The Writers Guild of America Award for Television: Episodic Comedy is an award presented by the Writers Guild of America to the best written comedy episodes of television series. It was first presented at the 13th annual Writers Guild of America awards in 1961 and has been presented annually since the 17th annual Writers Guild of America awards in 1965.
The years denote when the episode first aired. Though, due to the eligibility period, some nominees could have aired in a different year. The current eligibility period is December 1 to November 30. The winners are highlighted in gold.
Winners and nominees 1960s Year Series Episode Winners/nominees Network Episodic, Longer Than 30 Minutes in Length 1960 Father Knows Best "Margaret's Old Flame" Dorothy Cooper CBSThe Danny Thomas Show"Linda Wants to Be a Boy"Charles Stewart & Jack ElinsonCBSMy Three Sons"Chip off the Old Block"George TibblesABC Comedy/Variety, Any Length 1961 The Andy Griffith Show"The Manhunt" Charles Stewart & Jack Elinson CBSThe Art Carney Special"Everybody's Doin' It"Herbert SargentNBCThe Arthur Murray Special for Bob HopeLester A. White, John Rapp, Mort Lachman, Bill Larkin, Charles Lee and Norman Sullivan 1962 Car 54, Where Are You? "I Won't Go" Nat Hiken and Gary Belkin NBCThe Dick Van Dyke Show"Where Did I Come From?"Carl ReinerCBSMy Three Sons"Birds and Bees"George TibblesABC 1963 The Andy Griffith Show "Barney's First Car" Jim Fritzell & Everett Greenbaum CBSThe Andy Griffith Show"Barney Mends a Broken Heart"Aaron RubenCBSThe Bob Hope Christmas ShowMort Lachman, Bill Larkin, John Rapp, Lester A. White, Charles Lee, Norman Sullivan and Gig HenryNBCThe Dick Van Dyke Show"It May Look Like a Walnut"Carl ReinerCBSI'm Dickens, He's Fenster"A Small Matter of Being Fired"Leonard B. Stern and Don HinkleyABCMy Three Sons"When I Was Your Age"Ernest Chambers Episodic Comedy 1964 The Andy Griffith Show "The Shoplifters" Bill Idelson & Sam BobrickCBS The Dick Van Dyke Show "My Husband is the Best One" Martin RagawayThe Danny Thomas Show"Bowling Partners"Jerry Belson & Garry MarshallCBSThe Dick Van Dyke Show"October Eve"Bill Persky & Sam Denoff"Turtles, Ties and Toreadors"John Whedon 1965 The Dick Van Dyke Show "Br-room, Br-room" Dale McRaven & Carl Kleinschmitt CBSThe Beverly Hillbillies"Dash Riprock, You Cad"Paul Henning & Mark TuttleABCThe Dick Van Dyke Show"4½"Garry Marshall & Jerry BelsonCBS"Romances, Roses and Rye Bread"Dr. Kildare"Maybe Love Will Save My Apartment House"Boris SobelmanNBC 1966 The Dick Van Dyke Show "You Ought to Be in Pictures" Jack Winter CBSThe Dick Van Dyke Show"Go Tell the Birds and the Bees"Rick MittlemanCBSGidget"The Great Kahuna"ABCGomer Pyle, U.S.M.C."Opie Joins the Marines"Aaron RubenCBS 1967 The Jackie Gleason Show "Movies Are Better than Ever" Marvin Marx, Walter Stone and Rod Parker CBSGet Smart"Bronzefinger"Lila Garrett & Bernie KahnNBC"Where-What-Who Am I?" Barry Blitzer & Ray BrennerThat Girl"Rain, Snow and Rice"James L. BrooksABC 1968 Get Smart "Viva Smart" Bill Idelson, Sam Bobrick and Norman Paul NBCHe & She"Before You Bury Me, Can I Say Something?"Jim Parker & Arnold MargolinCBS"Knock, Knock...Who's There? Fernando!...Fernando Who?"Allan Burns & Chris Hayward"The Old Man and the She"Leonard B. Stern & Arne Sultan 1969 Room 222 "Funny Boy" Allan Burns ABCThe Bill Cosby Show"Growing, Growing, Grown"Kenny Solms & Gail ParentNBCGet Smart"The Apes of Rath"Lloyd Turner & Gordon Whitey MitchellCBS"Ice Station Siegfried"Arne Sultan & Chris HaywardThe Jackie Gleason Show"Play it Again, Norton"Walter Stone, Rod Parker & Robert HilliardMy World and Welcome to It"Little Girls are Sugar & Spice, and Not Always Nice!"Rick MittlemanNBC
1970s Year Series Episode Winners/nominees Network 1970 Room 222 "The Valedictorian" Richard DeRoy ABCThe Governor & J.J."Check the Check"Arne Sultan & Earl BarretCBSMy World and Welcome to It"The Fourth Estate"Lila Garrett & Bernie KahnNBCRoom 222"Funny Money"Steve PritzkerABC 1971 The Mary Tyler Moore Show"Thoroughly Unmilitant Mary"Martin CohanCBSAll in the Family"Christmas at the Bunkers"Don NichollCBS"Edith's Accident""Gloria has a Belly Full"Jerry Mayer"Mike's Problem""Oh, My Aching Back"Stanley Ralph Ross 1972 M*A*S*H "Chief Surgeon Who?" Larry Gelbart CBSAll in the Family"Edith's Problem"CBSThe Mary Tyler Moore Show"The Good-Time News"Allan Burns & James L. BrooksMaude"Flashback"Alan J. LevittThe Odd Couple"The Pen is Mightier Than the Pencil"Jack WinterABC 1973 Maude "Walter's Problem" Bob Weiskopf & Bob Schiller CBSThe Mary Tyler Moore Show"The Lars Affair" Ed. WeinbergerCBSM*A*S*H"Carry On, Hawkeye""The Incubator"Larry Gelbart & Laurence Marks"Radar's Report""Sometimes You Hear the Bullet"Carl Kleinschmitt"Tuttle"Bruce Shelly & David Ketchum 1974 M*A*S*H "O.R." Larry Gelbart & Laurence Marks CBSThe Mary Tyler Moore Show"Will Mary Richards Go to Jail?"Ed. Weinberger & Stan DanielsCBSM*A*S*H"Private Charles Lamb"Sid DorfmanRhoda"Parents' Day"Charlotte Brown"You Can Go Home Again"Pat Nardo & Gloria Banta 1975 M*A*S*H "Welcome to Korea" Everett Greenbaum, Jim Fritzell and Larry Gelbart CBSAll in the Family"Archie the Hero"Lou Derman & Bill DavenportCBSThe Mary Tyler Moore Show"Chuckles Bites the Dust"David Lloyd"Edie Gets Married"Bob EllisonM*A*S*H"Big Mac"Laurence MarksRhoda"Ida's Doctor"Coleman Mitchell & Geoffrey Neigher 1976 M*A*S*H "Dear Sigmund" Alan Alda CBSAll in the Family"Joey's Baptism"Milt Josefsberg, Mel Tolkin and Larry RhineCBSBarney Miller"The Evacuation"ABCThe Mary Tyler Moore Show"Mary's Insomnia"David LloydCBS"My Son, the Genius"Bob EllisonM*A*S*H"Hawkeye, Get Your Gun" 1977 All in the Family "Archie Get the Business" Larry Rhine & Mel Tolkin CBSAll in the Family"The Joys of Sex"Erik TarloffCBSBarney Miller"Copy Cat"Douglas Wyman & Tony SheehanABC"Goodbye, Mr. Fish", Part 2Reinhold WeegeThe Bob Newhart Show"A Girl in Her Twenties"Laura LevineCBS"A Jackie Story"Lloyd GarverThe Jeffersons"Once a Friend"Michael S. Baser & Kim WeiskopfThe Mary Tyler Moore Show"The Critic"David Lloyd"The Last Show"James L. Brooks, Allan Burns, Ed. Weinberger, Stan Daniels, David Lloyd and Bob EllisonM*A*S*H"Fade Out, Fade In"Jim Fritzell & Everett Greenbaum 1978 M*A*S*H "Baby, It's Cold Outside" Gary David Goldberg CBSAll in the Family"California, Here We Are"Milt Josefsberg, Phil Sharp, Bob Schiller and Bob WeiskopfCBSBarney Miller"The Ghost"Reinhold WeegeABCM*A*S*H"Point of View"Ken Levine & David IsaacsCBSMork & Mindy"Pilot"Dale McRavenABCRhoda"Rhoda vs. Ida"Bob EllisonCBSTaxi"Blind Date"Michael LeesonABC"Memories of Cab 804"Barry Kemp 1979 M*A*S*H "Are You Now, Margaret?" Thad Mumford & Dan Wilcox CBS Taxi "The Reluctant Father" Ken Estin ABCBarney Miller"The Indian"ABCM*A*S*H"Goodbye, Radar"Ken Levine & David IsaacsCBS"Period of Adjustment"Jim Mulligan & John Rappaport"The Young and the Restless"Mitch MarkowitzMork & Mindy"Dr. Morkenstein"Bruce Kalish & Philip John TaylorABC"Mork's Mixed Emotions"Tom Tenowich & Ed ScharlachTaxi"Elaine's Secret Admirer"Barry Kemp"Honor Thy Father"Glen and Les Charles
1980s Year Series Episode Winners/nominees Network 1980 M*A*S*H "Heal Thyself" CBSThe Associates"The Censors"Stan Daniels & Ed. WeinbergerABCBarney Miller"The Child Stealers"Frank Dungan & Jeff SteinM*A*S*H"Bottle Fatigue"Thad Mumford & Dan WilcoxCBS"Morale Victory"John RappaportTaxi"Alex Jumps Out of an Airplane"Ken EstinABC"Art Work"Glen and Les CharlesUnited States"Sometimes"Larry Gelbart & Everett GreenbaumNBC 1981 Barney Miller "Stormy Weather" Nat Mauldin ABCBarney Miller"Field Associate"Jordan MoffetABCThe Greatest American Hero"Pilot"Stephen J. CannellM*A*S*H"No Sweat"John RappaportCBS"A War for All Seasons"Dan Wilcox & Thad MumfordPark Place"Crazy Judge"Reinhold WeegeTaxi"The Boss' Wife"Ken EstinABC"Tony's Sister and Jim"Michael Leeson 1982 Barney Miller "Hunger Strike" ABCBest of the West"The Calico Kid Returns"Mitch MarkowitzABCM*A*S*H"The Birthday Girls"Karen HallCBSMaking the Grade"Pilot"Gary David GoldbergOpen All Night"Terry Runs Away"Ken Levine & David IsaacsABCTaxi"Elegant Iggy"Ken Estin 1983Cheers "The Boys in the Bar" Ken Levine & David IsaacsNBC"Give Me a Ring Sometime"Glen and Les CharlesCheers"Let Me Count the Ways"Heide PerlmanNBC"The Spy Who Came in for a Cold One"David LloydM*A*S*H"Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen"Alan Alda, Burt Metcalfe, John Rappaport, Dan Wilcox, Thad Mumford, Elias Davis, David Pollock and Karen HallCBSTaxi"Jim's Inheritance"Ken EstinNBC"Scenskees from a Marriage"Howard Gewirtz & Ian Praiser 1984 Cheers "Sumner's Return" Michael J. Weithorn NBCAfterMASH"Night Shift"Everett Greenbaum & Elliott ReidCBSCheers"Affairs of the Heart"Heide PerlmanNBC"Old Flames"David AngellThe Duck Factory"Goodbye Buddy, Hello Skip" Allan BurnsFamily Ties"Not an Affair to Remember"Gary David Goldberg & Ruth BennettNight Court"Once in Love with Harry"Reinhold WeegeToo Close for Comfort"Ship Mates"Arne Sultan & Earl BarretABC 1985 Moonlighting "Pilot" Glenn Gordon Caron ABCSteambath"Madison Avenue Madness"David Pollock & Elias DavisShowtimeCheers"The Executive's Executioner"Heide PerlmanNBC"Fairy Tales Can Come True"Sam SimonThe Cosby Show"Good-Bye Mr. Fish"Earl PomerantzWebster"The Uh-Oh Feeling"Steven Sunshine & Madeline SunshineABC 1986 Kate & Allie "Allie's Affair" Bob Randall CBSAll Is Forgiven"I Can't Say No"Ian Praiser & Howard GewirtzNBCThe Cosby Show"Theo's Holiday"John Markus, Carmen Finestra & Matt WilliamsThe Golden Girls"Rose's Mother"James Berg & Stan ZimmermanNight Court"Best of Friends"Howard Ostroff 1987 The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd "Here's Why Cosmetics Should Come in Unbreakable Bottles" Jay TarsesNBCFamily Ties"A, My Name is Alex"Gary David Goldberg & Alan UgerThe Golden Girls"Twas the Nightmare Before Christmas"Barry Fanaro & Mort NathanCheers"Never Love a Goalie, Part I"Ken Levine & David IsaacsNBCFamily Ties"My Back Pages"Ruth BennettThe Golden Girls"A Piece of Cake"Kathy Speer, Terry Grossman, Mort Nathan and Barry FanaroNight Court"Contempt of Courting"Tom Straw 1988 The Wonder Years "My Father's Office" Carol Black & Neal Marlens ABCFamily Ties"The Way We Were"Gary David GoldbergNBCThe Golden Girls"Old Friends"Kathy Speer & Terry GrossmanNight Court"No Hard Feelings"Tom StrawThe Slap Maxwell Story"Pilot"Jay TarsesABCThe Wonder Years"Pilot"Neal Marlens & Carol Black 1989 The Wonder Years "Coda" Todd W. Langen ABCCheers"Jumping Jerks"Ken Levine & David IsaacsNBC"Please, Mr. Postman"Brian Pollack & Mert RichThe Days and Nights of Molly Dodd"Here's Why You Order From the Spanish Side of the Menu"Eric OvermyerLifetimeMurphy Brown"Respect"Diane EnglishCBSThe Wonder Years"Pottery Will Get You Nowhere"Matthew CarlsonABC
1990s