Special Report

TV Shows With the Most Emmy Wins of All Time

Charles Stockdale

Published: August 7, 2018 4:44 pm

Last Updated: April 20, 2020 4:10 pm

The live broadcast of the 70th Primetime Emmy Awards is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 17, on NBC. Since the first Emmy Awards ceremony in 1949, thousands of shows have been nominated and recognized with awards for excellence in various aspects of television. Certain shows have demonstrated sustained greatness, taking home Emmy honors again and again.

24/7 Wall St. has identified the 35 television shows that are the all-time Emmy achievers. Many of these shows displayed overall excellence over long on-air tenures. Other series have had shorter life spans, yet dominated awards ceremonies to such a degree that they’ve made history, ranking among the Emmy Awards’ top echelons.

Click here to read TV shows with the most Emmy wins of all time.
Click here to read our detailed findings and methodology.

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

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34. The X-Files
> All-time Emmys: 15
> Nominations: 61
> Years: 1993-2002, 2016-present
> Most frequent award: Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series (2)

Source: Courtesy of FOX

33. So You Think You Can Dance
> All-time Emmys: 15
> Nominations: 64
> Years: 2005-present
> Most frequent award: Outstanding Choreography (10)

Source: Courtesy of PBS

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

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Source: Courtesy of CanWest Global Communications

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

30. The Amazing Race
> All-time Emmys: 15
> Nominations: 78
> Years: 2001-present
> Most frequent award: Outstanding Reality Competition Program (10)

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Source: Courtesy of 20th Television

29. L.A. Law
> All-time Emmys: 15
> Nominations: 89
> Years: 1986-1994
> Most frequent award: Outstanding Drama Series (4)

28. Deadliest Catch
> All-time Emmys: 16
> Nominations: 48
> Years: 2005-present
> Most frequent award: Outstanding Cinematography for Reality Programming (5)

27. Breaking Bad
> All-time Emmys: 16
> Nominations: 58
> Years: 2008-2013
> Most frequent 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: 88
> Years: 1998-2006, 2017-present
> Most frequent award: Outstanding Cinematography for a Multi-Camera Series (4)

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

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Source: Courtesy of AMC

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

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

22. Veep
> All-time Emmys: 17
> Nominations: 59
> Years: 2012-present
> Most frequent award: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (6)

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Source: Courtesy of NBC

21. Dancing with the Stars
> All-time Emmys: 17
> Nominations: 101
> Years: 2005-present
> Most frequent award: Outstanding Technical Direction, Camerawork, Video Control for a Series (5)

Source: Courtesy of CBS Television Distribution

20. Taxi
> All-time Emmys: 18
> Nominations: 34
> Years: 1978-1983
> Most frequent award: Outstanding Comedy Series (3)

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Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Television

19. Murphy Brown
> All-time Emmys: 18
> Nominations: 62
> Years: 1988-1998, 2018
> Most frequent award: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (4)

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18. American Masters
> All-time Emmys: 20
> Nominations: 55
> Years: 1985-present
> Most frequent award: Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series (9)

Source: Courtesy of HBO

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

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16. 24
> All-time Emmys: 20
> Nominations: 68
> Years: 2001-2010
> Most frequent award: Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score) (3)

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

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

Source: Courtesy of Sony Pictures Television

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

12. Modern Family
> All-time Emmys: 22
> Nominations: 81
> Years: 2009-present
> Most frequent award: Outstanding Comedy Series (5)

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Source: Courtesy of Comedy Central

11. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
> All-time Emmys: 23
> Nominations: 60
> Years: 1999-2015
> Most frequent award: Outstanding Variety, Music, or Comedy Series (10)

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

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Source: Courtesy of CBS Television Distribution

9. The Carol Burnett Show
> All-time Emmys: 25
> Nominations: 70
> Years: 1967-1978
> Most frequent award: Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series (5)

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

Source: Courtesy of NBC

7. Hill Street Blues
> All-time Emmys: 26
> Nominations: 98
> Years: 1981-1987
> Most frequent award: Outstanding Drama Series (4)

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Source: Courtesy of CBS Television Distribution

6. Cheers
> All-time Emmys: 28
> Nominations: 117
> Years: 1982-1993
> Most frequent 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
> Years: 1970-1977
> Most frequent 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: 89
> Years: 1989-present
> Most frequent award: Outstanding Voice-Over Performance (14)

Source: Courtesy of CBS Television Distribution

3. Frasier
> All-time Emmys: 37
> Nominations: 107
> Years: 1993-2004
> Most frequent award: Outstanding Multi-Camera Picture Editing for a Series (7)

Source: Courtesy of HBO

2. Game of Thrones
> All-time Emmys: 38
> Nominations: 128
> Years: 2011-present
> Most frequent award: Outstanding Special Visual Effects (5)

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1. Saturday Night Live
> All-time Emmys: 54
> Nominations: 242
> Years: 1975-present
> Most frequent award: Outstanding Technical Direction, Camerawork, Video Control for a Series (12)

Detailed findings

Among the longest-lived shows are “ER,” which ran for 15 years, and “The Simpsons,” which is still on the air after 29 seasons. “The Simpsons” has won 32 Emmy Awards compared with “ER’s” 23. That’s not surprising, considering that the animated series has had almost twice as long to be included in the awards ceremony. However, “ER” has had 124 nominations, more than not only “The Simpsons,” with its total of 89, but more than any other show on our list aside from “Saturday Night Live” and “Game of Thrones.”

Shows such as “Game of Thrones” prove that on-air longevity – though beneficial – is not the only way to collect a large number of the coveted statuettes. That show, which debuted on HBO in 2011, has won 38 Emmys, the second most in history. “Boardwalk Empire” is another example. The show was eligible for only the four years it aired, but it still racked up 20 Emmy wins.

Following the Sept. 17 awards ceremony, the ranking of top-winning shows may change. Of the 35 on our list, 13 continue to produce original episodes. All but three of these earned various Emmy nominations this year, most notably “Game of Thrones,” leading with 22 nominations, and “Saturday Night Live,” with 21.

Methodology

To determine the TV shows with the most Emmy wins of all time, 24/7 Wall St. calculated the total Emmy Award victories 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.