WGAW's Laurel Award for Television to Honor Joshua Brand and John Falsey

Acclaimed writing partners Joshua Brand and John Falsey will receive the Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award for Television, the Writers Guild of America West's highest award for television writing.

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The veteran writing duo started their television writing careers working on the late 1970s high school basketball series, The White Shadow. They would go on to create the popular 1980s hospital drama, St. Elsewhere, which launched the careers of Denzel Washington, Ed Begley, Jr. and Howie Mandel, among others. Along with director-producer Steven Spielberg, Brand and Falsey developed the adventure series Amazing Stories. They would later go on to co-create the comedy series Northern Exposure and the critically acclaimed series I’ll Fly Away.

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“Writers Joshua Brand and John Falsey have left an indelible imprint on the television landscape, co-creating some of TV’s most enduring, memorable series that have both entertained and moved a generation of viewers," said WGAW president Christopher Keyser in a statement. "Defined by an expert blend of sharp observation, dry wit, and honest emotion, their work is, like a singer with a five-octave range, breathtaking in its scope and its power. Together, Brand and Falsey have created an enviable legacy that both veteran and up-and-coming writers can aspire to match,” 

Previous honorees include Steven Bochco, Susan Harris, Stephen J. Cannell, David Chase and Larry David.

The 2013 Writers Guild Awards will be held on Sunday, Feb. 17, 2013, at simultaneous ceremonies at the JW Marriott L.A. Live in Los Angeles and the B.B. King Blues Club in New York City. Castle's Nathan Fillion will host the west coast ceremony.