2025 WGA Awards Nominees Announced Amid Industry Changes

The nominations for the 2025 Writers Guild of America (WGA) Awards have been revealed, showcasing a variety of entries in both the screenplay and television categories. Noteworthy titles include Anora, A Complete Unknown, Challengers, Hit Man, and Wicked.

Best Original and Adapted Screenplay Nominees

In the Best Original Screenplay category, Anora and Challengers will compete against A Real Pain, Civil War, and My Old Ass. The Best Adapted Screenplay nominations feature A Complete Unknown, Dune: Part Two, Hit Man, Nickel Boys, and Wicked.

The announcement followed a postponement from the guild that initially aimed to make the reveal on January 9, 2025, but was delayed due to ongoing wildfires in Los Angeles.

Industry Impacts on Eligibility

This year, several high-profile scripts were ineligible for consideration. Under WGA rules, scripts can be deemed ineligible if they are produced outside the WGA’s collective bargaining agreement or authored by writers who are not union members. Among the significant missing titles in adapted screenplay were Conclave by Peter Straughan and Emilia Pérez by Jacques Audiard, both of which achieved recognition in other award circuits like the Golden Globes.

Additionally, the original screenplay category saw exclusions for scripts such as All We Imagine as Light by Payal Kapadia and The Brutalist by Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold, highlighting the competitive nature of the industry and its adherence to union standards.

Looking Back at Last Year

In the previous WGA Awards, American Fiction took home the award for Adapted Screenplay, while The Holdovers won for Original Screenplay, both of which continued to gain acclaim at the Academy Awards later that year.

Television Category Highlights

On the television front, the nominees for best drama series include The Boys, The Diplomat, Fallout, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, and Shōgun, while the comedy category boasts contenders such as Abbott Elementary, The Bear, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Hacks, and What We Do in the Shadows.

Limited series nominations highlight prominent titles like The Penguin, Presumed Innocent, Ripley, Say Nothing, and True Detective: Night Country.

Upcoming Ceremony

Mark your calendars: the 77th Annual WGA Awards will take place on Saturday, February 15, 2025.

Full List of Nominees

SCREENPLAY NOMINEES

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Anora, Written by Sean Baker; Neon

Challengers, Written by Justin Kuritzkes; Amazon MGM Studios

Civil War, Written by Alex Garland; A24

My Old Ass, Written by Megan Park; Amazon MGM Studios

A Real Pain, Written by Jesse Eisenberg; Searchlight Pictures

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

A Complete Unknown, Screenplay by James Mangold and Jay Cocks, Based on the Book Dylan Goes Electric! by Elijah Wald; Searchlight Pictures

Dune: Part Two, Screenplay by Denis Villeneuve and Jon Spaihts, Based on the Novel Dune by Frank Herbert; Warner Bros. Pictures

Hit Man, Screenplay by Richard Linklater & Glen Powell, Based on the Texas Monthly Article by Skip Hollandsworth; Netflix

Nickel Boys, Screenplay by RaMell Ross & Joslyn Barnes, Based on the Book The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead; Orion Pictures/Amazon MGM Studios

Wicked, Screenplay by Winnie Holzman and Winnie Holzman & Dana Fox, Based on the musical stage play with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and book by Winnie Holzman, From the Novel by Gregory Maguire; Universal Pictures

DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY

Jim Henson: Idea Man, Written by Mark Monroe; Imagine Documentaries

Kiss the Future, Screenplay by Bill S. Carter, Story by Bill S. Carter and Nenad Cicin-Sain; Fifth Season

Martha, Written by R.J. Cutler; Netflix

War Game, Written by Tony Gerber & Jesse Moss; Submarine Deluxe

TELEVISION, STREAMING, AND NEWS NOMINEES

DRAMA SERIES

The Boys, Written by Geoff Aull, Jessica Chou, Paul Grellong, Eric Kripke, Ellie Monahan, Judalina Neira, David Reed, Anslem Richardson; Prime Video

The Diplomat, Written by Peter Ackerman, Eli Attie, Debora Cahn, Anna Hagen, Julianna Dudley Meagher, Peter Noah; Netflix

Fallout, Written by Jake Bender, Karey Dornetto, Zach Dunn, Kieran Fitzgerald, Chaz Hawkins, Lisa Joy, Carson Mell, Jonathan Nolan, Geneva Robertson-Dworet, Gursimran Sandhu, Graham Wagner; Prime Video

Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Written by Carla Ching, Adamma Ebo, Adanne Ebo, Donald Glover, Stephen Glover, Schuyler Pappas, Francesca Sloane, Yvonne Hana Yi; Prime Video

Shōgun, Written by Shannon Goss, Maegan Houang, Rachel Kondo, Matt Lambert, Justin Marks, Caillin Puente, Nigel Williams, Emily Yoshida; FX/Hulu

COMEDY SERIES

Abbott Elementary, Written by Quinta Brunson, Ava Coleman, Riley Dufurrena, Justin Halpern, Joya McCrory, Chad Morton, Morgan Murphy, Brittani Nichols, Rebekka Pesqueira, Kate Peterman, Brian Rubenstein, Patrick Schumacker, Justin Tan, Jordan Temple, Garrett Werner; ABC

The Bear, Written by Karen Joseph Adcock, Joanna Calo, Rene Gube, Will Guidara, Matty Matheson, Alex Russell, Catherine Schetina, Christopher Storer, Courtney Storer; FX/Hulu

Curb Your Enthusiasm, Written by Larry David, Jon Hayman, Justin Hurwitz, Carol Leifer, Stephen Leff, Jeff Schaffer, Nathaniel Stein; HBO | Max

Hacks, Written by Genevieve Aniello, Lucia Aniello, Guy Branum, Jessica Chaffin, Paul W. Downs, Jess Dweck, Ariel Karlin, Andrew Law, Carol Leifer, Carolyn Lipka, Joe Mande, Aisha Muharrar, Pat Regan, Samantha Riley, Jen Statsky; HBO | Max

What We Do in the Shadows, Written by Jake Bender, Max Brockman, Zach Dunn, Shana Gohd, Amelia Haller, Sam Johnson, Jeremy Levick, Chris Marcil, William Meny, Sarah Naftalis, Marika Sawyer, Paul Simms, Rajat Suresh, Lauren Wells; FX/Hulu

NEW SERIES

English Teacher, Written by Brian Jordan Alvarez, Wally Baram, Jake Bender, Emmy Blotnick, Zach Dunn, Dave King, Stephanie Koenig, Jonathan Krisel, Paul Simms, Samantha Shier; FX/Hulu

Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Written by Carla Ching, Adamma Ebo, Adanne Ebo, Donald Glover, Stephen Glover, Schuyler Pappas, Francesca Sloane, Yvonne Hana Yi; Prime Video

Nobody Wants This, Written by Barbie Adler, Jane Becker, Jack Burditt, Vali Chandrasekaran, Craig DiGregorio, Erin Foster, Lindsay Golder, Steven Levitan, Pat Regan, Niki Schwartz-Wright, Neel Shah, Noelle Valdivia, Ron Weiner, Ryann Werner; Netflix

Shōgun, Written by Shannon Goss, Maegan Houang, Rachel Kondo, Matt Lambert, Justin Marks, Caillin Puente, Nigel Williams, Emily Yoshida; FX/Hulu

LIMITED SERIES

The Penguin, Written by Vladimir Cvetko, Breannah Gibson, Erika L. Johnson, Lauren LeFranc, Corina Maritescu, Megan Martin, John McCutcheon, Shaye Ogbonna, Nick Towne, Noelle Valdivia, Kira Snyder; HBO | Max

Presumed Innocent, Written by Miki Johnson, David E. Kelley, Sharr White; Apple TV+

Ripley, Written by Steven Zaillian; Netflix

Say Nothing, Written by Clare Barron, Joe Murtagh, Kirsten Sheridan, Joshua Zetumer; FX/Hulu

True Detective: Night Country, Written by Katrina Albright, Alan Page Arriaga, Namsi Khan, Issa López, Chris Mundy, Wenonah Wilms; HBO | Max

TV & STREAMING MOTION PICTURES

The Great Lillian Hall, Written by Elisabeth Seldes Annacone; HBO | Max

Prom Dates, Written by D.J. Mausner; Hulu

Rebel Ridge, Written by Jeremy Saulnier; Netflix

Terry McMillan Presents Forever, Written by Bart Baker; Lifetime

ANIMATION

“Bottle Episode” (The Simpsons), Written by Rob LaZebnik & Johnny LaZebnik; Fox

“Cremains of the Day” (The Simpsons), Written by John Frink; Fox

“Night of the Living Wage” (The Simpsons), Written by Cesar Mazariegos; Fox

“Saving Favorite Drive-In” (Bob’s Burgers), Written by Katie Crown; Fox

“The Tina Table: The Tables Have Tina-ed” (Bob’s Burgers), Written by Greg Thompson; Fox

“Winter Is Born” (Blood of Zeus), Written by Charles Parlapanides & Vlas Parlapanides; Netflix

EPISODIC DRAMA

“Anjin” (Shōgun), Written for Television by Rachel Kondo & Justin Marks; FX/Hulu

“The Beginning” (Fallout), Written by Gursimran Sandhu; Prime Video

“Fear of the End” (Evil), Written by Rockne S. O’Bannon & Nialla LeBouef; Paramount+

“First Date” (Mr. & Mrs. Smith), Written by Francesca Sloane & Donald Glover; Prime Video

“Olivia” (Sugar), Written by Mark Protosevich; Apple TV+

“Pilot” (Elsbeth), Written by Robert King & Michelle King; CBS

EPISODIC COMEDY

“AGG” (Somebody Somewhere), Written by Hannah Bos & Paul Thureen and Bridget Everett; HBO | Max

“Bulletproof” (Hacks), Written by Lucia Aniello & Paul W. Downs & Jen Statsky; HBO | Max

“Linda” (English Teacher), Written by Jake Bender & Zach Dunn; FX/Hulu

“Napkins” (The Bear), Written by Catherine Schetina; FX/Hulu

“Once Upon a Time in the West” (Only Murders in the Building), Written by John Hoffman & Joshua Allen Griffith; Hulu

“Petiole” (The Sticky), Written by Brian Donovan & Ed Herro; Prime Video

COMEDY/VARIETY SERIES – TALK OR SKETCH

The Daily Show, Head Writer Dan Amira; Senior Writers Lauren Sarver Means, Daniel Radosh, with Writers including David Angelo and Nicole Conlan; Comedy Central

John Mulaney Presents: Everybody’s in L.A., Writers Anna Drezen, David Ferguson, Fran Gillespie, Langston Kerman, Jeremy Levick, John Mulaney, Alex Scordelis, Rajat Suresh; Netflix

The Kelly Clarkson Show, Head Writer Jordan Watland; Writers Kevin Hurley, Nik Robinson; Syndicated

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Senior Writers Daniel O’Brien, Owen Parsons, Charlie Redd, with Writers including Johnathan Appel and Ali Barthwell; HBO | Max

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Head Writers Ariel Dumas, Jay Katsir; Writers Stephen T. Colbert, Paul Dinello, and Michael Cruz Kayne; CBS

Saturday Night Live, Head Writers Alison Gates, Streeter Seidell, Kent Sublette, with a large ensemble of writers; NBC

COMEDY/VARIETY SPECIALS

The 77th Annual Tony Awards, Written by Dave Boone; CBS

A Closer Look with Seth Meyers: Primetime Live Election Special, Head Writer Alex Baze; NBC

Nikki Glaser: Someday You’ll Die, Written by Nikki Glaser; HBO | Max

Ramy Youssef: More Feelings, Written by Ramy Youssef; HBO | Max

QUIZ AND AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION

Jeopardy!, Writers Marcus Brown, Michael Davies, and others; ABC

Pop Culture Jeopardy!, Writers Marcus Brown and others; Amazon Prime

DAYTIME DRAMA

Days of Our Lives, Head Writer Ron Carlivati; Peacock

General Hospital, Head Writers Elizabeth Korte, Chris Van Etten; ABC

The Young and the Restless, Head Writer Amanda L. Beall; CBS/Paramount +

CHILDREN’S EPISODIC, LONG FORM AND SPECIALS

“A God Buys Us Cheeseburgers” (Percy Jackson and the Olympians), Written by Rick Riordan & Jonathan E. Steinberg; Disney+

“I’m Pogey” (Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock), Written by Charley Feldman; Apple TV+

Out of My Mind, Written by Daniel Stiepleman; Disney+

“The Sign Language ABCs” (Sesame Street), Written by Jessica Carleton; HBO | Max

“Welcome to Spiderwick” (The Spiderwick Chronicles), Written by Aron Eli Coleite; Roku Channel

SHORT FORM STREAMING

Die Hart 3: Hart to Kill, Written by Tripper Clancy; Roku Channel

Tiny Time Travel, Written by Annabeth Bondor-Stone and others; PBS Kids

DOCUMENTARY SCRIPT

“The American Vice President” (American Experience), Written by Michelle Ferrari; PBS

“The Cancer Detectives” (American Experience), Written by Gene Tempest; PBS

“Part One: Inferno to Paradise” (Dante), Written by Ric Burns and Riccardo Bruscagli; PBS

“Poisoned Ground: The Tragedy at Love Canal” (American Experience), Written by Jamila Ephron; PBS

The Space Race, Written by Mark Monroe; National Geographic Channel

NEWS SCRIPT – REGULARLY SCHEDULED, BULLETIN, OR BREAKING REPORT

“Alabama IVF Ruling Sends Shockwaves Across America” (CBS Evening News), Written by James Hutton and Rob Rivielle; CBS News

“Assassination Attempt” (CBS Evening News – Special Weekend Edition), Various Writers; CBS News

“Willie Mays Tribute” (CBS Newspath), Written by Gerald Mazza; CBS News

NEWS SCRIPT – ANALYSIS, FEATURE, OR COMMENTARY

“Finding Cillian Murphy” (60 Minutes), Written by Scott Pelley, Nicole Young, and Kristin Steve; CBS News

“Fine Print: Carl Hiaasen” (CBS Sunday Morning), Written by Richard Buddenhagen and Lesley Stahl; CBS News

“History Repeats Itself in Northern Gaza One Year Later” (Ayman), Written by Rajaa Elidrissi; MSNBC

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

“Understanding Travel Advisories” (ABC NewsOne), Written by Erik Pierorazio; ABC NewsOne

RADIO/AUDIO NOMINEES

RADIO/AUDIO DOCUMENTARY

“Art on Trial” (One Year: 1990), Written by Evan Chung; Slate

“Deadly Exes: Domestic Violence Awareness with Annie Elise” (Serial Killers), Written by Maggie Admire; Spotify Studios

“A Hotbed of Homosexuality” (Slow Burn), Written by Christina Cauterucci; Slate

“If You Give a Mouse a Cookie… Will He Want a Welfare Check?” (Decoder Ring), Written by Cheyna Roth and Patrick Fort; Slate

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

“6:40am News – Nov 6, 2023”, Written by Philip Pilato; 1010 WINS AM & FM

“12-15-2023, World News This Week”, Written by Joan B. Harris; ABC News Radio

“Inside a Gaza Hospital” (What Next?), Written by Mary Harris and Rob Gunther; Slate

“Passages: Three Women Who Made A Difference”, Written by Gail Lee; CBS News Radio

“World News This Year 2023”, Written by Robert Hawley; ABC News Radio

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

“The Athleticism and Empathy of Horses” (Press Play 2024), Written by Robert Hawley; ABC News Radio

“The bleeding edge” (Unexplainable), Written by Byrd Pinkerton; Vox

“Charles Osgood Remembered”, Written by Gail Lee; CBS News Radio

PROMOTIONAL WRITING NOMINEES

ON-AIR PROMOTION

“Fortune Favors the Bold. Promotions for Tracker and King & Conqueror”, Written by Molly Neylan; CBS

“LC Voting Ads”, Written by Desireena Almoradie and Angad Bhalla; YouTube

“NCIS: Season 21 Legacy, Launch and Beyond Trailers”, Written by Erial Tompkins; CBS

“NYSNA AMC Campaign”, Written by Adrianna Hernandez Stewart and Angad Bhalla; YouTube

Source
www.goldderby.com

Nominees List for the 2025 WGA Awards