WGA hands special honors to TV writers English, Freeman, Grant, Scully

The Writers Guild of America will honor TV vets Diane English, Seth Freeman, Susannah Grant and Mike Scully at the WGA Awards on Feb. 5.

English, the creator of "Murphy Brown," will recieve the 2011 Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award for Television, honoring lifetime achievement for outstanding television writing. The series received a total of 18 Emmys (three for English) and 62 Emmy nominations. English has been a WGA member since 1977.

Freeman, creator of ABC Family's "Lincoln Heights" and the writer of more than 300 hours of television over a four-decade career, will join screenwriter Susannah Grant (whose TV credits include "Party of Five") in receiving the 2011 Valentine Davies Award, for their contributions to the entertainment industry and community at large. “Beyond the social and cultural impact their often topical bodies of work have made, Seth and Susannah’s ongoing personal service has made a real difference to many in the entertainment industry, our community, and the world,” WGAW President John Wells said.

Scully, a longtime writer for "The Simpsons" who has since moved on to "Parks and Recreation," earned the lifetime achievement award for animation writing from the guild's animation writers caucus.