Ryan Coogler's Sinners just won Best Original Screenplay at the Writers Guild Awards
Ryan Coogler's Sinners wins Best Original Screenplay at the Writers Guild Awards, whilst The Pitt dominates TV with two wins. Apple TV+'s The Studio also claims comedy honours in a ceremony moved to New York due to LA staff strikes.
The 2026 Writers Guild Awards wrapped up Sunday night in New York City, with Ryan Coogler's supernatural horror film Sinners claiming Best Original Screenplay. As reported by Variety, the ceremony saw Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another winning Best Adapted Screenplay, whilst television honours went to The Pitt for both Best Drama Series and Best New Series.
Who won the major screenplay awards?
Ryan Coogler's Sinners took home the night's biggest prize for Best Original Screenplay, beating out competition from A24's If I Had Legs I'd Kick You and Marty Supreme. The supernatural horror film, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, continues Coogler's impressive run following Black Panther and Creed.
Paul Thomas Anderson secured Best Adapted Screenplay for One Battle After Another, his screen story inspired by Thomas Pynchon's novel Vineland. The film faced strong competition from Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein and Chloe Zhao's Hamnet adaptation.
These wins position both films as serious contenders for the upcoming awards season. Golden Globes 2026 winners saw different films take the spotlight, making this year's race particularly unpredictable.
What TV series dominated the awards?
The Pitt had an exceptional night, claiming both Best Drama Series and Best New Series awards. The HBO Max medical drama, written by a team including Noah Wyle and R. Scott Gemmill, beat out competition from Apple TV+'s Severance and Disney+'s Andor.
Comedy honours went to The Studio on Apple TV+, written by Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, and their team. The behind-the-scenes look at Hollywood edged out HBO Max's Hacks and ABC's Abbott Elementary.
These wins reflect the continued dominance of streaming platforms in premium television. Apple TV+ continues expanding its award-winning content slate with original series.
Here are all the winners at the 2026 WGA Awards:
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Sinners, Written by Ryan Coogler; Warner Bros. Pictures
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
One Battle After Another, Screenplay by Paul Thomas Anderson, Screen Story by Paul Thomas Anderson, Inspired by the novel Vineland by Thomas Pynchon; Warner Bros. Pictures
DOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY
2,000 Meters to Andriivka, Written by Mstyslav Chernov; Frontline Features
DRAMA SERIES
The Pitt, Written by Cynthia Adarkwa, Simran Baidwan, Valerie Chu, R. Scott Gemmill, Elyssa Gershman, Joe Sachs, Noah Wyle; HBO | Max
COMEDY SERIES
The Studio, Written by Evan Goldberg, Alex Gregory, Peter Huyck, Frida Perez, Seth Rogen; Apple TV
LIMITED SERIES
Dying for Sex, Written by Sheila Callaghan, Harris Danow, Madeleine George, Elizabeth Meriwether, Kim Rosenstock, Sasha Stewart, Sabrina Wu, Keisha Zollar; FX/Hulu
NEW SERIES
The Pitt, Written by Cynthia Adarkwa, Simran Baidwan, Valerie Chu, R. Scott Gemmill, Elyssa Gershman, Joe Sachs, Noah Wyle; HBO | Max
EPISODIC DRAMA
“7:00 A.M.” (The Pitt), Written by R. Scott Gemmill; HBO | Max
EPISODIC COMEDY
“Prelude” (The Righteous Gemstones), Written by John Carcieri, Jeff Fradley, Danny R. McBride; HBO | Max
COMEDY/VARIETY SERIES – TALK OR SKETCH
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Senior Writers: Daniel O’Brien, Owen Parsons, Charlie Redd, Joanna Rothkopf, Seena Vali; Writers: Johnathan Appel, Ali Barthwell, Tim Carvell, Liz Hynes, Ryan Ken, Sofía Manfredi, John Oliver, Taylor Kay Phillips, Chrissy Shackelford; HBO | Max
COMEDY/VARIETY SPECIALS
Marc Maron: Panicked, Written by Marc Maron; HBO | Max
DOCUMENTARY SCRIPT – OTHER THAN CURRENT EVENTS
“Forgotten Hero: Walter White and the NAACP” (American Experience), Written by Rob Rapley; PBS
DOCUMENTARY SCRIPT – CURRENT EVENTS
“Trump’s Power & the Rule of Law” (Frontline), Written by Michael Kirk & Mike Wiser; PBS
ANIMATION
“Shira Can’t Cook” (Long Story Short) Written by Mehar Sethi; Netflix
TV & STREAMING MOTION PICTURES
Deep Cover, Written by Derek Connolly & Colin Trevorrow; Prime Video
DAYTIME DRAMA
The Young and the Restless, Associate Head Writers: Jeff Beldner, Marla Kanelos, Dave Ryan; Writers: Susan Banks, Amanda L. Beall, Marin Gazzaniga, Rebecca McCarty, Madeleine Phillips; CBS/Paramount+
QUIZ AND AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION
Celebrity Jeopardy!, Head Writer: Robert Patton Writers: Kyle Beakley, Michael Davies, Terence Gray, Amy Ozols, Tim Siedell, David Levinson-Wilk; ABC+
CHILDREN’S EPISODIC, LONG FORM AND SPECIALS
“When We Lose Someone” (Tab Time), Written by Sean Presant; YouTube
NEWS SCRIPT – ANALYSIS, FEATURE, OR COMMENTARY
Remembering Palestinian Journalists Killed by Israeli Forces, Written by Lisa Salinas; MSNBC
NEWS SCRIPT – REGULARLY SCHEDULED, BULLETIN, OR BREAKING REPORT
“Devastating Flooding in Texas” (World News Tonight with David Muir), Written by David Muir, Karen Mooney, and Dave Bloch; ABC News
DIGITAL NEWS
“An Isolated Boarding School Promised to Help Troubled Girls. Former Students Say They Were Abused.”, Written by Sebastian Murdock and Taiyler Mitchell; HuffPost
SHORT FORM STREAMING
The Rabbit Hole with Jimmy Kimmel, Writers: Jimmy Kimmel & Jesse Joyce; YouTube
PROMOTIONAL WRITING
“CBS Comedy “, Written by Dan Greenberger; CBS
RADIO/AUDIO NEWS SCRIPT – REGULARLY SCHEDULED, BULLETIN, OR BREAKING REPORT
“ABC News Radio Top of the Hour News”, Written by Robert Hawley; ABC News Radio
RADIO/AUDIO NEWS SCRIPT – ANALYSIS, FEATURE, OR COMMENTARY
“The Life and Legacy of Jimmy Carter”, Written by Gail Lee; CBS News Radio
RADIO/AUDIO DOCUMENTARY
“Jerry Lewis’ Lost Holocaust Clown Movie” (Decoder Ring), Written by Max Freedman; Slate
When can UAE viewers watch the winning content?
Availability varies significantly across the winning titles. The Studio streams on Apple TV+ globally, which includes UAE viewers with the same content library as most international markets.
The Pitt airs on HBO Max, but UAE viewers need to access this content through OSN+ streaming service, which carries HBO content in the region. Both Sinners and One Battle After Another will likely receive cinema releases in the UAE, though specific dates haven't been confirmed.
Where to watch in the UAE
The Studio: Available on Apple TV+ in the UAE
The Pitt: Available through OSN+ subscription
Sinners and One Battle After Another: Cinema releases expected, dates TBC
Other winning content: Various platforms including Netflix, Disney+, and FX/Hulu content via OSN+
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won Best Original Screenplay at the Writers Guild Awards?
Ryan Coogler's Sinners won Best Original Screenplay at the 2026 Writers Guild Awards. The supernatural horror film was distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures.
What TV series won at the 2026 Writers Guild Awards?
The Pitt won both Best Drama Series and Best New Series, while The Studio from Apple TV+ won Best Comedy Series. Both shows competed against strong fields including Severance and Hacks.
Why was the WGA West ceremony canceled?
The WGA West canceled its Los Angeles ceremony due to a staff strike by the Writers Guild Staff Union. The union went on strike seeking higher wages and 'just cause' protections.
Where can UAE viewers watch the winning shows?
The Studio is available on Apple TV+ in the UAE, while The Pitt can be watched through OSN+, which carries HBO Max content in the region.
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