Who Are the Best Screenwriters of All Time?
Do you have opinions on the greatest screenwriters in history?
In order to make a movie or TV show, you first need an idea, and those ideas come from screenwriters. The greatest screenwriters in history are the ones who can capture an audience's hearts and imaginations.
They take us to special places and introduce us to characters who feel like our best friends. They are the film writers and TV writers who keep Hollywood running.
But who are they? What are their names? And what are the projects they gave us?
Today, we're going to talk about some of the greatest writers in history. We'll focus on film writers and TV writers who are the top screenwriters around.
Their work will help inspire and educate you. Studying their scripts will make you better at your craft. And knowing their names is honoring them for the contributions they've made to Hollywood history. You can develop your voice that way.
So let's figure out who the best screenplay writers are and see what we can glean from making this list.
Who Are the Best Screenwriters of All Time?
This is one of the hardest prompts we've tried to answer because in the last 100+ years of filmmaking and television, there are so many great writers.
It feels like a true burden to pick the best scriptwriters out there, but it's a task I know we can finish. In order to do this, we broke them down into specific categories.
Apologies for the names I leave off. We'll try to keep this constantly updated with famous movie screenwriters.
Top Screenwriters in Movies
When it comes to the best screenwriters in movies, the list is long, but I think we should start with William Goldman. Goldman is the man behind screenplays such as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Princess Bride, and All the President's Men. His book, Adventures in the Screen Trade, is a must-read for aspiring screenwriters everywhere. He's got to be the most famous screenwriter among screenwriters.
So who are the other best movie writers of all time?
We would be remiss if we didn't include Billy Wilder, Paddy Chayefsky, Charlie Kaufman, Robert Towne, Francis Ford Coppola, Nora Ephron, Quentin Tarantino, Aaron Sorkin, Steve Zaillian, Scott Frank, Eric Roth, Dalton Trumbo, The Coen Brothers, James Cameron, Spike Lee, Paul Schrader, John Logan, Nancy Meyers, Herman J. Mankiewicz, Melissa Mathison, Frank Darabont, Mel Brooks, George Lucas, John Patrick Shanley, and Cameron Crowe.
That's a long list, but it feels like a short list compared to all the monumental people who have come to help craft some of our favorite screenplays and movies.
TrumboCredit: Fox
Best Movie Scripts and Famous Screenplays
A few years ago, the WGA ranked what they think are the 101 greatest screenplays of all time. Many of the movie writers I talked about earlier are on this list, as are many other amazing writers. Check it out below.
1. CASABLANCA
Screenplay by Julius J. & Philip G. Epstein and Howard Koch. Based on the play "Everybody Comes to Rick's" by Murray Burnett and Joan Alison
2. THE GODFATHER
Screenplay by Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola. Based on the novel by Mario Puzo
3. CHINATOWN
Written by Robert Towne
4. CITIZEN KANE
Written by Herman Mankiewicz and Orson Welles
5. ALL ABOUT EVE
Screenplay by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. Based on "The Wisdom of Eve," a short story and radio play by Mary Orr
6. ANNIE HALL
Written by Woody Allen and Marshall Brickman
7. SUNSET BLVD.
Written by Charles Brackett & Billy Wilder and D.M. Marshman, Jr.
8. NETWORK
Written by Paddy Chayefsky
9. SOME LIKE IT HOT
Screenplay by Billy Wilder & I.A.L. Diamond. Based on "Fanfare of Love," a German film written by Robert Thoeren and M. Logan
10. THE GODFATHER II
Screenplay by Francis Ford Coppola and Mario Puzo. Based on Mario Puzo's novel "The Godfather"
11. BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID
Written by William Goldman
12. DR. STRANGELOVE
Screenplay by Stanley Kubrick and Peter George and Terry Southern. Based on novel "Red Alert" by Peter George
13. THE GRADUATE
Screenplay by Calder Willingham and Buck Henry. Based on the novel by Charles Webb
14. LAWRENCE OF ARABIA
Screenplay by Robert Bolt and Michael Wilson. Based on the life and writings of Col. T.E. Lawrence
15. THE APARTMENT
Written by Billy Wilder & I.A.L. Diamond
16. PULP FICTION
Written by Quentin Tarantino. Stories by Quentin Tarantino & Roger Avary
17. TOOTSIE
Screenplay by Larry Gelbart and Murray Schisgal. Story by Don McGuire and Larry Gelbart
18. ON THE WATERFRONT
Screen Story and Screenplay by Budd Schulberg. Based on "Crime on the Waterfront" articles by Malcolm Johnson
19. TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
Screenplay by Horton Foote. Based on the novel by Harper Lee
20. IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE
Screenplay by Frances Goodrich & Albert Hackett & Frank Capra. Based on short story "The Greatest Gift" by Philip Van Doren Stern. Contributions to screenplay Michael Wilson and Jo Swerling
21. NORTH BY NORTHWEST
Written by Ernest Lehman
22. THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION
Screenplay by Frank Darabont. Based on the short story "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption" by Stephen King
23. GONE WITH THE WIND
Screenplay by Sidney Howard. Based on the novel by Margaret Mitchell
24. ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND
Screenplay by Charlie Kaufman. Story by Charlie Kaufman & Michel Gondry & Pierre Bismuth
25. THE WIZARD OF OZ
Screenplay by Noel Langley and Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf Adaptation by Noel Langley. Based on the novel by L. Frank Baum
26. DOUBLE INDEMNITY
Screenplay by Billy Wilder and Raymond Chandler. Based on the novel by James M. Cain
27. GROUNDHOG DAY
Screenplay by Danny Rubin and Harold Ramis. Story by Danny Rubin
28. SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE
Written by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard
29. SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS
Written by Preston Sturges
30. UNFORGIVEN
Written by David Webb Peoples
31. HIS GIRL FRIDAY
Screenplay by Charles Lederer. Based on the play "The Front Page" by Ben Hecht & Charles MacArthur
32. FARGO
Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
33. THE THIRD MAN
Screenplay by Graham Greene. Story by Graham Greene. Based on the short story by Graham Greene
34. THE SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS
Screenplay by Clifford Odets and Ernest Lehman. From a novelette by Ernest Lehman
35. THE USUAL SUSPECTS
Written by Christopher McQuarrie
36. MIDNIGHT COWBOY
Screenplay by Waldo Salt. Based on the novel by James Leo Herlihy
37. THE PHILADELPHIA STORY
Screenplay by Donald Ogden Stewart. Based on the play by Philip Barry
38. AMERICAN BEAUTY
Written by Alan Ball
39. THE STING
Written by David S. Ward
40. WHEN HARRY MET SALLY
Written by Nora Ephron
41. GOODFELLAS
Screenplay by Nicholas Pileggi & Martin Scorsese. Based on book "Wise Guy" by Nicholas Pileggi
42. RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK
Screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan. Story by George Lucas and Philip Kaufman
43. TAXI DRIVER
Written by Paul Schrader
44. THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES
Screenplay by Robert E. Sherwood. Based on novel "Glory For Me" by MacKinley Kantor
45. ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST
Screenplay by Lawrence Hauben and Bo Goldman. Based on the novel by Ken Kesey
46. THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE
Screenplay by John Huston. Based on the novel by B. Traven
47. THE MALTESE FALCON
Screenplay by John Huston. Based on the novel by Dashiell Hammett
48. THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI
Screenplay by Carl Foreman and Michael Wilson. Based on the novel by Pierre Boulle
49. SCHINDLER'S LIST
Screenplay by Steven Zaillian. Based on the novel by Thomas Keneally
50. THE SIXTH SENSE
Written by M. Night Shyamalan
51. BROADCAST NEWS
Written by James L. Brooks
52. THE LADY EVE
Screenplay by Preston Sturges. Story by Monckton Hoffe
53. ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN
Screenplay by William Goldman. Based on the book by Carl Bernstein & Bob Woodward
54. MANHATTAN
Written by Woody Allen & Marshall Brickman
55. APOCALYPSE NOW
Written by John Milius and Francis Coppola. Narration by Michael Herr
56. BACK TO THE FUTURE
Written by Robert Zemeckis & Bob Gale
57. CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS
Written by Woody Allen
58. ORDINARY PEOPLE
Screenplay by Alvin Sargent. Based on the novel by Judith Guest
59. IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT
Screenplay by Robert Riskin. Based on the story "Night Bus" by Samuel Hopkins Adams
60. L.A. CONFIDENTIAL
Screenplay by Brian Helgeland & Curtis Hanson. Based on the novel by James Ellroy
61. THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS
Screenplay by Ted Tally. Based on the novel by Thomas Harris
62. MOONSTRUCK
Written by John Patrick Shanley
63. JAWS
Screenplay by Peter Benchley and Carl Gottlieb. Based on the novel by Peter Benchley
64. TERMS OF ENDEARMENT
Screenplay by James L. Brooks. Based on the novel by Larry McMurtry
65. SINGIN' IN THE RAIN
Screen Story and Screenplay by Betty Comden & Adolph Green. Based on the song by Arthur Freed and Nacio Herb Brown
66. JERRY MAGUIRE
Written by Cameron Crowe
67. E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL
Written by Melissa Mathison
68. STAR WARS
Written by George Lucas
69. DOG DAY AFTERNOON
Screenplay by Frank Pierson. Based on a magazine article by P.F. Kluge and Thomas Moore
70. THE AFRICAN QUEEN
Screenplay by James Agee and John Huston. Based on the novel by C.S. Forester
71. THE LION IN WINTER
Screenplay by James Goldman. Based on the play by James Goldman
72. THELMA & LOUISE
Written by Callie Khouri
73. AMADEUS
Screenplay by Peter Shaffer. Based on his play
74. BEING JOHN MALKOVICH
Written by Charlie Kaufman
75. HIGH NOON
Screenplay by Carl Foreman. Based on short story "The Tin Star" by John W. Cunningham
76. RAGING BULL
Screenplay by Paul Schrader and Mardik Martin. Based on the book by Jake La Motta with Joseph Carter and Peter Savage
77. ADAPTATION
Screenplay by Charlie Kaufman and Donald Kaufman. Based on the book "The Orchid Thief" by Susan Orlean
78. ROCKY
Written by Sylvester Stallone
79. THE PRODUCERS
Written by Mel Brooks
80. WITNESS
Screenplay by Earl W. Wallace & William Kelley. Story by William Kelley and Pamela Wallace & Earl W. Wallace
81. BEING THERE
Screenplay by Jerzy Kosinski. Inspired by the novel by Jerzy Kosinski
82. COOL HAND LUKE
Screenplay by Donn Pearce and Frank Pierson. Based on the novel by Donn Pearce
83. REAR WINDOW
Screenplay by John Michael Hayes. Based on the short story by Cornell Woolrich
84. THE PRINCESS BRIDE
Screenplay by William Goldman. Based on his novel
85. LA GRANDE ILLUSION
Written by Jean Renoir and Charles Spaak
86. HAROLD & MAUDE
Written by Colin Higgins
87. 8 1/2
Screenplay by Federico Fellini, Tullio Pinelli, Ennio Flaiano, Brunello Rond. Story by Fellini, Flaiano
88. FIELD OF DREAMS
Screenplay by Phil Alden Robinson. Based on the book by W.P. Kinsella
89. FORREST GUMP
Screenplay by Eric Roth. Based on the novel by Winston Groom
90. SIDEWAYS
Screenplay by Alexander Payne & Jim Taylor. Based on the novel by Rex Pickett
91. THE VERDICT
Screenplay by David Mamet. Based on the novel by Barry Reed
92. PSYCHO
Screenplay by Joseph Stefano. Based on the novel by Robert Bloch
93. DO THE RIGHT THING
Written by Spike Lee
94. PATTON
Screen Story and Screenplay by Francis Ford Coppola and Edmund H. North. Based on "A Soldier's Story" by Omar H. Bradley and "Patton: Ordeal and Triumph" by Ladislas Farago
95. HANNAH AND HER SISTERS
Written by Woody Allen
96. THE HUSTLER
Screenplay by Sidney Carroll & Robert Rossen. Based on the novel by Walter Tevis
97. THE SEARCHERS
Screenplay by Frank S. Nugent. Based on the novel by Alan Le May
98. THE GRAPES OF WRATH
Screenplay by Nunnally Johnson. Based on the novel by John Steinbeck
99. THE WILD BUNCH
Screenplay by Walon Green and Sam Peckinpah. Story by Walon Green and Roy Sickner
100. MEMENTO
Screenplay by Christopher Nolan. Based on the short story "Memento Mori" by Jonathan Nolan
101. NOTORIOUS
Written by Ben Hecht
Top Screenwriters in TV
Much like figuring out the top movie writers, deciding who the best TV writers of all time are is hard. Thousands of people work in television. And there are hundreds of writers who work on many seasons of a show that contribute to each episode. So how do you decide who the top TV writers are? You could look at overall deals, like Shonda Rhimes, Benioff and Weiss, and Ryan Murphy have deals worth hundreds of millions of dollars to develop ideas. Or maybe you should choose individual shows.
David Chase wrote and created The Sopranos, and Matthew Weiner wrote and created Mad Men. Vince Gilligan wrote and created Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad. But what about Damon Lindelof's work on LOST or Chris Carter's work with The X-Files? How about Phoebe Waller-Bridge's work on Fleabag? Or Michaela Coel, Mindy Kaling, and Liz Merriweather?
You can see that women screenwriters have had more equality in TV onver time, but a lot of work has to be done there still. More on that later.
Let's look at other top shows and see some names
Empire writer's roomCredit: Fox
What Are the Best Written TV Shows of All Time?
A few years ago, the WGA spent time ranking what they found to be the top 100 best-written TV shoes of all time. Those shows were created by some of the top screenwriters in TV. Check out that list below.
1. THE SOPRANOS
Created by David Chase
2. SEINFELD
Created by Larry David & Jerry Seinfeld
3. THE TWILIGHT ZONE
Season One writers: Charles Beaumont, Richard Matheson, Robert Presnell, Jr., Rod Serling
4. ALL IN THE FAMILY
Developed for Television by Norman Lear, Based on Till Death Do Us Part, Created by Johnny Speight
5. M*A*S*H
Developed for Television by Larry Gelbart
6. THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW
Created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns
7. MAD MEN
Created by Matthew Weiner
8. CHEERS
Created by Glen Charles & Les Charles and James Burrows
9. THE WIRE
Created by David Simon
10. THE WEST WING
Created by Aaron Sorkin
11. THE SIMPSONS
Created by Matt Groening, Developed by James L. Brooks and Matt Groening and Sam Simon
12. I LOVE LUCY
"Pilot," Written by Jess Oppenheimer & Madelyn Pugh & Bob Carroll, Jr.
13. BREAKING BAD
Created by Vince Gilligan
14. THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW
Created by Carl Reiner
15. HILL STREET BLUES
Created by Michael Kozoll and Steven Bochco
16. ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT
Created by Mitchell Hurwitz
17. THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART
Created by Madeleine Smithberg, Lizz Winstead; Head Writer: Chris Kreski; Writers: Jim Earl, Daniel J. Goor, Charles Grandy, J.R. Havlan, Tom Johnson, Kent Jones, Paul Mercurio, Guy Nicolucci, Steve Rosenfield, Jon Stewart
18. SIX FEET UNDER
Created by Alan Ball
19. TAXI
Created by James L. Brooks and Stan Daniels and David Davis and Ed. Weinberger
20. THE LARRY SANDERS SHOW
Created by Garry Shandling & Dennis Klein
21. 30 ROCK
Created by Tina Fey
22. FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
Developed by Television by Peter Berg, Inspired by the Book by H.G. Bissinger
23. FRASIER
Created by David Angell & Peter Casey & David Lee, Based on the character "Frasier Crane" created by Glen Charles & Les Charles
24. FRIENDS
Created by Marta Kauffman & David Crane
25. SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE
Season One writers: Anne Beatts, Chevy Chase, Al Franken, Lorne Michaels, Marilyn Suzanne Miller, Paul Mooney, Garrett Morris, Michael O'Donoghue, Herb Sargent, Tom Schiller, Rosie Shuster, Alan Zweibel
26. THE X-FILES
Created by Chris Carter
27. LOST
Created by Jeffrey Lieber and J.J. Abrams & Damon Lindelof
28. ER
Created Michael Crichton
29. THE COSBY SHOW
Created by Ed Weinberger & Michael Leeson and William Cosby, Jr., Ed. D.
30. CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM
Created by Larry David
31. THE HONEYMOONERS
Season One writers: Herbert Finn, Marvin Marx, A.J. Russell, Leonard Stern, Walter Stone, Sydney Zelinka
32. DEADWOOD
Created by David Milch
33. STAR TREK
Created by Gene Roddenberry
34. MODERN FAMILY
Created by Steven Levitan & Christopher Lloyd
35. TWIN PEAKS
"Pilot," Written by Mark Frost & David Lynch
36. NYPD BLUE
Created by David Milch & Steven Bochco
37. THE CAROL BURNETT SHOW
Season One: Written by Bill Angelos, Stan Burns, Don Hinkley, Buz Kohan, Mike Marmer, Gail Parent, Kenny Solms, Saul Turtletaub; Writing Supervised by Arnie Rosen
38. BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (2005)
Developed by Ronald D. Moore, Based on the Series Battlestar Galactica, Created by Glen A. Larson
39. SEX AND THE CITY
Created by Darren Star, Based on the Book by Candace Bushnell
40. GAME OF THRONES
Created by David Benioff & D. B. Weiss, Based on A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin
41. THE BOB NEWHART SHOW - TIE
Created by David Davis and Lorenzo Music
41. YOUR SHOW OF SHOWS - TIE
Season One: Written by Mel Tolkin, Lucille Kallen, Max Liebman*
43. DOWNTON ABBEY - TIE
Created by Julian Fellowes
43. THIRTYSOMETHING - TIE
Created by Marshall Herskovitz & Edward Zwick
43. LAW & ORDER - TIE
Created by Dick Wolf
46. HOMICIDE: LIFE ON THE STREET - TIE
Created by Paul Attanasio, Based on the Book Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets by David Simon
46. ST. ELSEWHERE - TIE
Created by Joshua Brand & John Falsey, Developed by Mark Tinker/John Masius
48. HOMELAND
Developed by Howard Gordon & Alex Gansa, Based on the Original Israeli Series Prisoners of War by Gideon Raff
49. BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
Created by Joss Whedon
50. THE COLBERT REPORT - TIE
Season One writers: Mike Brumm, Stephen Colbert, Rich Dahm, Eric Drysdale, Peter Gwinn, Jay Katsir, Laura Krafft, Allison Silverman
50. THE OFFICE (UK) - TIE
Created by Ricky Gervais & Stephen Merchant*
50. THE GOOD WIFE - TIE
Created by Robert King & Michelle King
53. NORTHERN EXPOSURE
Created by Joshua Brand & John Falsey
54. THE WONDER YEARS
Created by Neal Marlens & Carol Black
55 L.A. LAW
Created by Steven Bochco & Terry Louise Fisher
56. SESAME STREET
Created by Joan Ganz Cooney
57. COLUMBO
Created by Richard Levinson & William Link
58. FAWLTY TOWERS - TIE
Written by John Cleese & Connie Booth*
58. THE ROCKFORD FILES - TIE
Created by Roy Huggins and Stephen J. Cannell
60. MOONLIGHTING - TIE
Created by Glenn Gordon Caron
60. FREAKS AND GEEKS - TIE
Created by Paul Feig
62. ROOTS
Written by William Blinn, M. Charles Cohen, Ernest Kinoy, James Lee; Based on the Book by Alex Haley
63. SOUTH PARK - TIE
Created by Matt Stone & Trey Parker
63. EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND - TIE
Created by Philip Rosenthal
65. PLAYHOUSE 90
Season One writers: Edna Anhalt, Edmund Beloin, Harold Jack Bloom, Marc Brandel, George Bruce, James P. Cavanagh, Whitfiled Cook, Helen Doss, Scott Fitzgerald, Devery Freeman, Frank Gilroy, Helen Howe, Speed Lamkin, Ernest Lehman, Herbert Little, Jr., Don Mankiewicz, Elick Moll, Paul Monash, Dean Reisner, Norman Retchin, Selma Robinson, William Sackheim, Rod Serling, Leonard Spigelgass, Leslie Stevens, Brandon Thomas, David Victor, Charles M. Warren, Hagar Wilde, Cornell Woolrich
66. DEXTER - TIE
Developed for Television by James Manos, Jr., Based on the Novel Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay
66. THE OFFICE (U.S.) - TIE
Created by Ricky Gervais & Stephen Merchant, Developed by Greg Daniels, Based on the BBC Series The Office
68. MY SO-CALLED LIFE
Created by Winnie Holzman
69. THE GOLDEN GIRLS
Created by Susan Harris
70. THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW
Episode 1, "The New Housekeeper," Written by Jack Elinson and Charles Stewart
71. 24 - TIE
Created by Joel Surnow & Robert Cochran
71. THE SHIELD - TIE
Created by Shawn Ryan
71. ROSEANNE - TIE
Created by Matt Williams, Based on a Character Created by Roseanne Barr
74. MURPHY BROWN - TIE
Created by Diane English
74. HOUSE - TIE
Created by David Shore
76. I, CLAUDIUS - TIE
Written by Robert Graves and Jack Pulman*
76. BARNEY MILLER - TIE
Created by Danny Arnold & Theodore J. Flicker
78. THE ODD COUPLE
Episode 1, "The Fight of the Felix," Written by Peggy Elliott & Ed Scharlach
79. STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION - TIE
Created by Gene Roddenberry
79. ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS - TIE
Season One writers: Gwen Bagni, Samuel Blas, Robert Blees, Ray Bradbury, Richard Carr, James Cavanagh, Eustace Cockrell, Francis Cockrell, Marian Cockrell, John Collier, Robert C. Dennis, Mel Dinelli, Stanley Ellin, Fred Freiberger, Irwin Gielgud, Gina Kaus, Terence Maples, Richard Pedicini, Louis Pollock, Joseph Ruscoll, A.J. Russell, Stirling Silliphant, Andrew Solt, Harold Swanton, Victor Wolfson, Cornell Woolrich
79. UPSTAIRS, DOWNSTAIRS - TIE
Created by Jean Marsh and Eileen Atkins
79. MONTY PYTHON'S FLYING CIRCUS - TIE
Conceived and Written by Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Neil Innes, Terry Jones, Michael Palin*
83. GET SMART
"Pilot," Written by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry
84. THE DEFENDERS - TIE
Created by Reginald Rose
84. GUNSMOKE - TIE
Episode 1, "Matt Gets It," Written by Charles Marquis Warren & John Meston
86. JUSTIFIED - TIE
Developed by Television by Graham Yost, Based on the Short Story "Fire in the Hole" by Elmore Leonard
86. SGT. BILKO (THE PHIL SILVERS SHOW) - TIE
Created by Nat Hiken
88. BAND OF BROTHERS
Written by Erik Bork, E. Max Frye, Tom Hanks, Erik Jendresen, Bruce C. McKenna, John Orloff, Graham Yost; Based on the Book by Stephan E. Ambrose
89. ROWAN & MARTIN'S LAUGH-IN
Season One: Written by Chris Beard, Phil Hahn, John Hanrahan, Coslough Johnson, Paul Keyes, Marc London, Allan Manings, David Panich, Hugh Wedlock, Digby Wolfe
90. THE PRISONER
Premiere Episode: Written by George Markstein and David Tomblin
91. THE MUPPET SHOW - TIE
Season One: Written by Jack Burns, Jim Henson, Jerry Juhl, Marc London
91. ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS (U.K.) - TIE
Episode 1, "Fashion," Written by Jennifer Saunders, Based on an original idea by Jennifer Saunders & Dawn French
93. BOARDWALK EMPIRE
Created by Terence Winter, Based on the Book Boardwalk Empire by Nelson Johnson
94. WILL & GRACE
Created by David Kohan & Max Mutchnick
95. FAMILY TIES
Created by Gary David Goldberg
96. LONESOME DOVE - TIE
Teleplay by Bill Wittliff, Based on the Novel Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
96. SOAP - TIE
Created by Susan Harris
98. THE FUGITIVE - TIE
Episode 1, "Where the Action Is," Written by Harry Kronman
98. LATE NIGHT WITH DAVID LETTERMAN - TIE
Season One: Writing Supervised by Merrill Markoe, Writers: Andy Breckman, Tom Gammill, David Letterman, Richard Morris, Gerard Mulligan, Max Pross, Karl Tiedemann, Steve Winer
98. LOUIE - TIE
Season One: Written and Directed by Louis C.K.
101. OZ
Created by Tom Fontana
Featuring Women Screenwriters
We think it is absolutely detrimental to separate men and women when it comes to writing. The best writing and the best writers are that good not because of gender but because of talent. And we think in moving toward equality and equity, we shouldn't be categorizing these people like this is a sport or with some sort of vague allusion that there is a genetic prowess.
That being said, these women are criminally overlooked in many lists, so it is worth learning their names as long as you are here to learn about the greatest screenwriters of all time.
Names like Fran Walsh, Dee Rees, Diablo Cody, Lucinda Coxon, Gillian Flynn, Jane Goldman, Kelly Marcel, Melissa Rosenberg, Amanda Silver, Karen McCullah, Kirsten Smith, Vanessa Taylor, Emma Thompson, Juliette Towhidi, Linda Woolverton, Philippa Boyens, Fran Walsh, and many many more working in episodic television.
To name a few more, Krista Vernoff, Rachel Bloom, Lena Waithe, Abbi Jacobson, Marti Noxon, Amy Sherman Palladino, Jill Soloway, and then all the names listed under the top TV shows above. There are so many excellent women writers working, and their names should be as bold and as loud as the men's in your memory.
30 Rock - written by Tina FeyCredit: NBC
The Highest-Paid Screenwriters
Some of the best screenwriters today are also the highest paid. You can look at the highest paid in a few different ways. There are the crazy spec sales, which are when studios buy one script for a lot of money.
People like Joe Eszterhas and Shane Black have sold screenplays for millions of dollars. Basic Instinct sold for $3 million. The Long Kiss Goodnight says it sold for $4 million. Netflix has been known to acquire movies and pay a premium for them. They paid $3 million to the writer of Bright.
Then there are people on hghely rich overall deals. That's money paid to writers to come up with ideas for studios and TV networks. Shonda Rhimes signed a new industry-shaking deal with Netflix estimated to be $300-400 million. Ryan Murphy is on a similar deal at Netflix. Bill Lawrence has a huge overall deal at WB TV said to be worth in the nine-figure range.
There are also professional writers who do script doctor work or weekly assignments and charge a lot. Tony Gilroy and Craig Mazin are among those names.
But any aspiring writer should be away that these people are the 1% of the 1%—many do not get there. But if you can get steady screenwriting work, then you can make good money to tell stories. What could be better?
Credit: Final Draft
Summing Up the Greatest Screenwriters of All Time
There's so much to learn from the greatest screenwriters of all time, that it is kind of hard to type out a closer.
The art and craft of screenwriting is an evolving process that takes thousands of people to do every year in order to keep billions of people entertained. It's a tough business to break into, but the best of the best leave an indelible mark on humanity that surely will last as long as we have visual entertainment.
Their words and ideas will live forever. And it will be interesting to see which names are added to this list over the next few generations.
We look forward to seeing your work celebrated here.
Let us know ifwe missed any names in the comments.
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