Writers Guild Awards 2026 Winners: The Pitt Dominates TV While Sinners Take Film Honors

The Writers Guild of America Awards once again proved that great television and film still begin with one thing. A great script. The 2026 Writers Guild Awards winners list celebrates the storytellers who delivered the sharpest dialogue, the most compelling characters, and the scripts that kept audiences glued to their screens all year.

This year’s ceremony highlighted an impressive mix of prestige television, buzzy streaming projects, and big screen storytelling. On the TV side, HBO Max’s medical drama The Pitt emerged as one of the biggest winners of the night, taking home both Drama Series and New Series awards. Meanwhile comedy fans saw Apple TV’s Hollywood satire The Studio claim the Comedy Series prize.

Film categories also delivered a few headline grabbing moments. Ryan Coogler’s Sinners won for Original Screenplay, while Paul Thomas Anderson’s adaptation of One Battle After Another secured the Adapted Screenplay honor. Documentary storytelling was recognized as well, with 2,000 Meters to Andriivka earning the Documentary Screenplay award.

As always, the Writers Guild Awards offer an early glimpse into the scripts and shows shaping the entertainment conversation. For TV fans especially, the winners list reads like a roadmap of what critics and writers believe represents the best storytelling currently on screen.

Below is the complete 2026 Writers Guild Awards winners list.

Category	Winner	Writer(s)	Network or Studio
Original Screenplay	Sinners	Ryan Coogler	Warner Bros Pictures
Adapted Screenplay	One Battle After Another	Paul Thomas Anderson	Warner Bros Pictures
Documentary Screenplay	2,000 Meters to Andriivka	Mstyslav Chernov	Frontline Features
Drama Series	The Pitt	Cynthia Adarkwa, Simran Baidwan, Valerie Chu, R Scott Gemmill, Elyssa Gershman, Joe Sachs, Noah Wyle	HBO Max
Comedy Series	The Studio	Evan Goldberg, Alex Gregory, Peter Huyck, Frida Perez, Seth Rogen	Apple TV
Limited Series	Dying for Sex	Sheila Callaghan, Harris Danow, Madeleine George, Elizabeth Meriwether, Kim Rosenstock, Sasha Stewart, Sabrina Wu, Keisha Zollar	FX and Hulu
New Series	The Pitt	Cynthia Adarkwa, Simran Baidwan, Valerie Chu, R Scott Gemmill, Elyssa Gershman, Joe Sachs, Noah Wyle	HBO Max
Episodic Drama	7:00 A.M. from The Pitt	R Scott Gemmill	HBO Max
Episodic Comedy	Prelude from The Righteous Gemstones	John Carcieri, Jeff Fradley, Danny McBride	HBO Max
Comedy Variety Series Talk or Sketch	Last Week Tonight with John Oliver	Writing Staff	HBO Max
Comedy Variety Special	Marc Maron Panicked	Marc Maron	HBO Max
Documentary Script Other Than Current Events	Forgotten Hero Walter White and the NAACP from American Experience	Rob Rapley	PBS
Documentary Script Current Events	Trump’s Power and the Rule of Law from Frontline	Michael Kirk and Mike Wiser	PBS
Animation	Shira Can’t Cook from Long Story Short	Mehar Sethi	Netflix
TV and Streaming Motion Pictures	Deep Cover	Derek Connolly and Colin Trevorrow	Prime Video
Daytime Drama	The Young and the Restless	Writing Team	CBS and Paramount Plus
Quiz and Audience Participation	Celebrity Jeopardy	Writing Team	ABC
Children’s Episodic Long Form and Specials	When We Lose Someone from Tab Time	Sean Presant	YouTube
News Script Analysis Feature or Commentary	Remembering Palestinian Journalists Killed by Israeli Forces	Lisa Salinas	MSNBC
News Script Breaking or Bulletin	Devastating Flooding in Texas from World News Tonight with David Muir	David Muir, Karen Mooney, Dave Bloch	ABC News
Digital News	An Isolated Boarding School Promised to Help Troubled Girls Former Students Say They Were Abused	Sebastian Murdock, Taiyler Mitchell	HuffPost
Short Form Streaming	The Rabbit Hole with Jimmy Kimmel	Jimmy Kimmel, Jesse Joyce	YouTube
Promotional Writing	CBS Comedy	Dan Greenberger	CBS
Radio Audio News Script Breaking	ABC News Radio Top of the Hour News	Robert Hawley	ABC News Radio
Radio Audio News Script Commentary	The Life and Legacy of Jimmy Carter	Gail Lee	CBS News Radio
Radio Audio Documentary	Jerry Lewis’ Lost Holocaust Clown Movie from Decoder Ring	Max Freedman	Slate

What stands out from this year’s Writers Guild Awards winners is how much television continues to dominate the storytelling conversation. The Pitt clearly struck a chord with writers, critics, and audiences alike, while comedies like The Studio and The Righteous Gemstones proved sharp writing still fuels great humor.

For TV fans, the WGA Awards are more than just another trophy night. They are often a signal of the shows worth watching and the scripts worth celebrating. If the 2026 winners list proves anything, it is that the real magic in Hollywood still starts on the page. And judging by these winners, the writers are doing just fine.