The very first Emmy Award for Best Drama Series was presented to ABC’s “Pulitzer Prize Playhouse” in 1951. It is one of 40-plus programs that have been honored as television’s top dramatic series. Scroll through our photo gallery below of every winner for Best Drama Series in Emmy history.
Five shows — “Hill Street Blues,” “L.A. Law,” “The West Wing,” “Mad Men” and “Game of Thrones” — hold the record for most wins in this category with four each. “Hill Street Blues,” “The West Wing” and “Mad Men” all accomplished that feat in consecutive years. HBO’s “Game of Thrones” is also the most-winningest scripted series in Emmy history at 59 trophies. Originally published August 2018.
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‘The Crown’ (Netflix)
Best Drama Series Win: 2021
“The Crown” made history for Netflix by becoming the streaming network’s first regular program to win a series award. The victory came for Season 4, which miraculously went 7-for-7 at the Primetime Emmy ceremony for series, actress (Olivia Colman), actor (Josh O’Connor), supporting actress (Gillian Anderson), supporting actor (Tobias Menzies), writing and directing. It was only the second series to sweep the Primetime ceremony after “Schitt’s Creek” a year earlier.
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‘Succession’ (HBO)
Image Credit: Graeme Hunter Best Drama Series Win: 2020, 2022
Follow along with the dysfunctional global-media Roy family that’s led by Brian Cox, with his cutthroat children played by Jeremy Strong, Sarah Snook, Kieran Culkin and Alan Ruck. “Succession” only won a pair of Emmys in its first season, but rebounded with a whopping seven victories for Season 2.
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‘Game of Thrones’ (HBO)
Image Credit: Macall B. Polay/courtesy of HBO Best Drama Series Wins: 2019, 2018, 2016, 2015
The fantasy series, based on the popular novels by George R.R. Martin, won its first Best Drama Emmys for its fifth and sixth seasons, making it one of the few fantasy series to win in this category. After taking a year off, the show returned to the Emmy stage for its seventh and eighth seasons, making it a rare four-time champion.
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‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ (Hulu)
Image Credit: George Kraychyk Best Drama Series Win: 2017
In winning the top prize, this adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel made Emmy history as the first streaming series to win a Best Series Emmy.
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‘Breaking Bad’ (AMC)
Image Credit: AMC Best Drama Series Wins: 2014, 2013
The critically acclaimed series about a cancer-stricken chemistry teacher who becomes a drug kingpin won for its final two seasons. Series star Bryan Cranston also won a record-tying four Emmys for Best Drama Actor.
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‘Homeland’ (Showtime)
Image Credit: Teakwood Lane Prods./Cherry Pie Prods./Keshet/Fox 21/Showtime/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Best Drama Series Win: 2012
Showtime’s first series winner focuses on a determined CIA agent who becomes involved with a P.O.W. who may have been corrupted by the enemy.
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‘Mad Men’ (AMC)
Image Credit: AMC Best Drama Series Wins: 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008
Matthew Weiner’s period drama about an advertising agency in the 1960s is one of only three series — along with “Hill Street Blues” and “The West Wing” — to win four consecutive awards in this category.
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‘The Sopranos’ (HBO)
Image Credit: HBO/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Best Drama Series Wins: 2007, 2005
David Chase’s series about a New Jersey mob boss and his family is regularly listed among the greatest dramas in television history, but shockingly had to wait until its fifth season to win its first Emmy in this category.
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’24’ (Fox)
Image Credit: Fox-TV/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Best Drama Series Win: 2006
Keifer Sutherland starred in this suspense series in which each episode was presented in real time, with all 24 episodes comprising the events of a single day. It was the last broadcast network show to prevail.
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‘Lost’ (ABC)
Image Credit: Snap Stills/REX/Shutterstock Best Drama Series Win: 2004
J.J. Abrams’s series about a group of people marooned on a mysterious island after a plane crash won six Emmys for its debut season.
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‘The West Wing’ (NBC)
Image Credit: Warner Bros TV/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Best Drama Series Wins: 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000
Aaron Sorkin’s series about a fictional presidency is one of only three series — along with “Mad Men” and “Hill Street Blues” — to win four consecutive awards in this category.
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‘The Practice’ (ABC)
Image Credit: Moviestore Collection/REX/Shutterstock Best Drama Series Wins: 1999, 1998
This legal series about a group of ethically challenged defense attorneys won multiple acting Emmys over the course of its run. In 1999, creator David E. Kelly made history when he won Best Series Emmys for this, and for his comedy “Ally McBeal.”
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‘Law & Order’ (NBC)
Image Credit: Universal TV/Wolf Film/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Best Drama Series Win: 1997
Dick Wolf’s crime procedural won its only series trophy for its seventh season. The show went off the air in 2010 after 20 successful seasons, making it one of the longest running drama series in television history.
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‘ER’ (NBC)
Image Credit: Warner Bros TV/Amblin TV/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Best Drama Series Win: 1996
Despite only winning in this category once, the medical drama holds the record for most Emmy nominations, earning 124 nominations during its 15-year run. The show also made a star of future Oscar winner George Clooney.
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‘NYPD Blue’ (ABC)
Image Credit: Steven Bochco Prods./Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Best Drama Series Win: 1995
Steven Bochco’s gritty police drama was one of the first network shows to feature nudity and graphic language. It also won a record setting four Best Actor Emmys for star Dennis Franz.
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‘Picket Fences’ (CBS)
Image Credit: Moviestore Collection/REX/Shutterstock Best Drama Series Wins: 1994, 1993
David E. Kelly’s drama about the goings-on in a small Wisconsin town was never a ratings hit, but won a total of 14 Emmys during its four-year run, including two for Best Drama Series.
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‘Northern Exposure’ (CBS)
Image Credit: SNAP/REX/Shutterstock Best Drama Series Win: 1992
This quirky series starred Rob Morrow as a New York City doctor who moves to a remote Alaska town to practice medicine.
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‘L.A. Law’ (NBC)
Image Credit: 20th Century Fox/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Best Drama Series Wins: 1991, 1990, 1989, 1987
Steven Bochco’s legal drama won four awards in this category, making it one of television’s most honored dramas. The series addressed a number of controversial topics, including AIDS, gay rights, abortion and capital punishment.
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‘Thirtysomething’ (ABC)
Image Credit: MGM / United Artists/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Best Drama Series Win: 1988
This controversial series about a group of baby boomers adjusting to adult life was such a cultural phenomenon that the show’s title was added to the Oxford English Dictionary.
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‘Cagney & Lacey’ (CBS)
Image Credit: CBS-TV/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Best Drama Series Wins: 1986, 1985
Sharon Gless and Tyne Daly dominated the Best Drama Actress category for the entire six-season run of this drama about two New York detectives.
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‘Hill Street Blues’ (NBC)
Image Credit: NBC-TV/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Best Drama Series Wins: 1984, 1983, 1982, 1981
Steven Bochco’s groundbreaking police drama was the first show to ever win four consecutive Emmys for Best Drama Series and regularly appears on critics’ lists of television’s best shows. The show earned a staggering 98 Emmy nominations over the course of its run.
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‘Lou Grant’ (CBS)
Image Credit: Mtm Enterprises Inc/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Best Drama Series Wins: 1980, 1979
This spinoff of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” starred Edward Asner as the popular character as he takes a job at a major metropolitan newspaper. Asner won two Emmys for this series, making him the first actor to win Emmys for playing the same character in both a comedy and a drama.
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‘The Rockford Files’ (NBC)
Image Credit: Cherokee Prods./NBC/Universal TV/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Best Drama Series Win: 1978
James Garner starred in this series about a small-time private investigator who barely makes enough money to maintain his dilapidated mobile home.
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‘Upstairs, Downstairs’ (PBS)
Image Credit: Moviestore Collection/REX/Shutterstock Best Drama Series Wins: 1977, 1975, 1974
This British series focused on the wealthy occupants of a large British home and their staff of servants. The show returned for a limited series in 2010.
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‘Police Story’ (NBC)
Image Credit: NBC-TV/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Best Drama Series Win: 1976
This anthology series set within the Los Angeles Police Department featured a different case every week. There was no regular cast, and different actors appeared in each week’s episode.
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‘The Waltons’ (CBS)
Image Credit: Lorimar TV/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Best Drama Series Win: 1973
The long-running series about a Depression-era family living in the mountains of Virginia also won a total of nine acting Emmys over the course of its nine-year run.
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‘Elizabeth R’ (PBS)
Image Credit: Moviestore Collection/REX/Shutterstock Best Drama Series Win: 1972
Glenda Jackson starred as Elizabeth I in this limited series about the life of the British monarch. Jackson won two Emmys that year — as Best Drama Actress and for Best Single Performance — causing the TV academy to change its rules to prevent such occurrences in the future.
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‘The Bold Ones: The Senator’ (NBC)
Image Credit: David F. Smith/AP/REX/Shutterstock Best Drama Series Win: 1971
This single-season series starred Hal Holbrook (who also won the Best Actor Emmy) as an optimistic young senator looking to change the face of Washington politics.
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‘Marcus Welby, MD’ (ABC)
Image Credit: AP/REX/Shutterstock Best Drama Series Win: 1970
This medical drama starred Emmy-winner Robert Young as a kindly physician whose unorthodox methods put him at odds with his colleagues.
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‘NET Playhouse’ (NET)
Image Credit: ITV/REX/Shutterstock Best Drama Series Win: 1969
Kim Hunter and John Gielgud were among the stars who appeared on this PBS educational anthology, which was also the first non-network show to win in this category.
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‘Mission: Impossible’ (CBS)
Image Credit: Paramount TV/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Best Drama Series Wins: 1968, 1967
This fast-paced spy series was not only a hit on television, but spawned a series of successful films starring Tom Cruise.
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‘The Fugitive’ (ABC)
Image Credit: ABC-TV/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Best Drama Series Win: 1966
The popular series about a doctor falsely accused of murdering his wife was remade into an Oscar-winning 1993 film starring Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones.
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‘The Defenders’ (CBS)
Image Credit: REX/Shutterstock Best Drama Series Wins: 1964, 1963, 1962
Reginald Rose, who also wrote the classic play “Twelve Angry Men,” created this legal series about a team of lawyers who involve themselves in complex cases.
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‘Hallmark Hall of Fame: Macbeth’ (NBC)
Image Credit: Moviestore Collection/REX/Shutterstock Best Drama Series Win: 1961
In the early years of the Emmys, this category was called “Best Achievement in Drama,” which meant that single episodes were nominated with continuing series. In 1961, this filmed adaptation of the Shakespeare tragedy also won Emmys for stars Maurice Evans and Judith Anderson.
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‘Playhouse 90’ (CBS)
Image Credit: Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Best Drama Series Wins: 1960, 1959
This anthology series showcased teleplays that went on to become Oscar-winning films, such as “The Miracle, Worker,” “Days of Wine and Roses” and “Judgement at Nuremberg.”
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‘Gunsmoke’ (CBS)
Image Credit: SNAP/REX/Shutterstock Best Drama Series Win: 1958
This classic western was the first continuing series to win in this category. It went off the air in 1975, making it one of the longest-running shows in television history.
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‘Producers’ Showcase’ (NBC)
Image Credit: NBC TV/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Best Drama Series Win: 1956
This anthology series showcased big name Hollywood stars performing works by Noel Coward, Thornton Wilder and Shakspeare. The series’ most beloved broadcast was a mounting of “Peter Pan” starring Mary Martin and Cyril Ritchard.
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‘United States Steel Hour’ (ABC)
Image Credit: David F. Smith/AP/REX/Shutterstock Best Drama Series Wins: 1955, 1954
This anthology series featured appearances by such Hollywood luminaries as Rex Harrison, Tallulah Bankhead and Andy Griffith, who became a household name following his appearance in the series’ broadcast of “No Time for Sergeants.”
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‘Robert Montgomery Presents’ (NBC)
Image Credit: Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock Best Drama Series Win: 1953
The director, producer and actor lent his name to this anthology series that consisted of adaptations of popular Hollywood films, alongside presentations of musicals and new plays.
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‘Studio One’ (CBS)
Image Credit: United Artists/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Best Drama Series Win: 1952
A young William Shatner was one of the actors who appeared on this anthology series, which was the origin of Reginald Rose’s classic “Twelve Angry Men.”
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‘Pulitzer Prize Playhouse’ (ABC)
Image Credit: Ray Jones/Universal/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Best Drama Series Win: 1951
The first Drama Series winner was this anthology which presented adaptations of Pultizer Prize-winning stories, novels, and plays — including a well-recieved adaptation of Thronton Wilder’s “Our Town” starring Edward Arnold.
