Tom Fontana to Receive Career Achievement Award From Writers Guild

Getty Images

The Writers Guild of America, East will present Tom Fontana, the creator of HBO’s “Oz,” with the Ian McLellan Hunter Award for Career Achievement at the 71st Annual WGA Awards. The awards ceremony will be held at New York’s Edison Ballroom on Feb. 17, 2019.

Fontana, who joined the guild in 1982 as a writer on the NBC medical drama “St. Elsewhere,” is the creator of several groundbreaking shows including “Oz,” “The Philanthropist,” “Copper” and Netflix’s “Borgia,” and was a writer on “Homicide: Life on the Street.” He is currently the showrunner for “City on a Hill,” a drama created by Chuck MacLean, which will premiere on Showtime in 2019.

“I’m extremely grateful to the men and women in our Guild for thinking me worthy of the award. Now, everything I write will have to be better than before,” Fontana said in a statement.

Also Read: WGA East 2018 Council Election - Former Guild President Michael Winship Gets Seat

Fontana’s shows are known for their portraits of characters grappling with questions of redemption, retribution, forgiveness, and faith and their uniquely vibrant — and violent — settings. He has three Emmy Awards, four Peabody Awards, four Television Critics Association Awards, the Humanitas Prize, the Austin Film Festival’s Outstanding Television Writer Award, and won first prize at the Cinema Tout Ecran Festival in Geneva.

Fontana has previously won three Writers Guild awards for his work on “St. Elsewhere” and “Homicide,” and in 2013, the WGA selected “Oz,” “Homicide” and “St. Elsewhere” as three of the 101 Best-Written TV Series. He has also received two of WGA East’s honorary awards: the Richard B. Jablow Award for devoted service to the Guild and Evelyn F. Burkey Award, which recognizes those who have brought “honor and dignity” to writers.

The Hunter Award was established in 1992 and named in memory of longtime WGAE member Ian McLellan Hunter. The award is presented to a WGAE member in honor of their body of work as a writer in motion pictures or television. Past recipients include Geoffrey Ward, Andrew Bergman, John Sayles, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, John Waters, Richard LaGravenese, John Patrick Shanley and Nora Ephron.

23 TV Shows Most Affected by 2007-08 Writers' Strike (Photos)

With a potential writers strike looming if the WGA and AMPTP can't see eye to eye in their negotiations, TheWrap looks back at the 2007-2008 strike and its impact on TV shows.
"Breaking Bad"

The strike cost fans two episodes of the hit TV show's first season. Also, Hank Schrader was supposed to have been killed off but the writers strike prevented production from doing so.
AMC
"Lost"

"Lost" had just aired 8 episodes from it's fourth season when the strike began, and while it only had a month break, the season lost two episodes in total. They were added to season 5 and 6, respectively.
"Prison Break"

The third season of the show starring Wentworth Miller saw an extremely shortened third season, only having 13 episodes instead of 22.
Fox
"30 Rock"

Tina Fey's NBC sitcom only got to 10 episodes in its second season before breaking because of the strike. After a three month hiatus, 5 more episodes were films but it was still 7 episodes shorter than expected.
NBC
"Ugly Betty"

America Ferrera's ABC show went on hiatus for three months but also had to cut 5 episodes due to the strike.
ABC
"ER"

In its 14th run, the show also saw a shortened season.
"Dirty Sexy Money"

The show was put on halt on December 5, 2007 and returned in the fall of 2008. The last three episodes were pushed to the beginning of next season.
ABC
"Chuck"

The show stopped January 24, 2008 and resumed in the fall of 2008, and the season cut short.
"Private Practice"

The season was cut short and was postponed from December 2007 to fall 2008.
"The Big Bang Theory"

The CBS show was put on halt for four months the first season it was on air, and eventually only got to 17 of the planned 22 episodes.
CBS
"Bones"

The Fox show felt a blow from the writers strike in its third season, where it was put on hiatus for four months after only 13 out of 23 episodes were filmed. When the strike ended, only two more were filmed.
Fox
"Desperate Housewives"

The hit show also received a shortened season and a three-month break.
ABC
"Family Guy"

The fox animated series had 9 completed episodes before the strike began although 22 were planned. When the strike ended, only 3 more were produced.
Fox
"Friday Night Lights"

The second season of the show ended in a huge cliffhanger and seven of the 22 episodes NBC ordered weren't made. The third season returned eight month after the show had to be halted due to the strike.
NBC
"Gossip Girl"

The show starring Blake Lively and Leighton Meester also saw a three-month break due to the writers strike, as well as a shorter-than-expected season.
CW
"Grey's Anatomy"

Only 16 of the 23 of the fourth season ordered by ABC were made due to the writers strike.
ABC
"Heroes"

"Heroes" pretty much derailed the second season due to the strike. It only had 11 episodes out of 24 air, and none were filmed after the strike ended. The show returned nine months later.
NBC
"House"

While "House" didn't see a huge gap between air dates, only 4 episodes were made after the strike, which made audiences lose 8 previously planned episodes in total.
Fox
"The Office"

The U.S. version of the sitcom missed 11 episodes due to the strike and saw five month break between seasons 4 and 5.
NBC
"One Tree Hill"

The show's fifth season missed out on four episodes because of the strike.
CW
"Scrubs"

According to Uproxx, Bill Lawrence was ready to end "Scrubs" after season 7, but then the strike happened and only 11 episodes were aired. The show then moved over to ABC and two episodes produced after the strike aired as part of the eighth season.
ABC
"The Unit"

The third season aired on Sept. 25, 2007 before the hiatus occurred after the 11th episode. The show returned five months later for the fourth and final season.
CBS
"Battlestar Galactica"

Only 11 out of 20 episodes were aired before the show was postponed.
Sci-Fi Channel

1 of 24

Shows like “Prison Break,” “Breaking Bad” and “Friday Night Lights” were just a few of the shows that saw a shortened season due to the 100-day strike

With a potential writers strike looming if the WGA and AMPTP can't see eye to eye in their negotiations, TheWrap looks back at the 2007-2008 strike and its impact on TV shows.

View In Gallery

23 TV Shows Most Affected by 2007-08 Writers' Strike (Photos)

Related Content

Nearly Two-Thirds of Female Writers Have Been Sexually Harassed, WGAW Survey Finds

Vox Media Votes to Unionize With WGA East

WGA West Set to Develop ‘Mission Statement’ to Address Sexual Harassment, Discrimination

7DAYFREETRIAL

7
DAY
FREE
TRIAL