# Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special

The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special is handed out annually at the Creative Arts Emmy Award ceremony. The category was called Outstanding Nonfiction Special prior to 2013 and Outstanding Informational Special before 1998.

## Winners and nominations
### 1990s

| Year | Program | Producers | Network |
| 1998 (50th) |
| 1998 (50th) | Vietnam POWs: Stories of Survival | Bob Reid, executive producer; Jacinda A. Davis, coordinating producer; Brian Leonard, producer/director/writer | Discovery |
| 1998 (50th) | Dead Blue: Surviving Depression | Sheila Nevins, executive producer; Nancy Abraham, supervising producer; John Parsons Peditto, Sara M. Chereskin and Blanka Nedela, producers; Eames Yates, director | HBO |
| 1998 (50th) | Don Hewitt: 90 Minutes on 60 Minutes (American Masters) | Susan Lacy, executive producer; Susan Steinberg, producer/director; Tamar Hacker, senior producer | PBS |
| 1998 (50th) | 4 Little Girls | Sheila Nevins, executive producer; Spike Lee, producer/director; Samuel D. Pollard, producer; Jacqueline Glover, coordinating producer; Daphne McWilliams, line producer | HBO |
| 1998 (50th) | Wolves at Our Door | Gaynelle Evans, executive producer; Jim Dutcher, producer; Mose Richards, writer | Discovery |
| 1999 (51st) |
| 1999 (51st) | Thug Life in D.C. | Sheila Nevins, executive producer; Nancy Abraham, supervising producer; Marc Levin, producer/director; Daphne Pinkerson, producer | HBO |
| 1999 (51st) | Avalanche: The White Death | Barry Nye, producer/director; Nicolas Noxon, producer; Steven Reich, writer | NBC |
| 1999 (51st) | Dying to Tell the Story | Kathy Eldon, executive producer; Jacoba Atlas, supervising producer; Kyra Thompson, producer/writer/director; Victoria Waldock, producer | TBS |
| 1999 (51st) | The Farm: Angola, USA | Michael Cascio, executive producer; Gayle Gilman, supervising producer; Jonathan Stack and Liz Garbus, producers | A&E |
| 1999 (51st) | Lenny Bruce: Swear to Tell the Truth | Sheila Nevins, executive producer; Anthony Stanislas Radziwill, executive producer; Robert B. Weide, producer/director/writer | HBO |
| 1999 (51st) | Little Dieter Needs to Fly (Cinemax Reel Life) | Sheila Nevins, executive producer; Nancy Abraham, supervising producer; Werner Herzog, producer/writer/director; Lucki Stipetić and Andre Singer, producers | Cinemax |

### 2000s

| Year | Program | Producers | Network |
| 2000 (52nd) |
| 2000 (52nd) | Children in War | Sheila Nevins, executive producer; John Hoffman, supervising producer; Alan Raymond and Susan Raymond, producers/writers/directors | HBO |
| 2000 (52nd) | American Hollow | Sheila Nevins, executive producer; Jacqueline Glover, supervising producer; Rory Kennedy, producer/director | HBO |
| 2000 (52nd) | Cancer: Evolution to Revolution | Anthony Stanislas Radziwill, Kenneth Paul Rosenberg and Sheila Nevins, executive producers; John Hoffman, supervising producer; Joseph F. Lovett, producer/writer/director | HBO |
| 2000 (52nd) | Paradise Lost 2: Revelations | Sheila Nevins, executive producer; Nancy Abraham, supervising producer; Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky, producers/directors | HBO |
| 2000 (52nd) | Raising the Mammoth | Maurice Paleau, executive producer; Adrienne Ciuffo, producer/writer; Jean-Charles Deniau, director | Discovery |
| 2001 (53rd) |
| 2001 (53rd) | Scottsboro: An American Tragedy (American Experience) | Margaret Drain, executive producer; Mark Samels, supervising producer; Barak Goodman, producer/director/writer; Daniel Anker, producer/co-director | PBS |
| 2001 (53rd) | Dwarfs: Not a Fairy Tale (America Undercover) | Sheila Nevins, executive producer; Nancy Abraham, supervising producer; Lisa Abelow Hedley and Bonnie Strauss, producers/directors | HBO |
| 2001 (53rd) | Egypt Beyond the Pyramids | Nancy Dubuc, Craig Haffner and Donna E. Lusitana, executive producers; Raymond Bridgers, supervising producer; David de Vries, producer/director/writer; Peter Woodward, host | History |
| 2001 (53rd) | Half Past Autumn: The Life and Works of Gordon Parks | Craig Laurence Rice, executive producer/director; Cecil Cox and Sheila Nevins, executive producers; Jacqueline Glover and Lisa Heller, supervising producers; St. Clair Bourne and Denzel Washington, producers; Lou Potter, writer | HBO |
| 2001 (53rd) | Living Dolls: The Making of a Child Beauty Queen | Sheila Nevins, executive producer; Nancy Abraha, supervising producer; Shari Cookson, producer/director/writer; Linda Otto and Jean Guest, producers | HBO |
| 2002 (54th) |
| 2002 (54th) | 9/11 | Jules Naudet, Gédéon Naudet and James Hanlon, executive producers/directors; Susan Zirinsky, Graydon Carter and David Friend, executive producers; Hal Gessner, supervising producer; Tom Forman, senior producer/writer; Richard Barber, Michael Maloy, Bruce Spiegel, Mead Stone and Paul Larossa, producers; Rob Klug, director; Greg Kandra, writer | CBS |
| 2002 (54th) | The Human Face with John Cleese | Michael Mosley, Nicholas Rossiter and Nancy Lavin, executive producers; Sally George and Sharon Gillooly, producers; James Erskine and David Stewart, producers/directors; John Cleese, writer/host | TLC |
| 2002 (54th) | In Memoriam: New York City | Jon Liebman and Peter W. Kunhardt, executive producers; Dyllan McGee, supervising producer; Lisa Heller, senior producer; John Hoffman, Sheila Nevins and Brad Grey, producers | HBO |
| 2002 (54th) | Inside the Actors Studio: 100th Guest Special | James Lipton, executive producer/writer/host; Christian Barcellos and Frances Berwick, executive producers for Bravo; Michael Kostel and John Servidio, producers; Jeff Wurtz, director | Bravo |
| 2002 (54th) | We Stand Alone Together: The Men of Easy Company | Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, executive producers; Gary Goetzman and Tony To, co-executive producers; Mark Cowen, producer/director; William Richter, producer/writer | HBO |
| 2003 (55th) |
| 2003 (55th) | Benjamin Franklin | Catherine Allan, executive producer; Ellen Hovde and Muffie Meyer, producers | PBS |
| 2003 (55th) | Christopher Reeve: Courageous Steps | Rudy Bednar and Alastair Waddington, executive producers; Stuart Watts and Ian A. Hunt, producers; Christopher Reeve, narrator | ABC |
| 2003 (55th) | The Day the Towers Fell | Lou Reda, executive producer; Dolores Gavin, supervising producer; Sammy Jackson, producer | History |
| 2003 (55th) | Journeys with George | Sheila Nevins, executive producer; Julie Anderson, supervising producer; Alexandra Pelosi, producer | HBO |
| 2003 (55th) | Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narratives | Sheila Nevins and Donna Brown Guillaume, executive producers; Lisa Heller, senior producer; Jacqueline Glover and Thomas Lennon, producers | HBO |
| 2004 (56th) | |
| 2004 (56th) | The Forgetting: A Portrait of Alzheimer's | Naomi S. Boak, executive producer; Elizabeth Arledge, producer | PBS |
| 2004 (56th) | AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains | Gary Smith and Dann Netter, executive producers; Frederick S. Pierce, executive producer for AFI; Bob Gazzale, producer | CBS |
| 2004 (56th) | Born Rich | Sheila Nevins, executive producer; Dirk Wittenborn, produced by; Jamie Johnson, producer | HBO |
| 2004 (56th) | A Decade Under the Influence | Alison Palmer Bourke, Caroline Kaplan and Jonathan Sehring, executive producers; Gini Reticker, Jerry Kupfer, Richard LaGravenese and Ted Demme, producers | IFC |
| 2004 (56th) | Fred Rogers: America's Favorite Neighbor | Jocelyn Hough, executive producer; William H. Isler and Robert F. Petrilli, co-executive producers; Margaret Whitmer, Joseph J. Kennedy IV and Rick Sebak, producers; Michael Keaton, host | PBS |
| 2005 (57th) |
| 2005 (57th) | Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson | David Schaye, Paul Barnes and Ken Burns, producers | PBS |
| 2005 (57th) | Beyond the Da Vinci Code | Margaret Kim, Robb Weller, Gary Grossman and Steve Lange, executive producers; Thomas Quinn, supervising producer; Rob Blumenstein, producer | History |
| 2005 (57th) | Cary Grant: A Class Apart (American Masters) | Tom Brown, executive producer for TCM; Roger Mayer and George Feltenstein, executive producers for Turner; Melissa Roller, supervising producer for TCM; Robert Trachtenberg, producer | TCM |
| 2005 (57th) | Inside the Actors Studio: 10th Anniversary Special | James Lipton, executive producer/host; Frances Berwick and Christian Barcellos, executive producers for Bravo; Alice Siess, producer | Bravo |
| 2005 (57th) | Live from New York: The First 5 Years of Saturday Night Live | Ken Aymong and Rachel Talbot, supervising producers; Kenneth Bowser, produced by | NBC |
| 2006 (58th) |
| 2006 (58th) | Rome: Engineering an Empire | Dolores Gavin, Vincent Kralyevich, Bill Hunt and Kristine Sabat, executive producers; Christopher Cassel, producer | History |
| 2006 (58th) | All Aboard! Rosie's Family Cruise | Sheila Nevins, Kelli O'Donnell and Rosie O'Donnell, executive producers; John Hoffman, producer; Shari Cookson, produced by | HBO |
| 2006 (58th) | How William Shatner Changed the World | Susan Werbe, Alan Handel and Malcolm Clark, executive producers | History |
| 2006 (58th) | Inside 9/11 | Jonathan Towers and Michael Cascio, executive producers; Nicole Rittenmeyer and Colette Beaudry, supervising producers; Bernard Dudek, Rachel Milton, Lance Hori and Alex Flaster, producers | Nat Geo |
| 2006 (58th) | Stardust: The Bette Davis Story | Tom Brown, George Feltenstein and Roger Mayer, executive producers; Brian Tessier and Melissa Roller, supervising producers; Peter Jones, producer | TCM |
| 2007 (59th) |
| 2007 (59th) | Ghosts of Abu Ghraib | Diana Barrett and Sheila Nevins, executive producers; Nancy Abraham, senior producer; Rory Kennedy, Liz Garbus and Jack Youngelson, producers | HBO |
| 2007 (59th) | AFI's 100 Years…100 Cheers: America's Most Inspiring Movies | Gary Smith, executive producer; Frederick S. Pierce, executive producer for AFI; Dann Netter and Bob Gazzale, producers | CBS |
| 2007 (59th) | Blood Diamonds | Margaret Kim and Bill Brummel, executive producers; June Molgaard, producer | History |
| 2007 (59th) | Brando | Tom Brown, executive producer; Melissa Roller, supervising producer; Leslie Greif, Mimi Freedman and Joanne Rubino, producers | TCM |
| 2007 (59th) | Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed | Kevin Burns, executive producer; Beth Dietrich, executive producer for History; Jim Ward and Tom Warner, executive producers for Lucasfilm; Kim Sheerin and Scott Hartford, co-executive producers; Steven Smith and David Comtois, producers | History |
| 2008 (60th) |
| 2008 (60th) | Autism: The Musical | Jonathan Murray, Janet Grillo and Kristen Stills, executive producers; Nancy Abraham, senior producer; Perrin Chiles, Tricia Regan and Sasha Alpert, producers | HBO |
| 2008 (60th) | AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition) | Gary Smith, executive producer; Frederick S. Pierce, executive producer for AFI; Dann Netter and Bob Gazzale, producers | CBS |
| 2008 (60th) | Alive Day Memories: Home from Iraq | Sheila Nevins and James Gandolfini, executive producers; Alexandra E. Ryan, co-executive producer; Sara Bernstein, supervising producer; Ellen Goosenberg Kent, Jon Alpert and Matthew O'Neill, produced by | HBO |
| 2008 (60th) | Pioneers of Television: "Late Night: Johnny, Jack, Steve, and Merv" | Steve Boettcher and Mike Trinklein, producers | PBS |
| 2008 (60th) | The Pixar Story | Leslie Iwerks, producer | Starz |
| 2009 (61st) |
| 2009 (61st) | 102 Minutes That Changed America | Greg Jacobs, Jon Siskel and Susan Werbe, executive producers; Nicole Rittenmeyer, producer | History |
| 2009 (61st) | The Alzheimer's Project: Momentum in Science | Sheila Nevins and Maria Shriver, executive producers; John Hoffman, series producer/produced by; Susan Froemke, produced by | HBO |
| 2009 (61st) | Farrah's Story | Farrah Fawcett and Craig J. Nevius, executive producers; Alexandra Gleysteen, executive producer for NBC; Robert Dean, producer for NBC; Alana Stewart, produced by | NBC |
| 2009 (61st) | Michael J. Fox: Adventures of an Incurable Optimist | Michael J. Fox, Nelle Fortenberry and Rudy Bednar, executive producers; Ann Reynolds, senior producer; Mary Hanan, producer | ABC |
| 2009 (61st) | Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired | Steven Soderbergh and Randy Wooten, executive producers; Jeffrey Kusama-Hinte, Lila Yacoub and Marina Zenovich, produced by | HBO |

### 2010s

| Year | Program | Producers | Network |
| 2010 (62nd) |
| 2010 (62nd) | Teddy: In His Own Words | Dyllan McGee, executive producer; Jacqueline Glover, supervising producer; Peter W. Kunhardt and Sheila Nevins, produced by | HBO |
| 2010 (62nd) | Believe: The Eddie Izzard Story | Max Burgos and John Gore, executive producers; James Goddard and Sarah Townsend, producers | Epix |
| 2010 (62nd) | By the People: The Election of Barack Obama | Amy Rice, Alicia Sams, Edward Norton, Stuart Blumberg and Bill Migliore, produced by | HBO |
| 2010 (62nd) | Johnny Mercer: The Dream's on Me | Clint Eastwood, executive producer; Bruce Ricker, produced by | TCM |
| 2010 (62nd) | Saturday Night Live in the 2000s: Time and Again | Ken Aymong, supervising producer; Kenneth Bowser and Declan Baldwin, produced by | NBC |
| 2010 (62nd) | The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special – In 3-D! On Ice! | Morgan Spurlock and Jeremy Chilnick, executive producers | Fox |
| 2011 (63rd) |
| 2011 (63rd) | Gettysburg | Mary Lisio, Ridley Scott and Tony Scott, executive producers; Julian Hobbs, David McKillop and Mary Donahue, executive producer for History; Christopher G. Cowen, producer | History |
| 2011 (63rd) | Becoming Chaz | Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato, produced by; Chaz Bono, producer | OWN |
| 2011 (63rd) | His Way | Steven Soderbergh and Audrey Rosenberg, executive producers; Graydon Carter, Alan Polsky and Gabe Polsky, produced by | HBO |
| 2011 (63rd) | Jaws: The Inside Story | Thomas Moody and Peter Tarshis, executive producers for Bio; Kevin Bachar, executive producer for Pangolin Pictures; Amelia Hanibelsz, supervising producer; Georgia Manukas, producer | Bio |
| 2011 (63rd) | Stand Up to Cancer | Laura Ziskin and Pamela Oas Williams, executive producers; Michael B. Seligman, supervising producer | ABC / CBS / NBC |
| 2012 (64th) |
| 2012 (64th) | George Harrison: Living in the Material World | Margaret Bodde, executive producer; Emma Tillinger Koskoff, executive producer for Sikelia Productions; Blair Foster, supervising producer; Olivia Harrison, Nigel Sinclair and Martin Scorsese, produced by | HBO |
| 2012 (64th) | Bobby Fischer Against the World | Sheila Nevins and Dan Cogan, executive producers; Liz Garbus, Stanley F. Buchthal, Rory Kennedy and Matthew Justus, producers; Nancy Abraham, senior producer | HBO |
| 2012 (64th) | Gloria: In Her Own Words | Dyllan McGee, executive producer; Jacqueline Glover, supervising producer; Peter W. Kunhardt and Sheila Nevins, producers | HBO |
| 2012 (64th) | Paul Simon's Graceland Journey: Under African Skies | Molly Thompson, David McKillop, Robert DeBitetto and Eddie Simon, executive producers; Jon Kamen, Justin Wilkes and, Joe Berlinger, producers | A&E |
| 2012 (64th) | 6 Days to Air: The Making of South Park | Arthur Bradford, executive producer; Jennifer Ollman, supervising producer | Comedy Central |
| 2013 (65th) |
| 2013 (65th) | Manhunt: The Inside Story of the Hunt for Bin Laden | Sheila Nevins, executive producer; Nancy Abraham, senior producer; John Battsek, Julie Goldman and Greg Barker, produced by | HBO |
| 2013 (65th) | All the President's Men Revisited | Robert Redford, Andrew Lack, Laura Michalchyshyn, Nancy Daniels and Denise Contis, executive producers; Peter Schnall, producer | Discovery |
| 2013 (65th) | Crossfire Hurricane | Mick Jagger and Victoria Pearman, produced by | HBO |
| 2013 (65th) | Death and the Civil War (American Experience) | Mark Samels, executive producer; Sharon Grimberg, senior producer; Ric Burns, Robin Espinola and Bonnie Lafave, produced by | PBS |
| 2013 (65th) | Ethel | Sheila Nevins, executive producer; Nancy Abraham, senior producer; Rory Kennedy and Jack Youngelson, producers | HBO |
| 2014 (66th) |
| 2014 (66th) | JFK (American Experience) | Mark Samels, executive producer; Sharon Grimberg, senior producer; Susan Bellows, produced by | PBS |
| 2014 (66th) | Moms Mabley: I Got Somethin' to Tell You | Whoopi Goldberg and Tom Leonardis, executive producer/produced by; George Schlatter, executive producer | HBO |
| 2014 (66th) | Paycheck to Paycheck: The Life and Times of Katrina Gilbert | Sheila Nevins and Maria Shriver, executive producers; Nancy Abraham, senior producer; Sascha Weiss, producer; Shari Cookson and Nick Doob, produced by | HBO |
| 2014 (66th) | Running from Crazy | Erica Forstadt, Mariel Hemingway, Lisa Erspamer and Oprah Winfrey, executive producers; Barbara Kopple, executive producer/produced by; David Cassidy, produced by | OWN |
| 2014 (66th) | The Sixties: The Assassination of President Kennedy | Tom Hanks, Gary Goetzman and Mark Herzog, executive producers; Christopher G. Cowen and Kirk Saduski, co-executive producers; Jonathan Buss and Stephen J. Morrison, producers | CNN |
| 2014 (66th) | The Square | Jodie Evans, Lekha Singh, Sarah E. Johnson, Mike Lerner and Gavin Dougan, executive producers; Karim Amer and Jehane Noujaim, produced by | Netflix |
| 2015 (67th) |
| 2015 (67th) | Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief | Chris Wilson and Sheila Nevins, executive producers; Sara Bernstein, supervising producer; Alex Gibney, Lawrence Wright and Kristen Vaurio, producers | HBO |
| 2015 (67th) | The Case Against 8 | Sheila Nevins, executive producer; Sara Bernstein, supervising producer; Ben Cotner and Ryan White, produced by | HBO |
| 2015 (67th) | Cobain: Montage of Heck | Frances Bean Cobain, David Byrnes, Lawrence Mestel and Sheila Nevins, executive producers; Sara Bernstein, senior producer; Brett Morgen and Danielle Renfrew, produced by | HBO |
| 2015 (67th) | Sinatra: All or Nothing at All | Frank Marshall, Blair Foster, Alex Gibney, Sharon Hall, Andrew Kosove, Broderick Johnson and Charles Pignone, executive producers; Jeffrey Pollack, Erin Edeiken and Samuel D. Pollard, producers | HBO |
| 2015 (67th) | Virunga | Leonardo DiCaprio, Howard G. Buffett, Maxyne Franklin, Jess Search and Jon Drever, executive producers; Orlando von Einsiedel and Joanna Natasegara, producers | Netflix |
| 2016 (68th) |
| 2016 (68th) | What Happened, Miss Simone? | Sidney Beaumont, executive producer; Amy Hobby, Liz Garbus, Justin Wilkes and Jayson Jackson, producers | Netflix |
| 2016 (68th) | Becoming Mike Nichols | Frank Rich, Jack O'Brien, Douglas McGrath and Sheila Nevins, executive producers; Lisa Heller, supervising producer; Ellin Baumel, produced by | HBO |
| 2016 (68th) | Everything Is Copy – Nora Ephron: Scripted & Unscripted | Graydon Carter, Annabelle Dunne and Sheila Nevins, executive producers; Lisa Heller, supervising producer; Carly Hugo and Matt Parker, produced by | HBO |
| 2016 (68th) | Listen to Me Marlon | Andrew Ruhemann, executive producer; John Battsek, R. J. Cutler and George Chignell, produced by | Showtime |
| 2016 (68th) | Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures | Sheila Nevins, executive producer; Sara Bernstein, senior producer; Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato, Katharina Otto-Bernstein and Mona Card, produced by | HBO |
| 2017 (69th) |
| 2017 (69th) | 13th | Angus Wall and Jason Sterman, executive producers; Spencer Averick, producer; Ava DuVernay and Howard Barish, produced by | Netflix |
| 2017 (69th) | Amanda Knox | Mette Heide, executive producer/produced by; Rod Blackhurst, Brian McGinn and Stephen Robert Morse, produced by | Netflix |
| 2017 (69th) | The Beatles: Eight Days a Week – The Touring Years | Ron Howard, produced by | Hulu |
| 2017 (69th) | L.A. Burning: The Riots 25 Years Later | Tara Long, Mark Ford, Kevin Lopez, John Singleton, Brad Abramson and Shelly Tatro, executive producers; One9 and Erik Parker, co-executive producers; Nora Donaghy, producer | A&E |
| 2017 (69th) | A House Divided (Vice Special Report) | Shane Smith, Josh Tyrangiel, Jonah Kaplan and Tim Clancy, executive producers; Beverly Chase and David Schankula, supervising producers; Alex Chitty and Jane Kozlowski, produced by | HBO |
| 2018 (70th) |
| 2018 (70th) | The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling | Judd Apatow and Sheila Nevins, executive producers; Joe Beshenkovsky, and Michael Bonfiglio, co-executive producers; Sara Bernstein and Josh Church, supervising producers; Sam Fishell and Amanda Glaze, producers | HBO |
| 2018 (70th) | Icarus | Bryan Fogel, Dan Cogan, David Fialkow and Jim Swartz, produced by | Netflix |
| 2018 (70th) | Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond – Featuring a Very Special, Contractually Obligated Mention of Tony Clifton | Shane Smith, Eddy Moretti, Nicole Montez and Tony Clifton, executive producers; Spike Jonze, Danny Gabai and Chris Smith, produced by | Netflix |
| 2018 (70th) | Mister Rogers: It's You I Like | Ellen Doherty and Kevin Morrison, executive producers; JoAnn Young and John Paulson, produced by | PBS |
| 2018 (70th) | Spielberg | Susan Lacy, Jessica Levin and Emma Pildes, produced by | HBO |
| 2019 (71st) |
| 2019 (71st) | Leaving Neverland | Dan Reed, produced by; Nancy Abraham and Lisa Heller, executive producers | HBO |
| 2019 (71st) | Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened | Danny Gabai, Chris Smith and Mick Purzycki, producers; Gabrielle Bluestone, executive producer | Netflix |
| 2019 (71st) | The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley | Alex Gibney, Erin Edeiken and Jessie Deeter, produced by; Nancy Abraham, Sara Bernstein and Graydon Carter, executive producers; Stacey Offman, co-executive producer | HBO |
| 2019 (71st) | Jane Fonda in Five Acts | Susan Lacy, Jessica Levin and Emma Pildes, produced by | HBO |
| 2019 (71st) | Love, Gilda | Lisa D'Apolito, James Tumminia, Bronwyn Berry and Meryl Goldsmith, produced by; Alan Zweibel, Amy Entelis and Courtney Sexton, executive producers | CNN |
| 2019 (71st) | Minding the Gap | Diane Quon and Bing Liu, produced by; Gordon Quinn, Steve James, Sally Jo Fifer, Justine Nagan and Chris White, executive producers | Hulu |

### 2020s

| Year | Program | Producers | Network |
| 2020 (72nd) |
| 2020 (72nd) | The Apollo | Lisa Cortés, Jeanne Elfant Festa, Cassidy Hartmann and Roger Ross Williams, produced by; Dan Cogan, Nicholas Ferrall and Julie Goldman, executive producers | HBO |
| 2020 (72nd) | Beastie Boys Story | Jason Baum, Amanda Adelson and Spike Jonze, produced by; Mike Diamond, Adam Horovitz, Dechen Wangdu-Yauch and John Silva, executive producers | Apple TV+ |
| 2020 (72nd) | Becoming | Lauren Cioffi, producer; Katy Chevigny and Marilyn Ness, produced by; Priya Swaminathan and Tonia Davis, executive producers | Netflix |
| 2020 (72nd) | The Great Hack | Judy Korin, Pedro Kos, Karim Amer and Geralyn White Dreyfous, produced by; Nina Fialkow, Lyn Davis Lear and Mike Lerner, executive producers | Netflix |
| 2020 (72nd) | Laurel Canyon: A Place in Time | Erin Edeiken and Ryan Suffern, produced by; Frank Marshall, Alex Gibney, Stacey Offman, Richard Perello and Jeff Pollack, executive producers | Epix |
| 2021 (73rd) |
| 2021 (73rd) | Boys State | Davis Guggenheim, Laurene Powell Jobs, Jonathan Silberberg and Nicole Stott, executive producers; Shannon Dill, co-executive producer; Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss, producers | Apple TV+ |
| 2021 (73rd) | The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart | David Blackman, Nicholas Ferrall and Jody Gerson, executive producers; Jeanne Elfant Festa, Mark Monroe and Frank Marshall, produced by; Aly Parker, supervising producer | HBO |
| 2021 (73rd) | Framing Britney Spears (The New York Times Presents) | Ken Druckerman, Stephanie Preiss, Mary Robertson and Banks Tarver, executive producers; Liz Day, co-executive producer; Samantha Stark and Liz Hodes, producers | FX |
| 2021 (73rd) | The Social Dilemma | Larissa Rhodes, produced by; Daniel Wright and Stacey Piculell, supervising producers | Netflix |
| 2021 (73rd) | Tina | Nancy Abraham, Erwin Bach, Lisa Heller and Tali Pelman, executive producers; Simon Chinn and Jonathan Chinn, produced by; Diane Becker, producer | HBO |
| 2022 (74th) |
| 2022 (74th) | George Carlin's American Dream | Teddy Leifer, Judd Apatow, Michael Bonfiglio and Kelly Carlin, executive producers; Joe Beshenkovsky, co-executive producer; Amanda Glaze, supervising producer; Wayne Federman, producer | HBO |
| 2022 (74th) | Controlling Britney Spears (New York Times Presents) | Mary Robertson, Ken Druckerman and Banks Tarver, executive producers; Liz Day, supervising producer; Samantha Stark and Timothy Moran, producers | FX |
| 2022 (74th) | Lucy and Desi | Michael Rosenberg, Justin Wilkes, Jeanne Elfant Festa, Nigel Sinclair, Amy Poehler and Mark Monroe, produced by | Prime Video |
| 2022 (74th) | The Tinder Swindler | Bart Layton, Sam Starbuck, Jeff Gaspin, Eric Levy, Stuart Ford and Lourdes Diaz, executive producers; Bernadette Higgins, producer | Netflix |
| 2022 (74th) | We Feed People | Carolyn Bernstein, executive producer; Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Sara Bernstein, Justin Wilkes, Meredith Kaulfers and Walter Matteson, produced by | Disney+ |
| 2023 (75th) |
| 2023 (75th) | Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie | Nelle Fortenberry, Laurene Powell Jobs and Nicole Stott, executive producers; Davis Guggenheim, Annetta Marion, Jonathan King and Will Cohen, produced by | Apple TV+ |
| 2023 (75th) | Being Mary Tyler Moore | Ben Selkow, James Adolphus, Lena Waithe, Rishi Rajani, Debra Martin Chase, Andrew C. Coles and Laura Gardner, produced by | HBO |
| 2023 (75th) | Judy Blume Forever | Meredith Kaulfers, executive producer; Sara Bernstein, Justin Wilkes, Davina Pardo, Leah Wolchok and Marcella Steingart, produced by | Prime Video |
| 2023 (75th) | My Transparent Life | Serena De Comarmond, executive producer; Evan Jenkins, producer | Prime Video |
| 2023 (75th) | Pamela, a Love Story | Jessica Hargrave, Ryan White, Julia Nottingham and Brandon Thomas Lee, producers; Josh Braun, executive producer | Netflix |
| 2024 (76th) |
| 2024 (76th) | Jim Henson Idea Man | Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Sara Bernstein, Margaret Bodde, Justin Wilkes, Mark Monroe and Christopher St. John, produced by | Disney+ |
| 2024 (76th) | Albert Brooks: Defending My Life | Rob Reiner, Michele Reiner and Matthew George, produced by | HBO |
| 2024 (76th) | Girls State | Nicole Stott, Jonathan Silberberg, Davis Guggenheim and Laurene Powell Jobs, executive producers; Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss, produced by | Apple TV+ |
| 2024 (76th) | The Greatest Night in Pop | Amit Dey, executive producer; Larry Klein, Harriet Sternberg, Lionel Richie, Bruce Eskowitz and George Hencken, producers; Julia Nottingham, produced by | Netflix |
| 2024 (76th) | Steve! (Martin) A Documentary in 2 Pieces | Caitrin Rogers, Ben Cotner and Emily Osborne, executive producers; Nicole Quintero Ochoa, co-executive producer; Morgan Neville, Meghan Walsh and Charlise Holmes, producers | Apple TV+ |

## Total awards by network

* HBO – 11
* PBS – 5
* History – 3
* Netflix – 2
* Apple TV+ – 2
* CBS – 1
* Disney+ - 1
* Discovery – 1