Primetime Emmy Award For Outstanding Drama Series

This page lists the winners and nominees for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series, since its institution in 1951. The award is often cited as one of the "main awards" at the Emmys ceremonies, and has changed names many times in its history. It was first called Best Dramatic Show from 1951 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 with a winner selected from each category. 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.

Since 2000, every single winner has been a serial drama: The West Wing (2000, 2001, 2002, 2003), The Sopranos (2004, 2007), Lost (2005), 24 (2006), Mad Men (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011), and Homeland (2012). Since the advent of Hill Street Blues in 1981, every winner has had some serialized arcs with the exception of Law & Order.