Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Award is an American award bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American primetime television programming. First given out in 1949, the award was originally referred to as simply the "Emmy Awards" until the first Daytime Emmy Award ceremony was held in 1974 and the word "prime time" was added to distinguish between the two.
The Primetime Emmy Awards generally air in mid-September, on the Sunday before the official start of the fall television season. They are currently seen in rotation among the four major networks. Each network airs the ceremony every four years. The ceremony is typically moved to late-August if it is broadcast by NBC, so that it does not conflict with NBC's commitment to broadcasting Sunday-night NFL games. However, the 2018 ceremony, broadcast by NBC, was moved back to September and aired on a Monday.
They are considered television's equivalent to the Academy Awards, Grammy Awards, and Tony Awards. The awards are divided into three categories: Primetime Emmy Awards, Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, and Primetime Engineering Emmy Awards.
Rules
Among the Primetime Emmy Award rules, a show must originally air on American television during the eligibility period between June 1 and May 31 of any given year. In order to be considered a national primetime show, the program must air between 6:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m., and to at least 50 percent of the country. A show that enters into the Primetime Emmy Awards cannot also be entered into the Daytime Emmy Awards or any other national Emmy competition. For shows in syndication, whose air times vary between media markets, they can either be entered in the Daytime or Primetime Emmy Awards, but not in both. For game shows that reach the 50 percent threshold, they can be entered into the Daytime Emmy Awards if they normally air before 8 p.m ; otherwise, they are only eligible for the Primetime Emmy Awards. For web television programs, they must be available for downloading or streaming to more than 50 percent of the country, and like shows in syndication they can only enter in one of the national Emmy competitions.Shows that are offered for pre-sale to consumers, whether on home video devices or via the Web, are ineligible if the pre-sale period starts more than 7 days before the show's initial airing. Also, a show that receives what the Academy calls a "general theatrical release" before its first airing is ineligible. The definition of this phrase excludes limited releases for the specific purpose of award qualification, such as screenings at film festivals or the one-week releases in Los Angeles required for Oscar eligibility.
Entries must be submitted by the end of April, even if a show is not scheduled to originally air until the following month when the eligibility period ends in May. Most award categories also require entries to include DVDs or tape masters of the show. For most series categories, any six episodes that originally aired during the eligibility period must be submitted. For most individual achievement categories, only one episode is required to be submitted; if an episode is a two-parter, both parts may be included on the submitted DVD.
Ballots to select the nominations are sent to Academy members in June. For most categories, members from each of the branches vote to determine the nominees only in their respective categories. All members can however vote for nominations in the best program categories. The final voting poll to determine the winners is held in August, and is done by judging panels. In June, the Academy solicits volunteers among its active members to serve on these panels. All active members may serve on the program panels; otherwise they are restricted to those categories within their own branch.
Categories
Primetime Emmy Awards
The Primetime Emmy Award is awarded in the following categories:;Programs
- Outstanding Comedy Series
- Outstanding Drama Series
- Outstanding Limited Series
- Outstanding Competition Program
- Outstanding Television Movie
- Outstanding Variety Sketch Series
- Outstanding Variety Talk Series
- Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series
- Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series
- Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special
- Outstanding Directing for a Variety Series
- Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series
- Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
- Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special
- Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series
;Lead Actor
- Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
- Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
- Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie
- Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
- Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
- Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie
- Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
- Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
- Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie
- Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
- Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
- Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie
Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards
;Programs
- Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series
- Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special
- Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking
- Outstanding Hosted Nonfiction Series or Special
- Outstanding Short Form Comedy or Drama Series
- Outstanding Short Form Nonfiction or Reality Series
- Outstanding Short Form Variety Series
- Outstanding Structured Reality Program
- Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program
- Outstanding Variety Sketch Series
- Outstanding Variety Special
- Outstanding Variety Special
- Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance
- Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series
- Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
- Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series
- Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
- Outstanding Narrator
- Outstanding Actor in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series
- Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series
- Outstanding Animated Program
- Outstanding Short Form Animated Program
- Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation
- Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series
- Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series
- Outstanding Casting for a Limited Series, Movie, or Special
- Outstanding Casting for a Reality Program
;Choreography
- Outstanding Choreography for Scripted Programming
- Outstanding Choreography for Variety and Reality Programming
- Outstanding Cinematography for a Limited Series or Movie
- Outstanding Cinematography for a Multi-Camera Series
- Outstanding Cinematography for a Nonfiction Program
- Outstanding Cinematography for a Reality Program
- Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series
- Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series
;Costumes
- Outstanding Contemporary Costumes
- Outstanding Fantasy/Sci-Fi Costumes
- Outstanding Period Costumes
- Outstanding Costumes for a Variety, Nonfiction, or Reality Programming
- Outstanding Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program
- Outstanding Directing for a Reality Program
- Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special
- Contemporary Hairstyling
- Contemporary Hairstyling for a Variety, Nonfiction or Reality Program
- Period and/or Character Hairstyling
;Interactive Media
- Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media within a Scripted Program
- Outstanding Creative Achievement in Interactive Media within an Unscripted Program
- Outstanding Innovation in Interactive Programming
- Outstanding Interactive Program
- Outstanding Original Interactive Program
- Outstanding Lighting Design / Lighting Direction for a Variety Series
- Outstanding Lighting Design / Lighting Direction for a Variety Special
;Makeup
- Outstanding Contemporary Makeup for a Variety, Nonfiction or Reality Program
- Outstanding Makeup for a Limited Series or Movie
- Outstanding Makeup for a Single-Camera Series
- Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup for a Series, Limited Series, Movie, or Special
- Outstanding Music Composition for a Documentary Series or Special
- Outstanding Music Composition for a Limited Series, Movie, or Special
- Outstanding Music Composition for a Series
- Outstanding Music Direction
- Outstanding Music Supervision
- Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music
- Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics
- Outstanding Multi-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series
- Outstanding Picture Editing for a Nonfiction Program
- Outstanding Picture Editing for a Structured Reality or Competition Program
- Outstanding Picture Editing for an Unstructured Reality Program
- Outstanding Picture Editing for Variety Programming
- Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series
- Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series
- Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Limited Series or Movie
- Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Contemporary Program
- Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Program
- Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Period or Fantasy Program
- Outstanding Production Design for a Variety, Reality, or Competition Series
- Outstanding Production Design for a Variety Special
- Outstanding Sound Editing for a Comedy or Drama Series
- Outstanding Sound Editing for a Comedy or Drama Series and Animation
- Outstanding Sound Editing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Special
- Outstanding Sound Editing for a Nonfiction or Reality Program
- Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series
- Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series and Animation
- Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Limited Series or Movie
- Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Nonfiction or Reality Program
- Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Variety Series or Special
;Stunt Coordination
- Outstanding Stunt Coordination for a Comedy Series or Variety Program
- Outstanding Stunt Coordination for a Drama Series, Limited Series, or Movie
- Outstanding Technical Direction, Camerawork, Video Control for a Series
- Outstanding Technical Direction, Camerawork, Video Control for a Limited Series, Movie, or Special
- Outstanding Writing for Nonfiction Programming
- Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special
Primetime Emmy Engineering Awards
- Engineering Plaque
- Engineering Certificate
- Outstanding Achievement in Engineering Development
- Charles H. Jenkins Lifetime Achievement Award
- Outstanding Achievement in Engineering Development
- Philo T. Farnsworth Corporate Achievement Engineering Award
Retired categories
- Best Live Show
- Best New Program
- Super Emmy Award
- Outstanding Costumes for a Series
- Best Specialty Act - Single or Group
- Outstanding Voice-Over Performance
- Outstanding Variety, Music, or Comedy Series
- Outstanding Art Direction for a Miniseries or Movie
- Outstanding Art Direction for a Single-Camera Series
- Outstanding Costumes for a Miniseries, Movie, or Special
- Outstanding Hairstyling for a Limited Series or Movie
- Outstanding Hairstyling for a Single-Camera Series
- Outstanding Short-Format Live-Action Entertainment Program
- Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program
- Program of the Year
- Best Kinescope Show
- Best Sports Coverage †
- Best Western Series
- Outstanding Sports Personality †
- Outstanding Live Sports Special †
- Most Outstanding Live Personality
- Most Outstanding Kinescoped Personality
- Outstanding Classical Music-Dance Program
- Outstanding Program Achievement in Daytime Drama ‡
- Outstanding Program Achievement by Individuals in Daytime Drama ‡
- Outstanding Children's Nonfiction, Reality, or Reality-Competition Program
Records
Overall wins for a performer, program, etc.
;Most wins for a network in a single year- CBS – 44
- Game of Thrones – 12
- Saturday Night Live – 72
- Frasier – 37
- Game of Thrones – 59
- John Adams – 13
- "Boardwalk Empire" – 6
- "Battle of the Bastards" – 6
- Behind the Candelabra and Eleanor and Franklin – 11
- The Simpsons – 34
- The Kennedy Center Honors – 15
- Saturday Night Live – 72
- Dancing with the Stars – 17
- The Mary Tyler Moore Show – 16
- Breaking Bad, The Sopranos, and The West Wing – 9
- Angels in America – 4
- The Glass Menagerie – 4
- The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel – 16
- The Simpsons – 6
- Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Selina Meyer for Veep – 6
- RuPaul Charles for RuPaul's Drag Race – 4
- Jeff Probst for Survivor – 4
- Game of Thrones – 4
- Hill Street Blues – 4
- L.A. Law – 4
- The West Wing – 4
- Mad Men – 4
- Frasier – 5
- Modern Family – 5
- The Simpsons – 11
- Harvey Korman – 4
- The Kennedy Center Honors – 7
- The Daily Show with Jon Stewart – 11
- The Amazing Race – 10
- Game of Thrones – 12
- The West Wing – 9
- Frasier – 6
- The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel – 8
- Game of Thrones – 12
- The West Wing – 9
- Moira Demos – 4
- Amy Sherman-Palladino – 4
- Jon Stewart – 22
- Sheila Nevins – 31
- Cloris Leachman and Julia Louis-Dreyfus – 8
- NBC
Overall nominations for a performer, program, etc.
- Netflix – 160
- Saturday Night Live – 285
- Cheers – 117
- Game of Thrones – 160
- Roots – 37
- Grey Gardens – 17
- Eleanor and Franklin – 17
- Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee – 17
- – 17
- The Simpsons – 95
- Dancing with the Stars – 108
- Saturday Night Live – 285
- The Kennedy Center Honors – 59
- Tom Bergeron and Heidi Klum – 9
- 30 Rock – 13
- Glee – 19
- Games of Thrones – 32
- NYPD Blue – 27
- Louis C.K. – 9
- Lorne Michaels – 89
- Law & Order – 11
- Cheers and M*A*S*H – 11
- The Simpsons – 28
- House of Cards – 56
- The Amazing Race – 17
- Saturday Night Live – 19
- The Kennedy Center Honors – 11
- Billy Crystal – 12
- Saturday Night Live – 22
- American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, RuPaul's Drag Race, and The Voice – 10
- Mad Men – 17
- The Simpsons – 9
- The West Wing – 12
- 30 Rock – 22
- Games of Thrones – 32
- And the Band Played On, The Glass Menagerie, and The Normal Heart – 6
- Roots – 13