# International Film Music Critics Association Award for Best Original Score for Television

The International Film Music Critics Association Award for Best Original Score for Television is an annual award given by the International Film Music Critics Association (IFMCA). Established in 2004, the award is given to the composer of a television score based on two criteria: "the effectiveness, appropriateness and emotional impact of the score in the context of the film for which it was written; and the technical and intellectual merit of the composition when heard as a standalone listening experience." The eligibility period runs from 1 January to 31 December every year, and IFMCA members vote for the winner in the following February.
As of 2025, 74 composers have been nominated for the International Film Music Critics Association Award for Best Original Score for Television. The first award was given to Steve Bartek and Danny Elfman for their work on the television series Desperate Housewives. The most recent recipient, Bear McCreary, won for his score for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2024). He is also the award's most successful composer, having won five times from thirteen nominations. Three composers have been nominated more than once in the same year: Ramin Djawadi, Robert Lane, and McCreary.

## Winners and nominations

In the tables below, winners are marked by a light green background and a double-dagger symbol (‡).

### 2000s

Awards in the 2000s :
| Year | Television Series | Composer(s) | Broadcaster |
| 2004 | Desperate Housewives‡ | Steve Bartek (series) Danny Elfman (theme) | ABC |
| 2004 | Earthsea | Jeff Rona | Sci Fi |
| 2004 | Helter Skelter | Mark Snow | CBS |
| 2004 | Lost | Michael Giacchino | ABC |
| 2004 | Salem's Lot | Christopher Gordon Lisa Gerrard | TNT |
| 2005 | Lost‡ | Michael Giacchino | ABC |
| 2005 | Battlestar Galactica | Bear McCreary | Sci Fi |
| 2005 | Into the West | Geoff Zanelli | TNT |
| 2005 | Stargate Atlantis | Joel Goldsmith | Sci Fi |
| 2005 | Warm Springs | Bruce Broughton | HBO |
| 2006 | Planet Earth‡ | George Fenton | BBC One |
| 2006 | Battlestar Galactica | Bear McCreary | Sci Fi |
| 2006 | Lost | Michael Giacchino | ABC |
| 2006 | The Ten Commandments | Randy Edelman | ABC |
| 2006 | 24 | Sean Callery | Fox |
| 2007 | The Legend‡ | Joe Hisaishi | MBC |
| 2007 | Battlestar Galactica | Bear McCreary | Sci Fi |
| 2007 | Doctor Who | Murray Gold | BBC One |
| 2007 | Lost | Michael Giacchino | ABC |
| 2007 | Tin Man | Simon Boswell | Sci Fi |
| 2008 | John Adams‡ | Robert Lane Joseph Vitarelli | HBO |
| 2008 | Battlestar Galactica | Bear McCreary | Sci Fi |
| 2008 | Lost | Michael Giacchino | ABC |
| 2008 | Merlin | Robert Lane | BBC One |
| 2008 | Pane e libertà | Ennio Morricone | Rai 1 |
| 2009 | Battlestar Galactica‡ | Bear McCreary | Syfy |
| 2009 | Caprica | Bear McCreary | Syfy |
| 2009 | Life | George Fenton | BBC One |
| 2009 | Lost | Michael Giacchino | ABC |
| 2009 | Yellowstone | Edmund Butt | BBC Two |

### 2010s

Awards in the 2010s :
| Year | Television Series | Composer(s) | Broadcaster |
| 2010 | Human Target‡ | Bear McCreary | Fox |
| 2010 | An Eye for an Eye | Marc Vaíllo | TV3 |
| 2010 | Doctor Who | Murray Gold | BBC One |
| 2010 | Lost | Michael Giacchino | ABC |
| 2010 | Time of Honor | Bartosz Chajdecki | TVP2 |
| 2011 | Ermessenda‡ | Arnau Bataller | TV3 |
| 2011 | Doctor Who | Murray Gold | BBC One |
| 2011 | Downton Abbey | John Lunn | PBS |
| 2011 | Game of Thrones | Ramin Djawadi | HBO |
| 2011 | Sherlock | David Arnold Michael Price | PBS |
| 2012 | Doctor Who‡ | Murray Gold | BBC One |
| 2012 | Downton Abbey | John Lunn | PBS |
| 2012 | Green Lantern: The Animated Series | Frederik Wiedmann | Cartoon Network |
| 2012 | Isabel | Federico Jusid | La 1 |
| 2012 | Priceless | Naoki Satō | Fuji TV |
| 2013 | Isabel‡ | Federico Jusid | La 1 |
| 2013 | Da Vinci's Demons | Bear McCreary | Starz |
| 2013 | Game of Thrones | Ramin Djawadi | HBO |
| 2013 | The Time in Between | Cesar Benito | Antena 3 |
| 2013 | Time of Honor | Bartosz Chajdecki | TVP2 |
| 2014 | Isabel‡ | Federico Jusid | La 1 |
| 2014 | Fargo | Jeff Russo | FX |
| 2014 | Gunshi Kanbei | Yugo Kanno | NHK |
| 2014 | The Leftovers | Max Richter | HBO |
| 2014 | Penny Dreadful | Abel Korzeniowski | Showtime |
| 2015 | Carlos, rey emperador‡ | Federico Jusid | La 1 |
| 2015 | Fargo | Jeff Russo | FX |
| 2015 | Outlander | Bear McCreary | Starz |
| 2015 | Texas Rising | Bruce Broughton John Debney | History |
| 2015 | Wolf Hall | Debbie Wiseman | PBS |
| 2016 | Game of Thrones‡ | Ramin Djawadi | HBO |
| 2016 | The Night Manager | Victor Reyes | AMC |
| 2016 | Penny Dreadful | Abel Korzeniowski | Showtime |
| 2016 | Stranger Things | Kyle Dixon Michael Stein as Survive | Netflix |
| 2016 | Westworld | Ramin Djawadi | HBO |
| 2017 | The Orville‡ | Bruce Broughton (Theme; "Old Wounds") John Debney Joel McNeely Andrew Cottee | Fox |
| 2017 | Alias Grace | Mychael Danna Jeff Danna | Netflix |
| 2017 | Game of Thrones | Ramin Djawadi | HBO |
| 2017 | Morocco: Love in Times of War | Federico Jusid | Netflix |
| 2017 | Naotora: The Lady Warlord | Yoko Kanno | NHK |
| 2018 | Lost in Space‡ | Christopher Lennertz | Netflix |
| 2018 | Cathedral of the Sea | Federico Jusid | Antena 3 |
| 2018 | Frontier Love | Mark Chait | Zhejiang TV |
| 2018 | Westworld | Ramin Djawadi | HBO |
| 2018 | Yellowstone | Brian Tyler | Paramount Network |
| 2019 | Chernobyl‡ | Hildur Guðnadóttir | HBO |
| 2019 | The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance | Daniel Pemberton Samuel Sim | Netflix |
| 2019 | His Dark Materials | Lorne Balfe | HBO |
| 2019 | Good Omens | David Arnold | Amazon |
| 2019 | The Orville | John Debney Joel McNeely Andrew Cottee | Fox |

### 2020s

Awards in the 2020s :
| Year | Television Series | Composer(s) | Broadcaster |
| 2020 | The Queen's Gambit‡ | Carlos Rafael Rivera | Netflix |
| 2020 | Dracula | David Arnold Michael Price | Netflix |
| 2020 | His Dark Materials | Lorne Balfe | HBO |
| 2020 | Lovecraft Country | Laura Karpman Raphael Saadiq | HBO |
| 2020 | The Mandalorian | Ludwig Göransson | Disney+ |
| 2021 | Masters of the Universe: Revelation‡ | Bear McCreary | Netflix |
| 2021 | Cobra Kai | Leo Birenberg Zach Robinson | Netflix |
| 2021 | Foundation | Bear McCreary | Apple TV+ |
| 2021 | Loki | Natalie Holt | Disney+ |
| 2021 | Lost in Space | Christopher Lennertz | Netflix |
| 2022 | The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power‡ | Bear McCreary Howard Shore | Netflix |
| 2022 | The English | Federico Jusid | BBC Amazon Prime |
| 2022 | Interview with the Vampire | Daniel Hart | AMC |
| 2022 | Moon Knight | Hesham Nazih | Disney+ |
| 2022 | The Orville | John Debney Joel McNeely Andrew Cottee Kevin Kaska Bruce BroughtonTheme | Fox Hulu |
| 2023 | All the Light We Cannot See‡ | James Newton Howard | Netflix |
| 2023 | Ahsoka | Kevin Kiner | Disney+ |
| 2023 | The Fall of the House of Usher | The Newton Brothers | Netflix |
| 2023 | One Piece | Sonya Belousova Giona Ostinelli | Netflix |
| 2023 | Star Trek: Picard | Stephen Barton Frederik Wiedmann | Paramount+ |
| 2024 | The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power‡ | Bear McCreary | Amazon Prime Video |
| 2024 | Avatar: The Last Airbender | Takeshi Furukawa | Netflix |
| 2024 | Cobra Kai | Leo Birenberg Zach Robinson | YouTube Premium Netflix |
| 2024 | The Penguin | Mick Giacchino | HBO |
| 2024 | We Were the Lucky Ones | Rachel Portman Jon Ehrlich | Hulu |