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A visual history · Emmys

The winners who defined Drama Series.

71 ceremonies, 1951–2025. 42 different winners. The longest run belongs to Hill Street Blues, with 4 straight wins.

Who won most recently?
The Pitt in 2025.
Who has won the most?
Game of Thrones, Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law, Mad Men and The West Wing, tied on 4 wins each.
  1. The PittHBO Max
  2. ShōgunFX
  3. SuccessionHBO
  4. SuccessionHBO
  5. The CrownNetflix
  6. SuccessionHBO
Years explored
1951–2025
Different winners
42
Category leader
Game of Thrones · 4
About this record

The award began at the 3rd Emmys in 1951, and in 1957, 1958, 1959 and 1965 no single drama-series award was presented.

2000–2025

26 ceremonies

19512025

01 / The reigns

The West Wing set the longest run.

The timeline turns the 2000–2025 record into a sequence of reigns. Longer bands reveal sustained runs; color shows the credited network.

  1. 01
    Game of Thrones4 wins
  2. 02
    Mad Men4 wins
  3. 03
    The West Wing4 wins
  4. 04
    Succession3 wins
  5. 05
    Breaking Bad2 wins
Each band is one winner’s reign. Wider means a longer run. Colored by network; hover for details.
The West Wing'00–'03×4
The Sopranos'04
Lost'05
24'06
The Sopranos'07
Mad Men'08–'11×4
Homeland'12
Breaking Bad'13–'14×2
Game of Thrones'15–'16×2
The Handmaid's Tale'17
Game of Thrones'18–'19×2
Succession'20
The Crown'21
Succession'22–'23×2
Shōgun'24
The Pitt'25

02 / The power map

Who stood behind the winners?

HBO leads the recorded network credits with 10 wins, 2000–2025. The full distribution shows whether power was concentrated or shared.

HBO10 wins
AMC6 wins
NBC4 wins
20th Century1 win
ABC1 win
FX1 win
Wins by network
  1. HBO1038%
  2. AMC623%
  3. NBC415%
  4. 20th Century14%
  5. ABC14%
  6. FX14%
  7. Other312%

03 / The near misses

The names that kept coming back without the ending they wanted.

Counting nominations in this category only, 2000–2025.

Most nominated, never won this award

  1. 01
    Better Call Saul
    7 noms
  2. 02
    Downton Abbey
    5 noms
  3. 03
    House of Cards
    5 noms
  4. 04
    Dexter
    4 noms
  5. 05
    House
    4 noms
  6. 06
    Stranger Things
    4 noms

Most losses in this category

  1. 01
    Better Call Saul
    7L · 0W
  2. 02
    Downton Abbey
    5L · 0W
  3. 03
    House of Cards
    5L · 0W
  4. 04
    The Crown
    5L · 1W
  5. 05
    24
    4L · 1W
  6. 06
    Dexter
    4L · 0W

04 / The archive

Every year.
Every winner.

The complete reference behind the story, showing 2000–2025. Open any year to see the rest of the field when nominee records are available.

YearWinnerNetwork
2025The Pitt
beat 7 others
  • Andor
  • The Diplomat
  • The Last of Us
  • Paradise
  • Severance
  • Slow Horses
  • The White Lotus
HBO Max
2024Shōgun
beat 7 others
  • The Crown
  • Fallout
  • The Gilded Age
  • The Morning Show
  • Mr. & Mrs. Smith
  • Slow Horses
  • 3 Body Problem
FX
2023Successionrepeat
beat 7 others
  • Andor
  • Better Call Saul
  • The Crown
  • House of the Dragon
  • The Last of Us
  • The White Lotus
  • Yellowjackets
HBO
2022Succession
beat 7 others
  • Better Call Saul
  • Euphoria
  • Ozark
  • Severance
  • Squid Game
  • Stranger Things
  • Yellowjackets
HBO
2021The Crown
beat 7 others
  • The Boys
  • Bridgerton
  • The Handmaid's Tale
  • Lovecraft Country
  • The Mandalorian
  • Pose
  • This Is Us
Netflix
2020Succession
beat 7 others
  • Better Call Saul
  • The Crown
  • The Handmaid's Tale
  • Killing Eve
  • The Mandalorian
  • Ozark
  • Stranger Things
HBO
2019Game of Thronesrepeat
beat 7 others
  • Better Call Saul
  • Bodyguard
  • Killing Eve
  • Ozark
  • Pose
  • Succession
  • This Is Us
HBO
2018Game of Thrones
beat 6 others
  • The Americans
  • The Crown
  • The Handmaid's Tale
  • Stranger Things
  • This Is Us
  • Westworld
HBO
2017The Handmaid's Tale
beat 6 others
  • Better Call Saul
  • The Crown
  • House of Cards
  • Stranger Things
  • This Is Us
  • Westworld
Hulu
2016Game of Thronesrepeat
beat 6 others
  • The Americans
  • Better Call Saul
  • Downton Abbey
  • Homeland
  • House of Cards
  • Mr. Robot
HBO
2015Game of Thrones
beat 6 others
  • Better Call Saul
  • Downton Abbey
  • Homeland
  • House of Cards
  • Mad Men
  • Orange Is the New Black
HBO
2014Breaking Badrepeat
beat 5 others
  • Downton Abbey
  • Game of Thrones
  • House of Cards
  • Mad Men
  • True Detective
AMC
2013Breaking Bad
beat 5 others
  • Downton Abbey
  • Game of Thrones
  • Homeland
  • House of Cards
  • Mad Men
AMC
2012Homeland
beat 5 others
  • Boardwalk Empire
  • Breaking Bad
  • Downton Abbey
  • Game of Thrones
  • Mad Men
Showtime
2011Mad Menrepeat
beat 5 others
  • Boardwalk Empire
  • Dexter
  • Friday Night Lights
  • Game of Thrones
  • The Good Wife
AMC
2010Mad Menrepeat
beat 5 others
  • Breaking Bad
  • Dexter
  • The Good Wife
  • Lost
  • True Blood
AMC
2009Mad Menrepeat
beat 6 others
  • Big Love
  • Breaking Bad
  • Damages
  • Dexter
  • House
  • Lost
AMC
2008Mad Men
beat 5 others
  • Boston Legal
  • Damages
  • Dexter
  • House
  • Lost
AMC
2007The Sopranos
beat 4 others
  • Boston Legal
  • Grey's Anatomy
  • Heroes
  • House
HBO
200624
beat 4 others
  • Grey's Anatomy
  • House
  • The Sopranos
  • The West Wing
Fox
2005Lost
beat 4 others
  • Deadwood
  • Six Feet Under
  • 24
  • The West Wing
ABC
2004The Sopranos
beat 4 others
  • CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
  • Joan of Arcadia
  • 24
  • The West Wing
HBO
2003The West Wingrepeat
beat 4 others
  • CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
  • Six Feet Under
  • The Sopranos
  • 24
NBC
2002The West Wingrepeat
beat 4 others
  • CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
  • Law & Order
  • Six Feet Under
  • 24
NBC
2001The West Wingrepeat
beat 4 others
  • ER
  • Law & Order
  • The Practice
  • The Sopranos
NBC
2000The West Wing
beat 4 others
  • ER
  • Law & Order
  • The Practice
  • The Sopranos
NBC