Hollywood’s guild of writers just dropped its nominations for 2026, and while some picks mirror this year’s Oscar race, others reveal fascinating divergences shaped by strict eligibility rules.
Ryan Coogler’s Sinners and the Safdie brothers’ Marty Supreme are both vying for Original Screenplay honors alongside some unexpected contenders.
On television, Apple TV’s new series Pluribus dominated with four nominations, including Drama Series and New Series categories.
The announcements reveal which writers Hollywood’s own consider the year’s best—and the results hold clues about the Oscar race ahead.
Screenplay Categories Mirror and Diverge from Oscars
The Adapted Screenplay category delivered zero surprises, perfectly matching last week’s Academy Award nominations.
Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another leads the pack alongside Chloé Zhao and Maggie O’Farrell’s Hamnet, Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, Will Tracy’s Bugonia, and Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar’s Train Dreams.
Original Screenplay tells a different story. While Sinners and Marty Supreme appear in both competitions, the WGA nominations diverge significantly from Oscar picks due to foreign film eligibility restrictions.
David Koepp’s spy thriller Black Bag, Zach Cregger’s Weapons, and Mary Bronstein’s If I Had Legs I’d Kick You round out the WGA slate. That last nomination marks a particularly good day for the Bronstein household—Mary and Marty Supreme co-writer Ronald Bronstein are married.
Oscar nominees Sentimental Value, Blue Moon, and It Was Just an Accident couldn’t qualify for WGA consideration despite their Academy recognition.
Television Nominations Spotlight Streaming Giants
Pluribus emerged as the television front-runner with nominations spanning multiple categories. The Apple TV series, created by Breaking Bad masterminds Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould, earned recognition for Drama Series, New Series, and two episodic writing nods.
The Drama Series category represents television’s current golden age. Competing against Pluribus are Disney+’s Andor, HBO Max’s The Pitt and The White Lotus, and Apple TV’s Severance.
Comedy series nominations showcase both established hits and newer contenders. ABC’s Abbott Elementary and HBO Max’s Hacks—last year’s winner—return alongside HBO Max’s The Chair Company and The Rehearsal, plus Apple TV’s The Studio.
New Series Category Features High-Profile Debuts
Five shows compete for New Series recognition, including three that also earned Drama or Comedy noms. The Chair Company, The Pitt, Pluribus, and The Studio face off against HBO Max’s Task.
Limited series nominations went to The Beast in Me, Black Rabbit, Death by Lightning, Dying for Sex, and Sirens.
Late Night and Variety Programming Battles Heat Up
HBO’s Last Week Tonight with John Oliver returns to defend its title in Comedy/Variety Series – Talk or Sketch. Competition includes NBC’s Saturday Night Live, Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, CNN’s Have I Got News for You, NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers, and ESPN’s They Call It Late Night with Jason Kelce.
The Variety Specials category features television’s biggest moments. NBC’s SNL50: The Anniversary Special competes against the 82nd Annual Golden Globes, Marc Maron’s HBO special Panicked, The Daily Show Presents: Jordan Klepper Fingers the Pulse, and Netflix’s Conan O’Brien: The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.
Episodic Categories Recognize Individual Excellence
Drama writing recognition went to episodes from The Pitt, Task, Pluribus (with two nominations), The Handmaid’s Tale, and Forever.
Comedy episodes earning nominations include Mo, The Rehearsal, The Righteous Gemstones, The Studio, Poker Face, and The Bear.
Documentary and News Writing Shine
Documentary screenplay nominations honored 2,000 Meters to Andriivka, Becoming Led Zeppelin, and White with Fear. PBS’s Frontline dominated documentary current events with three nominations for episodes covering Syria, domestic terrorism, and RFK Jr.
News writing categories recognized work from ABC’s World News Tonight with David Muir, CBS’s 60 Minutes and Sunday Morning, MSNBC coverage, and digital journalism from HuffPost and Slate.
Daytime Drama Welcomes Fresh Competition
CBS’s new soap opera Beyond the Gates earned its first WGA nomination in the Daytime Drama category. The show was too new for Daytime Emmy eligibility this year, making this recognition particularly significant.
Beyond the Gates competes against established shows General Hospital and The Young and the Restless.
Awards Ceremony and Historical Context
Winners will be revealed Sunday, March 8, during concurrent ceremonies in Los Angeles at the JW Marriott L.A. Live and in New York at the Edison Ballroom.
Last year’s results proved prescient for Oscar success. Sean Baker’s Anora won both the WGA and Oscar for Original Screenplay before claiming Best Picture. In Adapted Screenplay, RaMell Ross and Joslyn Barnes won the WGA for Nickel Boys, though Conclave—ineligible for WGA consideration—ultimately won the Oscar.
Television winners from 2025 included FX’s Shōgun for Drama and HBO Max’s Hacks for Comedy.
Honorary Awards Recognize Industry Leaders
The WGA West will present its Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award for Television Writing Achievement to Don Reo during the Los Angeles ceremony.
In New York, the WGA East will honor Terry George with the Ian McLellan Hunter Award for Career Achievement, Stephen Colbert with the Walter Bernstein Award, and Diana Son with the Richard B. Jablow Award for Devoted Service to the Guild.
Final voting begins Friday and continues through February 13, giving guild members two weeks to cast ballots across all competitive categories.