Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series

The Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series is awarded to one television episode each year at the Primetime Emmy Awards. Often regarded as the highest honor that can be bestowed upon an individual episode of television, the nominees and winners often reflect outstanding achievement in character, emotion, and storytelling.

In the following list, the first titles listed in blue background or in bold are the winners; those not in blue or bolded are nominees, which are listed in alphabetical order. The years given are those in which the ceremonies took place.

Award winners and nominations

1950s

• 1955: Studio One - Reginald Rose for "Twelve Angry Men"
  • Climax! - David Dortort for "An Error in Chemistry"
  • Four Star Playhouse - Leonard Freeman for "The Answer"
  • Medic - James Moser for "White is the Color"
  • Philco Television Playhouse - Paddy Chayefsky

1960s

• 1960: The Twilight Zone - Rod Serling for multiple episodes
  • Ford Startime - James Costigan for "The Turn of the Screw"
  • Playhouse 90 - Loring Mandel for "Project Immortality"

• 1961: The Twilight Zone - Rod Serling for multiple episodes
  • DuPont Show of the Month - Dale Wasserman for "The Lincoln Murder Case"
  • Sacco-Vanzetti - Reginald Rose

• 1962: The Defenders - Reginald Rose for various episodes
  • Alcoa Premiere - Henry F. Greenberg for "People Need People"
  • Ben Casey - Jack Laird and Marcus W. Demian for "I Remember a Lemon Tree"
  • The Dick Powell Show - Richard Alan Simmons for "The Price of Tomatoes"
  • The Twilight Zone - Rod Serling for various episodes

• 1963: The Defenders - Robert Thom and Reginald Rose for "The Madman"
  • Ben Casey - Norman Katkov for "A Cardinal Act of Mercy - Parts I & II"
  • DuPont Show of the Week - Sidney Carroll for "Big Deal in Laredo"
  • Hallmark Hall of Fame - James Lee for "The Invincible Mr. Disraeli"
  • Premiere, Presented by Fred Astaire - Halsted Welles for "The Voice of Charlie Pont"

• 1966: Hallmark Hall of Fame - Millard Lampell for "Eagle in a Cage"
  • Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theater - S. Lee Pogostin for "The Game"
  • I Spy - Morton Fine & David Friedkin for "A Cup of Kindness"

• 1967: Mission: Impossible - Bruce Geller for "Mission: Impossible"
  • CBS Playhouse - Ronald Ribman for "The Final War of Olly Winter"
  • I Spy - Robert Culp for "The Warlord"

• 1968: CBS Playhouse - Loring Mandel for "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night"
  • CBS Playhouse - Reginald Rose for "Dear Friends"
  • Ironside - Don Mankiewicz for "Ironside: World Premiere Motion Picture"
  • Mission: Impossible - William Read Woodfield & Allan Balter for "The Seal"

• 1969: CBS Playhouse - J. P. Miller for "The People Next Door"
  • CBS Playhouse - Ellen M. Violett for "The Experiment"
  • Hallmark Hall of Fame - Allan Sloane for "Teacher, Teacher"

1970s

• 1970: My Sweet Charlie - Richard Levinson & William Link
  • ABC Movie of the Week - Don M. Mankiewicz and David Victor for "Marcus Welby, M.D. (pilot)"
  • CBS Playhouse - George Bellak for "Sadbird"

• 1971: The Bold Ones: "The Senator" - Joel Oliansky and Preston Wood for "To Taste of Death But Once"
  • The Bold Ones: "The Senator" - David W. Rintels for "A Continual Roar of Musketry - Parts I & II"
  • The Psychiatrist - Jerrold Freedman for "In Death's Other Kingdom"

• 1972: Columbo - Richard Levinson & William Link for "Death Lends a Hand"
  • Columbo - Steven Bochco for Murder By the Book
  • Columbo - Jackson Gillis for "Suitable for Framing"

• 1973: The Waltons - John McGreevey for "The Scholar"
  • Columbo - Steven Bochco and William Link & Richard Levinson for "Etude in Black"
  • The Waltons - Earl Hamner for "The Love Story"

• 1974: The Waltons - Joanna Lee and Earl Hamner for "The Thanksgiving Story"
  • Kojak - Gene R. Kearney for "Death is Not a Passing Grade"
  • The Waltons - John McGreevey and Earl Hamner for "The Easter Story"

• 1975: Benjamin Franklin - Howard Fast for "Benjamin Franklin: The Ambassador"
  • Benjamin Franklin - Loring Mandel for "Benjamin Franklin: The Whirlwind"
  • Upstairs Downstairs - John Hawkesworth for "The Bolter"
  • Upstairs Downstairs - Alfred Shaughnessy for "Miss Forrest"
  • Police Story - Robert L. Collins for "Robbery: 48 Hours"

• 1976: The Adams Chronicles - Sherman Yellen for "John Adams: Lawyer"
  • Great Performances - Julian Mitchell for "Jennie: Lady Randolph Churchill"
  • The Law - Joel Oliansky for "Complaint Amended"
  • Upstairs Downstairs - Alfred Shaughnessy for "Another Year"
  • Rich Man, Poor Man - Dean Riesner for "Rich Man, Poor Man: The First 12 Hours"

• 1977: Roots - William Blinn and Ernest Kinoy for "Show #2"
  • The Adams Chronicles - Roger O. Hirson for "Charles Francis Adams: Minister to Great Britain"
  • The Adams Chronicles - Tad Mosel for "John Quincy Adams: President"
  • Roots - James Lee for "Show #5"
  • Roots - M. Charles Cohen for "Show #8"

• 1978: Holocaust - Gerald Green
  • The Dain Curse - Robert W. Lenski
  • King - Abby Mann for "Parts I, II & III"
  • Meeting of Minds - Steve Allen
  • The Norman Conquests - Alan Ayckbourn

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

Total awards

• NBC - 17
• CBS - 16
• ABC - 6
• HBO - 6
• AMC - 3
• Fox - 3
• PBS - 1
• WB - 1

Programs with multiple awards

6 awards

• The Sopranos (HBO)

3 awards

• The Defenders (CBS)
• Hill Street Blues (NBC)
• L.A. Law (NBC)
• Mad Men (AMC)
• NYPD Blue (ABC)

2 awards

• CBS Playhouse (CBS)
• Lou Grant (CBS)
• thirtysomething (ABC)
• The Twilight Zone (CBS)
• The Waltons (CBS)

Programs with multiple nominations

21 nominations

• The Sopranos (HBO)

16 nominations

• Hill Street Blues (NBC)

12 nominations

• L.A. Law (NBC)
• NYPD Blue (ABC)

10 nominations

• Mad Men (AMC)
• St. Elsewhere (NBC)

9 nominations

• Lou Grant (CBS)

7 nominations

• ER (NBC)

6 nominations

• CBS Playhouse (CBS)
• Hallmark Hall of Fame (NBC)
• Lost (ABC)
• Northern Exposure (CBS)

5 nominations

• Playhouse 90 (CBS)
• thirtysomething (ABC)
• The West Wing (NBC)

4 nominations

• Columbo (NBC)
• Moonlighting (ABC)
• The Waltons (CBS)
• The X-Files (FOX)

3 nominations

• The Adams Chronicles (PBS)
• Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre (NBC)
• Cagney & Lacey (CBS)
• The Defenders (CBS)
• Roots (ABC)
• The Twilight Zone (CBS)
• Upstairs, Downstairs (PBS)

2 nominations

• Alcoa-Goodyear Theatre (NBC)
• Battlestar Galactica (Syfy)
• Ben Casey (ABC)
• Benjamin Franklin (CBS)
• The Bold Ones: The Senator (NBC)
• China Beach (ABC)
• Friday Night Lights (DirecTV)
• Grey's Anatomy (ABC)
• Homicide: Life on the Street (NBC)
• I Spy (NBC)
• Mission: Impossible (CBS)
• Six Feet Under (HBO)
• Twin Peaks (ABC)
• The Wire (HBO)