Office, Simpsons Have Write Stuff

Friends, shmends. NBC is back on top of the TV heap—at least creatively—without the help of a certain coffee-swilling sextet, according to the Writer’s Guild of America.

The Peacock network dominated this year's nominations for the TV side of the annual WGA Awards with a whopping 13 nominations. Leading the way was The Office, which scored three nominations, including props for Best Comedy Series, and two low-rated but critically adored newbies, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip and 30 Rock, with two noms apiece.

Tying with NBC for the most nominations was PBS, which scored 10 out of 10 of the nominations in two documentary categories. The network was also tapped for its National Memorial Day Concert and a Reading Rainbow episode. As for the other networks, ABC scored nine nominations, followed by eight for Fox and seven for HBO.

Fox's tally was buttressed by The Simpsons, which scored a field-best four nominations to dominate the Animation category.

Facing off with The Office for Best Comedy is NBC's 30 Rock, Fox’s defunct Arrested Development, and the HBO duo of Curb Your Enthusiasm and Entourage. Best Drama features HBO's Deadwood and The Sopranos gunning for ABC's Grey’s Anatomy and Lost and Fox’s 24.

Vying for Best New Series is the NBC foursome of 30 Rock, Friday Night Lights, Heroes and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip versus ABC hit Ugly Betty.

Winners will be selected by the votes of the 13,000 eligible guild members. The 2007 Writers Guild Awards will take place on two coasts Feb. 11 with simultaneous galas taking place in Los Angeles and New York.

Film nominees will be announced separately Jan. 11.

Here’s a complete list of the TV slate:

DRAMATIC SERIES

• 24, Fox
• Deadwood, HBO
• Grey’s Anatomy, ABC
• Lost, ABC
• The Sopranos, HBO

COMEDY SERIES

• 30 Rock, NBC
• Arrested Development, Fox
• Curb Your Enthusiasm, HBO
• Entourage, HBO
• The Office, NBC

NEW SERIES

• 30 Rock, NBC 
• Friday Night Lights, NBC 
• Heroes, NBC 
• Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, NBC 
• Ugly Betty, ABC

EPISODIC DRAMA

• “Election Day, Part II,” The West Wing, NBC
• “Occupation/Precipice,” Battlestar Galactica, Sci Fi Channel
• “Two for the Road,” Lost, ABC
• “The End of the Whole Mess,” Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King, TNT
• “Pilot,” Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, NBC
• “Pilot,” Big Love, HBO

EPISODIC COMEDY

• “It Takes Two,” Desperate Housewives, ABC
• “Don’t Look At Me,” Desperate Housewives, ABC
• “Bomb Shelter,” Malcolm in the Middle, Fox
• “Casino Night,” The Office, NBC
• “The Coup,” The Office, NBC
• “Jump for Joy,” My Name Is Earl, NBC 

LONG-FORM ORIGINAL

• Broken Trail, AMC 
• Flight 93, A&E 
• The Ron Clark Story, TNT

ANIMATION

• “The Italian Bob,” The Simpsons, Fox
• “Who’s Your Daddy?” The Life and Times of Juniper Lee, Cartoon Network
• “Church Hopping,” King of the Hill, Fox
• “Kiss Kiss Bang Bangalore,” The Simpsons, Fox
• “Simpsons Christmas Stories,” The Simpsons, Fox
• “Girls Just Want To Have Sums,” The Simpsons, Fox

COMEDY/VARIETY MUSIC, AWARDS, TRIBUTES SPECIALS

• The National Memorial Day Concert, PBS 
• The 60th Annual Tony Awards, CBS 
• Assume the Position with Mr. Wuhl, HBO

COMEDY/VARIETY SERIES

• The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Comedy Central 
• Late Night with Conan O'Brien, NBC 
• Penn & Teller: Bullshit!, Showtime
• Real Time with Bill Maher, HBO 
• Saturday Night Live, NBC

DAYTIME SERIALS

• All My Children, ABC
• The Young & The Restless, CBS 
• As the World Turns, CBS 
• Guiding Light, CBS

CHILDREN'S EPISODIC & SPECIALS

• “Broadcast Blues” Phil of the Future, Disney Channel
• “Fur Better or Worse” That’s So Raven, Disney Channel 
• Just for Kicks, Nickelodeon
• “Scratch” Flight 29 Down, Discovery Kids
• “Show Way” Reading Rainbow, PBS

DOCUMENTARY CURRENT EVENTS

• “Age of Aids: Part I,” PBS Frontline
• “Can You Afford to Retire?,” PBS Frontline
• “The Dark Side,” PBS Frontline
• “The Meth Epidemic,” PBS Frontline
• “The Storm,” PBS Frontline

DOCUMENTARY OTHER THAN CURRENT EVENTS

• “The Alaska Pipeline” American Experience, PBS
• “The Boy in the Bubble” American Experience, PBS
• “Eugene O’Neill” American Experience, PBS
• “John and Abigail Adams” American Experience, PBS 
• Marie Antoinette, PBS

NEWS—REGULARLY SCHEDULED, BULLETIN OR BREAKING REPORT

• “Hurricane Katrina: One-Year Anniversary,” CBS News
• “Remembering Lou Rawls,” CBS News
• World News Tonight, ABC

NEWS-ANALYSIS, FEATURE OR COMMENTARY

• “Addicted to Heroin” 60 Minutes, CBS
• “Disaster Mismanagement” America’s Investigative Reports, PBS
• “Memorial Day: One Family Remembers” Weekend Good Morning America, ABC