Editor

by Quendrith Johnson, Los Angeles Correspondent

 

by Quendrith Johnson, Los Angeles Correspondent

You're going to feel like you are at the WGA Awards 2021 show right now. Because this is a live write-cast, or on the fly coverage. And it begins at 7 pm Eastern and 4 pm Pacific (California time here), the Writers Guild Awards held their virtual ceremony from New York and LA with some exciting reveals of the winners for WGA Awards 2021. And now it is live with a montage of writers saying they “wanted to be” architects, doctors, astronauts, art students, comic book artists, video game designers, and, inevitably? Actors.

“Welcome to the 73rd Writers Guild Awards” begins with Kal Penn in Toronto pretending to be muted. “I’m your host Kal Penn… for those of you not familiar with me? I’m just one of those characters played by Sacha Baron Cohen… True story, I did just become a Writers Guild member back in October, and here I am hosting the Awards.”

This is the first joint ceremony, he reveals, held jointly by WGA West and WGA East. “Who says we are against packaging?”

“Since everything is virtual tonight… ‘Alexa’ please play crowd sounds." The theme is Unity, Penn says, emphasis on the word “union” in Unity, wink, wink.

First WGA Award announced by Mrs. Maisel’s Rachel Brosnahan, who says the best thing about being virtual is? "No high heels."

And the first winner is...  The Great. Tony McNamara thanks her for the award on behalf of the group.

The second award is Fire Pink, Ozark. Miki Johnson accepts, and thanks a lot of family, and also Laura Linney and Jason Bateman, plus the entire cast of Ozark.

Sarah Cooper comes next, from “an abandoned, possibly haunted WeWork.” Each nominee appears via Zoom or other platform, as with the protocol so far. Alex Gibney wins for Agents of Chaos, Part II. Gibney talks 45, “all about chaos. The trick was to write it in a way that wasn’t totally chaotic.” Gibney generously hands over the Zoom room to Michael J. Palmer, his writing partner, who thanks his family, sister, and the WGA “for recognizing that documentary writers are writers too.” Well said.

Next comes winner Tom Jennings for Opiods, Inc. He reminds us of the opioids epidemic and “corporate complicity” which should not be forgotten in the Pandemic. “Frontline has been a partner with the Writers Guild” for a decades, Jennings adds. The “rewrites can be a bloody and brutal affair,” and he thanks everyone who collaborated on the film.

Samantha Bee leads off the next montage of writers talking about making comedy. They discuss what they miss, which is mostly “The Writer’s Room” and “snacks.”

“One of the last times I was allowed to go outside,” jokes the next presenter, Ryan O’Connell, was when he won for New Media from WGA. Mark Maurino wins for #FREERAYSHAWN. He thanks Antoine Fuqua, the actors, and his team, family, and more.

The next Award is won by Aymann Ismail, for The Store That Called The Cops on George Floyd. “Covid wiped out 30,000 media jobs,” he reveals.

Academy Award nominee Andra Day is up next with Adapted Long Form. The Zoom rooms that come into view show every different living environment you can imagine a writer would live in. Nice mix of boho aesthetics. Scott Frank and Allan Scott win for The Queen’s Gambit. No surprise there, but Scott Frank talks about an “embarrassment of riches” in the talent he worked with on this series. Frank admits he was “saved from myself many times on the adaptation… I’m very lucky to have all of you looking over my shoulder.”

Andra Day pulls a page from Billie Holiday, her Oscar-Nominated role to quote “People don’t understand the kind of fight it takes to record what you want, the way you want,” substitute “write” for “record,” she says. The winners are the writers of Mrs. America. “We the writing staff of Mrs. America have written a statement, just in case,” they won. One outstanding remark is from legendary politician Shirley Chisholm, “If there’s no room for you at the table, bring a folding chair.”

Children’s category comes up next, hosted by Amber Ruffin. Sarah Rothschild wins for The Sleepover, and there’s a little hiccup on her Zoom, but she comes through clear with a round of Thank-You’s.

Ruffin’s next category Award winner is Nick Adams for Xerox of a Xerox (Bojack Horseman). Adams thanks “this big incredible world” his producing/partners have created. Animators, and everyone gets a thanks, including his wife and children.

A series of Post-It common questions for writers follows. “The rights of writers to be paid well, and be credited shows the power of collective action,” begins the montage of 13 writers. “I feel good knowing the Union has our back,” is the theme, including a nod the WGA’s great health insurance. “We’re very lucky to have a Union who knows when we go back to work, we do it safely.” Collectively “writers can participate in the decisions that affect writers for a generation to come. The second group of 13 writers talk about “Community” and connection as a theme, including “camaraderie,” not being alone. A final 16 Zoom Room of writers echo the WGA Health Insurance importance.

Beau Willimon and a co-thanker in a pre-recorded segment congratulate the members and underscore “our collective power” for “inclusion and equity… we are incredibly proud to be part of a membership that is willing to fight and unite.” Willimon takes over from David to say “storytelling is more important than ever” in a the Pandemic “to tell the human story.”

“Hopefully next year we can do this in person,” Willimon adds.

Kal Penn comes back to say, “you gotta make your scripts stand out… so I use no spaces.” He jokes about “just team up with a white writer from Harvard” as a key to success. Cat meme comes up as a slide, as he jokes “I’m Kal Penn, and this is my Masterclass,” riffing off that platform’s intros.

News category follows Penn’s funny asides, as Baratunde Thurston announced David Muir winning for Anger in America (World News Tonight with David Muir). Thurston then announces Juneteenth as winner, also in news, accepts for the absentees.

Comedy Variety Special is up next with Stephen Colbert’s Election Night coverage winning for 2020. The list of staff writers is so long, they pick one, Opus Moreschi to say thank you.

Host Brett Goldstein jokes “All nominees have won in this category…” He is overruled by WGA rules. Amy Sedaris wins, along with her staff. Sedaris says “we have a really fun writer’s room,” and thanks everyone. “I have to go because I’m Home Schooling… and his (her son’s) focus is terrible.”

Follow Host Dominique Fishback jokes about her grandmother saying “give me the damn remote, I’m watching my Stories.” The daytime series winner is Days of Our Lives. They pick one staff writer to say “writing six shows a week” is tough, and he thanks everyone “who helps me put the show together.”

Fishback says next “the writer’s goal remains the same,” to introduce new ideas, as she announces the winner of New Series, Ted Lasso wins. Four series heads come on, including Jason Sudeikis to thank everyone.

Kal Penn comes back to ring the bell for “on-air promotions.” The winner is Get Out the Vote - Check Out Those Moves. Angad Bhalla says the series “really targeted young voters of color” to help win. Meghan Reddy thanks the “amazing team” with a quick short list of names, also for the original piece of music.

The Paul Selvin Award is next, presented by Julian Cobb. A short bio of Paul Selvin follows with the scope of the Civil Rights oriented Award. He also thanks the departed Walter Bernstein, who died recently. “His films… fought for the rights of the common people.” The murder of Civil Rights Leader Fred Hampton comes up with the names of slain people this year under controversial circumstances. Judas and the Black Messiah is showcased for artistic excellence, embodied by the Paul Selvin Award. The late Chairman Fred Hampton’s words are honored by the writers of Judas and the Black Messiah. The four speeches are coordinated to underscore the power of writers to make social change.

Lilly Singh follows with “the writers who went deep” in radio’s special category in 2020. The winner is CBS news Radio’s Changemakers: Leaders Who Made a Difference in Radio. Gail Lee jokes the Award itself “is great for holding masks.”

Singh’s next category winner in audio is Against Those Thugs. Joel Anderson and Christopher Anderson jointly accept and thank their partners.

Quiz and Audience Participation is the follow category hosted by Daveed Diggs and his adorable fluffy interloping brown Labradoodle on his lap. Weakest Link’s writers win. Four writers thank their fellow nominees, and all the writers at Weakest Link.

For Comedy Variety Talk Series, Daveed Diggs (and Labradoodle) does an Announcer Voice, to introduce the genre and announce the winner, Desus and Mero wins, and both eponymous writers thank their supporters.

Actor Leslie Odom, Jr. is next on deck, saying “many thanks to the writers who helped us escape from real life for a little while” during this lockdown era. Drama Series is the category with a tight race, which is won by “And the Award goes to Peter Morgan and John Wilson for The Crown.” Peter Morgan accepts with aplomb in the spirit of the elegant tone of The Crown, and thanks “most of all to my researchers… and to my children… not one of them shows the slightest interest in their father’s work.” (Ouch, but backhanded humor.)

A montage follows with Pencil vs Sharpie as a writer’s staple quick poll. One writer is “anti-pencil” because “the lead once broke off in my knee.”

Jimmy Fallon is next, saying but not saying the visual on Pen15. “The Great Penis Charlie Brown was one of my favorite specials growing up…” Lol, from the night-time Hosts’s Peanut Gallery humor. Fallon announces the winner in Comedy Series, which is Ted Lasso. It is their second Award of the night. Jason Sudeikis is funny, but not as funny as his 70’s mustache and flat cap look. “We want to give a big shout-out to all of our writer’s who can’t be here… because they can’t afford laptops.” Baddum-bump. “Writers are the glue that holds this rickety ship together.”

Ava Duvernay announces Documentary Screenplay for The Dissident. Mark Monroe and Bryan Fogel accept. Mark Monroe follows Fogel who talked about “taking action,” to thank all the collaborators.

Sacha Baron Cohen is next, saying he is “here as my least likable character Sacha Baron Cohen… UK variant.” His hair is slicked back and suited in white shirt and jacket, Cohen seriously delivers the names of the nominees in one of the night’s biggest categories, Original Screenplay. Tight category, with Emerald Fennell beating Aaron Sorkin and a talented group of Nominees in the top of their class. “People I admire so much” giving her the win “means so much.” “From my bleak writers room in the UK” she says the win is “unexpected and incredible” in her thank-you.

Sound of Metal’s breakout star Riz Ahmed announced Adapted Screenplay, in the other huge category of talent in a tight race. The winner is Sacha Baron Cohen’s team of writers. “I can’t hep thinking we won this because 60 percent of the Writers Guild wrote this.” He jokes that Rudy Giuliani “did a lot of the work for us” in his inadvertent performance.

Kal Penn ends with “get home safely… oh, right.”

Great show from all at the WGA. 

WINNERS for WGA Award 2021 are…

SCREENPLAY NOMINEES

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Judas and the Black Messiah, Screenplay by Will Berson & Shaka King, Story by Will Berson & Shaka King and Kenny Lucas & Keith Lucas; Warner Bros.

Palm Springs, Screenplay by Andy Siara, Story by Andy Siara & Max Barbakow; Hulu

Promising Young Woman, Written by Emerald Fennell; Focus Features

Sound of Metal, Screenplay by Darius Marder & Abraham Marder, Story by Darius Marder & Derek Cianfrance; Amazon Studios

The Trial of the Chicago 7, Written by Aaron Sorkin; Netflix

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, Screenplay by Sacha Baron Cohen & Anthony Hines & Dan Swimer & Peter Baynham & Erica Rivinoja & Dan Mazer & Jena Friedman & Lee Kern, Story by Sacha Baron Cohen & Anthony Hines & Dan Swimer & Nina Pedrad, Based on Characters Created by Sacha Baron Cohen; Amazon Studios

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Screenplay by Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Based on the Play Written by August Wilson; Netflix

News of the World, Screenplay by Paul Greengrass and Luke Davies, Based upon the Novel by Paulette Jiles; Universal Pictures

One Night in Miami, Screenplay by Kemp Powers, Based on the Stage Play "One Night in Miami" by Kemp Powers; Amazon Studios

The White Tiger, Screenplay by Ramin Bahrani, Based on the Book "The White Tiger" by Aravind Adiga; Netflix

DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY

All In: The Fight for Democracy, Written by Jack Youngelson; Amazon Studios

The Dissident, Written by Mark Monroe and Bryan Fogel; Briarcliff Entertainment

Herb Alpert Is…, Written by John Scheinfeld; Abramorama

Red Penguins, Written by Gabe Polsky; Universal Pictures

Totally Under Control, Written by Alex Gibney; Neon

TELEVISION, NEW MEDIA, AND NEWS NOMINEES

DRAMA SERIES

Better Call Saul, Written by Ann Cherkis, Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould, Ariel Levine, Heather Marion, Thomas Schnauz, Gordon Smith, Alison Tatlock; AMC

The Boys, Written by Eric Kripke, Ellie Monahan, Anslem Richardson, Craig Rosenberg, Michael Saltzman, Rebecca Sonnenshine; Amazon Studios

The Crown, Written by Peter Morgan, Jonathan Wilson; Netflix

The Mandalorian, Written by Rick Famuyiwa, Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni; Disney+

Ozark, Written by Laura Deeley, Bill Dubuque, Paul Kolsby, Miki Johnson, Chris Mundy, John Shiban, Ning Zhou, Martin Zimmerman; Netflix

COMEDY SERIES

Curb Your Enthusiasm, Written by Larry David, Justin Hurwitz, Steve Leff, Carol Leifer, Jeff Schaffer; HBO

The Great, Written by Vanessa Alexander, Tony McNamara, Tess Morris, Amelia Roper, Gretel Vella, James Wood; Hulu

PEN15, Written by; Alyssa DiMari, Maya Erskine, Anna Konkle, Josh Levine, Gabe Liedman, Rachele Lynn, Vera Santamaria, Diana Tay, Sam Zvibleman; Hulu

Ted Lasso, Written by Jane Becker, Leann Bowen, Brett Goldstein, Brendan Hunt, Joe Kelly, Bill Lawrence, Jamie Lee, Jason Sudeikis, Phoebe Walsh, Bill Wrubel; Apple TV+

What We Do in the Shadows, Written by Jake Bender, Jemaine Clement, Zach Dunn, Joe Furey, Shana Gohd, Sam Johnson, Chris Marcil, William Meny, Sarah Naftalis, Stefani Robinson, Marika Sawyer, Paul Simms; FX Networks

NEW SERIES

Dave, Written by Dave Burd, Vanessa McGee, Saladin Patterson, Luvh Rakhe, Alex Russell, Jeff Schaffer, Max Searle, Yamara Taylor; FX Networks

The Flight Attendant, Written by Kara Lee Corthron, Michael Foley, Ryan Jennifer Jones, Ticona S. Joy, Meredith Lavender, Jess Meyer, Daniele Nathanson, Marcie Ulin, Ian Weinreich, Steve Yockey; HBO Max

The Great, Written by Vanessa Alexander, Tony McNamara, Tess Morris, Amelia Roper, Gretel Vella, James Wood; Hulu

Lovecraft Country, Written by Misha Green, Shannon Houston, Jonathan Kidd, Kevin Lau, Ihuoma Ofordire, Wes Taylor, Sonya Winton; HBO

Ted Lasso, Written by Jane Becker, Leann Bowen, Brett Goldstein, Brendan Hunt, Joe Kelly, Bill Lawrence, Jamie Lee, Jason Sudeikis, Phoebe Walsh, Bill Wrubel; Apple TV+

ORIGINAL LONG FORM

Dirty John: The Betty Broderick Story, Written by Aaron Carew, Alexandra Cunningham, Lex Edness, Kevin J. Hynes, Juliet Lashinsky-Revene, Stacy A. Littlejohn, Katherine B. McKenna; USA

Hollywood, Written by Ian Brennan, Janet Mock, Ryan Murphy, Reilly Smith; Netflix

Mrs. America, Written by Tanya Barfield, Joshua Griffith, Sharon Hoffman, Boo Killebrew, Micah Schraft, April Shih, Dahvi Waller; FX Networks

Safety, Written by Nick Santora; Disney+

Uncle Frank, Written by Alan Ball; Amazon Studios

ADAPTED LONG FORM

Bad Education, Written by Mike Makowsky, Based on the New York Magazine article " The Bad Superintendent" by Robert Kolker; HBO

Clouds, Screenplay by Kara Holden; Story by Casey La Scala & Patrick Kopka and Kara Holden, Based on the book entitled “Fly A Little Higher’ by Laura Sobiech; Disney+

The Good Lord Bird, Written by Jeff Augustin, Ethan Hawke, Erika L. Johnson, Mark Richard, Kristen SaBerre, Lauren Signorino, Based on the Novel by James McBride; Showtime

Little Fires Everywhere, Written by Harris Danow, Rosa Handelman, Shannon Houston, Attica Locke, Raamla Mohamed, Amy Talkington, Liz Tigelaar, Nancy Won, Based on the book by Celeste Ng; Hulu

The Queen’s Gambit, Written by Scott Frank, Allan Scott, Based on the novel by Walter Tevis; Netflix

ORIGINAL & ADAPTED SHORT FORM NEW MEDIA

#FREERAYSHAWN, Written by Marc Maurino; Quibi

Better Call Saul Employee Training: Legal Ethics with Kim Wexler, Written by Ariel Levine; AMC Digital on YouTube

Most Dangerous Game, Written by Nick Santora, Josh Harmon, Scott Elder; Quibi

* Per Writers Guild Awards submission rules, if there are insufficient entries in any category, those entries may be placed in another category.

ANIMATION

“A Springfield Summer Christmas For Christmas” (The Simpsons), Written by Jessica Conrad; Fox

“Bart The Bad Guy” (The Simpsons), Written by Dan Vebber; Fox

“I, Carumbus” (The Simpsons), Written by Cesar Mazariegos; Fox

“Prank You for Being A Friend” (Bob’s Burgers), Written by Katie Crown; Fox

“Three Dreams Denied” (The Simpsons), Written by Danielle Weisberg; Fox

“Xerox of a Xerox” (BoJack Horseman), Written by Nick Adams; Netflix

EPISODIC DRAMA

“Bad Choice Road” (Better Call Saul), Written by Thomas Schnauz; AMC

“Fire Pink” (Ozark), Written by Miki Johnson; Netflix

“JMM” (Better Call Saul), Written by Alison Tatlock; AMC

“Raised by Wolves” (Raised by Wolves), Written by Aaron Guzikowski; HBO Max

“Something Unforgivable” (Better Call Saul), Written by Peter Gould & Ariel Levine; AMC

“Trouble Don’t Last Always” (Euphoria), Written by Sam Levinson; HBO

EPISODIC COMEDY

“Grandma & Chill” (Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens), Written by Kyle Lau; Comedy Central

“The Great” (The Great), Written by Tony McNamara; Hulu

“It’s Not You, It’s Me” (Dead to Me), Written by Liz Feldman & Kelly Hutchinson; Netflix

“Pilot” (Ted Lasso), Teleplay by Jason Sudeikis & Bill Lawrence, Story by Jason Sudeikis & Bill Lawrence & Brendan Hunt & Joe Kelly; Apple TV+

“The Tank” (Grace & Frankie), Written by Alex Kavallierou; Netflix

“Trick” (High Maintenance), Written by Isaac Oliver; HBO

COMEDY/VARIETY TALK SERIES

Desus & Mero, Writers: Daniel "Desus Nice" Baker, Claire Friedman, Ziwe Fumudoh, Josh Gondelman, Robert Kornhauser, Joel "The Kid Mero" Martinez, Heben Nigatu, Mike Pielocik, Julia Young; Showtime

Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, Writers: Kristen Bartlett, Samantha Bee, Pat Cassels, Sean Crespo, Mike Drucker, Mathan Erhardt, Joe Grossman, Miles Kahn, Sahar Rizvi, Chris Thompson, Holly Walker, Alison Zeidman, Special Materials by: Michael Rhoa; TBS

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Writers: Johnathan Appel, Ali Barthwell, Tim Carvell, Liz Hynes, Greg Iwinski, Mark Kramer, Daniel O'Brien, John Oliver, Owen Parsons, Charlie Redd, Joanna Rothkopf, Chrissy Shackelford, Ben Silva, Seena Vali; HBO

Late Night with Seth Meyers, Head Writer: Alex Baze Writing Supervised by: Seth Reiss 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, John Mulaney, Amber Ruffin, Mike Scollins, Mike Shoemaker, Ben Warheit, Jeff Wright; NBC

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Head Writers: Ariel Dumas, Jay Katsir Writers: Delmonte Bent, Michael Brumm, River Clegg, Aaron Cohen, Nicole Conlan, Stephen T. Colbert, Paul Dinello, Glenn Eichler, Django Gold, Gabe Gronli, Barry Julien, Michael Cruz Kayne, Eliana Kwartler, Matt Lappin, Felipe Torres Medina, Opus Moreschi, Asher Perlman, Tom Purcell, Kate Sidley, Brian Stack, John Thibodeaux, Steve Waltien; CBS

COMEDY/VARIETY SPECIALS

30 Rock: A One-Time Special, Written by Tina Fey & Robert Carlock; NBC

Father of the Bride Part 3 (ish), Written by Nancy Meyers; YouTube

Stephen Colbert's Election Night 2020: Democracy's Last Stand: Building Back America Great Again Better 2020, Head Writers: Ariel Dumas, Jay Katsir Writers: Delmonte Bent, Michael Brumm, River Clegg, Aaron Cohen, Stephen T. Colbert, Nicole Conlan, Paul Dinello, Glenn Eichler, Django Gold, Gabe Gronli, Barry Julien, Michael Cruz Kayne, Eliana Kwartler, Matt Lappin, Felipe Torres Medina, Opus Moreschi, Asher Perlman, Tom Purcell, Kate Sidley, Brian Stack, John Thibodeaux, Steve Waltien; Showtime

Yearly Departed, Head Writer: Bess Kalb Writers: Karen Chee, Akilah Green, Franchesca Ramsey, Jocelyn Richard; Amazon Studios

COMEDY/VARIETY SKETCH SERIES

At Home with Amy Sedaris, Writers: Jeremy Beiler, Cole Escola, Peter Grosz, Amy Sedaris; truTV

How To with John Wilson, Writers: Alice Gregory, Michael Koman, John Wilson; HBO

The Amber Ruffin Show, Head Writer: Jenny Hagel Writers: Demi Adejuyigbe, Shantira Jackson, Dewayne Perkins, Amber Ruffin; Peacock Originals

QUIZ AND AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION

Hollywood Game Night, Head Writers: Ann Slichter, Grant Taylor Writers: Michael Agbabian, Allie Kokesh, Dwight D. Smith; NBC

Jeopardy!, Writers: Matthew Caruso, John Duarte, Harry Friedman, Mark Gaberman, Debbie Griffin, Michele Loud, Robert McClenaghan, Jim Rhine, Mike Richards, Billy Wisse; ABC

Weakest Link, Head Writer: Ann Slichter Writers: Chip Dornell, Paul Greenberg, Joyce Ikemi, Stuart Krasnow, Jon Macks, Mona Mira, Scott Saltzburg, Aaron Solomon, Chris Sturgeon, Grant Taylor; NBC

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire Celebrity Season, Head Writer: Bobby Patton Writers: Alan Bailey, Josh Halloway, Seth Harrington, Shawn Kennedy; Disney/ABC Syndication

DAYTIME DRAMA

Days of Our Lives, Head Writer: Ron Carlivati Writers: Lorraine Broderick, Joanna Cohen, Carolyn Culliton, Richard Culliton, Rick Draughon, David Kreizman, Rebecca McCarty, Ryan Quan, Dave Ryan, Katherine D. Schock, Elizabeth Snyder; NBC

General Hospital, Head Writers: Dan O'Connor, Christopher Van Etten Associate Head Writer: Anna Theresa Cascio Writers: Barbara Bloom, Suzanne Flynn, Charlotte Gibson, Lucky Gold, Kate Hall, Elizabeth Korte, David Rupel, Lisa Seidman, Donny Sheldon, Scott Sickles; ABC

CHILDREN’S EPISODIC, LONG FORM AND SPECIALS

“Countdown” (The Astronauts), Written by Dan Knauf; Nickelodeon

“Mo Willems And The Storytime All Stars Present: Don't Let The Pigeon Do Storytime,” Written by Mo Willems, Based on the children's books and published by Hyperion: Leonard the Terrible Monster; Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale; A Busy Creature's Day Eating!; Elephant and Piggy's Waiting is Not Easy!; and Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus; HBO Max

“The Not Too Late Show with Elmo,” Writers: Geri Cole, Scott Gray, Benjamin Lehmann, Wendy Marston, Andrew Moriarty, Ken Scarborough, Moujan Zolfaghari; HBO Max

“The Power of We: A Sesame Street Special,” Written by Geri Cole; HBO Max

“The Sleepover,” Written by Sarah Rothschild; Netflix

“Speaking of Cancer” (Alexa & Katie), Written by Leo Chu & Eric S. Garcia & Julia Miranda; Netflix

DOCUMENTARY SCRIPT – CURRENT EVENTS

“Agents of Chaos, Part I,” Written by Alex Gibney & Michael J. Palmer; HBO Documentary Films

“Agents of Chaos, Part II,” Written by Alex Gibney & Michael J. Palmer; HBO Documentary Films

“The Choice 2020: Trump vs. Biden” (Frontline), Written by Michael Kirk & Mike Wiser; PBS

“Whose Vote Counts” (Frontline), Written by Jelani Cobb, June Cross & Tom Jennings; PBS

DOCUMENTARY SCRIPT – OTHER THAN CURRENT EVENTS

“Opioids, Inc” (Frontline), Written by Tom Jennings; PBS

“The Poison Squad” (American Experience), Written by John Maggio; PBS

“The Violence Paradox” (Nova), Written by Michael Bicks and Anna Lee Strachan; PBS

NEWS SCRIPT – REGULARLY SCHEDULED, BULLETIN, OR BREAKING REPORT

“Anger in America” (World News Tonight with David Muir), Written by Dave Bloch, David Muir, Karen Mooney, David Schoetz; ABC News

“Critical Condition” (60 Minutes), Written by Katie Kerbstat Jacobson, Scott Pelley, Nicole Young; CBS News

“Gale Sayers Obit,” Written by Joe McLaughlin; WCBS-TV

“The Wild West of Covid Testing” (60 Minutes), Written by Sharyn Alfonsi, Oriana Zill de Granados, Emily Gordon; CBS News

NEWS SCRIPT – ANALYSIS, FEATURE, OR COMMENTARY

“Exhume the Truth” (60 Minutes), Written by Katie Kerbstat Jacobson, Scott Pelley, Joe Schanzer, Nicole Young; CBS News

“Juneteenth: A Celebration of Overcoming,” Written by Dave Bloch; ABC News

“The African Basketball Trail” (60 Minutes), Written by Oriana Zill de Granados, Emily Gordon, Jon Wertheim; CBS News

DIGITAL NEWS

“Pornhub Doesn't Care,” Written by Samantha Cole and Emanuel Maiberg; Vice.com

“This Week Has Happened Before,” Written by Julia Craven; Slate.com

“The Store That Called the Cops on George Floyd,” Written by Aymann Ismail; Slate.com

“Why Did the Government Separate This Family?” Written by Jeremy Stahl; Slate.com

RADIO/AUDIO NOMINEES

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

“CBS News on the Hour with Norah O'Donnell, March 10, 2020,” Written by James Hutton; CBS New Radio

“Changemakers: Leaders Who Made a Difference,” Written by Gail Lee; CBS News Radio

“World News This Week, November 13, 2020,” Written by Joan Harris; ABC News Radio/WNTW Podcasts

RADIO/AUDIO NEWS SCRIPT – ANALYSIS, FEATURE, OR COMMENTARY

“Instrument of Hope,” Written by Christopher Barry; ABC News Audio

"Against Those Thugs: Delores Tucker and Bill Bennett” (Slow Burn) Written by Joel Anderson, Christopher Johnson; Slate Podcasts

“The Gist: Spiel, April 3, 2020,” Written by Mike Pesca; Slate Podcasts

PROMOTIONAL WRITING NOMINEES

ON AIR PROMOTION

“Can You See It?” Written by Meghana Reddy and Angad Bhalla; Facebook

“Get Out The Vote - Check Out Those Moves,” Written by Meghana Reddy and Angad Bhalla; Facebook, Instagram, YouTube

“Launch Trailers,” Written by Molly Neylan; CBS/CBS All Access

Congratulations to the winners and nominees of the 2021 WGA Awards.

PS, any typos will be hopefully cleaned up as quickly as this was written as it is a final and first raft, uh draft. ;)

 

 

Quendrith Johnson

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https://www.amazon.com/Quendrith-Johnson/e/B01MZA790Y

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