# Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series

The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series is presented to the best directing of a television drama series, usually for a particular episode.

## Winners and nominations
### 1950s

| Year | Program | Episode | Nominee(s) | Network |
| Best Direction |||||
| 1955 | Studio One | "Twelve Angry Men" | Franklin J. Schaffner | CBS |
| 1955 | Four Star Playhouse | "The Answer" | Roy Kellino | CBS |
| 1955 | The Loretta Young Show | "The Clara Schumann Story" | Robert Florey | NBC |
| 1955 | The United States Steel Hour | "The Interview" | Alex Segal | ABC |
| 1955 | Waterfront | "Christmas in San Pedro" | Ted Post | Syndicated |
| 1955 | Your Hit Parade | Your Hit Parade | Clark Jones | NBC |
| 1956 | Best Director - Film Series | Best Director - Film Series | Best Director - Film Series | Best Director - Film Series |
| 1956 | The Phil Silvers Show | The Phil Silvers Show | Nat Hiken | CBS |
| 1956 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | "The Case of Mr. Pelham" | Alfred Hitchcock | CBS |
| 1956 | The Bob Cummings Show | "Return of the Wolf" | Rod Amateau | CBS |
| 1956 | Dragnet | Dragnet | Jack Webb | NBC |
| 1956 | Make Room for Daddy | Make Room for Daddy | Sheldon Leonard | ABC |
| 1956 | You Are There | "Grant & Lee at Appomattox" | Bernard Girard | CBS |
| Best Director - Live Series ||||
| 1956 | Ford Star Jubilee | "The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial" | Franklin J. Schaffner | CBS |
| 1956 | Climax! | "Portrait in Celluloid" | John Frankenheimer | CBS |
| 1956 | Producers' Showcase | "Peter Pan" | Clark Jones | NBC |
| 1956 | Producers' Showcase | "Our Town" | Delbert Mann | NBC |
| 1956 | The United States Steel Hour | "No Time for Sergeants" | Alex Segal | CBS |
| 1957 | Best Direction - Half-Hour or Less | Best Direction - Half-Hour or Less | Best Direction - Half-Hour or Less | Best Direction - Half-Hour or Less |
| 1957 | The Danny Thomas Show | "Danny's Comeback" | Sheldon Leonard | ABC |
| 1957 | Camera Three | "As I Lay Dying" | Clay Yurdin | CBS |
| 1957 | General Electric Theater | "The Road That Led Afar" | Herschel Daugherty | CBS |
| 1957 | Tales of the 77th Bengal Lancers | "The Traitor" | George Archainbaud | NBC |
| 1957 | You Are There | "First Moscow Purge Trial" | William D. Russell | CBS |
| Best Direction - One Hour or More ||||
| 1957 | Playhouse 90 | "Requiem for a Heavyweight" | Ralph Nelson | CBS |
| 1957 | The Dinah Shore Chevy Show | "October 5, 1956" | Bob Banner | NBC |
| 1957 | Kraft Television Theatre | "A Night to Remember" | George Roy Hill | NBC |
| 1957 | NBC Opera Theatre | "La Boheme" | Kirk Browning | NBC |
| 1957 | Playhouse 90 | "Forbidden Area" | John Frankenheimer | CBS |
| 1957 | The 20th Century Fox Hour | "Child of the Regiment" | Lewis Allen | CBS |
| 1958 | Best Direction - Half-Hour or Less | Best Direction - Half-Hour or Less | Best Direction - Half-Hour or Less | Best Direction - Half-Hour or Less |
| 1958 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | "The Glass Eye" | Robert Stevens | CBS |
| 1958 | The Danny Thomas Show | The Danny Thomas Show | Sheldon Leonard | ABC & CBS |
| 1958 | Father Knows Best | Father Knows Best | Peter Tewksbury | NBC |
| 1958 | The Patrice Munsel Show | The Patrice Munsel Show | Clark Jones | ABC |
| 1958 | Your Hit Parade | Your Hit Parade | Bill Hobin | NBC |
| Best Direction - One Hour or More ||||
| 1958 | The Dinah Shore Chevy Show | The Dinah Shore Chevy Show | Bob Banner | NBC |
| 1958 | Hallmark Hall of Fame | "The Green Pastures" | George Schaefer | NBC |
| 1958 | Playhouse 90 | "The Comedian" | John Frankenheimer | CBS |
| 1958 | Playhouse 90 | "Helen Morgan" | George Roy Hill | CBS |
| 1958 | Playhouse 90 | "The Miracle Worker" | Arthur Penn | CBS |
| 1959 | Best Direction of a Single Program of a Dramatic Series Less Than One Hour | Best Direction of a Single Program of a Dramatic Series Less Than One Hour | Best Direction of a Single Program of a Dramatic Series Less Than One Hour | Best Direction of a Single Program of a Dramatic Series Less Than One Hour |
| 1959 | Alcoa-Goodyear Theatre | "Eddie" | Jack Smight | NBC |
| 1959 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | "Lamb to the Slaughter" | Alfred Hitchcock | CBS |
| 1959 | General Electric Theater | "Kid at the Stick" | James Neilson | NBC |
| 1959 | General Electric Theater | "One is a Wanderer" | Herschel Daugherty | NBC |
| 1959 | Peter Gunn | "The Kill" | Blake Edwards | NBC |
| Best Direction of a Single Dramatic Program – One Hour or Longer ||||
| 1959 | Hallmark Hall of Fame | "Little Moon of Alban" | George Schaefer | NBC |
| 1959 | Playhouse 90 | "Child of Our Time" | George Roy Hill | CBS |
| 1959 | Playhouse 90 | "A Town Has Turned to Dust" | John Frankenheimer | CBS |

### 1960s

| Year | Program | Episode | Nominee(s) | Network |
| Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Drama |||||
| 1960 | The Moon and Sixpence | The Moon and Sixpence | Robert Mulligan | NBC |
| 1960 | Ford Startime | "The Turn of the Screw" | John Frankenheimer | NBC |
| 1960 | Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse | "The Untouchables" | Phil Karlson | CBS |
| 1961 | Hallmark Hall of Fame | "Macbeth" | George Schaefer | NBC |
| 1961 | NBC Sunday Showcase | "Sacco-Vanzetti Story" | Sidney Lumet | NBC |
| 1961 | Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse | "The Man in the Funny Suit" | Ralph Nelson | CBS |
| 1962 | The Defenders | The Defenders | Franklin J. Schaffner | CBS |
| 1962 | Alcoa Premiere | "People Need People" | Alex Segal | ABC |
| 1962 | Dr. Kildare | "Shining Image" | Buzz Kulik | NBC |
| 1962 | Naked City | Naked City | Arthur Hiller | ABC |
| 1962 | Westinghouse Presents | "Come Again to Carthage" | Jack Smight | CBS |
| 1963 | The Defenders | "The Madman" | Stuart Rosenberg | CBS |
| 1963 | Alcoa Premiere | "The Voice of Charlie Pont" | Robert Ellis Miller | ABC |
| 1963 | Ben Casey | "A Cardinal Act of Mercy" | Sydney Pollack | ABC |
| 1963 | The DuPont Show of the Week | "Big Deal in Laredo" | Fielder Cook | NBC |
| 1963 | Hallmark Hall of Fame | "Invincible Mr. Disraeli" | George Schaefer | NBC |
| 1964 | East Side/West Side | "Who Do You Kill?" | Tom Gries | CBS |
| 1964 | Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre | "Something About Lee Wiley" | Sydney Pollack | NBC |
| 1964 | The Defenders | "Blacklist" | Stuart Rosenberg | CBS |
| 1964 | The Defenders | "Moment of Truth" | Paul Bogart | CBS |
| 1964 | Hallmark Hall of Fame | "The Patriots" | George Schaefer | NBC |
| Outstanding Individual Achievements in Entertainment - Directors |||||
| 1965 | The Defenders | "The 700 Year-Old Gang" | Paul Bogart | CBS |
| 1965 | Hallmark Hall of Fame | "The Magnificent Yankee" | George Schaefer | NBC |
| 1965 | My Name Is Barbra | My Name Is Barbra | Dwight Hemion | CBS |
| Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Drama |||||
| 1966 | Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre | "The Game" | Sydney Pollack | NBC |
| 1966 | Hallmark Hall of Fame | "Eagle in a Cage" | George Schaefer | NBC |
| 1966 | Hallmark Hall of Fame | "Inherit the Wind" | George Schaefer | NBC |
| 1966 | I Spy | "A Cup of Kindness" | Sheldon Leonard | NBC |
| 1967 | Death of a Salesman | Death of a Salesman | Alex Segal | CBS |
| 1967 | CBS Playhouse | "The Final War of Olly Winter" | Paul Bogart | CBS |
| 1967 | Hallmark Hall of Fame | "Anastasia" | George Schaefer | NBC |
| 1967 | Mark Twain Tonight! | Mark Twain Tonight! | Paul Bogart | CBS |
| 1968 | CBS Playhouse | "Dear Friends" | Paul Bogart | CBS |
| 1968 | CBS Playhouse | "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night" | George Schaefer | CBS |
| 1968 | The Crucible | The Crucible | Alex Segal | CBS |
| 1968 | Mission: Impossible | "The Killing" | Lee H. Katzin | CBS |
| 1969 | CBS Playhouse | "The People Next Door" | David Greene | CBS |
| 1969 | CBS Playhouse | "Secrets" | Paul Bogart | CBS |
| 1969 | Hallmark Hall of Fame | "Teacher, Teacher" | Fielder Cook | NBC |

### 1970s

| Year | Program | Episode | Nominee(s) | Network |
| Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Drama |||||
| 1970 | CBS Playhouse | "Shadow Game" | Paul Bogart | CBS |
| 1970 | Hallmark Hall of Fame | "A Storm in Summer" | Buzz Kulik | NBC |
| 1970 | NBC World Premiere Movie | My Sweet Charlie | Lamont Johnson | NBC |
| Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Drama - A Single Program of a Series with Continuing Characters and/or Theme |||||
| 1971 | The Bold Ones: The Senator | "The Day the Lion Died" | Daryl Duke | NBC |
| 1971 | The Bold Ones: The Senator | "A Single Blow of a Sword" | John Badham | NBC |
| 1971 | Hawaii Five-O | "Over Fifty? Steal!" | Bob Sweeney | CBS |
| 1972 | The Bold Ones: The Lawyers | "The Invasion of Kevin Ireland" | Alexander Singer | NBC |
| 1972 | Columbo | "Short Fuse" | Edward M. Abroms | NBC |
| 1972 | The Man and the City | "Hands of Love" | Daniel Petrie | ABC |
| 1973 | Kung Fu | "An Eye for an Eye" | Jerry Thorpe | ABC |
| 1973 | Columbo | "The Most Dangerous Match" | Edward M. Abroms | NBC |
| 1973 | The Waltons | "The Love Story" | Lee Philips | CBS |
| Best Directing in Drama - A Single Program of a Series with Continuing Characters and/or Theme |||||
| 1974 | The Blue Knight | "Part III" | Robert Butler | NBC |
| 1974 | The Waltons | "The Journey" | Harry Harris | CBS |
| 1974 | The Waltons | "The Thanksgiving Story" | Philip Leacock | CBS |
| Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series |||||
| 1975 | Upstairs, Downstairs | "A Sudden Storm" | Bill Bain | PBS |
| 1975 | Benjamin Franklin | "The Ambassador" | Glenn Jordan | CBS |
| 1975 | Kojak | "Cross Your Heart and Hope to Die" | David Friedkin | CBS |
| 1975 | Kojak | "I Want to Report a Dream..." | Telly Savalas | CBS |
| 1975 | The Streets of San Francisco | "The Mask of Death" | Harry Falk | ABC |
| 1976 | Rich Man, Poor Man | "Part I: Chapters 1 & 2" | David Greene | ABC |
| 1976 | Beacon Hill | "Pilot" | Fielder Cook | CBS |
| 1976 | Jennie: Lady Randolph Churchill | "Part IV" | James Cellan Jones | PBS |
| 1976 | Lincoln | "Crossing Fox River" | George Schaefer | NBC |
| 1976 | Rich Man, Poor Man | "Part VI: Chapter 8" | Boris Sagal | ABC |
| 1976 | Upstairs, Downstairs | "Women Shall Not Weep" | Christopher Hodson | PBS |
| 1977 | Roots | "Part I" | David Greene | ABC |
| 1977 | The Adams Chronicles | "John Quincy Adams: President" | Fred Coe | PBS |
| 1977 | Roots | "Part II" | John Erman | ABC |
| 1977 | Roots | "Part III" | Marvin J. Chomsky | ABC |
| 1977 | Roots | "Part VI" | Gilbert Moses | ABC |
| 1978 | Holocaust | Holocaust | Marvin J. Chomsky | NBC |
| 1978 | The Dain Curse | The Dain Curse | E. W. Swackhamer | CBS |
| 1978 | I, Claudius | I, Claudius | Herbert Wise | PBS |
| 1978 | King | King | Abby Mann | NBC |
| 1978 | Washington: Behind Closed Doors | Washington: Behind Closed Doors | Gary Nelson | ABC |
| 1979 | The White Shadow | "Pilot" | Jackie Cooper | CBS |
| 1979 | Lou Grant | "Murder" | Mel Damski | CBS |
| 1979 | Lou Grant | "Prisoner" | Gene Reynolds | CBS |
| 1979 | Lou Grant | "Schools" | Burt Brinckerhoff | CBS |

### 1980s

| Year | Program | Episode | Nominee(s) | Network |
| 1980 | Lou Grant | "Cop" | Roger Young | CBS |
| 1980 | Lou Grant | "Andrew, Part 2" | Peter Levin | CBS |
| 1980 | Lou Grant | "Hollywood" | Burt Brinckerhoff | CBS |
| 1980 | Lou Grant | "Influence" | Gene Reynolds | CBS |
| 1980 | Skag | "Pilot" | Frank Perry | NBC |
| 1981 | Hill Street Blues | "Hill Street Station" | Robert Butler | NBC |
| 1981 | American Dream | "Pilot" | Mel Damski | ABC |
| 1981 | Hill Street Blues | "Jungle Madness" | Corey Allen | NBC |
| 1981 | Hill Street Blues | "Up in Arms" | Georg Stanford Brown | NBC |
| 1981 | Lou Grant | "Pack" | Burt Brinckerhoff | CBS |
| 1981 | Lou Grant | "Strike" | Gene Reynolds | CBS |
| 1982 | Fame | "To Soar and Never Falter" | Harry Harris | NBC |
| 1982 | Fame | "Musical Bridge" | Robert Scheerer | NBC |
| 1982 | Hill Street Blues | "The Second Oldest Profession" | Robert Butler | NBC |
| 1982 | Hill Street Blues | "The World According to Freedom" | Jeff Bleckner | NBC |
| 1982 | Lou Grant | "Hometown" | Gene Reynolds | CBS |
| 1983 | Hill Street Blues | "Life in the Minors" | Jeff Bleckner | NBC |
| 1983 | Fame | "And the Winner Is..." | Marc Daniels | NBC |
| 1983 | Fame | "Feelings" | Robert Scheerer | NBC |
| 1983 | The Mississippi | "Old Hatred Die Hard" | Leo Penn | CBS |
| 1984 | Hill Street Blues | "Goodbye, Mr. Scripps" | Corey Allen | NBC |
| 1984 | Fame | "Sheer Will" | Robert Scheerer | NBC |
| 1984 | Hill Street Blues | "Doris in Wonderland" | Arthur Allan Seidelman | NBC |
| 1984 | Hill Street Blues | "Midway to What?" | Thomas Carter | NBC |
| 1985 | Cagney & Lacey | "Heat" | Karen Arthur | CBS |
| 1985 | Hill Street Blues | "El Capitan" | Georg Stanford Brown | NBC |
| 1985 | Hill Street Blues | "The Rise and Fall of Paul the Wall" | Thomas Carter | NBC |
| 1985 | Miami Vice | "Cool Runnin'" | Lee H. Katzin | NBC |
| 1985 | Miami Vice | "Smuggler's Blues" | Paul Michael Glaser | NBC |
| 1986 | Cagney & Lacey | "Parting Shots" | Georg Stanford Brown | CBS |
| 1986 | Amazing Stories | "The Mission" | Steven Spielberg | NBC |
| 1986 | Hill Street Blues | "Two Easy Pieces" | Gabrielle Beaumont | NBC |
| 1986 | Moonlighting | "The Dream Sequence Always Rings Twice" | Peter Werner | ABC |
| 1986 | Moonlighting | "My Fair David" | Will Mackenzie | ABC |
| 1987 | L.A. Law | "Pilot" | Gregory Hoblit | NBC |
| 1987 | Cagney & Lacey | "Turn, Turn, Turn, Part 2" | Sharron Miller | CBS |
| 1987 | L.A. Law | "The Venus Butterfly" | Donald Petrie | NBC |
| 1987 | Moonlighting | "Atomic Shakespeare" | Will Mackenzie | ABC |
| 1987 | Moonlighting | "I Am Curious... Maddie" | Allan Arkush | ABC |
| 1988 | St. Elsewhere | "Weigh In, Way Out" | Mark Tinker | NBC |
| 1988 | China Beach | "Pilot" | Rod Holcomb | ABC |
| 1988 | L.A. Law | "Beauty and Obese" | Sam Weisman | NBC |
| 1988 | L.A. Law | "Full Martial Jacket" | Win Phelps | NBC |
| 1988 | L.A. Law | "Handroll Express" | Kim Friedman | NBC |
| 1988 | L.A. Law | "The Wizard of Odds | Gregory Hoblit | NBC |
| 1989 | Tanner '88 | "The Boiler Room" | Robert Altman | HBO |
| 1989 | L.A. Law | "I'm in the Nude for Love" | Eric Laneuville | NBC |
| 1989 | L.A. Law | "To Live and Diet in L.A." | John Pasquin | NBC |
| 1989 | Midnight Caller | "Conversations with the Assassin" | Thomas Carter | NBC |
| 1989 | thirtysomething | "We'll Meet Again" | Scott Winant | ABC |

### 1990s

| Year | Program | Episode | Nominee(s) | Network |
| 1990 | Equal Justice | "Promises to Keep" | Thomas Carter | ABC |
| 1990 | thirtysomething | "The Go-Between" | Scott Winant | ABC |
| 1990 | L.A. Law | "The Last Gasp" | Rick Wallace | NBC |
| 1990 | L.A. Law | "Noah's Bark" | Win Phelps | NBC |
| 1990 | Twin Peaks | "Pilot" | David Lynch | ABC |
| 1991 | Equal Justice | "In Confidence" | Thomas Carter | ABC |
| 1991 | China Beach | "You, Babe" | Mimi Leder | ABC |
| 1991 | Cop Rock | "Pilot" | Gregory Hoblit | ABC |
| 1991 | L.A. Law | "God Rest You Murray Gentleman" | Tom Moore | NBC |
| 1992 | I'll Fly Away | "All God's Children" | Eric Laneuville | NBC |
| 1992 | China Beach | "Rewind" | Mimi Leder | ABC |
| 1992 | L.A. Law | "Say Goodnight, Gracie" | Rick Wallace | NBC |
| 1992 | Northern Exposure | "Seoul Mates" | Jack Bender | CBS |
| 1992 | The Trials of Rosie O'Neill | "Heartbreak Hotel" | Nancy Malone | CBS |
| 1993 | Homicide: Life on the Street | "Gone for Goode" | Barry Levinson | NBC |
| 1993 | I'll Fly Away | "Until Tomorrow" | Eric Laneuville | NBC |
| 1993 | Law & Order | "Conspiracy" | Edwin Sherin | NBC |
| 1993 | Sirens | "What We Talk About When We Talk About Love" | Robert Butler | ABC |
| 1993 | Sisters | "Crash and Born" | Nancy Malone | NBC |
| 1993 | The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles | "Northern Italy, 1918" | Bille August | ABC |
| 1994 | NYPD Blue | "Tempest in a C-Cup" | Daniel Sackheim | ABC |
| 1994 | Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman | "Pilot" | Robert Butler | ABC |
| 1994 | NYPD Blue | "Guns 'N Rosaries" | Michael M. Robin | ABC |
| 1994 | NYPD Blue | "Pilot" | Gregory Hoblit | ABC |
| 1994 | NYPD Blue | "True Confessions" | Charles Haid | ABC |
| 1995 | ER | "Love's Labor Lost" | Mimi Leder | NBC |
| 1995 | Chicago Hope | "Life Support" | Lou Antonio | CBS |
| 1995 | ER | "Pilot" | Rod Holcomb | NBC |
| 1995 | My So-Called Life | "Pilot" | Scott Winant | ABC |
| 1995 | NYPD Blue | "Innuendo" | Mark Tinker | ABC |
| 1996 | Chicago Hope | "Leave of Absence" | Jeremy Kagan | CBS |
| 1996 | ER | "The Healers" | Mimi Leder | NBC |
| 1996 | ER | "Hell and High Water" | Christopher Chulack | NBC |
| 1996 | Murder One | "Chapter One" | Charles Haid | ABC |
| 1996 | NYPD Blue | "Blackboard Jungle" | Mark Tinker | ABC |
| 1997 | NYPD Blue | "Where's 'Swaldo?" | Mark Tinker | ABC |
| 1997 | ER | "Fear of Flying" | Christopher Chulack | NBC |
| 1997 | ER | "Last Call" | Rod Holcomb | NBC |
| 1997 | ER | "Union Station" | Tom Moore | NBC |
| 1997 | The X-Files | "Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man" | James Wong | Fox |
| 1998 | Brooklyn South | "Pilot" | Mark Tinker | CBS |
| 1998 | NYPD Blue | "Lost Israel, Part 2" | Paris Barclay | ABC |
| 1998 | Chicago Hope | "Brain Salad Surgery" | Bill D'Elia | CBS |
| 1998 | ER | "Ambush" | Thomas Schlamme | NBC |
| 1998 | The X-Files | "The Post-Modern Prometheus" | Chris Carter | Fox |
| 1999 | NYPD Blue | "Hearts and Souls" | Paris Barclay | ABC |
| 1999 | Law & Order | "Empire" | Matthew Penn | NBC |
| 1999 | Law & Order/Homicide: Life on the Street | "Sideshow" | Edwin Sherin | NBC |
| 1999 | The Sopranos | "The Sopranos" | David Chase | HBO |

### 2000s

| Year | Program | Episode | Nominee(s) | Network |
| 2000 | The West Wing | "Pilot" | Thomas Schlamme | NBC |
| 2000 | ER | "All in the Family" | Jonathan Kaplan | NBC |
| 2000 | ER | "Such Sweet Sorrow" | John Wells | NBC |
| 2000 | The Sopranos | "Funhouse" | John Patterson | HBO |
| 2000 | The Sopranos | "The Knight in White Satin Armor" | Allen Coulter | HBO |
| 2001 | The West Wing | "In the Shadow of Two Gunmen" | Thomas Schlamme | NBC |
| 2001 | ER | "The Visit" | Jonathan Kaplan | NBC |
| 2001 | The Sopranos | "Amour Fou" | Tim Van Patten | HBO |
| 2001 | The Sopranos | "Pine Barrens" | Steve Buscemi | HBO |
| 2001 | The Sopranos | "University" | Allen Coulter | HBO |
| 2001 | The West Wing | "Shibboleth" | Laura Innes | NBC |
| 2002 | Six Feet Under | "Pilot" | Alan Ball | HBO |
| 2002 | The Shield | "Pilot" | Clark Johnson | FX |
| 2002 | 24 | "12:00 a.m. – 1:00 a.m." | Stephen Hopkins | Fox |
| 2002 | The West Wing | "The Indians in the Lobby" | Paris Barclay | NBC |
| 2002 | The West Wing | "Posse Comitatus" | Alex Graves | NBC |
| 2003 | The West Wing | "Twenty Five" | Christopher Misiano | NBC |
| 2003 | Six Feet Under | "Nobody Sleeps" | Alan Poul | HBO |
| 2003 | The Sopranos | "Whitecaps" | John Patterson | HBO |
| 2003 | The Sopranos | "Whoever Did This" | Tim Van Patten | HBO |
| 2003 | 24 | "Day 2: 10:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m." | Ian Toynton | Fox |
| 2004 | Deadwood | "Deadwood" | Walter Hill | HBO |
| 2004 | ER | "The Lost" | Christopher Chulack | NBC |
| 2004 | Nip/Tuck | "Pilot" | Ryan Murphy | FX |
| 2004 | The Sopranos | "Irregular Around the Margins" | Allen Coulter | HBO |
| 2004 | The Sopranos | "Long Term Parking" | Tim Van Patten | HBO |
| 2005 | Lost | "Pilot" | J. J. Abrams | ABC |
| 2005 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | "Grave Danger" | Quentin Tarantino | CBS |
| 2005 | Deadwood | "Complications" | Gregg Fienberg | HBO |
| 2005 | Grey's Anatomy | "A Hard Day's Night" | Peter Horton | ABC |
| 2005 | Huff | "Crazy Nuts & All Fucked Up" | Scott Winant | Showtime |
| 2005 | Rescue Me | "Guts" | Peter Tolan | FX |
| 2005 | The West Wing | "2162 Votes" | Alex Graves | NBC |
| 2006 | 24 | "Day 5: 7:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m." | Jon Cassar | Fox |
| 2006 | Big Love | "Pilot" | Rodrigo Garcia | HBO |
| 2006 | Lost | "Live Together, Die Alone" | Jack Bender | ABC |
| 2006 | Six Feet Under | "Everyone's Waiting" | Alan Ball | HBO |
| 2006 | The Sopranos | "Join the Club" | David Nutter | HBO |
| 2006 | The Sopranos | "Members Only" | Tim Van Patten | HBO |
| 2006 | The West Wing | "Election Day, Part 1" | Mimi Leder | NBC |
| 2007 | The Sopranos | "Kennedy and Heidi" | Alan Taylor | HBO |
| 2007 | Battlestar Galactica | "Exodus, Part 2" | Félix Enríquez Alcalá | Sci Fi |
| 2007 | Boston Legal | "Son of the Defender" | Bill D'Elia | ABC |
| 2007 | Friday Night Lights | "Pilot" | Peter Berg | NBC |
| 2007 | Heroes | "Genesis" | David Semel | NBC |
| 2007 | Lost | "Through the Looking Glass" | Jack Bender | ABC |
| 2007 | Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip | "Pilot" | Thomas Schlamme | NBC |
| 2008 | House | "House's Head" | Greg Yaitanes | Fox |
| 2008 | Boston Legal | "The Mighty Rogues" | Arlene Sanford | ABC |
| 2008 | Breaking Bad | "Pilot" | Vince Gilligan | AMC |
| 2008 | Damages | "Get Me a Lawyer" | Allen Coulter | FX |
| 2008 | Mad Men | "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" | Alan Taylor | AMC |
| 2009 | ER | "And in the End..." | Rod Holcomb | NBC |
| 2009 | Battlestar Galactica | "Daybreak, Part 2" | Michael Rymer | Sci Fi |
| 2009 | Boston Legal | "Made in China" & "Last Call" | Bill D'Elia | ABC |
| 2009 | Damages | "Trust Me" | Todd A. Kessler | FX |
| 2009 | Mad Men | "The Jet Set" | Phil Abraham | AMC |

### 2010s

| Year | Program | Episode | Nominee(s) | Network |
| 2010 | Dexter | "The Getaway" | Steve Shill | Showtime |
| 2010 | Breaking Bad | "One Minute" | Michelle MacLaren | AMC |
| 2010 | Lost | "The End" | Jack Bender | ABC |
| 2010 | Mad Men | "Guy Walks Into an Advertising Agency" | Lesli Linka Glatter | AMC |
| 2010 | Treme | "Do You Know What It Means" | Agnieszka Holland | HBO |
| 2011 | Boardwalk Empire | "Boardwalk Empire" | Martin Scorsese | HBO |
| 2011 | Boardwalk Empire | "Anastasia" | Jeremy Podeswa | HBO |
| 2011 | The Borgias | "The Poisoned Chalice" & "The Assassin" | Neil Jordan | Showtime |
| 2011 | Game of Thrones | "Winter Is Coming" | Tim Van Patten | HBO |
| 2011 | The Killing | "Pilot" | Patty Jenkins | AMC |
| 2012 | Boardwalk Empire | "To the Lost" | Tim Van Patten | HBO |
| 2012 | Breaking Bad | "Face Off" | Vince Gilligan | AMC |
| 2012 | Downton Abbey | "Episode 207" | Brian Percival | PBS |
| 2012 | Homeland | "Pilot" | Michael Cuesta | Showtime |
| 2012 | Mad Men | "The Other Woman" | Phil Abraham | AMC |
| 2013 | House of Cards | "Chapter 1" | David Fincher | Netflix |
| 2013 | Boardwalk Empire | "Margate Sands" | Tim Van Patten | HBO |
| 2013 | Breaking Bad | "Gliding Over All" | Michelle MacLaren | AMC |
| 2013 | Downton Abbey | "Episode 304" | Jeremy Webb | PBS |
| 2013 | Homeland | "Q&A" | Lesli Linka Glatter | Showtime |
| 2014 | True Detective | "Who Goes There" | Cary Joji Fukunaga | HBO |
| 2014 | Boardwalk Empire | "Farewell Daddy Blues" | Tim Van Patten | HBO |
| 2014 | Breaking Bad | "Felina" | Vince Gilligan | AMC |
| 2014 | Downton Abbey | "Episode 401" | David Evans | PBS |
| 2014 | Game of Thrones | "The Watchers on the Wall" | Neil Marshall | HBO |
| 2014 | House of Cards | "Chapter 14" | Carl Franklin | Netflix |
| 2015 | Game of Thrones | "Mother's Mercy" | David Nutter | HBO |
| 2015 | Boardwalk Empire | "Eldorado" | Tim Van Patten | HBO |
| 2015 | Game of Thrones | "Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken" | Jeremy Podeswa | HBO |
| 2015 | Homeland | "From A to B and Back Again" | Lesli Linka Glatter | Showtime |
| 2015 | The Knick | "Method and Madness" | Steven Soderbergh | Cinemax |
| 2016 |
| 2016 | Game of Thrones | "Battle of the Bastards" | Miguel Sapochnik | HBO |
| 2016 | Downton Abbey | "Episode 609" | Michael Engler | PBS |
| 2016 | Game of Thrones | "The Door" | Jack Bender | HBO |
| 2016 | Homeland | "The Tradition of Hospitality" | Lesli Linka Glatter | Showtime |
| 2016 | The Knick | "This Is All We Are" | Steven Soderbergh | Cinemax |
| 2016 | Ray Donovan | "Exsuscito" | David Hollander | Showtime |
| 2017 |
| 2017 | The Handmaid's Tale | "Offred" | Reed Morano | Hulu |
| 2017 | Better Call Saul | "Witness" | Vince Gilligan | AMC |
| 2017 | The Crown | "Hyde Park Corner" | Stephen Daldry | Netflix |
| 2017 | The Handmaid's Tale | "The Bridge" | Kate Dennis | Hulu |
| 2017 | Homeland | "America First" | Lesli Linka Glatter | Showtime |
| 2017 | Stranger Things | "Chapter One: The Vanishing of Will Byers" | The Duffer Brothers | Netflix |
| 2017 | Westworld | "The Bicameral Mind" | Jonathan Nolan | HBO |
| 2018 |
| 2018 | The Crown | "Paterfamilias" | Stephen Daldry | Netflix |
| 2018 | Game of Thrones | "Beyond the Wall" | Alan Taylor | HBO |
| 2018 | Game of Thrones | "The Dragon and the Wolf" | Jeremy Podeswa | HBO |
| 2018 | The Handmaid's Tale | "After" | Kari Skogland | Hulu |
| 2018 | Ozark | "The Toll" | Jason Bateman | Netflix |
| 2018 | Ozark | "Tonight We Improvise" | Daniel Sackheim | Netflix |
| 2018 | Stranger Things | "Chapter Nine: The Gate" | The Duffer Brothers | Netflix |
| 2019 |
| 2019 | Ozark | "Reparations" | Jason Bateman | Netflix |
| 2019 | Game of Thrones | "The Iron Throne" | David Benioff and D. B. Weiss | HBO |
| 2019 | Game of Thrones | "The Last of the Starks" | David Nutter | HBO |
| 2019 | Game of Thrones | "The Long Night" | Miguel Sapochnik | HBO |
| 2019 | The Handmaid's Tale | "Holly" | Daina Reid | Hulu |
| 2019 | Killing Eve | "Desperate Times" | Lisa Brühlmann | BBC America |
| 2019 | Succession | "Celebration" | Adam McKay | HBO |

### 2020s

| Year | Program | Episode | Nominee(s) | Network |
| 2020 |
| 2020 | Succession | "Hunting" | Andrij Parekh | HBO |
| 2020 | The Crown | "Aberfan" | Benjamin Caron | Netflix |
| 2020 | The Crown | "Cri de Coeur" | Jessica Hobbs | Netflix |
| 2020 | Homeland | "Prisoners of War" | Lesli Linka Glatter | Showtime |
| 2020 | The Morning Show | "The Interview" | Mimi Leder | Apple TV+ |
| 2020 | Ozark | "Fire Pink" | Alik Sakharov | Netflix |
| 2020 | Ozark | "Su Casa Es Mi Casa" | Ben Semanoff | Netflix |
| 2020 | Succession | "This Is Not for Tears" | Mark Mylod | HBO |
| 2021 |
| 2021 | The Crown | "War" | Jessica Hobbs | Netflix |
| 2021 | Bridgerton | "Diamond of the First Water" | Julie Anne Robinson | Netflix |
| 2021 | The Crown | "Fairytale" | Benjamin Caron | Netflix |
| 2021 | The Handmaid's Tale | "The Wilderness" | Liz Garbus | Hulu |
| 2021 | The Mandalorian | "Chapter 9: The Marshal" | Jon Favreau | Disney+ |
| 2021 | Pose | "Series Finale" | Steven Canals | FX |
| 2022 (74th) |
| 2022 (74th) | Squid Game | "Red Light, Green Light" | Hwang Dong-hyuk | Netflix |
| 2022 (74th) | Ozark | "A Hard Way to Go" | Jason Bateman | Netflix |
| 2022 (74th) | Severance | "The We We Are" | Ben Stiller | Apple TV+ |
| 2022 (74th) | Succession | "All the Bells Say" | Mark Mylod | HBO |
| 2022 (74th) | Succession | "The Disruption" | Cathy Yan | HBO |
| 2022 (74th) | Succession | "Too Much Birthday" | Lorene Scafaria | HBO |
| 2022 (74th) | Yellowjackets | "Pilot" | Karyn Kusama | Showtime |
| 2023 (75th) |
| 2023 (75th) | Succession | "Connor's Wedding" | Mark Mylod | HBO |
| 2023 (75th) | Andor | "Rix Road" | Benjamin Caron | Disney+ |
| 2023 (75th) | Bad Sisters | "The Prick" | Dearbhla Walsh | Apple TV+ |
| 2023 (75th) | The Last of Us | "Long, Long Time" | Peter Hoar | HBO |
| 2023 (75th) | Succession | "America Decides" | Andrij Parekh | HBO |
| 2023 (75th) | Succession | "Living+" | Lorene Scafaria | HBO |
| 2023 (75th) | The White Lotus | "Arrivederci" | Mike White | HBO |
| 2024 (76th) |
| 2024 (76th) | Shōgun | "Crimson Sky" | Frederick E. O. Toye | FX |
| 2024 (76th) | The Crown | "Sleep, Dearie Sleep" | Stephen Daldry | Netflix |
| 2024 (76th) | The Morning Show | "The Overview Effect" | Mimi Leder | Apple TV+ |
| 2024 (76th) | Mr. & Mrs. Smith | "First Date" | Hiro Murai | Prime Video |
| 2024 (76th) | Slow Horses | "Strange Games" | Saul Metzstein | Apple TV+ |
| 2024 (76th) | Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty | "BEAT L.A." | Salli Richardson-Whitfield | HBO |

## Total awards by network

* NBC – 21
* CBS – 17
* ABC – 11
* HBO – 10
* Netflix – 5
* Fox – 2
* Hulu – 1
* PBS – 1
* Showtime – 1