Vince Gilligan is an American director, producer, and screenwriter who has received various awards and nominations, including one British Academy Television Award, one Directors Guild of America Award, one Golden Globe Award, five Primetime Emmy Awards, two Producers Guild of America Awards, and seven Writers Guild of America Awards (including the honorary Laurel Award for TV Writing Achievement).
Gilligan received his first three Primetime Emmy Award nominations for his work as a producer and screenwriter on the fourth and fifth seasons of the science fiction drama television series The X-Files (1993–2002). He rose to prominence with AMC's crime drama television series Breaking Bad (2008–2013), which he created, directed, produced and wrote. The series' five seasons received universal acclaim, with critics lauding it as one of the greatest television series of all time.Sources that refer to Breaking Bad being praised as one of the greatest television shows of all time include:
Breaking Bad earned Gilligan a total of nine Primetime Emmy Award nominations, winning two consecutive awards for Outstanding Drama Series for the show's two-part final season. The series also earned him a BAFTA TV Award for Best International Programme, a Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Drama, two Producers Guild of America Awards for Best Episodic Drama, a Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series for the final episode "Felina", and five Writers Guild of America Awards in the categories Best Dramatic Series and Best Episodic Drama.
In 2015, Gilligan developed a Breaking Bad spin-off centered around the character of Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk), titled Better Call Saul (2015–2022). It earned him ten Primetime Emmy Award nominations, winning two awards for Outstanding Short Form Comedy or Drama Series for the two short form web series Employee Training with Gus Fring (2017) and Ethics Training with Kim Wexler (2020). In 2019, he wrote and directed the film El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, that serves as a sequel and epilogue to Breaking Bad, continuing the story of Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul). The film was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Television Movie, while Gilligan received his third Directors Guild of America Award nomination.
In 2025, Gilligan's post-apocalyptic science fiction television series Pluribus (2025–present) premiered on Apple TV. It has earned him further nominations at the BAFTA TV Awards, Golden Globes, and Writers Guild of America Awards, while he received his fifth Emmy Award, Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series for the premiere episode "We Is Us".
Awards and nominations
+Awards and nominations received by Vince Gilligan Award Year Work Category Result American Cinema Editors Awards 2018 ACE Golden Eddie Filmmaker of the Year Award British Academy Television Awards 2014 Breaking Bad (season 5, part II) Best International Programme 2026 Pluribus (season 1) Best International Programme Directors Guild of America Awards 2012 Breaking Bad (episode: "Face Off") Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Series 2014 Breaking Bad (episode: "Felina") Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Series 2020 El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television and Limited Series 2021 Better Call Saul (episode: "Bagman") Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Series 2023 Better Call Saul (episode: "Waterworks") Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Series Edgar Awards 2011 Breaking Bad (episode: "Full Measure") Best Television Episode Teleplay Breaking Bad (episode: "No Más") Golden Globes 2013 Breaking Bad (season 5, part I) Best Television Series – Drama 2014 Breaking Bad (season 5, part II) Best Television Series – Drama 2023 Better Call Saul (season 6) Best Television Series – Drama 2026 Pluribus (season 1) Best Television Series – Drama Gotham TV Awards 2026 Pluribus (season 1) Breakthrough Drama Series Hugo Awards 2026 Pluribus (episode: "We Is Us") Best Dramatic Presentation – Short Form Humanitas Prize 2011 Breaking Bad (episode: "Peekaboo") 60 Minute Network or Syndicated Television Location Managers Guild Awards 2026 Eva Monley Award Primetime Emmy Awards 1997 The X-Files (season 4) Outstanding Drama Series The X-Files (episode: "Memento Mori") Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series 1998 The X-Files (season 5) Outstanding Drama Series 2008 Breaking Bad (episode: "Pilot") Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series 2009 Breaking Bad (season 2) Outstanding Drama Series 2010 Breaking Bad (season 3) Outstanding Drama Series 2012 Breaking Bad (season 4) Outstanding Drama Series Breaking Bad (episode: "Face Off") Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series 2013 Breaking Bad (season 5, part I) Outstanding Drama Series 2014 Breaking Bad (season 5, part II) Outstanding Drama Series Breaking Bad (episode: "Felina") Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series 2015 Better Call Saul (season 1) Outstanding Drama Series 2016 Better Call Saul (season 2) Outstanding Drama Series 2017 Better Call Saul (season 3) Outstanding Drama Series Better Call Saul (episode: "Witness") Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series Better Call Saul Employee Training: Los Pollos Hermanos Employee Training Outstanding Short Form Comedy or Drama Series 2019 Better Call Saul (season 4) Outstanding Drama Series 2020 Better Call Saul (season 5) Outstanding Drama Series El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie Outstanding Television Movie Better Call Saul Employee Training: Legal Ethics with Kim Wexler Outstanding Short Form Comedy or Drama Series 2022 Better Call Saul (season 6, part I) Outstanding Drama Series 2023 Better Call Saul (season 6, part II) Outstanding Drama Series 2026 Pluribus (season 1) Outstanding Drama Series Pluribus (episode "We Is Us") Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series Producers Guild of America Awards 2010 Breaking Bad (season 2) Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama 2011 Breaking Bad (season 3) Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama 2013 Breaking Bad (season 4) Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama 2014 Breaking Bad (season 5, part I) Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama 2015 Breaking Bad (season 5, part II) Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama 2016 Better Call Saul (season 1) Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama 2017 Better Call Saul (season 2) Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama 2019 Better Call Saul (season 4) Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama 2020 El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie Outstanding Producer of Streamed or Televised Movies 2021 Better Call Saul (season 5) Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama 2023 Better Call Saul (season 6) Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama Better Call Saul: Filmmaker Training Outstanding Short-Form Program 2026 Pluribus (season 1) Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama Saturn Awards 2013 Dan Curtis Legacy Award Seoul International Drama Awards 2026 Pluribus (season 1) Best Director Best Screenwriter Writers Guild of America Awards 2009 Breaking Bad (season 1) Best New Series Breaking Bad (episode: "Pilot") Best Episodic Drama 2010 Breaking Bad (season 2) Best Dramatic Series 2011 Breaking Bad (season 3) Best Dramatic Series 2012 Breaking Bad (season 4) Best Dramatic Series Breaking Bad (episode: "Box Cutter") Best Episodic Drama 2013 Breaking Bad (season 5, part I) Best Dramatic Series 2014 Breaking Bad (season 5, part II) Best Dramatic Series 2016 Better Call Saul (season 1) Best Dramatic Series Best New Series Better Call Saul (episode: "Uno") Best Episodic Drama 2017 Better Call Saul (season 2) Best Dramatic Series Better Call Saul (episode: "Klick") Best Episodic Drama 2018 Better Call Saul (season 3) Best Dramatic Series 2019 Better Call Saul (season 4) Best Dramatic Series 2020 El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie Best Long Form Television – Adapted 2021 Better Call Saul (season 5) Best Dramatic Series 2023 Better Call Saul (season 6) Best Dramatic Series 2025 Laurel Award for TV Writing Achievement 2026 Pluribus (season 1) Best Dramatic Series Best New Series
Notes
See also List of accolades received by El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie List of accolades received by The X-Files List of awards and nominations received by Better Call Saul List of awards and nominations received by Breaking Bad
References
External links List of awards and nominations at IMDb