PRIMETIME EMMYS
Award-winning TV
Outstanding Drama Series winner each year from 1979 to 2025. Grammy Awards recognize music, not television; Emmys are TV's highest series honor.
- Emmy2025
Outstanding Drama Series
The Pitt
TV · Emmy 2025 · premiered 2025
- “The staff of Pittsburgh's Trauma Medical Center work around the clock to save lives in an overcrowded and underfunded emergency department.”
- “The staff of Pittsburgh's Trauma Medical Center work around the clock to save lives…”
- “The work never stops.”
- Emmy2024
Outstanding Drama Series
Shōgun
TV · Emmy 2024 · premiered 2024
- “A nation of violence, Samurai warriors ... and forbidden love.”
- “An English navigator becomes both a player and pawn in complex political games in feudal Japan.”
- “An English navigator becomes both a player and pawn in complex political games in…”
- Emmy2023
Outstanding Drama Series
Succession
TV · Emmy 2023 · premiered 2018
- “Follow the lives of the Roy family as they contemplate their future once their aging father begins to step back from the media and entertainment conglomerate they control.”
- “Follow the lives of the Roy family as they contemplate their future once their…”
- “Make your move.”
- Emmy2022
Outstanding Drama Series
Succession
TV · Emmy 2022 · premiered 2018
- “Follow the lives of the Roy family as they contemplate their future once their aging father begins to step back from the media and entertainment conglomerate they control.”
- “Follow the lives of the Roy family as they contemplate their future once their…”
- “Make your move.”
- Emmy2021
Outstanding Drama Series
The Crown
TV · Emmy 2021 · premiered 2016
- “Duty lasts a lifetime.”
- “The Crown tells the inside story of two of the most famous addresses in the world – Buckingham Palace and 10 Downing Street – and the intrigues, love lives and machinations behind the great events that shaped the second half of the 20th century.”
- “The gripping, decades-spanning inside story of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the Prime Ministers who shaped Britain's post-war destiny.”
- Emmy2020
Outstanding Drama Series
Succession
TV · Emmy 2020 · premiered 2018
- “Follow the lives of the Roy family as they contemplate their future once their aging father begins to step back from the media and entertainment conglomerate they control.”
- “Follow the lives of the Roy family as they contemplate their future once their…”
- “Make your move.”
- Emmy2019
Outstanding Drama Series
Game of Thrones
TV · Emmy 2019 · premiered 2011
- “A Lannister always pays his debts.”
- “Any man who must say "I am the king" is no true king.”
- “Chaos is a ladder!”
- Emmy2018
Outstanding Drama Series
Game of Thrones
TV · Emmy 2018 · premiered 2011
- “A Lannister always pays his debts.”
- “Any man who must say "I am the king" is no true king.”
- “Chaos is a ladder!”
- Emmy2017
Outstanding Drama Series
The Handmaid's Tale
TV · Emmy 2017 · premiered 2017
- “Cows don’t get married.”
- “I don’t need oranges. I need to scream. I need to grab the nearest machine gun.”
- “Love is patient love is kind.”
- Emmy2016
Outstanding Drama Series
Game of Thrones
TV · Emmy 2016 · premiered 2011
- “A Lannister always pays his debts.”
- “Any man who must say "I am the king" is no true king.”
- “Chaos is a ladder!”
- Emmy2015
Outstanding Drama Series
Game of Thrones
TV · Emmy 2015 · premiered 2011
- “A Lannister always pays his debts.”
- “Any man who must say "I am the king" is no true king.”
- “Chaos is a ladder!”
- Emmy2014
Outstanding Drama Series
Breaking Bad
TV · Emmy 2014 · premiered 2008
- “Change the equation.”
- “I am the one who knocks.”
- “If you believe that there's a hell, I don't know if you're into that, but we're already pretty much going there, right? But I'm not gonna lie down until I get there”
- Emmy2013
Outstanding Drama Series
Breaking Bad
TV · Emmy 2013 · premiered 2008
- “Change the equation.”
- “I am the one who knocks.”
- “If you believe that there's a hell, I don't know if you're into that, but we're already pretty much going there, right? But I'm not gonna lie down until I get there”
- Emmy2012
Outstanding Drama Series
Homeland
TV · Emmy 2012 · premiered 2011
- “CIA officer Carrie Mathison is tops in her field despite being bipolar, which makes her volatile and unpredictable.”
- “The nation sees a hero. She sees a threat.”
- “With the help of her long-time mentor Saul Berenson, Carrie fearlessly risks everything, including her personal well-being and even sanity, at every turn.”
- Emmy2011
Outstanding Drama Series
Mad Men
TV · Emmy 2011 · premiered 2007
- “Set in 1960-1970 New York, this sexy, stylized and provocative drama follows the lives of the ruthlessly competitive men and women of Madison Avenue advertising.”
- “Set in 1960-1970 New York, this sexy, stylized and provocative drama follows the lives…”
- “Where the truth lies.”
- Emmy2010
Outstanding Drama Series
Mad Men
TV · Emmy 2010 · premiered 2007
- “Set in 1960-1970 New York, this sexy, stylized and provocative drama follows the lives of the ruthlessly competitive men and women of Madison Avenue advertising.”
- “Set in 1960-1970 New York, this sexy, stylized and provocative drama follows the lives…”
- “Where the truth lies.”
- Emmy2009
Outstanding Drama Series
Mad Men
TV · Emmy 2009 · premiered 2007
- “Set in 1960-1970 New York, this sexy, stylized and provocative drama follows the lives of the ruthlessly competitive men and women of Madison Avenue advertising.”
- “Set in 1960-1970 New York, this sexy, stylized and provocative drama follows the lives…”
- “Where the truth lies.”
- Emmy2008
Outstanding Drama Series
Mad Men
TV · Emmy 2008 · premiered 2007
- “Set in 1960-1970 New York, this sexy, stylized and provocative drama follows the lives of the ruthlessly competitive men and women of Madison Avenue advertising.”
- “Set in 1960-1970 New York, this sexy, stylized and provocative drama follows the lives…”
- “Where the truth lies.”
- Emmy2007
Outstanding Drama Series
The Sopranos
TV · Emmy 2007 · premiered 1999
- “Family. Redefined.”
- “The story of New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads.”
- “Those difficulties are often highlighted through his ongoing professional relationship with psychiatrist Jennifer Melfi.”
- Emmy2006
Outstanding Drama Series
24
TV · Emmy 2006 · premiered 2005
- “Jack Bauer saved Los Angeles. He saved hundreds of thousands of lives, are you going to convict Jack Bauer? Say that criminal law is against him? 'You have the right to a jury trial?' Is any jury going to convict Jack Bauer? I don't think so."”
- “Tagline: The first wave of attack will be terror. The last line of defense will be him.”
- “Tagline: To the world, he's dead. But he is about to become the most wanted man alive.”
- Emmy2005
Outstanding Drama Series
Lost
TV · Emmy 2005 · premiered 2004
- “But the island holds many secrets.”
- “Everything happens for a reason.”
- “Stripped of everything, the survivors of a horrific plane crash must work together to stay alive.”
- Emmy2004
Outstanding Drama Series
The Sopranos
TV · Emmy 2004 · premiered 1999
- “Family. Redefined.”
- “The story of New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads.”
- “Those difficulties are often highlighted through his ongoing professional relationship with psychiatrist Jennifer Melfi.”
- Emmy2003
Outstanding Drama Series
The West Wing
TV · Emmy 2003 · premiered 1999
The West Wing provides a glimpse into presidential politics in the nation's capital as it tells the stories of the members of a fictional presidential administration. These interesting characters have
- Emmy2002
Outstanding Drama Series
The West Wing
TV · Emmy 2002 · premiered 1999
The West Wing provides a glimpse into presidential politics in the nation's capital as it tells the stories of the members of a fictional presidential administration. These interesting characters have
- Emmy2001
Outstanding Drama Series
The West Wing
TV · Emmy 2001 · premiered 1999
The West Wing provides a glimpse into presidential politics in the nation's capital as it tells the stories of the members of a fictional presidential administration. These interesting characters have
- Emmy2000
Outstanding Drama Series
The West Wing
TV · Emmy 2000 · premiered 1999
The West Wing provides a glimpse into presidential politics in the nation's capital as it tells the stories of the members of a fictional presidential administration. These interesting characters have
- Emmy1999
Outstanding Drama Series
The Practice
TV · Emmy 1999 · premiered 1997
A provocative legal drama focused on young associates at a bare-bones Boston firm and their scrappy boss, Bobby Donnell. The show's forte is its storylines about “people who walk a moral tightrope.”
- Emmy1998
Outstanding Drama Series
The Practice
TV · Emmy 1998 · premiered 1997
A provocative legal drama focused on young associates at a bare-bones Boston firm and their scrappy boss, Bobby Donnell. The show's forte is its storylines about “people who walk a moral tightrope.”
- Emmy1997
Outstanding Drama Series
Law & Order
TV · Emmy 1997 · premiered 1990
- “In cases ripped from the headlines, police investigate serious and often deadly crimes, weighing the evidence and questioning the suspects until someone is taken into custody.”
- “The district attorney's office then builds a case to convict the perpetrator by proving the person guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.”
- “Truth matters.”
- Emmy1996
Outstanding Drama Series
ER
TV · Emmy 1996 · premiered 1994
- “ER explores the inner workings of an urban teaching hospital and the critical issues faced by the dedicated physicians and staff of its overburdened emergency room.”
- “ER explores the inner workings of an urban teaching hospital and the critical issues…”
- “Life. Death. Chaos. It's all in a day's work.”
- Emmy1995
Outstanding Drama Series
NYPD Blue
TV · Emmy 1995 · premiered 1993
Police drama set in New York City, exploring the internal and external struggles of the fictional 15th precinct of Manhattan. Each episode typically intertwined several plots involving an ensemble cas
- Emmy1994
Outstanding Drama Series
Picket Fences
TV · Emmy 1994 · premiered 1992
An aging Sheriff tries to keep the peace in Rome, Wisconsin, a small town plagued by bizarre and violent crimes.
- Emmy1993
Outstanding Drama Series
Picket Fences
TV · Emmy 1993 · premiered 1992
An aging Sheriff tries to keep the peace in Rome, Wisconsin, a small town plagued by bizarre and violent crimes.
- Emmy1992
Outstanding Drama Series
Northern Exposure
TV · Emmy 1992 · premiered 1990
After receiving a scholarship from the state, a recent Columbia University medical school graduate is required to set up his practice in an eccentric Alaskan town.
- Emmy1991
Outstanding Drama Series
L.A. Law
TV · Emmy 1991 · premiered 1986
L.A. Law is an American television legal drama series that ran for eight seasons on NBC from September 15, 1986, to May 19, 1994. Created by Steven Bochco and Terry Louise Fisher, it contained many o
- Emmy1990
Outstanding Drama Series
L.A. Law
TV · Emmy 1990 · premiered 1986
L.A. Law is an American television legal drama series that ran for eight seasons on NBC from September 15, 1986, to May 19, 1994. Created by Steven Bochco and Terry Louise Fisher, it contained many o
- Emmy1989
Outstanding Drama Series
L.A. Law
TV · Emmy 1989 · premiered 1986
L.A. Law is an American television legal drama series that ran for eight seasons on NBC from September 15, 1986, to May 19, 1994. Created by Steven Bochco and Terry Louise Fisher, it contained many o
- Emmy1988
Outstanding Drama Series
thirtysomething
TV · Emmy 1988 · premiered 1987
Thirtysomething is an American television drama about a group of baby boomers in their late thirties. It was created by Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick for MGM/UA Television Group and The Bedford
- Emmy1987
Outstanding Drama Series
L.A. Law
TV · Emmy 1987 · premiered 1986
L.A. Law is an American television legal drama series that ran for eight seasons on NBC from September 15, 1986, to May 19, 1994. Created by Steven Bochco and Terry Louise Fisher, it contained many o
- Emmy1986
Outstanding Drama Series
Cagney & Lacey
TV · Emmy 1986 · premiered 1982
Mary Beth Lacey and Chris Cagney are teamed up as NYPD police detectives. Their opposing personalities (one is tough and the other sensitive) mesh to make this one of the great crime-fighting duos of
- Emmy1985
Outstanding Drama Series
Cagney & Lacey
TV · Emmy 1985 · premiered 1982
Mary Beth Lacey and Chris Cagney are teamed up as NYPD police detectives. Their opposing personalities (one is tough and the other sensitive) mesh to make this one of the great crime-fighting duos of
- Emmy1984
Outstanding Drama Series
Hill Street Blues
TV · Emmy 1984 · premiered 1981
- “A realistic glimpse into the daily lives of the officers and detectives at an urban police station.”
- “A realistic glimpse into the daily lives of the officers and detectives at an…”
- “Let's be careful out there.”
- Emmy1983
Outstanding Drama Series
Hill Street Blues
TV · Emmy 1983 · premiered 1981
- “A realistic glimpse into the daily lives of the officers and detectives at an urban police station.”
- “A realistic glimpse into the daily lives of the officers and detectives at an…”
- “Let's be careful out there.”
- Emmy1982
Outstanding Drama Series
Hill Street Blues
TV · Emmy 1982 · premiered 1981
- “A realistic glimpse into the daily lives of the officers and detectives at an urban police station.”
- “A realistic glimpse into the daily lives of the officers and detectives at an…”
- “Let's be careful out there.”
- Emmy1981
Outstanding Drama Series
Hill Street Blues
TV · Emmy 1981 · premiered 1981
- “A realistic glimpse into the daily lives of the officers and detectives at an urban police station.”
- “A realistic glimpse into the daily lives of the officers and detectives at an…”
- “Let's be careful out there.”
- Emmy1980
Outstanding Drama Series
Lou Grant
TV · Emmy 1980 · premiered 1977
The trials of a former television station manager turned newspaper city editor, and his journalist staff.
- Emmy1979
Outstanding Drama Series
Lou Grant
TV · Emmy 1979 · premiered 1977
The trials of a former television station manager turned newspaper city editor, and his journalist staff.