30th Writers Guild of America Awards

Best Drama Written Directly for the Screenplay

• The Turning Point, Written by Arthur Laurents
  • Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Written by Steven Spielberg
  • The Late Show, Written by Robert Benton
  • Saturday Night Fever, Written by Norman Wexler

Best Comedy Written Directly for the Screenplay

• Annie Hall, Written by Woody Allen and Marshall Brickman
  • The Goodbye Girl, Written by Neil Simon
  • Star Wars, Written by George Lucas
  • Slap Shot, Written by Nancy Dowd

Best Drama Adapted from Another Medium

• Julia, Screenplay by Alvin Sargent; Based on the story by Lillian Hellman
  • I Never Promised You a Rose Garden, Screenplay by Gavin Lambert and Lewis John Carlino; Based on the novel by Joanne Greenberg
  • Islands in the Stream, Screenplay by Denne Bart Petitclerc; Based on the novelbyErnest Hemingway
  • Looking for Mr. Goodbar, Screenplay by Richard Brooks; Based on the novelbyJudith Rossner

Best Comedy Adapted from Another Medium

• Oh, God!, Screenplay by Larry Gelbart; Based on the novel by Avery Corman
  • Semi-Tough, Screenplay by Walter Bernstein; Based on the novel by Dan Jenkins
  • The Spy Who Loved Me, Screenplay by Christopher Wood and Richard Maibaum; Based on the characters by Ian Fleming

Episodic Comedy

• "Archie Gets the Business" – All in the Family (CBS) – Larry Rhine and Mel Tolkin
  • "The Joy of Sex" – All in the Family (CBS) – Erik Tarloff
  • "Good-Bye, Mr. Fish: Part 2" – Barney Miller (ABC) – Reinhold Weege
  • "Copy Cat" – Barney Miller (ABC) – Douglas Wyman and Tony Sheehan
  • "Fade Out, Fade In" – M*A*S*H (CBS) – James Fritzell and Everett Greenbaum
  • "A Jackie Story" – The Bob Newhart Show (CBS) – Lloyd Garver
  • "A Girl in Her Twenties" – The Bob Newhart Show (CBS) – Laura Levine
  • "Once a Friend" – The Jeffersons (CBS) – Michael S. Baser and Kim Weiskopf
  • "The Last Show" – The Mary Tyler Moore Show (CBS) – James L. Brooks, Allan Burns, Ed. Weinberger, Stan Daniels, David Lloyd and Bob Ellison
  • "The Critic" – The Mary Tyler Moore Show (CBS) – David LLoyd

Episodic Drama

• "Tirigger Point" – Police Story (NBC) – Mark Rodgers
  • "The Gipper Caper" – Eight Is Enough (ABC) – William Blinn
  • "Housewarming" – Lou Grant (CBS) – Leonora Thuna
  • "Christmas" – Lou Grant (CBS) – David Lloyd
  • "Merry Christmas Waldo" – Police Woman (NBC) – E. Arthur Kean
  • "Quickie Nirvana" – The Rockford Files (NBC) – David Chase
  • "Beamer's Last Case" – The Rockford Files (NBC) – Stephen J. Cannell, Booker Bradshaw and Calvin Kelly

Daytime Serials

• Ryan's Hope (ABC) – Paul Avila Mayer, Claire Labine and Mary Munisteri
  • Days of Our Lives (NBC) – Patricia Falken Smith, William J. Bell, Bill Rega, Margaret Stewart and Kay Lenard
  • Love of Life (CBS) – Gabrielle Upton

Children's Script - Episodic & Specials

• Little Vic (ABC) – Art Wallace
• "Hewitt's Just Different" – ABC Afterschool Special (ABC) – Jan Artman
• "The Pinballs" – ABC Afterschool Special (ABC) – Jim Inman
• Once Upon a Brothers Grimm (CBS) – Jean Holloway

Variety: Series or Special: Musical or Comedy

• The Carol Burnett Show (CBS) – Ed Simmons, Roger Beatty, Rick Hawkins, Liz Sage, Bob Illes, James R. Stein, Franelle Silver, Larry Siegel, Tim Conway, Bill Richmond, Gene Perret, Dick Clair and Jenna McMahon