FILE - This photo released by Paramount Pictures shows, Rafe Spall, from left, Jeremy Strong, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling and Jeffry Griffin in the film, "The Big Short." Oscar contenders "Spotlight" and "The Big Short" won the top awards for screenwriting from the Writers Guild of America at a ceremony Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016, that was held in Los Angeles and New York. (Jaap Buitendijk/Paramount Pictures via AP)
Republished February 14, 2016 - 1:14 AM
Original Publication Date February 13, 2016 - 11:35 PM
LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Oscar contenders "Spotlight" and "The Big Short" won the top awards for screenwriting from the Writers Guild of America at a ceremony Saturday that was held in Los Angeles and New York.
"Spotlight," about the Boston Globe's effort to uncover a priest sex-abuse scandal in the Catholic Church, won for best original screenplay. The writers are Josh Singer and Tom McCarthy.
"The Big Short," about the 2008 financial crisis, won for best adapted screenplay. Writers Charles Randolph and Adam McKay wrote a screenplay adapted from the book of the same title by Michael Lewis.
In the television categories, the now-concluded AMC series "Mad Men" about the advertising business in the 1960s and 1970s, won for drama. The writers honoured are by Lisa Albert, Semi Chellas, Jonathan Igla, Janet Leahy, Erin Levy, Tom Smuts, Robert Towne, Matthew Weiner and Carly Wray.
The HBO series "Veep," about the exploits of politician Selina Meyer, won for comedy. The writers honoured are Simon Blackwell, Jon Brown, Kevin Cecil, Roger Drew, Peter Fellows, Neil Gibbons, Rob Gibbons, Sean Gray, Callie Hersheway, Armando Iannucci, Sean Love, Ian Martin, Georgia Pritchett, David Quantick, Andy Riley, Tony Roche and Will Smith.
Other winners included:
— NEW SERIES: "Mr. Robot," on the USA network, written by Kyle Bradstreet, Kate Erickson, Sam Esmail, David Iserson, Randolph Leon, Adam Penn and Matt Pyken.
— ORIGINAL LONG FORM SERIES: "Saints & Strangers," on the National Geographic Channel, written by Seth Fisher, Walon Green, Chip Johannessen and Eric Overmyer.
— ADAPTED LONG FORM SERIES: "Fargo,"on the FX network, written by Steve Blackman, Bob DeLaurentis, Noah Hawley, Ben Nedivi and Matt Wolpert.
— EPISODIC DRAMA: "Uno" from the "Better Call Saul" series, on the AMC network, written by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould.
— EPISODIC COMEDY: "Sand Hill Shuffle" from the "Silicon Valley" series, on the HBO network, written by Clay Tarver.
News from © The Associated Press, 2016