WGA Award 2024 Nominees Include ‘Past Lives,’ ‘American Fiction,’ and Surprise Pick ‘Air’

Samantha Bergeson
·13 min read

The nominees for the 2024 Writers Guild of America Awards are finally here.

The Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) and Writers Guild of America East (WGAE) have announced nominations for outstanding achievement in screenwriting, television, new media, news, radio/audio, and promotional writing for 2023.

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Oscar-nominated screenplays for “Barbie,” “The Holdovers,” “May December,” “Past Lives,” “American Fiction,” “Killers of the Flower Moon,” and “Oppenheimer” were expected WGA nominations. However, surprise nods for “Air,” “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret,” and “Nyad” prove the WGA Awards still have a few tricks up their sleeve. If you’re wondering, “Poor Things” was not eligible because it wasn’t produced under a WGA contract, per a source close to the project.

Despite now taking place one month after the Academy Awards, the WGA nominations still carry weight this season — and could be a deciding factor for final Oscar voting. As IndieWire’s Anne Thompson predicted, the 2024 WGA Awards might even add more fire to Emmy campaigns, just as the nominations roll out mere weeks before the March 10 Oscars.

The 2024 WGA Awards announced a delayed date in November 2023 following the Guild’s months-long strike that was resolved in early October. Now, today’s nominations come just as final Oscar voting occurs, with WGA members casting their ballots for this awards show starting February 23 through March 8. Final Oscar voting ends February 27.

The 2024 WGA Awards will take place April 14 at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles and the Edison Ballroom in New York City.

See the full list of nominations below.

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Air, Written by Alex Convery; Amazon MGM Studios

Barbie, Written by Greta Gerwig & Noah Baumbach; Warner Bros. Pictures

The Holdovers, Written by David Hemingson; Focus Features    

May December, Screenplay by Samy Burch, Story by Samy Burch & Alex Mechanik; Netflix   

Past Lives, Written by Celine Song; A24

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

American Fiction, Screenplay by Cord Jefferson, Based upon the novel Erasure by Percival Everett; Amazon MGM Studios

Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret., Screenplay by Kelly Fremon Craig, Based on the book by Judy Blume; Lionsgate 

Killers of the Flower Moon, Screenplay by Eric Roth and Martin Scorsese, Based on the book by David Grann; Apple Original Films

Nyad, Screenplay by Julia Cox, Based on the book Find a Way by Diana Nyad; Netflix

Oppenheimer, Screenplay by Christopher 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 by Jeff L. Lieberman; Re-Emerging Films

It Ain’t Over, Written by Sean Mullin; Sony Pictures Classics

The Pigeon Tunnel, Written by Errol Morris; Apple Original Films

Stamped from the Beginning, Written by David Teague, Based on the book Stamped From the Beginning by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi; Netflix

What the Hell Happened to Blood, Sweat & Tears?, Written by John Scheinfeld; Abramorama

TELEVISION, NEW MEDIA, AND NEWS NOMINEES

DRAMA SERIES

The Crown, Written by Peter Morgan; Netflix

The Curse, Written by Carmen Christopher, Nathan Fielder, Alex Huggins, Carrie Kemper, Benny Safdie; Showtime

The Diplomat, Written by Eli Attie, Debora Cahn, Mia Chung, Anna Hagen, Amanda Johnson-Zetterstrom, Peter Noah; Netflix

The Last of Us, Written by Neil Druckmann, Halley Gross, Craig Mazin, Bo Shim; HBO | Max

Succession, Written by Will Arbery, Jesse Armstrong, Miriam Battye, Jon Brown, Jamie Carragher, Ted Cohen, Nate Elston, Francesca Gardiner, Callie Hersheway, Lucy Prebble, Georgia Pritchett, Tony Roche, Susan Soon He Stanton, Will Tracy; HBO | Max

COMEDY SERIES

Abbott Elementary, Written by Quinta 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

The Bear, Written by Karen Joseph Adcock, Joanna Calo, Kelly Galuska, Rene Gube, Sofya Levitsky-Weitz, Stacy Osei-Kuffour, Alex Russell, Catherine Schetina, Christopher Storer; FX Networks

Jury Duty, Written by Tanner 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 by Matteo 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 by Eli Attie, Debora Cahn, Mia Chung, Anna Hagen, Amanda Johnson-Zetterstrom, Peter Noah; Netflix

Jury Duty, Written by Tanner Bean, Lee Eisenberg, Marcos Gonzalez, Cody Heller, Mekki Leeper, Katrina Mathewson, Kerry O’Neill, Ese Shaw, Gene Stupnitsky, Andrew Weinberg, Evan Williams; Amazon Freevee

The Last of Us, Written by Neil Druckmann, Halley Gross, Craig Mazin, Bo Shim; HBO | Max

Poker Face, Written by Christine Boylan, Wyatt Cain, Chris Downey, CS Fischer, Rian Johnson, Alice Ju, Joe Lawson, Natasha Lyonne, Charlie Peppers, Lilla Zuckerman, Nora Zuckerman; Peacock

Shrinking, Written by Wally 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 by Zal Batmanglij, Cherie Dimaline, Brit Marling, Melanie Marnich, Rebecca Roanhorse; FX Networks

Beef, Written by Joanna 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 by Susan 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 by Thomas Bezucha, Bob DeLaurentis, Noah Hawley, April Shih; FX Networks

Lessons in Chemistry, Written by Victoria 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 by Brian Helgeland; Paramount +

Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie, Written by Andy Breckman; Peacock

No One Will Save You, Written by Brian Duffield; Hulu

Quiz Lady, Written by Jen D’Angelo; Hulu

Totally Killer, Screenplay by David Matalon & Sasha Perl-Raver and Jen D’Angelo, Story by David Matalon & Sasha Perl-Raver; Prime Video

ANIMATION

“A Mid-Childhood Night’s Dream” (The Simpsons), Written by Carolyn Omine; Fox

“Carl Carlson Rides Again” (The Simpsons), Written by Loni Steele Sosthand; Fox

“Homer’s Adventure Through the Windshield Glass” (The Simpsons), Written by Tim Long; Fox

“I Know What You Did Next Xmas” (Futurama), Written by Ariel Ladensohn; Hulu

“Thirst Trap: A Corporate Love Story” (The Simpsons), Written by Rob LaZebnik; Fox

EPISODIC DRAMA

“Crown Jewels” (Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story), Written by Shonda Rhimes; Netflix

“Kill List” (Succession), Written by Jon Brown & Ted Cohen; HBO | Max

“The Last Generation” (Star Trek: Picard), Written by Terry Matalas; Paramount +

“Living+” (Succession), Written by Georgia Pritchett & Will Arbery; HBO | Max

“Our Black Shining Prince” (Godfather of Harlem), Written by Chris Brancato & Michael Panes; MGM+

“Sleep, Dearie Sleep” (The Crown), Written by Peter Morgan; Netflix

EPISODIC COMEDY

“Escape From Shit Mountain” (Poker Face), Written by Nora Zuckerman & Lilla Zuckerman; Peacock

“Fishes” (The Bear), Written by Joanna Calo & Christopher Storer; FX Networks

“Forks” (The Bear), Written by Alex Russell; FX Networks

“House Made of Bongs” (Reservation Dogs), Written by Tommy Pico and Sterlin Harjo; FX Networks

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

“Pride Parade” (What We Do in the Shadows), Written by Jake Bender & Zach Dunn; FX Networks

COMEDY/VARIETY TALK SERIES 

The Daily Show, Head Writer Dan Amira Senior Writers Daniel Radosh, Lauren Sarver Means Writers David 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 by Rory Albanese Writers Jamie 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

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Senior Writers Daniel O’Brien, Owen Parsons, Charlie Redd, Joanna Rothkopf, Seena Vali Writers Johnathan 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 Writer Alex Baze Writing Supervised By Seth Reiss, Mike Scollins Closer LookWriting 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, Amber Ruffin, Mike Shoemaker, Ben Warheit, Jeff Wright; NBC Universal Television

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Head Writers Ariel 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 Writer Kris Acimovic Writers Henrik 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, Writers Ike 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 by John Wilson, Michael Koman, Allie Viti; HBO | Max

I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson, Writers Tim Robinson, Zach Kanin, John Solomon, Gary Richardson, Reggie Henke, Brendan Jennings, Patti Harrison; Netflix

Saturday Night Live, Head Writers Kent Sublette, Alison Gates, Streeter Seidell Writers Rosebud 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 by Jon Macks, Rita Brent, Jeff Stilson, Meggie McFadden; CNN

Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love, Written by Jon Macks, Carol Leifer; NBC

Marc Maron: From Bleak to Dark, Written by Marc Maron; HBO | Max

Sarah Silverman: Someone You Love, Written by Sarah Silverman; HBO | Max

QUIZ AND AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION

Baking It, Writers Chad Carter, Neil Casey, Jessica McKenna, Zach Reino, Nicolle Yaron; Peacock

The Chase, Head Writer David Levinson Wilk Writers Erik 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!, Writers Marcus Brown, Michael Davies, John Duarte, Mark Gaberman, Debbie Griffin, Michele Loud,Robert McClenaghan, Jim Rhine, Billy Wisse; ABC

Weakest Link, Head Writer Ann Slichter Writers Chip 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

Days of Our Lives, Head Writer Ron Carlivati Creative Consultant Ryan Quan Writers Sonja 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; Peacock

General Hospital, Head Writers Dan O’Connor, Chris Van Etten Writers Ashley 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 by Jim Mickle & Bo Yeon Kim & Erika Lippoldt; Netflix

“I Accidentally Vaporize My Pre-Algebra Teacher” (Percy Jackson and the Olympians), Written by Rick Riordan & Jonathan E. Steinberg; Disney+

“Romance Dawn” (One Piece), Written by Matt Owens & Steven Maeda; Netflix

“Say Cheese and Die!” (Goosebumps), Written by Rob Letterman & Nicholas Stoller; Disney+

“What Guy Are You” (American Born Chinese), Written by Kelvin Yu & Charles Yu; Disney+

SHORT FORM NEW MEDIA

Carpool Karaoke, Written by Casey Stewart, David Young; Apple TV+

Command Z, Written by Kurt 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 by Sharon Grimberg; PBS

“Clarence and Ginni Thomas: Politics, Power and the Supreme Court” (Frontline), Written by Michael Kirk & Mike Wiser; PBS

“Episode One: Blood Memory” (The American Buffalo), Written by Dayton Duncan; PBS

NEWS SCRIPT – REGULARLY SCHEDULED, BULLETIN, OR BREAKING REPORT  

“Black History Month – Hall Of Fame Hero” (CBS News New York), Written by Joe McLaughlin; WCBS-TV

“Deadly Tornadoes Unleash Terror Across the Central U.S.” (CBS Evening News with Norah O’Donnell), Written by James Hutton, Rob Rivielle; CBS News

“Surprise Attack!” (CBS Weekend News), Written by J. Craig Wilson, Ambrose Raferty; CBS News

NEWS SCRIPT – ANALYSIS, FEATURE, OR COMMENTARY 

“Convoy of Life” (60 Minutes), Written by Scott Pelley, Kristin Steve, Nicole Young; CBS News

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

“Hide and Seek” (60 Minutes), Written by Sharyn Alfonsi, Oriana Zill de Granados; CBS News

“Put To The Test” (CBS Sunday Morning), Written by Richard Buddenhagen, Lesley Stahl; CBS News

“Targeting Seniors” (60 Minutes), Written by Sharyn Alfonsi, Emily Gordon, Oriana Zill de Granados; CBS News

DIGITAL NEWS

“How Paris Kicked Out the Cars,” Written by Henry Grabar; Slate

“The Persuaders: A 5-Part Investigation into the Union-Busting Industry,” Written by Dave Jamieson; HuffPost

“The Rise of ‘Gas Station Heroin,’” Written by Manisha Krishnan; Vice News

“Want to Stare Into the Republican Soul in 2023?,” Written by Alexander Sammon; Slate

“The Woman on the Line,” Written by Aymann Ismail and Mary Harris; Slate

RADIO/AUDIO NOMINEES

RADIO/AUDIO DOCUMENTARY

“America’s Blackest Child” (Slow Burn: Becoming Justice Thomas), Written by Joel Anderson; Slate

“The Black Box: Even AI’s creators don’t understand it” (Unexplainable), Written by Noam Hassenfeld; Vox

“The Call” (This American Life), Written by Mary Harris; Slate

“Emmery” (Party Crews: The Untold Story), Written by Janice Llamoca; Vice

“Expecting: Pregnancy Souvenirs” (Unexplainable), Written by Byrd Pinkerton; Vox

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

“The Ballad of Tucker Carlson” (What Next), Written by Paige Osburn and Mary Harris; Slate

“World News This Week – Week of March 17, 2023,” Written by Joy Piazza; ABC News Radio

“World News Roundup Late Edition – October 9, 2023,” Written by Spencer Raine; CBS News

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

“The Diagnosis Was Fatal. She Couldn’t Get an Abortion” (What Next), Written by Madeline Ducharme and Mary Harris; Slate

“Lacrosse – Spirit of the Land” (ABC News Radio), Written by Robert Hawley; ABC News

“Stephen King Is Just as Confused About Blue Checks as You Are” (What Next: TBD), Written by Lizzie O’Leary and Evan Campbell; Slate

PROMOTIONAL WRITING NOMINEES

ON AIR PROMOTION 

“Cross Walk, Cyber Bullying, VR Meditation” (KCAL News), Written by Adam Thiele; CBS News

“Strange New Promos,” Written by Molly Neylan; CBS / Paramount+

“WCBS AM Promos,” Written by Bill Tynan; WCBS Newsradio 880

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