49th Writers Guild of America Awards
| 49th WGA Awards | |
|---|---|
| Date | 1997 |
| Organized by | Writers Guild of America, East and the Writers Guild of America, West |
The 49th Writers Guild of America Awards, given on 16 March 1997, honored the best writers of screen and television of 1996.
Film
Best Original Screenplay
- Jerry Maguire - Cameron Crowe
- Lone Star - John Sayles
- Secrets & Lies - Mike Leigh
- Shine - Jan Sardi and Scott Hicks
Best Adapted Screenplay
Sling Blade - Billy Bob Thornton
- Emma - Douglas McGrath
- The Birdcage - Elaine May
- The English Patient - Anthony Minghella
- Trainspotting - John Hodge
Television
Best Episodic Drama
Girl Talk - NYPD Blue - Theresa Rebeck and Bill Clark
- Aftershock - Law & Order - Janis Diamond and Michael S. Chernuchin
- Savages - Law & Order - Morgan Gendel, Barry M. Schkolnick and Michael S. Chernuchin
- Trophy - Law & Order - Jeremy R. Litman, Ed Zuckerman and Michael S. Chernuchin
- Pilot - Murder One - Charles H. Eglee, Channing Gibson, Steven Bochco and David Milch
- Falsies - Party of Five - Mark B. Perry
- Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose - The X Files - Darin Morgan
Best Episodic Comedy
The Pool Guy - Seinfeld - David Mandel
- The Soup Nazi - Seinfeld - Spike Feresten
- The Sponge - Seinfeld - Peter Mehlman
- Eight - The Larry Sanders Show - Peter Tolan