The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series is an annual award given to the best television comedy series of the year. From 1960 to 1964, this category was combined with the Comedy Specials (one time programs) category so that both type of programs competed for the same award during those years. The award goes to the producers of the series.

Milestones
The Flintstones and Family Guy are the only animated sitcoms to be nominated for the award. As of 2020, Fleabag (United Kingdom)  and Schitt's Creek (Canada) are the only shows from outside the United States to win this award.

The Big Three networks (ABC, CBS and NBC) have dominated the category. Only six other networks have won the award: HBO (once with Sex and the City and three times with Veep) four times, Fox (with Ally McBeal and Arrested Development) and Apple TV+ (with Ted Lasso) twice, and Amazon Prime Video (with The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), the BBC (with Fleabag; although seen later on Prime Video), and Pop TV (with Schitt's Creek; originally seen on CBC Television) once.

Winners and nominations
The following tables, divided by decade, show the winners listed first in colored row, followed by the other nominees of the "Comedy Series" award, according to the Primetime Emmy Awards database:

1950s

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

2020s

Programs with multiple wins

5 wins
 Frasier (NBC) (consecutive)
 Modern Family (ABC) (consecutive)

4 wins
 All in the Family (CBS) (3 consecutive)
 Cheers (NBC) (2 consecutive)
 The Dick Van Dyke Show (CBS) (consecutive)

3 wins
 30 Rock (NBC) (consecutive)
 The Mary Tyler Moore Show (CBS) (consecutive)
 The Phil Silvers Show (CBS) (consecutive)
 Taxi (ABC) (consecutive)
 Veep (HBO) (consecutive)

2 wins
 Everybody Loves Raymond (CBS)
 Get Smart (NBC) (consecutive)
 The Golden Girls (NBC) (consecutive)
 I Love Lucy (CBS) (consecutive)
 The Jack Benny Show (CBS)
 Murphy Brown (CBS)
 Ted Lasso (Apple TV+) (consecutive)

Programs with multiple nominations

11 nominations
 Cheers (NBC)
 M*A*S*H (CBS)

10 nominations
 Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO)

9 nominations
 All in the Family (CBS)

8 nominations
 Frasier (NBC)
 Modern Family (ABC)

7 nominations
 30 Rock (NBC)
 Barney Miller (ABC)
 Everybody Loves Raymond (CBS)
 The Mary Tyler Moore Show (CBS)
 Seinfeld (NBC)
 Veep (HBO)

6 nominations
 Friends (NBC)
 The Golden Girls (NBC)
 The Jack Benny Show (CBS)
 The Larry Sanders Show (HBO)
 The Office (NBC)
 Sex and the City (HBO)
 Will & Grace (NBC)

5 nominations
 The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon)
 Murphy Brown (CBS)
 Silicon Valley (HBO)
 Taxi (ABC/NBC)

4 nominations
 Barry (HBO)
 Bewitched (ABC)
 The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
 Black-ish (ABC)
 The Danny Thomas Show (ABC/CBS) (originally known as Make Room for Daddy)
 The Dick Van Dyke Show (CBS)
 Family Ties (NBC)
 Father Knows Best (NBC/CBS)
 The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show (CBS)
 Get Smart (NBC)
 I Love Lucy (CBS)
 Mad About You (NBC)
 The Phil Silvers Show (CBS)
 The Red Skelton Show (NBC/CBS)
 Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Netflix)
 The Wonder Years (ABC)

3 nominations
 The Andy Griffith Show (CBS)
 Arrested Development (Fox)
 The Bob Cummings Show (NBC)
 Caesar's Hour (NBC)
 The Cosby Show (NBC)
 Designing Women (CBS)
 Entourage (HBO)
 Hogan's Heroes (CBS)
 Home Improvement (ABC)
 Kate & Allie (CBS)
 Louie (FX)
 Mister Peepers (NBC)
 Night Court (NBC)
 The Odd Couple (ABC)
 Our Miss Brooks (CBS)
 Soap (ABC)
 Ted Lasso (Apple TV+)
 Two and a Half Men (CBS)
 WKRP in Cincinnati (CBS)

2 nominations
 3rd Rock from the Sun (NBC)
 Abbott Elementary (ABC)
 Ally McBeal (Fox)
 Atlanta (FX)
 Buffalo Bill (NBC)
 Family Affair (CBS)
 Girls (HBO)
 Glee (Fox)
 The Good Place (NBC)
 Hacks (Max)
 The Kominsky Method (Netflix)
 Love, American Style (ABC)
 Master of None (Netflix)
 McHale's Navy (ABC)
 Newhart (CBS)
 Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)
 Parks and Recreation (NBC)
 Sanford and Son (NBC)
 Schitt's Creek (Pop TV)
 Scrubs (NBC)
 Transparent (Amazon)
 What We Do in the Shadows (FX)

Total awards by network

 NBC – 26
 CBS – 22
 ABC – 11
 HBO – 4

 Apple TV+ – 2
 Fox – 2
 Prime Video – 2
 Pop TV – 1

Notes

See also
 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series
 Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy
 Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
 Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Comedy Series

References

External links
 Primetime Emmy® Awards
 Emmy Awards coverage on DigitalHit.com
 Primetime Emmy® Awards Historical Database
 Emmy Awards Online with Emmy news, nominees and winners

Comedy Series