULED, BULLETIN, OR BREAKING REPORT
“Remembering New York Icons,” Written by Thomas A. Sabella; CBS Radio News
“Showtop,” Written by Chris Barry; ABC News Radio
“World News This Week, January 9, 2015,” Written by Andrew Evans; ABC News Radio
RADIO NEWS SCRIPT – ANALYSIS, FEATURE, OR COMMENTARY
“Death of a Baseball Icon,” Written by Andrew Evans; ABC News Radio
“Passages,” Written by Gail Lee; CBS Radio News
PROMOTIONAL WRITING NOMINEES
ON-AIR PROMOTION (TELEVISION, NEW MEDIA OR RADIO)
“Elementary Promos,” Written by Molly J. Neylan; CBS
“CBS On-Air Promos,” Written by Jessica Katzenstein; CBS
“The McCarthys and Under the Dome Promos,” Written by Erial Tompkins; CBS
*There were no nominees in the Television Graphic Art and Animation category this year.
The Writers Guild Awards honor outstanding writing in film, television, new media, videogames, news, radio, promotional, and graphic animation categories. The awards will be presented jointly at simultaneous ceremonies on Saturday, February 13, 2016, in New York City at the Edison Ballroom and in Los Angeles at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza.
For more information about the 2016 Writers Guild Awards, please visit www.wgaeast.org or www.wga.org.
For media inquiries about the 2016 Writers Guild Awards New York City show, please contact Jason Gordon in the WGAE Communications Department at (212) 767-7809 or email: jgordon@wgaeast.org.
For media inquiries about the 2016 Writers Guild Awards Los Angeles show, please contact Gregg Mitchell in the WGAW Communications Department at: (323) 782-4651 or email: gmitchell@wga.org.
The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) and the Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) are labor unions representing writers in motion pictures, television, cable, digital media, and broadcast news. The Guilds negotiate and administer contracts that protect the creative and economic rights of their members; conduct programs, seminars, and events on issues of interest to writers; and present writers’ views to various bodies of government. For more information on the Writers Guild of America, East, visit www.wgaeast.org. For more information on the Writers Guild of America, West, visit www.wga.org.