Primetime Emmy Awards

The **Primetime Emmy Awards** are awards presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American primetime television programming. First awarded in 1949, they were originally referred to as just the "Emmy Awards" until the first Daytime Emmy Award ceremonies were held in the 1970s, and the word "primetime" was added to disambiguate between the two.

Foreign produced TV shows can be submitted if they are the result of a financial and creative co-production with a U.S. partner with a plan to air in the United States.

## Award categories

Primetime Emmys are currently awarded in the following categories:

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- Outstanding Comedy Series
- Outstanding Drama Series
- Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series
- Outstanding Made For Television Movie
- Outstanding Miniseries
- Exceptional Merit in Nonfiction Filmmaking
- **Directing**
    - Directing for a Comedy Series
    - Directing for a Drama Series
    - Directing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program
    - Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special
- **Writing**
    - Writing in a Comedy Series
    - Writing in a Drama Series
    - Writing in a Variety, Music or Comedy Program
    - Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special

- Outstanding Reality Program
- Outstanding Reality-Competition Program
- Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program
- Outstanding Informational Series
- Outstanding Variety, Music, or Comedy Special
</div><div style="float:right; width:48%;">
- **Lead role**
    - Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
    - Lead Actor in a Drama Series
    - Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie
    - Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
    - Lead Actress in a Drama Series
    - Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie
- **Supporting role**
    - Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
    - Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
    - Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie
    - Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
    - Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
    - Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie
- **Guest role**
    - Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
    - Guest Actor in a Drama Series
    - Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
    - Guest Actress in a Drama Series
- Outstanding Special Class Program

</div>

### Creative Arts Primetime Emmys

The Creative Arts Emmy Award are awarded in the following categories (some of which separately recognize work based on whether a single-camera and multi-camera setup was used):
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- **Animation**
    - Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour)
    - Animated Program (for Programming One Hour or More)
    - Voice-Over Performance
    - Individual Achievement in Animation
- **Art Direction**
    - Art Direction for a Multi-Camera Series
    - Art Direction for a Single-Camera Series
    - Art Direction for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special
    - Art Direction for a Variety or Music Program
- **Casting**
    - Casting for a Comedy Series
    - Casting for a Drama Series
    - Casting for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special
- **Children's Program**
- **Choreography**
    - Choreography
- **Cinematography**
    - Cinematography for a Multi-Camera Series
    - Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series
    - Cinematography for a One Hour Series
    - Cinematography for a Half-Hour Series
    - Cinematography for a Miniseries or Movie
    - Cinematography For Nonfiction Programming
- **Commercial**
- **Costumes**
    - Costumes for a Series
    - Costumes for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special
- **Directing for Nonfiction Programming**
- **Hairstyling**
    - Hairstyling for a Series
    - Hairstyling for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special
- **Interactive Television**
    - Interactive Television, Program-Specific
    - Interactive Television, Non-Program-Specific
- **Lighting Direction**
- **Main Title Design**
- **Makeup**
    - Makeup for a Series, Miniseries, Movie or a Special (Prosthetic)
    - Makeup for a Series (Non-Prosthetic)
    - Makeup for a Miniseries or a Movie (Non-Prosthetic)
</div><div style="float:right; width:48%;">
- **Music**
    - Individual Achievement - Classical Music/Dance Programming
    - Music Composition for a Series
    - Music Composition for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special
    - Music Direction
    - Music And Lyrics
    - Main Title Theme Music
- **Nonfiction**
    - Nonfiction Series
    - Nonfiction Special
- ** Picture Editing**
    - Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series
    - Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series
    - Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special
    - Multi-Camera Picture Editing for a Series
    - Multi-Camera Picture Editing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special
    - Picture Editing For Nonfiction Programming
- **Sound Editing**
    - Sound Editing for a Series
    - Sound Editing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special
    - Sound Editing For Nonfiction Programming
- **Sound Mixing**
    - Single-Camera Sound Mixing for a Series
    - Single-Camera Sound Mixing for a Miniseries or a Movie
    - Multi-Camera Sound Mixing for a Series or Special
    - Sound Mixing for a Variety or Music Series or Special
    - Sound Mixing For Nonfiction Programming
- **Stunt Coordination**
- **Technical Direction**
    - Technical Direction, Camerawork, Video for a Series
    - Technical Direction, Camerawork, Video for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special
- **Variety, Music or Comedy Special**
- **Visual Effects**
    - Special Visual Effects for a Series
    - Special Visual Effects for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special
- **Writing for Nonfiction Programming**
</div>

### Retired awards

A number of awards have been retired throughout the years, including some that have been replaced by similar award categories in the Daytime Emmys, Sports Emmys, and other areas of recognition.

- Actor of the Year
- Actress of the Year
- Best Kinescope Show
- Best Live Show
- Best New Program
- Most Outstanding Kinescoped Personality
- Most Outstanding Live Personality
- Outstanding Live Sports Special †
- Outstanding Sports Personality †
- Outstanding Program Achievement by Individuals in Daytime Drama ‡
- Outstanding Program Achievement in Daytime Drama ‡
- Program of the Year
- Best Sports Coverage†
- Best Western Series (1958-1959 only)
- Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program

- <sub>† Replaced by a similar category in the Sports Emmy Awards</sub>
- <sup>‡ Replaced by a similar category in the Daytime Emmy Awards</sup>

## Leading nominees

- Most Emmy nominations for an individual:
- Jac Venza: 57 nominations

- Most Emmy nominations for a television program:
- _Saturday Night Live_: 126 nominations

- Most Emmy nominations for a comedy series in a single year
- _30 Rock_ (2009): 22 nominations

- Most Emmy nominations for a drama series in a single year
- _NYPD Blue_ (1994): 26 nominations

- Most Emmy nominations for an animated series in a single year
- _The Simpsons_ (1992): 7 nominations

- Most Emmy nominations for a miniseries:
- _Roots_ (1977): 37 nominations

- Most Emmy nominations for a television movie
- _Eleanor and Franklin_ (1976);  _Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years_ (1977);  and _Grey Gardens_ (2009): 17 nominations

- Most Emmy nominations for a variety series in a single year
- _Saturday Night Live_ (2009 and 2010): 13 nominations

- Most Emmy nominations for an individual without a win
- Angela Lansbury (1983-2005): 18 nominations

## Leading winners

- Most Emmy wins by a individual:
- Sheila Nevins: 21

- Most Emmy wins for a television program:
- _Frasier_: 37

- Most Emmy wins in the comedy series category
- _Frasier_: 5

- Most Emmy wins in the drama series category
- _Hill Street Blues_: 4
- _L.A. Law_: 4
- _The West Wing_: 4

- Most Emmy wins for an animated series
- _The Simpsons_: 25

- Most Emmy wins for a miniseries:
- _John Adams_ (2008): 13

- Most Emmy wins for a television movie:
- _Eleanor and Franklin_ (1976): 11

- Most Emmy wins in a single year for a network:
- CBS (1974): 44

- Most performing Emmys wins:
- Cloris Leachman: 8

- Most Emmy wins for the same character in the same series:
- Julia Louis-Dreyfus of _Veep_: 5
- Don Knotts of _The Andy Griffith Show_: 5
- Candice Bergen of _Murphy Brown_: 5

- Most Emmy wins for the same character in different series:
- Ed Asner of _The Mary Tyler Moore Show_ and _Lou Grant_: 5

## Related pages

- Emmy Award

## Other websites

- Primetime Emmy Awards
- Emmy Gift Bags
- emmys.org - Advanced Primetime Awards Search
- Emmy Awards coverage on DigitalHit.com
- Emmy Awards Online  with Emmy news, nominees and winners.