Netflix movies and series hit big in Writers Guild of America nominations

The Writers Guild of America announced the nominations for their annual awards last week and Netflix films and television shows were well-represented. The WGA, both East and West Coast chapters, are comprised of working writers across the spectrum of filmed scripted genres. It has been around for almost 100 years and has been handing out awards for excellence since 1948.

Amongst writers, it is considered the highest of honors.

Here are the Netflix programs that have been nominated for awards for the past year. Many are likely among your favorites.

Netflix gets eight Writer's Guild of America nominations

Adapted Screenplay – Richard Linklater and Glen Powell for Hit Man

Linklater has been one of the most important independent filmmakers in the USA since writing and directing Slacker in 1990. His other credits include Dazed and Confused, the Before Sunrise trilogy, and Boyhood. His screenplays for Before Sunset, Before Midnight, and Boyhood were each previously nominated by the WGA and for Academy Awards.

He co-scripted Hit Man with Powell, who starred in the comedy about an unassuming college professor who finds himself thrust into the role of fake hired assassin as part of a police sting operation.

Documentary Screenplay – R. J. Cutler for Martha

R.J. Cutler began his career in documentaries by producing the Oscar-nominated The War Room in 1993. Since then, he has produced and/or directed films about a diverse collection of public figures, from Oliver North to Marlon Brando, Dick Cheney to Billie Eilish. He produced and directed two more acclaimed films in 2024, Elton John: Never Too Late, and Martha, an intimate portrait of cultural icon Martha Stewart, for which he received his nomination.

Television Drama – ”The Diplomat”

Six writers, including series creator Debra Cahn, were nominated for the roller coaster second season of the political thriller “The Diplomat.” Cahn won her first WGA award in 2005 for an episode of a different political drama, “The West Wing.” She claimed her second in 2020 for the film Fosse/Verdon.

She and her team of writers open season two with a major terrorist attack and close on one of the most audacious cliffhangers in recent television, all while tracing Kate Wyler’s pursuit of the vice presidency from her perch as US ambassador in London.

Television New Series – “Nobody Wants This”

14 different writers received WGA nominations for scripting Netflix’s viral sensation about Joanne and Noah, an unconventional, mismatched couple who delighted audiences in this romantic comedy. Series creator Erin Foster, along with producing partners Craig DiGregorio, Jack Burditt, and Steve Levitan were among those recognized.

Burditt and Levitan have each won multiple awards throughout their long careers. Foster and her executive producing sister Sara recently signed a new deal with 20th Century Television to develop more programs.

Limited Series – Steve Zaillian for Ripley

Zaillian, among the most accomplished writers/directors in American film for more than 30 years, won a WGA award (and an Oscar) for his Schindler’s List screenplay in 1994. He has been nominated for his film screenplays six other times by the Guild. He received the WGA’s Lifetime Achievement honor in 2011.

Ripley represents his second WGA nomination for working in limited series form, having previously been recognized for The Night Of in 2017. Ripley is the third filmed adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s 1955 novel The Talented Mr. Ripley, but the first to tackle the story in series form. It has already received numerous awards, including a Primetime Emmy for Zaillian’s directing.

Television Movie – Jeremy Saulnier for Rebel Ridge

Saulnier, the auteur of quirky violence in films such as Blue Ruin and Green Room, made his first television movie for Netflix with Rebel Ridge, a thriller pitting former Marine Aaron Pierre against unscrupulous police chief Don Johnson. The intense drama wowed critics and has already been nominated for the Critics Choice Award for Best Television Movie.

Television Animation – Charles and Vlas Parlapanides for Blood is Zeus

The Parlapanides brothers launched their “lost” mythological story from ancient Greece in 2022 and became an instant favorite with fans of animated action. They received their nomination for the third episode of season two – “Winter is Born.”

Television Talk or Sketch Series – “John Mulaney Presents: Everybody’s in L.A.”

Veteran comedian Mulaney presented his unconventional talk show for a week in May, taking advantage of the “Netflix is a Joke Festival” that was going on at the time. It seems like every comedian on the planet was in LA for the event, and Mulaney had an awful lot of them show up on his messy, irreverent, mostly-live limited series.

It flew all over the map with skits, interviews, and musical guests. In the first episode, Mulaney admitted the compressed nature of the show meant that it “would never find its groove,” and that’s exactly why it worked so well. This is Mulaney’s 11th WGA nomination. Most came when he was a writer for SNL. He is being recognized along with eight other writers.

The WGA will announce the winners on February 15 at its joint award program in Los Angeles and New York.