Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series

The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series is an award presented annually by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS). It was first awarded at the 7th Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony, held in 1955 and it is given in honor of a writer or writers who produced an outstanding story or screenplay for an episode of a television drama series during the primetime network season. Undergoing several name changes, the award received its current title at the 48th Primetime Emmy Awards in 1996.

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
Awarded for	Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
Country	United States
Presented by	Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
First awarded	1955
Currently held by	Will Smith, Slow Horses (2024)
Website	emmys.com

Since its inception, the award has been presented to 75 writers. Will Smith is the current recipient of the award for his work on the episode of Apple TV+'s Slow Horses titled "Negotiating with Tigers". Rod Serling holds the record for most wins for this category at six. The Sopranos holds the record for most wins and nominations for this category at 6 and 21, respectively. Game of Thrones, Hill Street Blues and The Sopranos are the only shows that have been nominated in 7 different years.

Winners and nominations

Listed below are the winners of the award for each year, as well as the other nominees.

Table key

Indicates the winner

1950s

Year	Program	Episode	Nominee(s)	Network
Best Written Dramatic Material
1955 (7th)	Studio One	"Twelve Angry Men"	Reginald Rose	CBS
	Climax!	"An Error in Chemistry"	David Dortort	CBS
	Four Star Playhouse	"The Answer"	Leonard Freeman
	Medic	"White Is the Color"	James Moser	NBC
	The Philco Television Playhouse		Paddy Chayefsky
1956 (8th)
	Best Original Teleplay Writing
	Kraft Television Theatre	"Patterns"	Rod Serling	NBC
	Alcoa-Goodyear Playhouse	"A Catered Affair"	Paddy Chayefsky	NBC
		"Thunder Over Washington"	David Davidson
	The Philco Television Playhouse	"A Man Is Ten Feet Tall"	Robert Alan Aurthur
	The United States Steel Hour	"Fearful Decision"	Cyril Hume and Richard Maibaum	CBS
	Best Television Adaptation
	Ford Star Jubilee	"The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial"	Paul Gregory and Franklin J. Schaffner	CBS
	The 20th Century Fox Hour	"The Miracle on 34th Street"	John Monks	CBS
		"The Ox-Bow Incident"	David Dortort
	Climax!	"The Champion"	Rod Serling
	Producers' Showcase	"Our Town"	David Shaw	NBC
1957 (9th)
	Best Teleplay Writing – Half Hour or Less
	Alfred Hitchcock Presents	"Fog Closing In"	James P. Cavanagh	CBS
	Frontier	"Patrol"	Morton Fine and David Friedkin	NBC
	The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp	"The Buntime"	Dan Ullman	ABC
	The Loretta Young Show	"The Pearl"	Richard Morris	NBC
	Telephone Time	"Man with the Beard"	John Nesbitt	ABC
	Best Teleplay Writing – One Hour or More
	Playhouse 90	"Requiem for a Heavyweight"	Rod Serling	CBS
	Alcoa-Goodyear Playhouse	"Joey"	Louis Peterson	NBC
		"Tragedy in a Temporary Town"	Reginald Rose
	Kraft Television Theatre	"A Night to Remember"	John Whedon and George Roy Hill
	Playhouse 90	"Sizeman and Son"	Elick Moll	CBS
1958 (10th)
	Best Teleplay Writing – Half Hour or Less
	Schlitz Playhouse of Stars	"The Lonely Wizard"	Paul Monash	CBS
	Father Knows Best	"Margaret Hires a Gardener"	Roswell Rogers	NBC
	Frontiers of Faith	"A Chassidic Tale"	Morton Wishengrad
	Gunsmoke	"Born to Hang"	John Meston	CBS
	Leave It to Beaver	"Beaver Gets 'Spelled"	Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher
	Best Teleplay Writing – One Hour or More
	Playhouse 90	"The Comedian"	Rod Serling	CBS
	Hallmark Hall of Fame	"The Green Pastures"	Marc Connelly	NBC
	Omnibus	"The Life of Samuel Johnson"	James Lee
	Playhouse 90	"The Miracle Worker"	William Gibson	CBS
	Studio One	"No Deadly Medicine"	Arthur Hailey
1959 (11th)
	Best Writing of a Single Program of a Dramatic Series - Less Than One Hour
	Alcoa-Goodyear Theatre	"Eddie"	Alfred Brenner and Ken Hughes	NBC
	Alcoa-Goodyear Theatre	"The Loudmouth"	Christopher Knopf	NBC
	Alfred Hitchcock Presents	"Lamb to the Slaughter"	Roald Dahl	CBS
	General Electric Theater	"One is a Wanderer"	Samuel A. Taylor
	Peter Gunn	"The Kill"	Blake Edwards	NBC
	Best Writing of a Single Dramatic Program - One Hour or Longer
	Hallmark Hall of Fame	"Little Moon of Alban"	James Costigan	NBC
	Playhouse 90	"Child of Our Time"	Irving G. Neiman	CBS
		"Days of Wine and Roses"	JP Miller
		"Old Man"	Horton Foote
		"A Town Has Turned to Dust"	Rod Serling

1960s

Year	Program	Episode	Nominee(s)	Network
Outstanding Writing Achievement in Drama
1960 (12th)	The Twilight Zone		Rod Serling	CBS
	Ford Startime	"The Turn of the Screw"	James Costigan	NBC
	Playhouse 90	"Project Immortality"	Loring Mandel	CBS
1961 (16th)	The Twilight Zone		Rod Serling	CBS
	DuPont Show of the Month	"The Lincoln Murder Case"	Dale Wasserman	CBS
	NBC Sunday Showcase	"Sacco-Vanzetti Story"	Reginald Rose	NBC
1962 (14th)
	The Defenders		Reginald Rose	CBS
	Alcoa Premiere	"People Need People"	Henry F. Greenberg	ABC
	Ben Casey	"I Remember a Lemon Tree"	Story by : Marcus W. Demian Teleplay by : Jack Laird
	The Dick Powell Show	"The Price of Tomatoes"	Richard Alan Simmons	NBC
	The Twilight Zone		Rod Serling	CBS
1963 (15th)
	The Defenders	"The Madman"	Robert Thom and Reginald Rose	CBS
	Ben Casey	"A Cardinal Act of Mercy"	Norman Katkov	ABC
	The DuPont Show of the Week	"Big Deal in Laredo"	Sidney Carroll	NBC
	Hallmark Hall of Fame	"The Invincible Mr. Disraeli"	James Lee
	Premiere, Presented by Fred Astaire	"The Voice of Charlie Pont"	Halsted Welles	ABC
1964 (16th)
	Outstanding Writing Achievement in Drama – Original
	The Defenders	"Blacklist"	Ernest Kinoy	CBS
	Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre	"Something About Lee Wiley"	David Rayfiel	NBC
	Breaking Point	"And James Was a Very Small Snail"	Allan Sloane	ABC
	Dr. Kildare	"What's God to Julius?"	Adrian Spies	NBC
	East Side/West Side	"Who Do You Kill?"	Arnold Perl	CBS
	Outstanding Writing Achievement in Drama – Adaptation
	Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre	"It's Mental Work"	Rod Serling	NBC
	The Alfred Hitchcock Hour	"The Jar"	James Bridges	CBS
	Hallmark Hall of Fame	"The Patriots"	Robert Hartung	NBC
	The Richard Boone Show	"The Hooligan"	Walter Newman
Outstanding Individual Achievements in Entertainment – Writers
1965 (17th)	The Defenders	"The 700-Year-Old Gang"	David Karp	CBS
	The Dick Van Dyke Show	"Never Bathe on Sunday"	Carl Reiner	CBS
	Hallmark Hall of Fame	"The Magnificent Yankee"	Robert Hartung	NBC
	That Was the Week That Was		William Boardman, Dee Caruso, Robert Emmett, David Frost, Gerald Gardner, Buck Henry, Joseph Hurley, Thomas Meehan, Herb Sargent, Larry Siegel, Gloria Steinem, Jim Stevenson, Calvin Trillin and Saul Turteltaub
	The Wonderful World of Burlesque		Arnie Rosen and Coleman Jacoby
Outstanding Writing Achievement in Drama
1966 (18th)	Hallmark Hall of Fame	"Eagle in a Cage"	Millard Lampell	NBC
	Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre	"The Game"	S. Lee Pogostin	NBC
	I Spy	"A Cup of Kindness"	Morton Fine and David Friedkin
1967 (19th)	Mission: Impossible	"Pilot"	Bruce Geller	CBS
	CBS Playhouse	"The Final War of Olly Winter"	Ronald Ribman	CBS
	I Spy	"The War Lord"	Robert Culp	NBC
1968 (20th)
	CBS Playhouse	"Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night"	Loring Mandel	CBS
	CBS Playhouse	"Dear Friends"	Reginald Rose	CBS
	Mission: Impossible	"The Seal"	William Read Woodfield and Allan Balter	CBS
	NBC World Premiere Movie	"Ironside"	Don Mankiewicz	NBC
1969 (21st)
	CBS Playhouse	"The People Next Door"	JP Miller	CBS
	CBS Playhouse	"The Experiment"	Ellen M. Violett	CBS
	Hallmark Hall of Fame	"Teacher, Teacher"	Allan Sloane	NBC

1970s

Year	Program	Episode	Nominee(s)	Network
Outstanding Writing Achievement in Drama
1970 (22nd)
	NBC World Premiere Movie	"My Sweet Charlie"	Richard Levinson and William Link	NBC
	The ABC Wednesday Night Movie	"Marcus Welby, M.D."	Don Mankiewicz	ABC
	CBS Playhouse	"Sadbird"	George Bellak	CBS
1971 (23rd)
	The Bold Ones: The Senator	"To Taste of Death but Once"	Joel Oliansky	NBC
	The Bold Ones: The Senator	"A Continual Roar of Musketry"	David W. Rintels	NBC
	Four in One	"The Psychiatrist"	Jerrold Freedman
1972 (24th)
	Columbo	"Death Lends a Hand"	Richard Levinson and William Link	NBC
	Columbo	"Murder by the Book"	Steven Bochco	NBC
		"Suitable for Framing"	Jackson Gillis
1973 (25th)
	The Waltons	"The Scholar"	John McGreevey	CBS
	Columbo	"Etude in Black"	Story by : Richard Levinson and William Link Teleplay by : Steven Bochco	NBC
	The Waltons	"The Love Story"	Earl Hamner Jr.	CBS
Best Writing in Drama
1974 (26th)
	The Waltons	"The Thanksgiving Story"	Joanna Lee	CBS
	Kojak	"Death Is Not a Passing Grade"	Gene R. Kearney	CBS
	The Waltons	"The Easter Story"	John McGreevey
Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series
1975 (27th)
	Benjamin Franklin	"The Ambassador"	Howard Fast	CBS
	Benjamin Franklin	"The Whirlwind"	Loring Mandel	CBS
	Police Story	"Robbery: 48 Hours"	Robert L. Collins	NBC
	Upstairs, Downstairs	"The Bolter"	John Hawkesworth	PBS
		"Miss Forrest"	Alfred Shaughnessy
1976 (28th)
	The Adams Chronicles	"John Adams and Lawyer"	Sherman Yellen	PBS
	Jennie: Lady Randolph Churchill	"Lady Randolph"	Julian Mitchell	PBS
	The Law	"Complaint Amended"	Joel Oliansky	NBC
	Rich Man, Poor Man	"Part I"	Dean Riesner	ABC
	Upstairs, Downstairs	"Another Year"	Alfred Shaughnessy	PBS
1977 (29th)
	Roots	"Part II"	Ernest Kinoy and William Blinn	ABC
	The Adams Chronicles	"Charles Francis Adams: Minister to Great Britain"	Roger O. Hirson	PBS
		"John Quincy Adams: President"	Tad Mosel
	Roots	"Part V"	James Lee	ABC
		"Part VIII"	M. Charles Cohen
1978 (30th)
	Holocaust		Gerald Green	NBC
	The Dain Curse		Robert W. Lenski	CBS
	King		Abby Mann	NBC
	Meeting of Minds		Steve Allen	PBS
	The Norman Conquests		Alan Ayckbourn
1979 (31st)
	Lou Grant	"Dying"	Michele Gallery	CBS
	Lou Grant	"Marathon"	Gene Reynolds	CBS
		"Vet"	Leon Tokatyan
	The Paper Chase	"The Late Mr. Hart"	James Bridges

1980s

Year	Program	Episode	Nominee(s)	Network
1980 (32nd)
	Lou Grant	"Cop"	Seth Freeman	CBS
	Lou Grant	"Brushfire"	Allan Burns and Gene Reynolds	CBS
		"Lou"	Michele Gallery
	Skag	"Pilot"	Abby Mann	NBC
	Tenspeed and Brown Shoe		Stephen J. Cannell	ABC
1981 (33rd)
	Hill Street Blues	"Hill Street Station"	Steven Bochco and Michael Kozoll	NBC
	American Dream	"Pilot"	Ronald M. Cohen, Barbara Corday and Ken Hecht	ABC
	Hill Street Blues	"Jungle Madness"	Steven Bochco, Michael Kozoll and Anthony Yerkovich	NBC
	Lou Grant	"Rape"	Seth Freeman	CBS
		"Strike"	April Smith
1982 (34th)
	Hill Street Blues	"Freedom's Last Stand"	Story by : Michael Kozoll and Steven Bochco Teleplay by : Steven Bochco, Anthony Yerkovich, Jeffrey Lewis and Michael Wagner	NBC
	Hill Street Blues	"Personal Foul"	Steven Bochco, Anthony Yerkovich, Jeffrey Lewis and Michael Wagner	NBC
		"The Second Oldest Profession"	Story by : Michael Kozoll, Steven Bochco and Anthony Yerkovich Teleplay by : Steven Bochco, Anthony Yerkovich and Robert Crais
		"The World According to Freedom"	Michael Wagner
	Lou Grant	"Blacklist"	Seth Freeman	CBS
1983 (35th)
	Hill Street Blues	"Trial by Fury"	David Milch	NBC
	Hill Street Blues	"Eugene's Comedy Empire Strikes Back"	Story by : Steven Bochco, Anthony Yerkovich and Jeff Lewis Teleplay by : Anthony Yerkovich, David Milch and Karen Hall	NBC
		"A Hair of the Dog"	Steven Bochco, Anthony Yerkovich and Jeffrey Lewis
		"No Body's Perfect"	Story by : Steven Bochco, Anthony Yerkovich and Jeffrey Lewis Teleplay by : Michael I. Wagner and David Milch
		"Officer of the Year"	Karen Hall
1984 (36th)
	St. Elsewhere	"The Women"	Story by : John Masius and Tom Fontana Teleplay by : John Ford Noonan	NBC
	Hill Street Blues	"Doris in Wonderland"	Story by : Steven Bochco, Jeffrey Lewis and David Milch Teleplay by : Peter Silverman	NBC
		"Grace Under Pressure"	Story by : Steven Bochco, Jeffrey Lewis and David Milch Teleplay by : Jeffrey Lewis, Michael I. Wagner, Karen Hall and Mark Frost
	St. Elsewhere	"All About Eve"	John Masius and Tom Fontana
		"Newheart"	John Masius, Tom Fontana, Garn Stephens and Emilie R. Small
		"Qui Transulit Sustinet"	Story by : John Masius and Tom Fontana Teleplay by : John Tinker & Mark Tinker
1985 (37th)
	Cagney & Lacey	"Who Said It's Fair, Part 2"	Patricia Green	CBS
	Cagney & Lacey	"Child Witness"	Deborah Arakelian	CBS
	Hill Street Blues	"The Rise and Fall of Paul the Wall"	Story by : Michael I. Wagner Teleplay by : Jacob Epstein	NBC
	Miami Vice	"Pilot"	Anthony Yerkovich
	St. Elsewhere	"Murder, She Rote"	John Masius, Tom Fontana and Steve Bello
		"Sweet Dreams"	John Masius and Tom Fontana
1986 (38th)
	St. Elsewhere	"Time Heals"	John Tinker, Tom Fontana and John Masius	NBC
	Hill Street Blues	"What Are Friends For?"	Dick Wolf	NBC
	Moonlighting	"The Dream Sequence Always Rings Twice"	Debra Frank and Carl Sautter	ABC
		"Twas the Episode Before Christmas"	Glenn Gordon Caron
	St. Elsewhere	"Haunted"	Story by : John Masius and Tom Fontana Teleplay by : John Tinker, Charles H. Eglee and Channing Gibson	NBC
1987 (39th)
	L.A. Law	"The Venus Butterfly"	Steven Bochco and Terry Louise Fisher	NBC
	Cagney & Lacey	"Turn, Turn, Turn, Part 1"	Georgia Jeffries	CBS
	Hill Street Blues	"It Ain't Over Till It's Over"	Jeffrey Lewis, David Milch and John Romano	NBC
	L.A. Law	"Sidney the Dead-Nosed Reindeer"	William M. Finkelstein
	Moonlighting	"I Am Curious... Maddie"	Story by : Ron Osborn, Karen Hall, Roger Director and Charles H. Eglee Teleplay by : Jeff Reno and Glenn Gordon Caron	ABC
		"Atomic Shakespeare"	Jeff Reno and Ron Osborn
	St. Elsewhere	"Afterlife"	Tom Fontana, John Tinker and John Masius	NBC
1988 (40th)
	Thirtysomething	"Business as Usual"	Paul Haggis and Marshall Herskovitz	ABC
	Beauty and the Beast	"Pilot"	Ron Koslow	CBS
	China Beach		John Sacret Young	ABC
	L.A. Law	"Beauty and Obese"	Terry Louise Fisher and David E. Kelley	NBC
		"Full Martial Jacket"	Story by : Steven Bochco and Terry Louise Fisher Teleplay by : Terry Louise Fisher and David E. Kelley
	St. Elsewhere	"The Last One"	Story by : Tom Fontana, John Tinker and Channing Gibson Teleplay by : Bruce Paltrow and Mark Tinker
1989 (41st)
	Thirtysomething	"First Day/Last Day"	Joseph Dougherty	ABC
	L.A. Law	"His Suit Is Hirsute"	Steven Bochco, David E. Kelley, Michele Gallery and William M. Finkelstein	NBC
		"I'm in the Nude for Love"	David E. Kelley
		"Urine Trouble Now"	David E. Kelley, William M. Finkelstein, Michele Gallery and Judith Parker
	Thirtysomething	"The Mike Van Dyke Show"	Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick	ABC

1990s

Year	Program	Episode	Nominee(s)	Network
1990 (42nd)	L.A. Law	"Blood, Sweat & Fears"	David E. Kelley	NBC
	L.A. Law	"Bang... Zoom... Zap"	William M. Finkelstein and David E. Kelley	NBC
	Thirtysomething	"The Go Between"	Joseph Dougherty	ABC
	Twin Peaks	"Pilot"	Mark Frost and David Lynch
		"Episode 3"	Harley Peyton
1991 (43rd)	L.A. Law	"On the Toad Again"	David E. Kelley	NBC
	L.A. Law	"Lie Harder"	Judith Feldman and Sarah Woodside Gallagher	NBC
		"Mutinies on the Banzai"	Alan Brennert, Patricia Green and David E. Kelley
	Northern Exposure	"Pilot"	Joshua Brand and John Falsey	CBS
	Thirtysomething	"Second Look"	Ann Lewis Hamilton	ABC
1992 (44th)	Northern Exposure	"Seoul Mates"	Diane Frolov and Andrew Schneider	CBS
	China Beach	"Hello-Goodbye"	Story by : John Sacret Young, John Wells, Lydia Woodward and Carol Flint Teleplay by : John Wells	ABC
	I'll Fly Away	"Master Magician"	David Chase	NBC
	Northern Exposure	"Burning Down the House"	Robin Green	CBS
		"Democracy in America"	Jeff Melvoin
1993 (45th)	Homicide: Life on the Street	"Three Men and Adena"	Tom Fontana	NBC
	Homefront	"The Lacemakers"	Bernard Lechowick	ABC
	Law & Order	"Manhood"	Story by : Walon Green and Robert Nathan Teleplay by : Robert Nathan	NBC
	Northern Exposure	"Kaddish for Uncle Manny"	Jeff Melvoin	CBS
		"Midnight Sun"	Geoffrey Neigher
1994 (46th)	NYPD Blue	"Steroid Roy"	Ann Biderman	ABC
	NYPD Blue	"NYPD Lou"	Ted Mann	ABC
		"Personal Foul"	Story by : David Milch Teleplay by : Burton Armus
		"Pilot"	Story by : David Milch and Steven Bochco Teleplay by : David Milch
		"Tempest in a C-Cup"	Gardner Stern
1995 (47th)	ER	"Love's Labor Lost"	Lance Gentile	NBC
	ER	"24 Hours"	Michael Crichton	NBC
	My So-Called Life	"Pilot"	Winnie Holzman	ABC
	NYPD Blue	"Simone Says"	Story by : Steven Bochco, David Milch and Walon Green Teleplay by : David Milch and Walon Green
	The X-Files	"Duane Barry"	Chris Carter	Fox
1996 (48th)	The X-Files	"Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose"	Darin Morgan	Fox
	ER	"The Healers"	John Wells	NBC
		"Hell and High Water"	Neal Baer
	Murder One	"Chapter One"	Story by : Steven Bochco, Charles H. Eglee and Channing Gibson Teleplay by : Charles H. Eglee, Channing Gibson, Steven Bochco and David Milch	ABC
	NYPD Blue	"The Backboard Jungle"	Story by : William L. Morris Teleplay by : David Mills
1997 (49th)	NYPD Blue	"Where's 'Swaldo?"	Stephen Gaghan, Michael R. Perry and David Milch	ABC
	ER	"Faith"	John Wells	NBC
		"Whose Appy Now?"	Neal Baer
	NYPD Blue	"Taillight's Last Gleaming"	David Mills	ABC
	The X-Files	"Memento Mori"	Chris Carter, Vince Gilligan, John Shiban and Frank Spotnitz	Fox
1998 (50th)	NYPD Blue	"Lost Israel, Part 2"	Story by : David Milch and Bill Clark Teleplay by : David Milch and Nicholas Wootton	ABC
	Homicide: Life on the Street	"Subway"	James Yoshimura	NBC
	NYPD Blue	"Lost Israel, Part 1"	Story by : Ted Mann, Bill Clark and Meredith Stiehm Teleplay by : David Milch and Ted Mann	ABC
	The Practice	"Betrayal"	David E. Kelley
	The X-Files	"The Post-Modern Prometheus"	Chris Carter	Fox
1999 (51st)	The Sopranos	"College"	James Manos Jr. and David Chase	HBO
	NYPD Blue	"Hearts and Souls"	Story by : Steven Bochco, David Milch and Bill Clark Teleplay by : Nicholas Wootton	ABC
	The Sopranos	"Isabella"	Robin Green and Mitchell Burgess	HBO
		"Nobody Knows Anything"	Frank Renzulli
		"The Sopranos"	David Chase

2000s

Year	Program	Episode	Nominee(s)	Network
2000 (52nd)	The West Wing	"In Excelsis Deo"	Aaron Sorkin and Rick Cleveland	NBC
	Buffy the Vampire Slayer	"Hush"	Joss Whedon	The WB
	The Sopranos	"Funhouse"	David Chase and Todd A. Kessler	HBO
		"The Knight in White Satin Armor"	Robin Green and Mitchell Burgess
	The West Wing	"Pilot"	Aaron Sorkin	NBC
2001 (53rd)	The Sopranos	"Employee of the Month"	Robin Green and Mitchell Burgess	HBO
	The Sopranos	"Amour Fou"	Story by : David Chase Teleplay by : Frank Renzulli	HBO
		"Pine Barrens"	Story by : Tim Van Patten and Terence Winter Teleplay by : Terence Winter
		"Second Opinion"	Lawrence Konner
	The West Wing	"In the Shadow of Two Gunmen"	Aaron Sorkin	NBC
2002 (54th)	24	"12:00 a.m. – 1:00 a.m."	Robert Cochran and Joel Surnow	Fox
	Alias	"Truth Be Told"	J. J. Abrams	ABC
	ER	"On the Beach"	John Wells	NBC
	The Shield	"Pilot"	Shawn Ryan	FX
	The West Wing	"Posse Comitatus"	Aaron Sorkin	NBC
2003 (55th)	The Sopranos	"Whitecaps"	Robin Green, Mitchell Burgess and David Chase	HBO
	Six Feet Under	"Twilight"	Craig Wright	HBO
	The Sopranos	"Eloise"	Terence Winter
		"Whoever Did This"	Robin Green and Mitchell Burgess
	The West Wing	"Twenty Five"	Aaron Sorkin	NBC
2004 (56th)	The Sopranos	"Long Term Parking"	Terence Winter	HBO
	Deadwood	"Deadwood"	David Milch	HBO
	The Sopranos	"Irregular Around the Margins"	Robin Green and Mitchell Burgess
		"Unidentified Black Males"	Matthew Weiner and Terence Winter
		"Where's Johnny?"	Michael Caleo
2005 (57th)	House	"Three Stories"	David Shore	Fox
	Lost	"Pilot"	Story by : Jeffrey Lieber, J. J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof Teleplay by : J. J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof	ABC
		Walkabout"	David Fury
	Rescue Me	"Guts"	Denis Leary and Peter Tolan	FX
	The Wire	"Middle Ground"	Story by : David Simon and George Pelecanos Teleplay by : George Pelecanos	HBO
2006 (58th)	The Sopranos	"Members Only"	Terence Winter	HBO
	Grey's Anatomy	"Into You Like a Train"	Krista Vernoff	ABC
		"It's the End of the World" & "As We Know It"	Shonda Rhimes
	Lost	"The 23rd Psalm"	Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof
	Six Feet Under	"Everyone's Waiting"	Alan Ball	HBO
2007 (59th)	The Sopranos	"Made in America"	David Chase	HBO
	Battlestar Galactica	"Occupation" & "Precipice"	Ronald D. Moore	Sci Fi
	Lost	"Through the Looking Glass"	Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof	ABC
	The Sopranos	"Kennedy and Heidi"	Matthew Weiner and David Chase	HBO
		"The Second Coming"	Terence Winter
2008 (60th)	Mad Men	"Smoke Gets in Your Eyes"	Matthew Weiner	AMC
	Battlestar Galactica	"Six of One"	Michael Angeli	Sci Fi
	Damages	"Get Me a Lawyer"	Todd A. Kessler, Glenn Kessler and Daniel Zelman	FX
	Mad Men	"The Wheel"	Matthew Weiner and Robin Veith	AMC
	The Wire	"–30–"	Story by : David Simon and Ed Burns Teleplay by : David Simon	HBO
2009 (61st)	Mad Men	"Meditations in an Emergency"	Matthew Weiner and Kater Gordon	AMC
	Lost	"The Incident"	Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof	ABC
	Mad Men	"The Jet Set"	Matthew Weiner	AMC
		"A Night to Remember"	Robin Veith and Matthew Weiner
		"Six Month Leave"	Andre Jacquemetton, Maria Jacquemetton and Matthew Weiner

2010s

Year	Program	Episode	Nominee(s)	Network
2010 (62nd)	Mad Men	"Shut the Door. Have a Seat."	Matthew Weiner and Erin Levy	AMC
	Friday Night Lights	"The Son"	Rolin Jones	DirecTV
	The Good Wife	"Pilot"	Robert King and Michelle King	CBS
	Lost	"The End"	Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse	ABC
	Mad Men	"Guy Walks Into an Advertising Agency"	Robin Veith and Matthew Weiner	AMC
2011 (63rd)	Friday Night Lights	"Always"	Jason Katims	DirecTV
	Game of Thrones	"Baelor"	David Benioff and D. B. Weiss	HBO
	The Killing	"Pilot"	Veena Sud	AMC
	Mad Men	"Blowing Smoke"	Andre Jacquemetton and Maria Jacquemetton
		"The Suitcase"	Matthew Weiner
2012 (64th)	Homeland	"Pilot"	Alex Gansa, Howard Gordon and Gideon Raff	Showtime
	Downton Abbey	"Episode Seven"	Julian Fellowes	PBS
	Mad Men	"Commissions and Fees"	Andre Jacquemetton and Maria Jacquemetton	AMC
		"Far Away Places"	Semi Chellas and Matthew Weiner
		"The Other Woman"
2013 (65th)	Homeland	"Q&A"	Henry Bromell	Showtime
	Breaking Bad	"Dead Freight"	George Mastras	AMC
		"Say My Name"	Thomas Schnauz
	Downton Abbey	"Episode Four"	Julian Fellowes	PBS
	Game of Thrones	"The Rains of Castamere"	David Benioff and D. B. Weiss	HBO
2014 (66th)	Breaking Bad	"Ozymandias"	Moira Walley-Beckett	AMC
	Breaking Bad	"Felina"	Vince Gilligan	AMC
	Game of Thrones	"The Children"	David Benioff and D. B. Weiss	HBO
	House of Cards	"Chapter 14"	Beau Willimon	Netflix
	True Detective	"The Secret Fate of All Life"	Nic Pizzolatto	HBO
2015 (67th)	Game of Thrones	"Mother's Mercy"	David Benioff and D. B. Weiss	HBO
	The Americans	"Do Mail Robots Dream of Electric Sheep?"	Joshua Brand	FX
	Better Call Saul	"Five-O"	Gordon Smith	AMC
	Mad Men	"Lost Horizon"	Semi Chellas and Matthew Weiner
		"Person to Person"	Matthew Weiner
2016 (68th)	Game of Thrones	"Battle of the Bastards"	David Benioff and D. B. Weiss	HBO
	The Americans	"Persona Non Grata"	Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg	FX
	Downton Abbey	"Episode Eight"	Julian Fellowes	PBS
	The Good Wife	"End"	Robert King and Michelle King	CBS
	Mr. Robot	"eps1.0 hellofriend.mov"	Sam Esmail	USA
	UnREAL	"Return"	Marti Noxon and Sarah Gertrude Shapiro	Lifetime
2017 (69th)	The Handmaid's Tale	"Offred"	Bruce Miller	Hulu
	The Americans	"The Soviet Division"	Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg	FX
	Better Call Saul	"Chicanery"	Gordon Smith	AMC
	The Crown	"Assassins"	Peter Morgan	Netflix
	Stranger Things	"Chapter One: The Vanishing of Will Byers"	The Duffer Brothers
	Westworld	"The Bicameral Mind"	Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan	HBO
2018 (70th)	The Americans	"START"	Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg	FX
	The Crown	"Mystery Man"	Peter Morgan	Netflix
	Game of Thrones	"The Dragon and the Wolf"	David Benioff and D. B. Weiss	HBO
	The Handmaid's Tale	"June"	Bruce Miller	Hulu
	Killing Eve	"Nice Face"	Phoebe Waller-Bridge	BBC America
	Stranger Things	"Chapter Nine: The Gate"	The Duffer Brothers	Netflix
2019 (71st)
	Succession	"Nobody Is Ever Missing"	Jesse Armstrong	HBO
	Better Call Saul	"Winner"	Peter Gould and Thomas Schnauz	AMC
	Bodyguard	"Episode 1"	Jed Mercurio	Netflix
	Game of Thrones	"The Iron Throne"	David Benioff and D. B. Weiss	HBO
	The Handmaid's Tale	"Holly"	Bruce Miller and Kira Snyder	Hulu
	Killing Eve	"Nice and Neat"	Emerald Fennell	BBC America

2020s

Year	Program	Episode	Nominee(s)	Network
2020 (72nd)
	Succession	"This Is Not for Tears"	Jesse Armstrong	HBO
	Better Call Saul	"Bad Choice Road"	Thomas Schnauz	AMC
		"Bagman"	Gordon Smith
	The Crown	"Aberfan"	Peter Morgan	Netflix
	Ozark	"All In"	Chris Mundy
		"Boss Fight"	John Shiban
		"Fire Pink"	Miki Johnson
2021 (73rd)
	The Crown	"War"	Peter Morgan	Netflix
	The Boys	"What I Know"	Rebecca Sonnenshine	Amazon
	The Handmaid's Tale	"Home"	Yahlin Chang	Hulu
	Lovecraft Country	"Sundown"	Misha Green	HBO
	The Mandalorian	"Chapter 13: The Jedi"	Dave Filoni	Disney+
		"Chapter 16: The Rescue"	Jon Favreau
	Pose	"Series Finale"	Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, Steven Canals, Janet Mock and Our Lady J	FX
2022 (74th)
	Succession	"All the Bells Say"	Jesse Armstrong	HBO
	Better Call Saul	"Plan and Execution"	Thomas Schnauz	AMC
	Ozark	"A Hard Way to Go"	Chris Mundy	Netflix
	Severance	"The We We Are"	Dan Erickson	Apple TV+
	Squid Game	"One Lucky Day"	Hwang Dong-hyuk	Netflix
	Yellowjackets	"F Sharp"	Jonathan Lisco, Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson	Showtime
		"Pilot"	Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson
2023 (75th)
	Succession	"Connor's Wedding"	Jesse Armstrong	HBO
	Andor	"One Way Out"	Beau Willimon	Disney+
	Bad Sisters	"The Prick"	Sharon Horgan, Dave Finkel and Brett Baer	Apple TV+
	Better Call Saul	"Point and Shoot"	Gordon Smith	AMC
		"Saul Gone"	Peter Gould
	The Last of Us	"Long, Long Time"	Craig Mazin	HBO
	The White Lotus	"Arrivederci"	Mike White
2024 (76th)
	Slow Horses	"Negotiating with Tigers"	Will Smith	Apple TV+
	The Crown	"Ritz"	Peter Morgan and Meriel Sheibani-Clare	Netflix
	Fallout	"The End"	Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Graham Wagner	Prime Video
	Mr. & Mrs. Smith	"First Date"	Francesca Sloane and Donald Glover
	Shōgun	"Anjin"	Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks	FX
		"Crimson Sky"	Rachel Kondo and Caillin Puente

Total awards by network

• CBS – 23
• NBC – 19
• HBO – 12
• ABC – 6
• AMC – 4
• Fox – 3
• Showtime – 2
• Apple TV+ - 1
• DirecTV – 1
• FX – 1
• Hulu – 1
• Netflix – 1
• PBS – 1

Individuals with multiple awards

6 awards

• Rod Serling

4 awards

• Jesse Armstrong

3 awards

• Steven Bochco
• David Chase
• Tom Fontana
• David Milch
• Reginald Rose
• Matthew Weiner

2 awards

• David Benioff
• Mitchell Burgess
• Robin Green
• David E. Kelley
• Ernest Kinoy
• Michael Kozoll
• Richard Levinson
• William Link
• John Masius
• D. B. Weiss
• Terence Winter

Individuals with multiple nominations

19 nominations

• Steven Bochco

15 nominations

• David Milch
• Matthew Weiner

11 nominations

• Tom Fontana

10 nominations

• David E. Kelley

9 nominations

• John Masius
• Rod Serling

8 nominations

• David Chase
• Jeff Lewis
• Anthony Yerkovich

7 nominations

• David Benioff
• Robin Green
• D. B. Weiss

6 nominations

• Mitchell Burgess
• Reginald Rose
• Michael Wagner
• Terence Winter

5 nominations

• Damon Lindelof
• Peter Morgan
• Aaron Sorkin
• John Tinker

4 nominations

• Jesse Armstrong
• Carlton Cuse
• William M. Finkelstein
• Michele Gallery
• Karen Hall
• Michael Kozoll
• Thomas Schnauz
• Gordon Smith
• John Wells

3 nominations

• Glenn Gordon Caron
• Chris Carter
• Semi Chellas
• Bill Clark
• Charles H. Eglee
• Julian Fellowes
• Joel Fields
• Terry Louise Fisher
• Seth Freeman
• Channing Gibson
• Andre Jacquemetton
• Maria Jacquemetton
• James Lee
• Richard Levinson
• William Link
• Loring Mandel
• Bruce Miller
• Robin Veith
• Joe Weisberg

2 nominations

• J. J. Abrams
• Neal Baer
• Joshua Brand
• James Bridges
• Paddy Chayefsky
• James Costigan
• David Dortort
• Joseph Dougherty
• Matt Duffer
• Ross Duffer
• Morton Fine
• David Friedkin
• Mark Frost
• Vince Gilligan
• Peter Gould
• Patricia Green
• Walon Green
• Robert Hartung
• Marshall Herskovitz
• Todd A. Kessler
• Michelle King
• Robert King
• Ernest Kinoy
• Rachel Kondo
• Ashley Lyle
• Don Mankiewicz
• Abby Mann
• Ted Mann
• John McGreevey
• Jeff Melvoin
• JP Miller
• David Mills
• Chris Mundy
• Bart Nickerson
• Ron Osborn
• Jeff Reno
• Frank Renzulli
• Gene Reynolds
• Alfred Shaughnessy
• John Shiban
• David Simon
• Allan Sloane
• Mark Tinker
• Beau Willimon
• Nicholas Wootton
• John Sacret Young

Programs with multiple awards

6 awards

• The Sopranos (HBO) (2 consecutive - twice)

4 awards

• The Defenders (CBS) (3 consecutive)
• Succession (HBO) (2 consecutive - twice)

3 awards

• Hill Street Blues (NBC) (consecutive)
• L.A. Law (NBC) (2 consecutive)
• Mad Men (AMC) (consecutive)
• NYPD Blue (ABC) (2 consecutive)

2 awards

• CBS Playhouse (CBS) (consecutive)
• Game of Thrones (HBO) (consecutive)
• Hallmark Hall of Fame (NBC)
• Homeland (Showtime) (consecutive)
• Lou Grant (CBS) (consecutive)
• Playhouse 90 (CBS) (consecutive)
• St. Elsewhere (NBC)
• Thirtysomething (ABC) (consecutive)
• The Twilight Zone (CBS) (consecutive)
• The Waltons (CBS) (consecutive)

Programs with multiple nominations

21 nominations

• The Sopranos (HBO)

16 nominations

• Hill Street Blues (NBC)

15 nominations

• Mad Men (AMC)

12 nominations

• L.A. Law (NBC)
• NYPD Blue (ABC)

9 nominations

• Lou Grant (CBS)
• Playhouse 90 (CBS)
• St. Elsewhere (NBC)

8 nominations

• Better Call Saul (AMC)

7 nominations

• ER (NBC)
• Game of Thrones (HBO)
• Hallmark Hall of Fame (NBC)

6 nominations

• Alcoa-Goodyear Playhouse (NBC)
• CBS Playhouse (CBS)
• Lost (ABC)
• Northern Exposure (CBS)

5 nominations

• The Crown (Netflix)
• Thirtysomething (ABC)
• The West Wing (NBC)

4 nominations

• The Americans (FX)
• Breaking Bad (AMC)
• Columbo (NBC)
• The Defenders (CBS)
• The Handmaid's Tale (Hulu)
• Moonlighting (ABC)
• Ozark (Netflix)
• Succession (HBO)
• The Waltons (CBS)
• The X-Files (Fox)

3 nominations

• The Adams Chronicles (PBS)
• Alfred Hitchcock Presents/The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (CBS)
• Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre (NBC)
• Cagney & Lacey (CBS)
• Downton Abbey (PBS)
• Roots (ABC)
• The Twilight Zone (CBS)
• Upstairs, Downstairs (PBS)

2 nominations

• The 20th Century Fox Hour (CBS)
• Alcoa Premiere/Premiere, Presented by Fred Astaire (ABC)
• Battlestar Galactica (Sci Fi)
• Ben Casey (ABC)
• Benjamin Franklin (CBS)
• The Bold Ones: The Senator (NBC)
• China Beach (ABC)
• Climax! (CBS)
• Friday Night Lights (DirecTV)
• The Good Wife (CBS)
• Grey's Anatomy (ABC)
• Homeland (Showtime)
• Homicide: Life on the Street (NBC)
• I Spy (NBC)
• Killing Eve (BBC America)
• Kraft Television Theatre (NBC)
• The Mandalorian (Disney+)
• Mission: Impossible (CBS)
• The Philco Television Playhouse (NBC)
• Shōgun (FX)
• Six Feet Under (HBO)
• Stranger Things (Netflix)
• Studio One (CBS)
• Twin Peaks (ABC)
• The Wire (HBO)
• Yellowjackets (Showtime)

See also

• Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series