“Don’t Look Up”, “CODA”, and “Succession” Win Big at 2022 WGA Awards

Leonardo DiCaprio, Meryl Streep, Jonah Hill, and Jennifer Lawrence in
Leonardo DiCaprio, Meryl Streep, Jonah Hill, and Jennifer Lawrence in "Don't Look Up"

The Academy Awards are just a few days away and the race is getting wilder than ever after several major organizations announced their list of winners. At the 2022 Writers Guild Awards on Sunday night, awards were given to the movies Don’t Look Up and CODA and the TV shows Succession and Hacks.

CODA emerged as a surprising dark horse for the best picture at the Oscars after winning the WGA award for the best adapted screenplay. This victory comes shortly after it pulled a major upset and won the award for the best motion picture at the Producers Guild of America Awards.

As for Don’t Look Up, Adam McKay picked up the trophy for the best original screenplay for his work on this satirical comedy. This film is in the running in the same category at the Oscars, where it’s competing against Belfast, King Richard, Licorice Pizza, and The Worst Person in the World.

As for the TV categories, it was a big night for HBO.  Succession was named the best drama series, while Hacks collected awards for best comedy series and best new series. Mare of Easttown and Maid walked away with trophies reserved for long-form television media.

FULL LIST OF 2022 WGA AWARDS WINNERS:

FILM

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Don’t Look Up
Screenplay by Adam McKay, Story by Adam McKay & David Sirota; Netflix

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

CODA
Screenplay by Siân Heder, Based on the Original Motion Picture La Famille Belier Directed by Eric Lartigau, Written by Victoria Bedos, Stanislas Carree de Malberg, Eric Lartigau and Thomas Bidegain; Apple

DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY

Exposing Muybridge
Written by Marc Shaffer; Inside Out Media

TELEVISION AND NEW MEDIA

DRAMA SERIES

Succession
Written by Jesse Armstrong, Jon Brown, Jamie Carragher, Ted Cohen, Francesca Gardiner, Lucy Prebble, Georgia Pritchett, Tony Roche, Susan Soon He Stanton, Will Tracy; HBO/HBO Max

COMEDY SERIES

Hacks
Written by Genevieve Aniello, Lucia Aniello, Joanna Calo, Jessica Chaffin, Paul W. Downs, Jess Dweck, Cole Escola, Janis Hirsch, Ariel Karlin, Katherine Kearns, Andrew Law, Joe Mande, Pat Regan, Samantha Riley, Michael Schur, Jen Statsky; HBO/HBO Max

NEW SERIES

Hacks
Written by Genevieve Aniello, Lucia Aniello, Joanna Calo, Jessica Chaffin, Paul W. Downs, Jess Dweck, Cole Escola, Janis Hirsch, Ariel Karlin, Katherine Kearns, Andrew Law, Joe Mande, Pat Regan, Samantha Riley, Michael Schur, Jen Statsky; HBO/HBO Max

ORIGINAL LONG FORM

Mare of Easttown
Written by Brad Ingelsby; HBO/HBO Max

ADAPTED LONG FORM

Maid
Written by Bekah Brunstetter, Marcus Gardley, Michelle Denise Jackson, Colin McKenna, Molly Smith Metzler, Inspired by the book by Stephanie Land; Netflix

ORIGINAL & ADAPTED SHORT FORM NEW MEDIA

Debunking Borat
Written by Robyn Adams, Paul Hogan, Jack Youngelson; Prime Video

ANIMATION

“Planteau” (Tuca & Bertie)
Written by Lisa Hanawalt; Cartoon Network

EPISODIC DRAMA

“Retired Janitors of Idaho” (Succession)
Written by Tony Roche & Susan Soon He Stanton; HBO/HBO Max

EPISODIC COMEDY

“Alone At Last” (The Great)
Written by Tony McNamara; Hulu

COMEDY/VARIETY TALK SERIES

Conan
Head Writer: Matt O’Brien Writers: Jose Arroyo, Glenn Boozan, Daniel Cronin, Andres du Bouchet, Jessie Gaskell, Skyler Higley, Brian Kiley, Laurie Kilmartin, Todd Levin, Levi MacDougall, Conan O’Brien, Andy Richter, Frank Smiley, Mike Sweeney; TBS

COMEDY/VARIETY SKETCH SERIES

I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson
Writers: Zach Kanin, Tim Robinson, John Solomon; Netflix

COMEDY/VARIETY SPECIALS

Full Frontal Wants to Take Your Guns
Head Writers: Kristen Bartlett, Mike Drucker Writers: Samantha Bee, Pat Cassels, Sean Crespo, Miles Kahn, Chris Thompson, Holly Walker, Alison Zeidman Writing Supervised by Joe Grossman, Sahar Rizvi Special Material by Michael Rhoa; TBS

QUIZ AND AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION

Baking It
Writers: Neil Casey, Jessica McKenna, Zach Reino, Niccole Thurman; Peacock

DAYTIME DRAMA

Days of Our Lives
Head Writer: Ron Carlivati Writers: Lorraine Broderick, Joanna Cohen, Carolyn Culliton, Richard Culliton, Jamey Giddens, David Kreizman, Rebecca McCarty, Ryan Quan, Dave Ryan, Katherine D. Schock, Elizabeth Snyder; NBC

CHILDREN’S EPISODIC, LONG FORM AND SPECIALS

“The Tale of the Midnight Magic” (Are You Afraid of the Dark?)
Written by JT Billings and Alex Ebel; Nickelodeon

DOCUMENTARY SCRIPT – CURRENT EVENTS

“The Healthcare Divide” (Frontline)
Written by Rick Young; PBS

DOCUMENTARY SCRIPT – OTHER THAN CURRENT EVENTS

“Citizen Hearst, Part One” (American Experience)
Written by Gene Tempest; PBS

NEWS SCRIPT – REGULARLY SCHEDULED, BULLETIN, OR BREAKING REPORT

“The Unequal Recession” (60 Minutes)
Written by Katie Kerbstat Jacobson, Scott Pelley, Nicole Young; CBS News

NEWS SCRIPT – ANALYSIS, FEATURE, OR COMMENTARY

“Handcuffed to the Truth” (60 Minutes)
Written by Katie Kerbstat Jacobson, Scott Pelley, Nicole Young; CBS News

DIGITAL NEWS

“‘Men’s Rights Asians’ Think This Is Their Moment”
Written by Aaron Mak; Slate.com

RADIO/AUDIO WINNERS

RADIO/AUDIO DOCUMENTARY

“One Year: 1977 ‘The Miracle Cure’”
Written by Evan Chung; Slate Podcast

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

“Surfside Condo Collapse” (CBS World News Roundup Late Edition)
Written by Kathleen M. Biggins; CBS News Radio

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

“The Tasmanian Devil Tattoo” (Decoder Ring)
Written by Benjamin Frisch; Slate Podcast

PROMOTIONAL

ON-AIR PROMOTION

“Celebrating Powerful Female Leads: Trailers for The Equalizer & Why Women Kill”
Written by Molly Neylan; CBS