The 72nd annual Writers Guild Awards took place on Saturday, February 1 to honor writing across a variety of forms, including film, television, and digital media. Among the biggest winners of the night were Bong Joon ho for his work on Parasite, Taika Waititi for his adaptation work on Jojo Rabbit, and HBO, who emerged victorious in the top TV categories as some of their biggest shows — Succession, Barry, and Watchmen — all scooped up awards.
The biggest awards of the evening, Original Screenplay and Adapted Screenplay, were handed out at the start of the ceremony to accommodate those nominees (and eventual winners) who also had to appear at the BAFTAs in London mere hours later. One of those winners, Director Bong, delivered a very kind speech honoring his fellow Original Screenplay nominees:
"I loved and appreciated all of the films nominated for this category this year and although I am not familiar with American teenage culture, I really enjoyed Booksmart. It was so beautiful to see the two young men in 1917 sharing love and conversations amidst the cannons of warfare. I've been a huge fan of Agatha Christie's novels since I was a kid, and I never thought I would see such an amazing whodunit film. I really want to congratulate [Knives Out writer] Rian Johnson as well. And I have so much I want to say about Noah Baumbach. Ever since The Squid and The Whale, I've been so jealous of him, he's such a great writer. With Marriage Story from the first opening scene where they wrote the letter, I started crying. I think just from those letters, it deserves an award, it's one of the best films of our generation. I'd like to share this award with all the nominees tonight and especially it's such a huge honor to receive this award from [presenter] Kevin Bacon."
Waititi, a winner for his work on adapting the novel Caging Skies into the feature film Jojo Rabbit, spoke with The Hollywood Reporter on Saturday night about his writing process and the writing world, sharing,
"Writing is the hardest part of it for me and the loneliest part of it. It's the part where you feel like you're just doing it all by yourself and for me it's the least collaborative part because I usually write alone. To get recognized, anything like that, from writers and from your peers, and from the writing community, I guess it feels more special to me because it's probably, of all the things I do, I'd say it's the thing that I hadn't really imagined myself as a writer. I don't describe myself as a writer, so actual writers, who are really good at writing, support you in this way, makes me feel part of the cool club.
As for television, HBO came away the biggest winner of them all. Series including Succession, Barry, and Watchmen all scooped up honors, beating out shows like The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Russian Doll, and The Crown (all award-winning shows). Succession was met with additional glory when it not only earned the Drama Series award but also Episodic Drama award for the writing on the Season 2 episode "Tern Haven."
Check out the full list of winners from the 2020 WGAs below. For more, check out the full list of winners from the 2020 Directors Guild Awards and 2020 Producers Guild Awards.
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Parasite, Screenplay by Bong Joon Ho and Han Jin Won, Story by Bong Joon Ho; Neon (WINNER)
1917, Written by Sam Mendes & Krysty Wilson-Cairns; Universal Pictures
Booksmart, Written by Emily Halpern & Sarah Haskins and Susanna Fogel and Katie Silberman; United Artists Releasing
Knives Out, Written by Rian Johnson; Lionsgate
Marriage Story, Written by Noah Baumbach; Netflix
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Jojo Rabbit, Screenplay by Taika Waititi, Based on the book Caging Skies by Christine Leunens; Fox Searchlight (WINNER)
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, Written by Micah Fitzerman-Blue & Noah Harpster, Inspired by the Article “Can You Say…Hero?” by Tom Junod; TriStar Pictures
The Irishman, Screenplay by Steven Zaillian, Based upon the Book I Heard You Paint Houses by Charles Brandt; Netflix
Joker, Written by Todd Phillips & Scott Silver, Based on Characters from DC Comics; Warner Bros. Pictures
Little Women, Screenplay by Greta Gerwig, Based on the Novel by Louisa May Alcott; Sony Pictures
DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY
The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley, Written by Alex Gibney; HBO Documentary Films (WINNER)
Citizen K, Written by Alex Gibney; Greenwich Entertainment
Foster, Written by Mark Jonathan Harris; HBO Documentary Films
Joseph Pulitzer: Voice of the People, Written by Robert Seidman & Oren Rudavsky; First Run Features
The Kingmaker, Written by Lauren Greenfield; Showtime Documentary Films
DRAMA SERIES
Succession, Written byJesse Armstrong, Alice Birch, Jon Brown, Jonathan Glatzer, Cord Jefferson, Mary Laws, Lucy Prebble, Georgia Pritchett, Tony Roche, Gary Shteyngart, Susan Soon He Stanton, Will Tracy; HBO (WINNER)
The Crown, Written by James Graham, David Hancock, Peter Morgan; Netflix
The Handmaid’s Tale, Written by Marissa Jo Cerar, Yahlin Chang, Nina Fiore, Dorothy Fortenberry, Jacy Heldrich, John Herrera, Lynn Renee Maxcy, Bruce Miller, Kira Snyder, Eric Tuchman; Hulu
Mindhunter, Written by Pamela Cederquist, Joshua Donen, Marcus Gardley, Shaun Grant, Liz Hannah, Phillip Howze, Jason Johnson, Doug Jung, Colin Louro, Alex Metcalf, Courtenay Miles, Dominic Orlando, Joe Penhall, Ruby Rae Spiegel; Netflix
Watchmen, Written by Lila Byock, Nick Cuse, Christal Henry, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Cord Jefferson, Jeff Jensen, Claire Kiechel, Damon Lindelof, Stacy Osei-Kuffour, Tom Spezialy, Carly Wray; HBO
COMEDY SERIES
Barry, Written by Alec Berg, Duffy Boudreau, Bill Hader, Emily Heller, Jason Kim, Taofik Kolade, Elizabeth Sarnoff; HBO (WINNER)
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Written by Katherine Fodor, Noah Gardenswartz, Daniel Goldfarb, Alison Leiby, Dan Palladino, Sono Patel, Amy Sherman-Palladino, Jordan Temple; Prime Video
PEN15, Written by Jeff Chan, Maya Erskine, Anna Konkle, Gabe Liedman, Stacy Osei-Kuffour, Andrew Rhymer, Jessica Watson, Sam Zvibleman; Hulu
Russian Doll, Written by Jocelyn Bioh, Flora Birnbaum, Cirocco Dunlap, Leslye Headland, Natasha Lyonne, Amy Poehler, Tami Sagher, Allison Silverman; Netflix
Veep, Written by Gabrielle Allan-Greenberg, Rachel Axler, Emilia Barrosse, Ted Cohen, Jennifer Crittenden, Alex Gregory, Steve Hely, Peter Huyck, Erik Kenward, Billy Kimball, David Mandel, Ian Maxtone-Graham, Dan Mintz, Lew Morton, Dan O'Keefe, Georgia Pritchett, Leila Strachan; HBO
NEW SERIES
Watchmen, Written by Lila Byock, Nick Cuse, Christal Henry, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Cord Jefferson, Jeff Jensen, Claire Kiechel, Damon Lindelof, Stacy Osei-Kuffour, Tom Spezialy, Carly Wray; HBO (WINNER)
Dead To Me, Written by Rebecca Addelman, Njeri Brown, Liz Feldman, Kelly Hutchinson, Anthony King, Emma Rathbone, Kate Robin, Abe Sylvia; Netflix
PEN15, Written by Jeff Chan, Maya Erskine, Anna Konkle, Gabe Liedman, Stacy Osei-Kuffour, Andrew Rhymer, Jessica Watson, Sam Zvibleman; Hulu
Russian Doll, Written by Jocelyn Bioh, Flora Birnbaum, Cirocco Dunlap, Leslye Headland, Natasha Lyonne, Amy Poehler, Tami Sagher, Allison Silverman; Netflix
What We Do in the Shadows, Written by Jesse Armstrong, Sam Bain, Jemaine Clement, Josh Lieb, Iain Morris, Stefani Robinson, Duncan Sarkies, Marika Sawyer, Tom Scharpling, Paul Simms,Taika Waititi; FX Networks
ORIGINAL LONG FORM
Chernobyl, Written by Craig Mazin; HBO (WINNER)
The Terror: Infamy, Written by Max Borenstein, Alessandra DiMona, Shannon Goss, Steven Hanna, Naomi Iizuka, Benjamin Klein, Danielle Roderick, Tony Tost, Alexander Woo; AMC
Togo, Written by Tom Flynn; Disney+
True Detective, Written by Alessandra DiMona, Graham Gordy, Gabriel Hobson, David Milch, Nic Pizzolatto; HBO
ADAPTED LONG FORM
Fosse/Verdon, Written by Debora Cahn, Joel Fields, Ike Holter, Thomas Kail, Steven Levenson, Charlotte Stoudt, Tracey Scott Wilson, Based on the book Fosse by Sam Wasson; FX Networks (WINNER)
El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, Written by Vince Gilligan; Netflix
The Loudest Voice, Written by John Harrington Bland, Laura Eason, Tom McCarthy, Alex Metcalf, Gabriel Sherman, Jennifer Stahl, Based on the Book The Loudest Voice in the Room and the New York Magazine Articles by Gabriel Sherman; Showtime
Unbelievable, Written by Michael Chabon, Susannah Grant, Becky Mode, Jennifer Schuur, Ayelet Waldman, Based on the Pro Publica & The Marshall Project article “An Unbelievable Story of Rape” and This American Life radio episode “Anatomy of Doubt;” Netflix
ORIGINAL SHORT FORM MEDIA
Special, Written by Ryan O’Connell; Netflix (WINNER)
After Forever, Written by Michael Slade & Kevin Spirtas; Prime Video
ANIMATION
"Thanksgiving of Horror" (The Simpsons), Written by Dan Vebber; Fox (WINNER)
"Bed, Bob & Beyond" (Bob's Burgers), Written by Kelvin Yu; Fox
"The Gene Mile" (Bob's Burgers), Written by Steven Davis; Fox
"Go Big or Go Homer" (The Simpsons), Written by John Frink; Fox
"A Horse Walks Into A Rehab" (BoJack Horseman), Written by Elijah Aron; Netflix
"Livin' La Pura Vida" (The Simpsons), Written by Brian Kelley; Fox
EPISODIC DRAMA
"Tern Haven" (Succession), Written by Will Tracy; HBO (WINNER)
"407 Proxy Authentication Required" (Mr. Robot), Written by Sam Esmail; USA Network
"A Good Man is Hard to Find" (Ray Donovan), Written by Joshua Marston; Showtime
"Mirror Mirror" (The OA), Written by Dominic Orlando &Claire Kiechel; Netflix
"Moondust" (The Crown), Written by Peter Morgan; Netflix
"Our Little Island Girl" (This Is Us), Written by Eboni Freeman; NBC
EPISODIC COMEDY
"Pilot" (Dead to Me), Written by Liz Feldman; Netflix (WINNER)
"Here's Where We Get Off" (Orange Is the New Black), Written by Jenji Kohan; Netflix
"It's Comedy or Cabbage" (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Written by Amy Sherman-Palladino; Prime Video
"Nice Knowing You" (Living With Yourself), Written by Timothy Greenberg; Netflix
"The Stinker Thinker" (On Becoming a God in Central Florida), Written by Robert F. Funke & Matt Lutsky; Showtime
"Veep" (Veep), Written by David Mandel; HBO
COMEDY/VARIETY TALK SERIES
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Senior Writers: Dan Gurewitch, Jeff Maurer, Jill Twiss, Juli Weiner; Writers: Tim Carvell, Daniel O'Brian, John Oliver, Owen Parsons, Charlie Redd, Joanna Rothkopf, Ben Silva, Seena Vali; HBO (WINNER)
Conan, Head Writer: Matt O’Brien; Writers: Jose Arroyo, Glenn Boozan, Daniel Cronin, Andres du Bouchet, Jessie Gaskell, Michael Gordon, Brian Kiley, Laurie Kilmartin, Stephen Kutner, Todd Levin, Levi MacDougall, Conan O’Brien, Andy Richter, Frank Smiley, Mike Sweeney; TBS
Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, Head Writer: Melinda Taub; Writing Supervised by: Joe Grossman, Nicole Silverberg; Writers: Samantha Bee, Kristen Bartlett, Pat Cassels, Sean Crespo, Mike Drucker, Mathan Erhardt, Miles Kahn, Sahar Rizvi, Special Material by: Allison Silverman; TBS
Late Night with Seth Meyers, Supervising Writers: Sal Gentile, Seth Reiss; Writers: Jermaine Affonso, Alex Baze, Karen Chee, Bryan Donaldson, Matt Goldich, Dina Gusovsky, Jenny Hagel, Allison Hord, Mike Karnell, John Lutz, Seth Meyers, Ian Morgan, Amber Ruffin, Mike Scollins, Mike Shoemaker, Ben Warheit; NBC Universal
The Late Late Show with James Corden, Head Writers: Lauren Greenberg, Ian Karmel; Writers: Demi Adejuyigbe, James Corden, Rob Crabbe, Lawrence Dai, Nate Fernald, Caroline Goldfarb, Olivia Harewood, David Javerbaum, John Kennedy, Kayleigh Lamb, James Longman, Jared Moskowitz, CeCe Pleasants, Tim Siedell, Benjamin Stout, Tom Thriveni, Louis Waymouth, Ben Winston; CBS
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Head Writers: Jay Katsir, Opus Moreschi; Writers: Michael Brumm, River Clegg, Aaron Cohen, Stephen Colbert, Paul Dinello, Ariel Dumas, Glenn Eichler, Django Gold, Gabe Gronli, Greg Iwinski, Barry Julien, Daniel Kibblesmith, Eliana Kwartler, Matt Lappin, Asher Perlman, Tom Purcell, Kate Sidley, Jen Spyra, Brian Stack, John Thibodeaux; CBS
COMEDY/VARIETY SPECIALS
Full Frontal with Samantha Bee Presents: Not the White House Correspondents’ Dinner Part 2, Head Writer: Melinda Taub; Writing Supervised by: Joe Grossman, Nicole Silverberg; Writers: Samantha Bee, Kristen Bartlett, Pat Cassels, Sean Crespo, Mike Drucker, Mathan Erhardt, Lewis Friedman, Miles Kahn, Sahar Rizvi; Special Material by: Allison Silverman; TBS (WINNER)
Desi Lydic: Abroad, Written by Devin Delliquanti, Lauren Sarver Means; Comedy Central
The Late Late Show Carpool Karaoke Primetime Special 2019, Head Writers: Lauren Greenberg, Ian Karmel; Writers: Demi Adejuyigbe, James Corden, Rob Crabbe, Lawrence Dai, Nate Fernald, Caroline Goldfarb, John Kennedy, James Longman, Jared Moskowitz, CeCe Pleasants, Tim Siedell, Benjamin D. Stout, Tom Thriveni, Louis Waymouth, Ben Winston; CBS
Ramy Youssef: Feelings, Written by: Ramy Youssef; HBO
COMEDY/VARIETY SKETCH SERIES
I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson, Writers: Jeremy Beiler, Zach Kanin, Tim Robinson, John Solomon; Netflix (WINNER)
At Home with Amy Sedaris, Writers: Cole Escola, Amy Sedaris, Allison Silverman; truTV
Saturday Night Live, Head Writers: Michael Che, Colin Jost, Kent Sublette Supervising; Writers: Anna Drezen, Fran Gillespie, Sudi Green, Streeter Seidell; Senior Writer: Bryan Tucker; Weekend Update Head Writer: Pete Schultz; Writers: James Anderson, Neal Brennan, Andrew Briedis, Dan Bulla, Megan Callahan, Steven Castillo, Emma Clark, Andrew Dismukes, Alison Gates, Tim Herlihy, Steve Higgins, Sam Jay, Erik Kenward, Steve Koren, Rob Klein, Michael Koman, Dan Licata, Alan Linic, Eli Coyote Mandel, Dave McCary, Dennis McNicholas, Lorne Michaels, John Mulaney, Josh Patten, Simon Rich, Josh Patten, Jasmin Pierce, Katie Rich, Gary Richardson, Marika Sawyer, Robert Smigel, Mark Steinbach, Will Stephen, Julio Torres, Bowen Yang; NBC Universal
QUIZ AND AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION
Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?, Head Writer: Bret Calvert; Writers Seth Harrington, Rosemarie DiSalvo; Nickelodeon (WINNER)
Hollywood Game Night, Head Writers: Ann Slichter, Grant Taylor; Writers: Michael Agbabian, Marshall Davis, Allie Kokesh, Dwight D. Smith; NBC
Jeopardy!, Writers: Matthew Caruso, John Duarte, Harry Friedman, Mark Gaberman, Deborah Griffin, Michele Loud, Robert McClenaghan, Jim Rhine, Steve D. Tamerius, Billy Wisse; ABC
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, Head Writer: Stephen Melcher; Writers: Kyle Beakley, Patricia A. Cotter, Ryan Hopak, Gary Lucy, James Rowley, Ann Slichter; Disney/ABC Syndication
DAYTIME DRAMA
The Young and the Restless, Writers: Amanda L. Beall, Jeff Beldner, Sara Bibel, Matt Clifford, Annie Compton, Christopher Dunn, Sara Endsley, Janice Ferri Esser, Mellinda Hensley, Anne Schoettle, Natalie Minardi Slater, Teresa Zimmerman; CBS (WINNER)
Days of Our Lives, Writers: Lorraine Broderick, Ron Carlivati, Joanna Cohen, Carolyn Culliton, Richard Culliton, Rick Draughon, Dave Kreizman, Rebecca McCarty, Ryan Quan, Dave Ryan, Betsy Snyder, Katie Schock; NBC Universal
General Hospital, Head Writers: Shelly Altman, Christopher Van Etten Associate; Head Writers: Anna T. Cascio, Dan O’Connor; Writers: Barbara Bloom, Suzanne Flynn, Charlotte Gibson, Lucky Gold, Kate Hall, Elizabeth Korte, Donny Sheldon, Scott Sickles; ABC
CHILDREN'S EPISODIC AND SPECIALS
"Remember Black Elvis?" (Family Reunion), Written by Howard Jordan, Jr.; Netflix (WINNER)
"It's Just… Weird" (Alexa & Katie), Written by Romi Barta; Netflix
"Remember How This All Started?" (Family Reunion), Written by Meg DeLoatch; Netflix
"Stupid Binder" (Alexa & Katie), Written by Nancy Cohen; Netflix
"Time to Make... My Move" (Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance), Written by Javier Grillo-Marxuach; Netflix
DOCUMENTARY SCRIPT - CURRENT EVENTS
"Trump's Trade War" (Frontline), Written by: Rick Young; PBS (WINNER)
"Coal's Deadly Dust" (Frontline), Written by: Elaine McMillion Sheldon; PBS
"The Mueller Investigation" (Frontline), Written by: Michael Kirk & Mike Wiser; PBS
DOCUMENTARY SCRIPT - OTHER THAN CURRENT EVENTS
"Right To Fail" (Frontline), Written by: Tom Jennings; PBS (WINNER)
"Chasing The Moon Part One: A Place Beyond The Sky" (American Experience), Written by: Robert Stone; PBS
"Supreme Revenge" (Frontline), Written by: Michael Kirk & Mike Wiser; PBS
NEWS SCRIPT - REGULARLY SCHEDULED, BULLETIN, OR BREAKING REPORT
"Terror in America: The Massacres in El Paso and Dayton" (Special Edition of the CBS Evening News with Norah O'Donnell), Written by: Jerry Cipriano, Joe Clines, Bob Meyer; CBS News (WINNER)
NEWS SCRIPT - ANALYSIS, FEATURE, OR COMMENTARY
"Fly Like An Eagle" (60 Minutes), Written by: Katie Kerbstat Jacobson, Scott Pelley, Nicole Young; CBS News (WINNER)
"Atlanta, EP. 3" (A King's Place), Written by: Jessica Moulite; TheRoot.com
"'Tis the Season: Here's How Jesus Became So Widely Accepted as White," Written by: Joon Chung, Felice León, Ashley Velez; TheRoot.com
"Toxic Water Crisis Still This Haunts New York Town," Written by: Lena Jackson; HuffPost.com
DIGITAL NEWS
"Stories About My Brother," Written by Prachi Gupta; Jezebel.com (WINNER)
"A Gridiron of Their Own," Written by Kelsey McKinney; Deadspin.com
RADIO/AUDIO NEWS SCRIPT - REGULARLY SCHEDULED, BULLETIN, OR BREAKING REPORT
"Hail and Farewell: Remembering Some Headline Makers," Written by Gail Lee; CBS News Radio (WINNER)
"CBS News on the Hour with Norah O'Donnell - El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio - Communities in Mourning," Written by James Hutton; CBS News Radio
"World News This Week, August 9, 2019," Written by Stephanie Pawlowskiand Jim Ryan; ABC NewsRadio
"World News This Week, September 13, 2019," Written by Joan B. Harris; ABC News Radio
RADIO/AUDIO NEWS SCRIPT - ANALYSIS, FEATURE, OR COMMENTARY
"The Enduring Legacy of Jackie Kennedy Onassis," Written by Dianne E. James, Gail Lee; CBS News Radio (WINNER)
"Woodstock: Back to the Garden," Written by Gail Lee, CBS News Radio
ON-AIR PROMOTION (RADIO OR TELEVISION)
"Star Trek: Picard" and "All Rise Promos," Written by Jessica Katzenstein; CBS (WINNER)
"CBS Promos," Written by Molly Neylan; CBS
"Star. Kill. Evil. FBI.," Written by Ralph Buado; CBS