Special Report

TV Shows With the Most Emmy Wins of All Time

Evan Comen

Published: September 14, 2017 4:22 pm

Last Updated: December 20, 2021 11:32 am

The 69th Primetime Emmy Awards will be telecast live on CBS on Sunday, September 17. The program is set to make history: the best comedic actress award will likely go to the same actress for the sixth year in a row; for the first time in a decade a broadcast network show may win best drama; and an African American woman may for the first time win an award for best writing for a comedy series.

Some of the shows and actors up for awards this year are brand new to the Emmys. Others are veterans, having already won or been nominated many times over the years. To determine the TV shows with the most Emmy wins of all time, 24/7 Wall St. calculated the total Emmy award wins for all categories since 1949. Over seven decades, 35 shows have won at least 15 Emmy awards.

Of the 35 shows with at least 15 Emmy wins, 10 are still on the air. With 22 nominations this year, tied with “Westworld” as the most of any show this year, “Saturday Night Live” is likely to continue to add to its substantial collection of Emmy awards.

Click here to see the full list of the TV shows with the most Emmy wins of all time.
Click here to see the detailed findings and methodology.

Source: Courtesy of CBS

35. Everybody Loves Raymond
> All-time Emmys: 15
> Nominations: 69
> Runtime: 1996-2005
> Most common award: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (4)

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34. Veep
> All-time Emmys: 15
> Nominations: 59
> Runtime: 2012-
> Most common award: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (5)

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33. The Practice
> All-time Emmys: 15
> Nominations: 41
> Runtime: 1997-2004
> Most common award: Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series (6)

Source: Courtesy of PBS

32. Downton Abbey
> All-time Emmys: 15
> Nominations: 69
> Runtime: 2010-2015
> Most common award: Outstanding Hairstyling for a Single Camera Series (4)

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Source: Courtesy of NBC

31. L.A. Law
> All-time Emmys: 15
> Nominations: 89
> Runtime: 1986-1994
> Most common award: Outstanding Drama Series (4)

Source: Courtesy of CBS Television Distribution

30. The Amazing Race
> All-time Emmys: 15
> Nominations: 74
> Runtime: 2001-
> Most common award: Outstanding Reality Competition Program (10)

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Source: Courtesy of FOX

29. So You Think You Can Dance
> All-time Emmys: 15
> Nominations: 59
> Runtime: 2005-
> Most common award: Outstanding Choreography (10)

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28. The X-Files
> All-time Emmys: 16
> Nominations: 62
> Runtime: 1993-2002, 2016-
> Most common award: Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series (2)

27. Breaking Bad
> All-time Emmys: 16
> Nominations: 58
> Runtime: 2008-2013
> Most common award: Outstanding Single Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series (4)

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Source: Courtesy of NBCUniversal Television Distribution

26. Will & Grace
> All-time Emmys: 16
> Nominations: 83
> Runtime: 1998-2006, 2017-
> Most common award: Outstanding Cinematography for a Multi Camera Series (4)

25. 30 Rock
> All-time Emmys: 16
> Nominations: 103
> Runtime: 2006-2013
> Most common award: Outstanding Comedy Series (3)

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Source: Courtesy of AMC

24. Mad Men
> All-time Emmys: 16
> Nominations: 116
> Runtime: 2007-2015
> Most common award: Outstanding Hairstyling for a Single Camera Series (4)

23. Deadliest Catch
> All-time Emmys: 16
> Nominations: 45
> Runtime: 2005-
> Most common award: Outstanding Cinematography for Reality Programming (5)

Source: Courtesy of NBC

22. Dancing With The Stars
> All-time Emmys: 17
> Nominations: 95
> Runtime: 2005-
> Most common award: Outstanding Technical Direction Camerawork Video Control for a Series (5)

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21. Star Trek: The Next Generation
> All-time Emmys: 17
> Nominations: 58
> Runtime: 1987-1994
> Most common award: Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series (4)

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Television

20. Murphy Brown
> All-time Emmys: 18
> Nominations: 62
> Runtime: 1988-1998
> Most common award: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (4)

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Source: Courtesy of CBS Television Distribution

19. Taxi
> All-time Emmys: 18
> Nominations: 34
> Runtime: 1978-1983
> Most common award: Outstanding Comedy Series (3)

18. NYPD Blue
> All-time Emmys: 20
> Nominations: 84
> Runtime: 1993-2005
> Most common award: Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series (4)

17. 24
> All-time Emmys: 20
> Nominations: 68
> Runtime: 2001-2010
> Most common award: Outstanding Music Composition for a Series Original Dramatic Score (3)

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Source: Courtesy of HBO

16. Boardwalk Empire
> All-time Emmys: 20
> Nominations: 57
> Runtime: 2010-2014
> Most common award: Outstanding Art Direction for a Single Camera Series (3)

15. The Sopranos
> All-time Emmys: 21
> Nominations: 112
> Runtime: 1999-2007
> Most common award: Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series (6)

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14. American Masters
> All-time Emmys: 22
> Nominations: 62
> Runtime: 1986-
> Most common award: Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series (9)

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Source: Courtesy of Sony Pictures Television

13. All In the Family
> All-time Emmys: 22
> Nominations: 55
> Runtime: 1971-1979
> Most common award: Outstanding Comedy Series (4)

12. Modern Family
> All-time Emmys: 22
> Nominations: 80
> Runtime: 2009-
> Most common award: Outstanding Comedy Series (5)

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11. ER
> All-time Emmys: 23
> Nominations: 124
> Runtime: 1994-2009
> Most common award: Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series (4)

Source: Courtesy of Comedy Central

10. The Daily Show With Jon Stewart
> All-time Emmys: 23
> Nominations: 60
> Runtime: 1999-2015
> Most common award: Outstanding Variety Music or Comedy Series (10)

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9. Hill Street Blues
> All-time Emmys: 26
> Nominations: 98
> Runtime: 1981-1987
> Most common award: Outstanding Drama Series (4)

8. The West Wing
> All-time Emmys: 26
> Nominations: 95
> Runtime: 1999-2006
> Most common award: Outstanding Drama Series (4)

Source: Courtesy of CBS

7. The Carol Burnett Show
> All-time Emmys: 27
> Nominations: 70
> Runtime: 1967-1978
> Most common award: Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series (5)

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Source: Courtesy of CBS Television Distribution

6. Cheers
> All-time Emmys: 28
> Nominations: 117
> Runtime: 1982-1993
> Most common award: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (6)

Source: Courtesy of CBS

5. The Mary Tyler Moore Show
> All-time Emmys: 29
> Nominations: 67
> Runtime: 1970-1977
> Most common award: Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series (5)

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Source: Courtesy of 20th Television

4. The Simpsons
> All-time Emmys: 32
> Nominations: 87
> Runtime: 1989-
> Most common award: Outstanding Voice-Over Performance (14)

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Source: Courtesy of CBS Television Distribution

3. Frasier
> All-time Emmys: 37
> Nominations: 108
> Runtime: 1993-2004
> Most common award: Outstanding Multi Camera Picture Editing for a Series (7)

Source: Courtesy of HBO

2. Game Of Thrones
> All-time Emmys: 38
> Nominations: 106
> Runtime: 2011-
> Most common award: Outstanding Special Visual Effects (5)

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1. Saturday Night Live
> All-time Emmys: 55
> Nominations: 238
> Runtime: 1975-0
> Most common award: Outstanding Technical Direction Camerawork Video Control for a Series (12)

When the Emmy Awards were first telecast in 1949, just six awards were given: Most Outstanding Television Personality, Station Award for Outstanding Overall Achievement, Technical Award, Best Film Made for Television, Most Popular Television Program, and a special award for the designer of the Emmy statuette.

Since then, the Emmys have grown in popularity and scope, and the number of award categories multiplied. There were 40 awards given at the eighth Emmy Awards in 1956, and the establishment of the Creative Arts Emmy in 1970 added a number of awards honoring craft and technical achievements. This year, there will be 119 awards presented.

Shows that are currently on air are eligible for a wider array of awards than their predecessors. Of the 35 television programs with at least 15 all-time Emmy wins, only five went off the air before 1990. Approximately half of the programs on this list began after 2000 or are currently on the air.

The nature of television is also changing. While in 1993 HBO and ABC were tied for the network with the most nominations with 55 Emmy nominations each, online streaming platforms have been enjoying substantial success at the Emmys over the past several years. This year, Netflix programs are up for 92 Emmy awards, the most of any single platform other than HBO. Including Hulu’s 18 nominations and Amazon’s 16, original content from streaming platforms is up for a total of 151 nominations compared to 473 nominations for cable and non-cable networks.

Shows with longer runs may be more likely to be nominated and have more Emmy wins because they are on the air longer. While “Saturday Night Live” has won 55 Emmys since 1975, its rate of 1.3 awards per season is relatively low compared to other shows on this list. Shows with the most Emmys per season include “Game of Thrones,” “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” and “Boardwalk Empire.” Shows with the most nominations per season include “Mad Men,” “Game of Thrones,” and “30 Rock.”

To determine the TV shows with the most Emmy wins of all time, 24/7 Wall St. calculated the total Emmy Award wins for all categories since 1949. Only television programs with regular seasons were included. For this reason, “The Kennedy Center Honors” and “Hallmark Hall of Fame” were excluded.