Happy National Screenwriters Day! Two years ago, I celebrated by looking at the science and speculative fiction among WGA film nominees. This year, I'm observing the day by highlighting the television nominees about politics and government at the Writers Guild of America (WGA) Awards.* It turns out that many of the categories have nominees examine one or both. With no further ado, here they are with my commentary and handicapping.
DRAMA SERIESEvery single Drama Series nominee at the WGA Awards is about politics and government, whether historical, as in "The Crown" and "Mindhunter," fantastic and futuristic, like "The Handmaid's Tale" and "Watchmen, or contemporary but completely fictional, such as "Succession," which is primarily about family dynamics within a business, but has political elements. While my personal favorite is "Mindhunter" because it won Best Drama Series about Politics and Government at the 2017-2018 Golden Coffee Cups for television, I don't think it will win. Instead, one of the three series that also have nominations for Episodic Drama, "The Crown" and "Succession," or New Series, "Watchmen," have the inside track. Of the three, I'd say "Succession" would be the betting favorite, as the series won Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series at last season's Emmy Awards.
The Crown, Written by James Graham, David Hancock, Peter Morgan; Netflix
The Handmaid’s Tale, Written by Marissa Jo Cerar, Yahlin Chang, Nina Fiore, Dorothy Fortenberry, Jacey Heldrich, John Herrera, Lynn Renee Maxcy, Bruce Miller, Kira Snyder, Eric Tuchman; Hulu
Mindhunter, Written by Pamela Cederquist, Joshua Donen, Marcus Gardley, Shaun Grant, Liz Hannah, Phillip Howze, Jason Johnson, Doug Jung, Colin J. Louro, Alex Metcalf, Courtenay Miles, Dominic Orlando, Joe Penhall, Ruby Rae Spiegel; Netflix
Succession, Written by Jesse Armstrong, Alice Birch, Jon Brown, Jonathan Glatzer, Cord Jefferson, Mary Laws, Lucy Prebble, Georgia Pritchett, Tony Roche, Gary Shteyngart, Susan Soon He Stanton, Will Tracy; HBO
Watchmen, Written by Lila Byock, Nick Cuse, Christal Henry, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Cord Jefferson, Jeff Jensen, Claire Kiechel, Damon Lindelof, Janine Nabers, Stacy Osei-Kuffour, Tom Spezialy, Carly Wray; HBO
EPISODIC DRAMAIn addition to "Succession" and "The Crown," "Mr. Robot" is the political series nominee. Just like Drama Series, I think the favorite is "Succession."
“407 Proxy Authentication Required” (Mr. Robot), Written by Sam Esmail; USA Network
“A Good Man is Hard to Find” (Ray Donovan), Written by Joshua Marston; Showtime
“Mirror Mirror” (The OA), Written by Dominic Orlando & Claire Kiechel; Netflix
“Moondust” (The Crown), Written by Peter Morgan; Netflix
“Our Little Island Girl” (This Is Us), Written by Eboni Freeman; NBC
“Tern Haven” (Succession), Written by Will Tracy; HBO
Now for the lighter side of scripted television.
COMEDY SERIESWhile I'm rooting for "Veep" to win because it holds the Golden Coffee Cup for Best Comedy Series about Politics and Government, I don't think it will. "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" is the returning winner and also has a nomination for Episodic Comedy. That wouldn't be a total loss for the topic of politics and government, as the show makes political points in addition to its many social points (I'm starting to see how "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" does to entertainment what "Mad Men" did for advertising) and Midge goes on a USO tour this season. Remember, the government includes the military, so supporting our troops helps the government.
Barry, Written by Alec Berg, Duffy Boudreau, Bill Hader, Emily Heller, Jason Kim, Taofik Kolade, Elizabeth Sarnoff; HBO
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Written by Kate Fodor, Noah Gardenswartz, Daniel Goldfarb, Alison Leiby, Dan Palladino, Sono Patel, Amy Sherman-Palladino, Jordan Temple; Prime Video
PEN15, Written by Jeff Chan, Maya Erskine, Anna Konkle, Gabe Liedman, Stacy Osei-Kuffour, Andrew Rhymer, Jessica Watson, Sam Zvibleman; Hulu
Russian Doll, Written by Jocelyn Bioh, Flora Birnbaum, Cirocco Dunlap, Leslye Headland, Natasha Lyonne, Amy Poehler, Tami Sagher, Allison Silverman; Netflix
Veep, Written by Gabrielle Allan-Greenberg, Rachel Axler, Emilia Barrosse, Ted Cohen, Jennifer Crittenden, Alex Gregory, Steve Hely, Peter Huyck, Erik Kenward, Billy Kimball, David Mandel, Ian Maxtone-Graham, Dan Mintz, Lew Morton, Dan O'Keefe, Georgia Pritchett, Leila Strachan; HBO
EPISODIC COMEDYIn addition to "Veep" and "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," "Orange Is the New Black" is the show about politics and government among the nominees. Its final season was very political, as it not only looked at the politics of private prisons, but focused on how they are used to detain undocumented immigrants prior to deportation. Of the three, I think "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" is the favorite, but either "Veep" or "Dead To Me" could pull off an upset. "Orange Is the New Black" should just be happy to be nominated at these award, but should look forward to Emmy nominations next summer.
“Here’s Where We Get Off” (Orange Is the New Black), Written by Jenji Kohan; Netflix
“It’s Comedy or Cabbage” (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Written by Amy Sherman-Palladino; Prime Video
“Nice Knowing You” (Living With Yourself), Written by Timothy Greenberg; Netflix
“Pilot” (Dead to Me), Written by Liz Feldman; Netflix
“The Stinker Thinker” (On Becoming a God in Central Florida), Written by Robert F. Funke & Matt Lutsky; Showtime
“Veep” (Veep), Written by David Mandel; HBO
Speaking of "Dead to Me," it's also nominated in the next category.
NEW SERIESThe sole political nominee is "Watchmen," which is also a speculative fiction series. That means I'm rooting for it twice over. However, I'm not as confident about it winning. "Dead To Me," "PEN15," and "Russian Doll" all have two nominations and so I think they have just as much likelihood of taking home the trophy, if not more. Of all of them, "Russian Doll" would be my second choice, as it's a Saturn Award nominee for Best Streaming Fantasy, Sci-Fi, or Action/Thriller Television Series. However, I suspect "Dead To Me" will win. As for the third speculative fiction nominee, "What We Do in the Shadows," which earned a nomination for Best Streaming Horror and Thriller Series at the 2019 Saturn Awards, it should also be satisfied just being nominated.
Dead To Me, Written by Rebecca Addelman, Njeri Brown, Liz Feldman, Kelly Hutchinson, Anthony King, Emma Rathbone, Kate Robin, Abe Sylvia; Netflix
PEN15, Written by Jeff Chan, Maya Erskine, Anna Konkle, Gabe Liedman, Stacy Osei-Kuffour, Andrew Rhymer, Jessica Watson, Sam Zvibleman; Hulu
Russian Doll, Written by Jocelyn Bioh, Flora Birnbaum, Cirocco Dunlap, Leslye Headland, Natasha Lyonne, Amy Poehler, Tami Sagher, Allison Silverman; Netflix
Watchmen, Written by Lila Byock, Nick Cuse, Christal Henry, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Cord Jefferson, Jeff Jensen, Claire Kiechel, Damon Lindelof, Janine Nabers, Stacy Osei-Kuffour, Tom Spezialy, Carly Wray; HBO
What We Do in the Shadows, Written by Jesse Armstrong, Sam Bain, Jemaine Clement, Josh Lieb, Iain Morris, Stefani Robinson, Duncan Sarkies, Marika Sawyer, Tom Scharpling, Paul Simms,Taika Waititi; FX Networks
Now for movies and limited series.
ORIGINAL LONG FORM"Chernobyl," "The Terror: Infamy," and "True Detective" are all examine politics and government, "Chernobyl" the eponymous nuclear disaster, "The Terror: Infamy" Japanese internment during World War II, "True Detective" police work. All things being equal, I'd root for "The Terror: Infamy" because it is also speculative fiction (horror), but all things are not equal. "Chernobyl" won ten Emmy Awards including Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special
Chernobyl, Written by Craig Mazin; HBO
The Terror: Infamy, Written by Max Borenstein, Alessandra DiMona, Shannon Goss, Steven Hanna, Naomi Iizuka, Benjamin Klein, Danielle Roderick, Tony Tost, Alexander Woo; AMC
Togo, Written by Tom Flynn; Disney+
True Detective, Written by Alessandra DiMona, Graham Gordy, Gabriel Hobson, David Milch, Nic Pizzolatto; HBO
, so I think it's the odds-on favorite.
ADAPTED LONG FORM"The Loudest Voice" relates the story of Roger Ailes and Fox News, while "Unbelievable" is an examination of the criminal justice system, among other things, so it's about government. In it's own take on crime and punishment, so is "El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie," albeit from the criminals' side, not the government's or victims'. Of all of them, I'm rooting for "The Loudest Voice." However, I think "Fosse/Verdon" is the favorite with "El Camino" my choice for an upset.
El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, Written by Vince Gilligan; Netflix
Fosse/Verdon, Written by Debora Cahn, Joel Fields, Ike Holter, Thomas Kail, Steven Levenson, Charlotte Stoudt, Tracey Scott Wilson, Based on the book Fosse by Sam Wasson; FX Networks
The Loudest Voice, Written by John Harrington Bland, Laura Eason, Tom McCarthy, Alex Metcalf, Gabriel Sherman, Jennifer Stahl, Based on the Book The Loudest Voice in the Room and the New York Magazine Articles by Gabriel Sherman; Showtime
Unbelievable, Written by Michael Chabon, Susannah Grant, Becky Mode, Jennifer Schuur, Ayelet Waldman, Based on the Pro Publica & The Marshall Project article “An Unbelievable Story of Rape” and This American Life radio episode “Anatomy of Doubt;” Netflix
Follow over the jump for the rest of the nominees.
COMEDY/VARIETY TALK SERIESAll of the Comedy/Variety Talk Series examine political material, some more effectively than others. For example, I think "Conan" is the weakest nominee and should just be happy to be listed in this company. On the other hand, all the rest feature very sharp political comedy and I think all are worthy. Of all of them, I am rooting for Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, which is also the returning winner both here and at the Emmy Awards.
Conan, Head Writer: Matt O’Brien Writers: Jose Arroyo, Glenn Boozan, Daniel Cronin, Andres du Bouchet, Jessie Gaskell, Brian Kiley, Laurie Kilmartin, Todd Levin, Levi MacDougall, Conan O’Brien, Andy Richter, Frank Smiley, Mike Sweeney; TBS
Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, Head Writer: Melinda Taub Writing Supervised by: Joe Grossman, Nicole Silverberg Writers: Samantha Bee, Kristen Bartlett, Pat Cassels, Sean Crespo, Mike Drucker, Mathan Erhardt, Miles Kahn, Sahar Rizvi, Special Material by: Allison Silverman; TBS
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Senior Writers: Dan Gurewitch, Jeff Maurer, Jill Twiss, Juli Weiner Writers: Tim Carvell, Daniel O'Brien, John Oliver, Owen Parsons, Charlie Redd, Joanna Rothkopf, Ben Silva, Seena Vali; HBO
Late Night with Seth Meyers, Head writer: Alex Baze Supervising Writers: Sal Gentile, Seth Reiss, 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 Scollins, Mike Shoemaker, Ben Warheit; NBC Universal
The Late Late Show with James Corden, Head Writers: Lauren Greenberg, Ian Karmel Writers: Demi Adejuyigbe, James Corden, Rob Crabbe, Lawrence Dai, Nate Fernald, Caroline Goldfarb, Olivia Harewood, David Javerbaum, John Kennedy, Kayleigh Lamb, James Longman, Jared Moskowitz, CeCe Pleasants, Tim Siedell, Benjamin Stout, Tom Thriveni, Louis Waymouth, Ben Winston; CBS
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Head Writers: Jay Katsir, Opus Moreschi Writers: Michael Brumm, River Clegg, Aaron Cohen, Stephen Colbert, Paul Dinello, Ariel Dumas, Glenn Eichler, Django Gold, Gabe Gronli, Greg Iwinski, Barry Julien, Daniel Kibblesmith, Eliana Kwartler, Matt Lappin, Asher Perlman, Tom Purcell, Kate Sidley, Jen Spyra, Brian Stack, John Thibodeaux; CBS
COMEDY/VARIETY SPECIALSThe political nominee is "Full Frontal with Samantha Bee Presents: Not the White House Correspondents’ Dinner Part 2." I'm also a fan of Samantha Bee, so I'm rooting for it.
Desi Lydic: Abroad, Written by Devin Delliquanti, Lauren Sarver Means; Comedy Central
Full Frontal with Samantha Bee Presents: Not the White House Correspondents’ Dinner Part 2, Head Writer Melinda Taub, Writing Supervised by Joe Grossman, Nicole Silverberg, Writers Samantha Bee, Kristen Bartlett, Pat Cassels, Sean Crespo, Mike Drucker, Mathan Erhardt, Lewis Friedman, Miles Kahn, Sahar Rizvi, Special Material by Allison Silverman; TBS
The Late Late Show Carpool Karaoke Primetime Special 2019, Head Writers Lauren Greenberg, Ian Karmel, Writers Demi Adejuyigbe, James Corden, Rob Crabbe, Lawrence Dai, Nate Fernald, Caroline Goldfarb, John Kennedy, James Longman, Jared Moskowitz, CeCe Pleasants, Tim Siedell, Benjamin D. Stout, Tom Thriveni, Louis Waymouth, Ben Winston; CBS
Ramy Youssef: Feelings, Written by Ramy Youssef; HBO
COMEDY/VARIETY SKETCH SERIESI've been posting more clips from Saturday Night Live on this blog the past six months than I have during entire previous years, so no surprise that I'm rooting for it. While it isn't a returning winner in this category, it is a returning nominee, along with "At Home with Amy Sedaris" as well as winning six Emmy Awards for last season. I think that will count for something.
At Home with Amy Sedaris, Writers: Cole Escola, Amy Sedaris, Allison Silverman; truTV
I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson, Writers: Jeremy Beiler, Zach Kanin, Tim Robinson, John Solomon; Netflix
Saturday Night Live, Head Writers: Michael Che, Colin Jost, Kent Sublette Supervising Writers: Anna Drezen, Fran Gillespie, Sudi Green, Streeter Seidell Senior Writer: Bryan Tucker Weekend Update Head Writer: Pete Schultz Writers: James Anderson, Neal Brennan, Andrew Briedis, Dan Bulla, Megan Callahan, Steven Castillo, Emma Clark, Andrew Dismukes, Alison Gates, Tim Herlihy, Steve Higgins, Sam Jay, Erik Kenward, Steve Koren, Rob Klein, Michael Koman, Dan Licata, Alan Linic, Eli Coyote Mandel, Dave McCary, Dennis McNicholas, Lorne Michaels, John Mulaney, Josh Patten, Simon Rich, Josh Patten, Jasmine Pierce, Katie Rich, Gary Richardson, Marika Sawyer, Robert Smigel, Mark Steinbach, Will Stephen, Julio Torres, Bowen Yang; NBC Universal
Now for news and documentary nominees.
DOCUMENTARY SCRIPT – CURRENT EVENTS"Frontline on PBS" wins no matter what. I'll be looking for all three to be nominated at next year's News & Documentary Emmy Awards.
“Coal's Deadly Dust” (Frontline), Written by Elaine McMillion Sheldon; PBS
“The Mueller Investigation” (Frontline), Written by Michael Kirk & Mike Wiser; PBS
“Trump's Trade War” (Frontline), Written by Rick Young; PBS
DOCUMENTARY SCRIPT – OTHER THAN CURRENT EVENTSPersonally, I'm rooting for "Chasing The Moon," but any one of these would be worthy winners. Again, I'm looking for all three to be nominated at next year's News & Documentary Emmy Awards.
“Chasing The Moon Part One: A Place Beyond The Sky” (American Experience), Written by Robert Stone; PBS
“Right To Fail” (Frontline), Written by Tom Jennings; PBS
“Supreme Revenge” (Frontline), Written by Michael Kirk & Mike Wiser; PBS
NEWS SCRIPT – REGULARLY SCHEDULED, BULLETIN, OR BREAKING REPORTWith only one nominee, everyone knows who the winner already is. Congratulations!
“Terror in America: The Massacres in El Paso and Dayton” (Special Edition of the CBS Evening News with Norah O'Donnell), Written by Jerry Cipriano, Joe Clines, Bob Meyer; CBS News
NEWS SCRIPT – ANALYSIS, FEATURE, OR COMMENTARYI expect the "60 Minutes" segment will win this one.
“Atlanta, EP. 3” (A King’s Place), Written by Jessica Moulite; TheRoot.com
“Fly Like An Eagle” (60 Minutes), Written by Katie Kerbstat Jacobson, Scott Pelley, Nicole Young; CBS News
“’Tis the Season: Here’s How Jesus Became So Widely Accepted as White,” Written by Joon Chung, Felice León, Ashley Velez; TheRoot.com
“Toxic Water Crisis Still This Haunts New York Town”, Written by Lena Jackson; HuffPost.com
Good luck to all the nominees! Looking forward to the winners being announced on the first of next month!
*The movie nominees will be announced tomorrow. Also, I know that the Golden Globes are tonight, but when I faced the page today, I had the same reaction that I had when I started writing about the fantastic and futuristic political nominees at the Critics' Choice Awards for National Science Fiction Day; I ditched it to do something else. Besides, I'm more in tune with TV than with movies. I'll get around to the winners no later than MLK Day. Stay tuned.
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