# NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series

This article lists the winners and nominees for the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series. The award was first given during the 2006 ceremony and since its inception, Paris Barclay; Ernest R. Dickerson; and Carl Franklin hold the record for the most wins with two each.

## Winners and nominees

Winners are listed first and highlighted in bold.

### 2000s

| Year | Director | Series | Episode |
| 2006 |
| 2006 | Paris Barclay | Cold Case | N/A |
| 2006 | Philip G. Atwell | The Shield | — |
| 2006 | Janice Cooke | Charmed | — |
| 2006 | Janice Cooke | One Tree Hill | — |
| 2006 | Janice Cooke | Summerland | — |
| 2007 | | | |
| 2007 | Karen Gaviola | Lost | "The Whole Truth" |
| 2007 | Paris Barclay | Cold Case | "Saving Sammy" |
| 2007 | Anthony Hemingway | Close to Home | "Prodigal Son" |
| 2007 | Seith Mann | The Wire | "Homerooms" |
| 2007 | Craig Ross Jr. | Bones | "Aliens in a Spaceship" |
| 2008 | | | |
| 2008 | Seith Mann | Friday Night Lights | "Are You Ready For Friday Night" |
| 2008 | Paris Barclay | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | "Meet Market" |
| 2008 | Roxann Dawson | Heroes | "Run!" |
| 2008 | Kevin Hooks | Lincoln Heights | "Pilot" |
| 2008 | Darnell Martin | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | "Bombshell" |
| 2009 | | | |
| 2009 | Ernest R. Dickerson | Lincoln Heights | "The Day Before Tomorrow" |
| 2009 | Paris Barclay | In Treatment | "Alex-Week 8" |
| 2009 | Anthony Hemingway | Heroes | "Chapter Five: Angels & Monsters" |
| 2009 | Eriq La Salle | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | "PTSD" |
| 2009 | Seith Mann | The Wire | "The Dickensian Aspect" |

### 2010s

| Year | Director | Series | Episode |
| 2010 |
| 2010 | Chandra Wilson | Grey's Anatomy | "Give Peace a Chance" |
| 2010 | Paris Barclay | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | "Coup de Grace" |
| 2010 | Ernest R. Dickerson | Dexter | "Road Kill" |
| 2010 | Edward James Olmos | Battlestar Galactica | "Islanded in a Stream of Stars" |
| 2010 | Kevin Sullivan | Lincoln Heights | "Home Again" |
| 2011 | | | |
| 2011 | Millicent Shelton | Men of a Certain Age | "Go with the Flow" |
| 2011 | Félix Enríquez Alcalá | Southland | "What Makes Sammy Run?" |
| 2011 | Paris Barclay | In Treatment | "Sunil: Week 6" |
| 2011 | Seith Mann | Friday Night Lights | "Injury List" |
| 2011 | Stephen Williams | Undercovers | "Instructions" |
| 2012 | | | |
| 2012 | Ernest R. Dickerson | Treme | "Do Watcha Wanna" |
| 2012 | Paris Barclay | Sons of Anarchy | "Out" |
| 2012 | Seith Mann | Dexter | "Get Gellar" |
| 2012 | Kevin Rodney Sullivan | NCIS | "Tell-All" |
| 2012 | Ken Whittingham | Parenthood | "Opening Night" |
| 2013 | | | |
| 2013 | Paris Barclay | Smash | "The Coup" |
| 2013 | Thomas Carter | The Mob Doctor | "Legacy" |
| 2013 | Ernest R. Dickerson | Treme | "Don't You Leave Me Here" |
| 2013 | Kevin Hooks | Last Resort | "Blue on Blue" |
| 2013 | Mario Van Peebles | Boss | "Backflash" |
| 2014 | | | |
| 2014 | Regina King | Southland | "Off Duty" |
| 2014 | Ernest R. Dickerson | Treme | "Dippermouth Blues" |
| 2014 | Carl Franklin | House of Cards | "Chapter 11" |
| 2014 | Rob Hardy | Criminal Minds | "Carbon Copy" |
| 2014 | Millicent Shelton | The Fosters | "Clean" |
| 2015 | | | |
| 2015 | Carl Franklin | House of Cards | "Chapter 14" |
| 2015 | Anton Cropper | Suits | "One-Two-Three Go..." |
| 2015 | Hanelle Culpepper | Criminal Minds | "The Edge of Winter" |
| 2015 | Cary Joji Fukunaga | True Detective | "Who Goes There?" |
| 2015 | Millicent Shelton | The Divide | "And the Little Ones Get Caught" |
| 2016 | | | |
| 2016 | John Ridley | American Crime | "Episode 1" |
| 2016 | Salim Akil | Being Mary Jane | "Sparrow" |
| 2016 | Lee Daniels | Empire | "Pilot" |
| 2016 | Ernest R. Dickerson | Hand of God | "Welcome the Stranger" |
| 2016 | Millicent Shelton | American Crime | Episode 10 |
| 2017 | | | |
| 2017 | John Singleton | The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story | "The Race Card" |
| 2017 | Paris Barclay | Pitch | "Pilot" |
| 2017 | Sam Esmail | Mr. Robot | "eps2.5_h4ndshake.sme" |
| 2017 | Anthony Hemingway | Underground | "The Macon 7" |
| 2017 | Millicent Shelton | Empire | "The Lyon Who Cried Wolf" |
| 2018 | | | |
| 2018 | Carl Franklin | 13 Reasons Why | "Tape 5, Side B" |
| 2018 | Jeffrey Byrd | Switched at Birth | "Occupy Truth" |
| 2018 | Jonathan Demme | Shots Fired | "Hour Six: The Fire This Time" |
| 2018 | Ernest R. Dickerson | The Deuce | "Show and Prove" |
| 2018 | Gina Prince-Bythewood | Shots Fired | "Hour One: Pilot" |
| 2019 | | | |
| 2019 | Deborah Chow | Better Call Saul | "Something Stupid" |
| 2019 | Ayoka Chenzira | Queen Sugar | "Here Beside the River" |
| 2019 | Dee Rees | Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams | "Kill All Others" |
| 2019 | Salli Richardson-Whitfield | Luke Cage | "I Get Physical" |
| 2019 | Zetna Fuentes | How to Get Away with Murder | "Lahey v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania" |

### 2020s

| Year | Director | Series | Episode |
| 2020 | | |
| 2020 | Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson | Power | "Forgot About Dre" |
| 2020 | Ava DuVernay | When They See Us | "Part Four" |
| 2020 | Carl H. Seaton, Jr. | Snowfall | "Hedgehogs" |
| 2020 | Debbie Allen | Grey's Anatomy | "Silent All These Years" |
| 2020 | Jet Wilkinson | The Chi | "The Scorpion and the Frog" |
| 2021 | | | |
| 2021 | Hanelle Culpepper | Star Trek: Picard | "Remembrance" |
| 2021 | Cheryl Dunye | Lovecraft Country | "Strange Case" |
| 2021 | Misha Green | Lovecraft Country | "Jig-a-Bobo" |
| 2021 | Nzingha Stewart | Little Fires Everywhere | "The Uncanny" |
| 2021 | Steve McQueen | Small Axe | Mangrove |
| 2022 | | | |
| 2022 | Barry Jenkins | The Underground Railroad | "Indiana Winter" |
| 2022 | Hanelle Culpepper | True Story | "Like Cain Did Abel" |
| 2022 | Anthony Hemingway | Genius: Aretha | "Respect" |
| 2022 | Carl Seaton | Snowfall | "Fight or Flight" |
| 2022 | Carl Seaton | Godfather of Harlem | "The Bonanno Split" |
| 2024 | Dawn Wilkinson | Power Book II: Ghost | "Sacrifice" |

## Multiple wins and nominations
### Wins
#### 2 wins

* Paris Barclay
* Ernest R. Dickerson
* Carl Franklin