The Writers Guild of America, the major Hollywood guild with the most curious relationship with the Academy Awards, has picked seven Oscar nominees as finalists for the 2026 Writers Guild Awards, the WGA, West and WGA, East announced on Tuesday.
The affiliated guild chose “Bugonia,” “Frankenstein,” “Hamnet,” “One Battle After Another” and “Train Dreams” as nominees in the adapted screenplay category, and “Marty Supreme” and “Sinners” in the original screenplay category.
Those Oscar-nominated screenplays were joined by ‘Black Bag,” “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You” and “Weapons,” all in the original screenplay category.
This year’s noms were announced four days after the Academy Award nominations, a bit of timing that meant the guilds essentially abdicated their status as Oscar predictors or influencers. But the WGA Award has always been of dubious use in predicting the Oscars, because the prizes are open only to screenplays written under a WGA contract or an international contract from an affiliated guild.
This year, that disqualified three of the five Oscar nominees in the Best Original Screenplay category, with “Blue Moon,” “It Was Just an Accident” and “Sentimental Value” all ineligible for nomination. “Sinners” and “Marty Supreme” did qualify, and matched their noms from the Academy with ones from the guild.
In the Best Adapted Screenplay category, all five Oscar nominees were eligible for the WGA Award, and all five were nominated.
In the television categories, the new series “Pluribus” led the field with four awards, while “The Pitt” and “The Studio” received three each and “Task,” “The Chair Company” and “The Rehearsal” received two.
The WGA also announced nominees in news, radio and promotional writing categories.
Final voting will begin on Friday and run for two weeks. The Writers Guild Awards will take place on Sunday, March 8 at simultaneous ceremonies at the JW Marriott in Los Angeles and the Edison Ballroom in New York City.
The list of nominees:
FILM CATEGORIES
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
“Black Bag”, Written by David Koepp; Focus Features
“If I Had Legs I’d Kick You”, Written by Mary Bronstein; A24
“Marty Supreme”, Written by Ronald Bronstein & Josh Safdie; A24
“Sinners”, Written by Ryan Coogler; Warner Bros. Pictures
“Weapons”, Written by Zach Cregger; Warner Bros. Pictures
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
“Bugonia”, Screenplay by Will Tracy, Based on the Film Save the Green Planet Written and Directed by Jang Joon Hwan and Produced by Sidus; Focus Features
“Frankenstein”, Screenplay by Guillermo del Toro, Based on Frankenstein; or The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley; Netflix
“Hamnet”, Screenplay by Chloe Zhao & Maggie O’Farrell, Based on the Novel Written by Maggie O’Farrell; Focus Features
“One Battle After Another”, Screenplay by Paul Thomas Anderson, Screen Story by Paul Thomas Anderson, Inspired by the novel Vineland by Thomas Pynchon; Warner Bros. Pictures
“Train Dreams”, Screenplay by Clint Bentley & Greg Kwedar, Based on the Novella by Denis Johnson; Netflix
DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY
“2,000 Meters to Andriivka”, Written by Mstyslav Chernov; Frontline Features
“Becoming Led Zeppelin”, Written by Bernard MacMahon & Allison McGourty; Sony Pictures Classics
“White with Fear”, Written by Andrew Goldberg; Area23A
TELEVISION, STREAMING, AND NEWS NOMINEES
DRAMA SERIES
“Andor”, Written by Tom Bissell, Dan Gilroy, Tony Gilroy, Beau Willimon; Disney+
“The Pitt”, Written by Cynthia Adarkwa, Simran Baidwan, Valerie Chu, R. Scott Gemmill, Elyssa Gershman, Joe Sachs, Noah Wyle; HBO | Max
“Pluribus”, Written by Vera Blasi, Jenn Carroll, Vince Gilligan, Jonny Gomez, Peter Gould, Ariel Levine, Gordon Smith, Alison Tatlock; Apple TV
“Severance”, Written by Adam Countee, Mohamad El Masri, Dan Erickson, Mark Friedman, Anna Ouyang Moench, K.C. Perry, Megan Ritchie, Erin Wagoner, Beau Willimon, Wei-Ning Yu; Apple TV
“The White Lotus”, Written by Mike White; HBO | Max
COMEDY SERIES
“Abbott Elementary”, Written by Quinta Brunson, Ava Coleman, Lizzy Darrell, 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 Chair Company”, Written by Zach Kanin, Gary Richardson, Tim Robinson, Marika Sawyer, Sarah Schneider, John Solomon; HBO | Max
“Hacks”, Written by Genevieve Aniello, Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, Jess Dweck, Ariel Karlin, Andrew Law, Carolyn Lipka, Joe Mande, Aisha Muharrar, Pat Regan, Samantha Riley, Jen Statsky; HBO | Max
“The Rehearsal”, Written by Nathan Fielder, Carrie Kemper, Adam Locke-Norton, Eric Notarnicola; HBO | Max
“The Studio”, Written by Evan Goldberg, Alex Gregory, Peter Huyck, Frida Perez, Seth Rogen; Apple TV
NEW SERIES
“The Chair Company”, Written by Zach Kanin, Gary Richardson, Tim Robinson, Marika Sawyer, Sarah Schneider, John Solomon; HBO | Max
“The Pitt”, Written by Cynthia Adarkwa, Simran Baidwan, Valerie Chu, R. Scott Gemmill, Elyssa Gershman, Joe Sachs, Noah Wyle; HBO | Max
“Pluribus”, Written by Vera Blasi, Jenn Carroll, Vince Gilligan, Jonny Gomez, Peter Gould, Ariel Levine, Gordon Smith, Alison Tatlock; Apple TV
“The Studio”, Written by Evan Goldberg, Alex Gregory, Peter Huyck, Frida Perez, Seth Rogen; Apple TV
“Task”, Written by Brad Ingelsby & David Obzud; HBO | Max
LIMITED SERIES
“The Beast in Me”, Written by Howard Gordon, C.A. Johnson, Ali Liebegott, Daniel Pearle, Gabe Rotter, Erika Sheffer, Mike Skerrett; Netflix
“Black Rabbit”, Written by Zach Baylin, Sarah Gubbins, Kate Susman, Andrew Hinderaker, Stacy Osei-Kuffour, Carlos Rios; Netflix
“Death by Lightning”, Written by Mike Makowsky; Netflix
“Dying for Sex”, Written by Sheila Callaghan, Harris Danow, Madeleine George, Elizabeth Meriwether, Kim Rosenstock, Sasha Stewart, Sabrina Wu, Keisha Zollar; FX/Hulu
“Sirens”, Written by Bekah Brunstetter, Dan LeFranc, Colin McKenna, Molly Smith Metzler; Netflix
TV & STREAMING MOTION PICTURES
“The Best You Can”, Written by Michael J. Weithorn; Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
“Deep Cover”, Written by Derek Connolly & Colin Trevorrow; Prime Video
“The Life List”, Screenplay by Adam Brooks, Based on the novel by Lori Nelson Spielman; Netflix
“Swiped”, Written by Bill Parker & Rachel Lee Goldenberg and Kim Caramele; Hulu
ANIMATION
“Abe League of Their Moe” (The Simpsons), Written by Joel H. Cohen; Fox
“Don’t Worry, Be Hoopy” (Bob’s Burgers) Written by Lindsey Stoddart; Fox
“It’s a Beef-derful Life” (The Great North), Written by Lizzie Molyneux-Logelin & Wendy Molyneux; Fox
“Parahormonal Activity” (The Simpsons), Written by Loni Steele Sosthand; Fox
“Scared Screenless” (Futurama), Written by Bill Odenkirk; Hulu
“Shira Can’t Cook” (Long Story Short) Written by Mehar Sethi; Netflix
EPISODIC DRAMA
“7:00 A.M.” (The Pitt), Written by R. Scott Gemmill; HBO | Max
“A Still Small Voice” (Task), Written by Brad Ingelsby; HBO | Max
“Charm Offensive” (Pluribus), Written by Jonny Gomez; Apple TV
“Execution” (The Handmaid’s Tale), Written by Eric Tuchman; Hulu
“Got Milk” (Pluribus), Written by Ariel Levine; Apple TV
“Reunion” (Forever), Written by Mara Brock Akil; Netflix
EPISODIC COMEDY
“A Call from God” (Mo), Written by Mohammed Amer & Harris Danow; Netflix
“Pilot’s Code” (The Rehearsal), Written by Nathan Fielder, Carrie Kemper, Adam Locke-Norton, Eric Notarnicola; HBO | Max
“Prelude” (The Righteous Gemstones), Written by John Carcieri, Jeff Fradley, Danny R. McBride; HBO | Max
“The Promotion” (The Studio), Written by Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg & Peter Huyck & Alex Gregory & Frida Perez; Apple TV
“The Sleazy Georgian” (Poker Face), Written by Megan Amram; Peacock
“Worms” (The Bear), Written by Ayo Edebiri & Lionel Boyce; FX/Hulu
COMEDY/VARIETY SERIES – TALK OR SKETCH
“The Daily Show”, Head Writer: Dan Amira …
“Have I Got News for You”, Head Writer: Mason Steinberg …
“Last Week Tonight with John Oliver”, Senior Writers: Daniel O’Brien …
“Late Night with Seth Meyers”, Head Writer: Alex Baze …
“Saturday Night Live”, Head Writers: Alison Gates …
“They Call It Late Night with Jason Kelce”, Writers: Andy Blitz …
COMEDY/VARIETY SPECIALS
“82nd Annual Golden Globes”, Written by Barry Adelman …
“The Daily Show Presents: Jordan Klepper Fingers the Pulse: MAGA: The Next Generation”, Written by Ian Berger …
“Marc Maron: Panicked”, Written by Marc Maron; HBO | Max
“Conan O’Brien: The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor”, Written by Jon Macks …
“SNL50: The Anniversary Special”, Written by James Anderson …
QUIZ AND AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION
“Celebrity Jeopardy!”, Head Writer: Robert Patton …
“Jeopardy!”, Writers: Marcus Brown …
DAYTIME DRAMA
“Beyond the Gates”, Writers: Sara A. Bibel …
“General Hospital”, Head Writers: Elizabeth Korte …
“The Young and the Restless”, Associate Head Writers: Jeff Beldner …
CHILDREN’S EPISODIC, LONG FORM AND SPECIALS
“The First Snow of Fraggle Rock”, Written by Matt Fusfeld & Alex Cuthbertson; Apple TV
“Stay Out of the Basement: Part I” (Goosebumps), Written by Rob Letterman …
“Merry Giftmas”, Written by Halcyon Person; Netflix
“I Play Dodgeball with Cannibals” (Percy Jackson and the Olympians), Written by Craig Silverstein …
“When We Lose Someone” (Tab Time), Written by Sean Presant; YouTube
SHORT FORM STREAMING
“The Rabbit Hole with Jimmy Kimmel”, Writers: Jimmy Kimmel & Jesse Joyce; YouTube
“Sesame Street YouTube: Take a Moment with Jonathan Bailey”, Written by Andrew Moriarty; YouTube
DOCUMENTARY SCRIPT – CURRENT EVENTS
“Syria After Assad” (Frontline), Written by Martin Smith; PBS
“The Rise and Fall of Terrorgram” (Frontline), Written by Thomas Jennings …
“The Rise of RFK Jr.” (Frontline), Written by Michael Kirk …
“Trump’s Power & the Rule of Law” (Frontline), Written by Michael Kirk …
DOCUMENTARY SCRIPT – OTHER THAN CURRENT EVENTS
“Change, Not Charity: The Americans with Disabilities Act” (American Experience), Written by Chana Gazit; PBS
“Clearing the Air: The War on Smog” (American Experience), Written by Peter Yost …
“Forgotten Hero: Walter White and the NAACP” (American Experience), Written by Rob Rapley; PBS
“Matter of Mind: My Alzheimer’s”, Written by Jason Sussberg; PBS
“Mr. Polaroid” (American Experience), Written by Gene Tempest; PBS
NEWS SCRIPT – REGULARLY SCHEDULED, BULLETIN, OR BREAKING REPORT
“Devastating Flooding in Texas” (World News Tonight with David Muir), Written by David Muir …
“The L.A. Wildfires” (World News Tonight with David Muir), Written by David Muir …
NEWS SCRIPT – ANALYSIS, FEATURE, OR COMMENTARY
“Eye on America: Coldwater Creek”, Written by Cait Bladt; CBS News
“Gaza, Hannah Arendt, and The Banality of Evil”, Written by Basel Hamdan; MSNBC
“Mysterious Russian Deaths” (60 Minutes), Written by Michael Rey …
“Remembering Palestinian Journalists Killed by Israeli Forces”, Written by Lisa Salinas; MSNBC
“Uphill Battle” (CBS News Sunday Morning), Written by Richard Buddenhagen …
DIGITAL NEWS
“Altadena Residents Know Their Community Is Worth Rebuilding. Can They Protect Its Legacy?”, Written by Taiyler Mitchell; HuffPost
“American Siberia”, Written by Alexander Sammon; Slate
“An Isolated Boarding School Promised to Help Troubled Girls. Former Students Say They Were Abused.”, Written by Sebastian Murdock …
“How Cassie’s Lawsuit Against Diddy Galvanized A Movement of Survivors”, Written by Njera Perkins …
“Trump Sent Them to Hell. Now He’s Erasing Them Altogether.”, Written by Matt Shuham …
RADIO/AUDIO NOMINEES
RADIO/AUDIO DOCUMENTARY
“Episode 2: A Game of Telephone” (Camp Swamp Road), Written by Heather Rogers …
“Jerry Lewis’ Lost Holocaust Clown Movie” (Decoder Ring), Written by Max Freedman; Slate
“Why Women Kill” (What Next), Written by Mary Harris …
RADIO/AUDIO NEWS SCRIPT – REGULARLY SCHEDULED, BULLETIN, OR BREAKING REPORT
“ABC News Radio Top of the Hour News”, Written by Robert Hawley; ABC News Radio
“CBS World News Roundup”, Written by Paul Farry …
“Hasan Piker Knew Charlie Kirk” (What Next), Written by Mary Harris …
RADIO/AUDIO NEWS SCRIPT – ANALYSIS, FEATURE, OR COMMENTARY
“How Will We Feed Our Neighbors?”, Written by Mary Harris …
“The Life and Legacy of Jimmy Carter”, Written by Gail Lee; CBS News Radio
“We Made a Memecoin”, Written by Lizzie O’Leary …
PROMOTIONAL WRITING NOMINEES
ON-AIR PROMOTION
“Behind the Crown: King & Conqueror EPK”, Written by Molly Neylan; CBS
“CBS Comedy”, Written by Dan Greenberger; CBS