PRIMETIME EMMY AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES

The Primetime Emmy Award for best drama has changed names many times in its history. It was First called 'Best Dramatic Show' from 1952 to 1954, then 'Best Dramatic Series' in 1955 and 1956. In 1957 no specific award for drama was given, but in 1958 its name was changed again and this time it was two separate categories 'Best Dramatic Anthology Series', and 'Best Dramatic Series with Continuing Characters' but only one winner was picked from the two categories. The name was changed again in 1959 to 'Best Dramatic Series - Less Than One Hour'. In 1960 the name was changed yet again to 'Outstanding Program Achievement in the Field of Drama', this name was kept from 1960 to 1964. In 1966 it had its sixth name change to 'Outstanding Dramatic Series or Outstanding Series-Drama' this was used from 1966 until recently, when it became 'Outstanding Drama Series'.

★ 1952 - ''Studio One'' - CBS

★ 1953 - ''Robert Montgomery Presents'' - NBC

★ 1954 - ''The United States Steel Hour'' - ABC

★ 1955 - ''The United States Steel Hour'' - ABC

★ 1956 - ''Producers' Showcase'' - NBC

★ 1957 - No award that year.

★ 1958 - ''Gunsmoke'' - CBS (Dramatic Series with Continuing Characters)

★ 1959 - ''Alcoa theatre'' - NBC

★ 1960 - ''Playhouse 90'' - CBS

★ 1961 - ''Macbeth'' aired as part of the ''Hallmark Hall of Fame''

★ 1962 - ''The Defenders'' - CBS

★ 1963 - ''The Defenders'' - CBS

★ 1964 - ''The Defenders'' - CBS

★ 1965 - Unknown

★ 1966 - ''The Fugitive'' - ABC

★ 1967 - '' - CBS

★ 1968 - ''Mission: Impossible'' - CBS

★ 1969 - ''Ironside'' - NBC

★ 1970 - ''Marcus Welby, M.D.'' - ABC

★ 1971 - ''The Bold Ones: The Senator'' - NBC

★ 1972 - ''Elizabeth R'' - PBS - (Shown within Masterpiece Theatre)

★ 1973 - ''The Waltons'' - CBS

★ 1974 - ''Upstairs, Downstairs'' - PBS (Shown within Masterpiece Theatre)

★ 1975 - ''Upstairs, Downstairs'' - PBS (Shown within Masterpiece Theatre)

★ 1976 - ''Police Story'' - NBC

★ 1977 - ''Upstairs, Downstairs'' - PBS (Shown within Masterpiece Theatre)

★ 1978 - ''The Rockford Files'' - NBC

★ 1979 - ''Lou Grant'' - CBS

★ 1980 - ''Lou Grant'' - CBS

★ 1981 - ''Hill Street Blues'' - NBC

★ 1982 - ''Hill Street Blues'' - NBC

★ 1983 - ''Hill Street Blues'' - NBC

★ 1984 - ''Hill Street Blues'' - NBC

★ 1985 - ''Cagney & Lacey'' - CBS

★ 1986 - ''Cagney & Lacey'' - CBS

★ 1987 - ''L.A. Law'' - NBC

★ 1988 - ''thirtysomething'' - ABC

★ 1989 - ''L.A. Law'' - NBC

★ 1990 - ''L.A. Law'' - NBC

★ 1991 - ''L.A. Law'' - NBC

★ 1992 - ''Northern Exposure'' - CBS

★ 1993 - ''Picket Fences'' - CBS

★ 1994 - ''Picket Fences'' - CBS

★ 1995 - ''NYPD Blue'' - ABC

★ 1996 - ''ER'' - NBC

★ 1997 - ''Law & Order'' - NBC

★ 1998 - ''The Practice'' - ABC

★ 1999 - ''The Practice'' - ABC

★ 2000 - ''The West Wing'' - NBC

★ 2001 - ''The West Wing'' - NBC

★ 2002 - ''The West Wing'' - NBC

★ 2003 - ''The West Wing'' - NBC

★ 2004 - ''The Sopranos'' - HBO

★ 2005 - ''Lost - ABC

★ 2006 - ''24'' - FOX

Contents

Number of Wins

Number of Wins

'Networks'

★ NBC- 22 (record 4 consecutive wins)

★ CBS- 14 (record 3 consecutive wins)

★ ABC- 9 (record 2 consecutive wins)

★ PBS- 4 (record 2 consecutive wins)

★ FOX- 1

★ HBO- 1
'Series'
'4 wins'

★ The West Wing (4 consecutive wins)

★ Hill Street Blues (4 consecutive wins)

★ L.A. Law (3 consecutive wins)
'3 wins'

★ Upstairs, Downstairs (shown within Masterpiece Theatre)
'2 wins'

★ The Practice (2 consecutive wins)

★ Mission: Impossible (2 consecutive wins)

★ Picket Fences (2 consecutive wins)

★ Lou Grant (2 consecutive wins)

★ Cagney and Lacey (2 consecutive wins)

★ The Defenders (2 consecutive wins excluding the year in which there was
★ no award)

★ The United States Steel Hour (2 consecutive wins)
'1 win'

★ 24

★ Lost

★ The Sopranos

★ Law and Order

★ ER

★ NYPD Blue

★ Northern Exposure

★ thirtysomething

★ The Rockford Files

★ Police Story

★ The Waltons

★ Elizabeth R.

★ The Bold Ones: The Senator

★ Marcus Welby, M.D.

★ Ironside

★ The Fugitive

★ Macbeth

★ Playhouse 90

★ Alcoa Theatre

★ Gunsmoke

★ Producer's Showcase

★ Robert Montgomery Presents

★ Studio One