The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series is an annual award given to the best television comedy series of the year. From 1960 to 1964, this category was combined with the Comedy Specials (one time programs) category so that both type of programs competed for the same award during those years. The award goes to the producers of the series.
Milestones The Flintstones and Family Guy are the only animated sitcoms to be nominated for the award.What to watch for at the Emmys on Sunday - CNN.com As of 2020, Fleabag (United Kingdom)All of 'Fleabag's' Emmys 2019 wins lead British invasion - Los Angeles Times and Schitt's Creek (Canada) are the only shows from outside the United States to win this award.Canadians Rejoice as ‘Schitt's Creek’ Sweeps 2020 Emmy Awards - The New York Times
Up to the end of the twentieth century, the Big Three networks (ABC, CBS and NBC) had dominated the category. Especially since then, eight other networks have won the award: HBO (once with Sex and the City and three times with Veep) and Apple TV+ (two times with Ted Lasso and once with The Studio and Widow's Bay) four times, Fox (with Ally McBeal and Arrested Development) twice, and Amazon Prime Video (with The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), the BBC (with Fleabag; although seen later on Prime Video), Pop TV (with Schitt's Creek; originally seen on CBC Television), Max (with Hacks), and FX (with The Bear) once.
Winners and nominations The following tables, divided by decade, show the winners listed first in colored row, followed by the other nominees of the "Comedy Series" award, according to the Primetime Emmy Awards database:
1950s Year Program NetworkBest Comedy Show 1952(4th) The Red Skelton Show NBC The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show CBS The Herb Shriner Show ABC I Love Lucy CBS You Bet Your Life NBCBest Situation Comedy 1953(5th) I Love Lucy CBS The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet ABC Amos 'n' Andy CBS The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show Mister Peepers NBC Our Miss Brooks CBS 1954(6th) I Love Lucy CBS The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show CBS Mister Peepers NBC Our Miss Brooks CBS TopperBest Situation Comedy Series 1955(7th) Make Room for Daddy ABC The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show CBS I Love Lucy Mister Peepers NBC Our Miss Brooks CBS Private SecretaryBest Comedy Series 1956(8th) The Phil Silvers Show CBS The Bob Cummings Show NBC Caesar's Hour The George Gobel Show The Jack Benny Show CBS Make Room for Daddy ABC 1957(9th)In 1957, two separate series categories existed, Best Series – Half Hour or Less and Best Series – One Hour or More, and an award was given in each category. The Phil Silvers Show won Best Series – Half Hour or Less, while Caesar's Hour won Best Series – One Hour or More. For this year (and also in 1965), TV series were not segregated by genre so that comedy shows also competed with musical-variety shows, drama shows and interview shows. Best Series – Half Hour or Less The Phil Silvers Show (comedy) || style="background:#FAEB86;" | CBS|- | Alfred Hitchcock Presents (drama anthology) || CBS |- | Father Knows Best (comedy) || NBC |- | The Jack Benny Show (comedy) || rowspan=2|CBS |- | Person to Person (interviews) |- ! colspan="6"| Best Series – One Hour or More |- style="background:#FAEB86;" || Caesar's Hour (comedy) || style="background:#FAEB86;" | NBC|- | Climax! (drama anthology) || rowspan="3" | CBS |- | The Ed Sullivan Show (musical variety) |- | Omnibus (educational) |- | The Perry Como Show (musical variety) || NBC |- ! colspan="3"|Best Comedy Series |- | rowspan="5" style="text-align:center"| 1958(10th) || style="background:#FAEB86;" | The Phil Silvers Show CBS The Bob Cummings Show NBC Caesar's Hour Father Knows Best The Jack Benny Show CBS 1959(11th) The Jack Benny Show CBS The Bob Cummings Show NBC The Danny Thomas Show CBS Father Knows Best CBSNBC The Phil Silvers Show CBS The Red Skelton Show
1960s Year Program Producers NetworkOutstanding Program Achievement in the Field of Humor 1960(12th) The Art Carney Special NBC The Danny Thomas Show(Season 7) CBS Father Knows Best(Season 6) The Jack Benny Show(Season 10) The Red Skelton Show(Season 9) 1961(13th) The Jack Benny Show(Season 11)| | CBS|- | The Andy Griffith Show(Season 1) | | CBS |- | The Bob Hope Buick Show(Season 11) | | NBC |- | Candid Camera(Season 13) | | CBS |- | The Flintstones(Season 1) | | ABC |- | rowspan="6" style="text-align:center" | 1962(14th) |- style="background:#FAEB86;" | The Bob Newhart Show(Entire series)| | NBC|- | The Andy Griffith Show(Season 2) | | CBS |- | Car 54, Where Are You?(Season 1) | | rowspan="2" | NBC |- | Hazel(Season 1)
| The Red Skelton Show(Season 11) | | CBS |- | rowspan="5" style="text-align:center" | 1963(15th) |- style="background:#FAEB86;" | The Dick Van Dyke Show(Season 2)| Carl Reiner, producer| CBS|- | The Beverly Hillbillies(Season 1) | | CBS |- | The Danny Kaye Show with Lucille Ball | | NBC |- | McHale's Navy(Season 1) | | ABC |- ! colspan="4"|Outstanding Program Achievement in the Field of Comedy |- | rowspan="6" style="text-align:center" | 1964(16th) |- style="background:#FAEB86;" | The Dick Van Dyke Show(Season 3)| Carl Reiner, producer| CBS|- | The Bill Dana Show(Season 1) | | NBC |- | The Farmer's Daughter(Season 1) | | rowspan="2" | ABC |- | McHale's Navy(Season 2)
| That Was the Week That Was(Season 2) | | NBC |- ! colspan="4"|Outstanding Program Achievements in Entertainment |- | rowspan="16" style="text-align:center" | 1965(17th)1965 Emmy Awards |- style="background:#FAEB86;" | The Dick Van Dyke Show (comedy series)(Season 4)| Carl Reiner, producer| CBS|-style="background:#FAEB86;" | Hallmark Hall of Fame: "The Magnificent Yankee" (dramatic program)| George Schaefer, producer| NBC|-style="background:#FAEB86;" | My Name Is Barbra (variety program)| Richard Lewine, producer| rowspan="2"|CBS|-style="background:#FAEB86;" | New York Philharmonic Young People's Concerts with Leonard Bernstein (musical program)| Roger Englander, producer|- | The Andy Williams Show (variety series) | Bob Finkel, producer | rowspan="2"|NBC |- | Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre (dramatic series) | Dick Berg, producer |- | A Carol for Another Christmas (dramatic program) | Joseph L. Mankiewicz, producer | ABC |- | The Defenders (dramatic series) | Bob Markell, producer | CBS |- | Hallmark Hall of Fame (dramatic series) | George Schaefer, producer | rowspan="5"|NBC |- | The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (dramatic series) | Sam Rolfe, producer |- | Mr. Novak (dramatic series) | Leonard Freeman, producer |- | Profiles in Courage (dramatic series) | Robert Saudek, producer |- | Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color (children's program) | Walt Disney, producer |- | Who Has Seen the Wind? (dramatic program) | George Sidney, producer | ABC |- | The Wonderful World of Burlesque (variety program) | George Schaefer, producer | NBC |- ! colspan="4"|Outstanding Comedy Series |- | rowspan="6" style="text-align:center" | 1966(18th) |- style="background:#FAEB86;" | The Dick Van Dyke Show(Season 5)| Carl Reiner, producer| CBS|- | Batman(Season 1) | Howie Horwitz, producer | rowspan="2" | ABC |- | Bewitched(Season 2) | Jerry Davis, producer |- | Get Smart(Season 1) | Leonard B. Stern, executive producer | NBC |- | Hogan's Heroes(Season 1) | Edward H. Feldman, producer | CBS |- | rowspan="6" style="text-align:center" | 1967(19th) |- style="background:#FAEB86;" | The Monkees(Season 1)| Bert Schneider and Bob Rafelson, producers| NBC|- | The Andy Griffith Show(Season 7) | Bob Ross, producer | CBS |- | Bewitched(Season 3) | William Froug, producer | ABC |- | Get Smart(Season 2) | Arnie Rosen, producer | NBC |- | Hogan's Heroes(Season 2) | Edward H. Feldman, producer | CBS |- | rowspan="6" style="text-align:center" | 1968(20th) |- style="background:#FAEB86;" | Get Smart(Season 3)| Burt Nodella, producer| NBC|- | Bewitched(Season 4) | William Asher, producer | ABC |- | Family Affair(Season 2) | Edmund Hartmann, producer | rowspan="3" | CBS |- | Hogan's Heroes(Season 3) | Edward H. Feldman, producer |- | The Lucy Show(Season 6) | Tommy Thompson, producer |- | rowspan="6" style="text-align:center" | 1969(21st) |- style="background:#FAEB86;" | Get Smart(Season 4) Burt Nodella, producer NBC Bewitched(Season 5) William Asher, producer ABC Family Affair(Season 3) Edmund Hartmann, producer CBS Julia(Season 1) Hal Kanter, executive producer NBC The Ghost and Mrs. Muir(Season 1) Stanley Rubin, producer
1970s