Most Popular Emmy Nominated Shows of All Time

“Big Little Lies” was initially planned as a seven-episode miniseries based on a book of the same name by writer Liane Moriarty. The show scored sixteen Emmy nominations following its 2017 debut and won eight. It was expanded into a full series by HBO and Moriarty was reenlisted to write a novella as the basis for season two.

While the “Archer” title has technically been connected to two Emmy wins, only one was for the actual show. Executive producer Adam Reed and company scored the Best Animated Program award for the show in 2016 and the other Emmy came that same year for an interactive game based on the show.

The Zach Braff led “Scrubs” was nominated for 17 Emmys and won two during its run from 2001 to 2010. One of the show’s wins came for Outstanding Multi-Camera Picture Editing for a Series. Ironically, the winning episode, titled “My Life in Four Cameras,” poked fun at multi-camera sitcoms.

“Futurama” tells the story of Philip J. Fry, a pizza guy who is accidentally transported from 1999 to 2999. Created in part by “Simpsons” mastermind Matt Groening, the show earned almost immediate Emmy success, scoring a nomination after its debut season in 1999 and a win in 2000. In 2011 the show won for Outstanding Animated Program for the second time.

Seth MacFarlane and Alex Borstein have been regular nominees at the Emmys for their voice-over work on “Family Guy.” MacFarlane not only created the show but also voices Peter Griffin, Stewie Griffin, Brian Griffin, Glenn Quagmire, Tom Tucker and Seamus. Borstein voices Lois Griffin and Tricia Takanawa.

“Six Feet Under” scored an impressive 53 Emmy nominations during its run on HBO between 2001 and 2005. Patricia Clarkson (Aunt Sarah) won the Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series in both 2002 and 2006 for her appearances on the show. Other wins include Outstanding Casting For A Drama Series in 2003 and Outstanding Main Title Theme Music in 2002.

Alex Hirsh took inspiration from his own childhood when creating the hit Disney Television Animation series “Gravity Falls.” The show follows city kids Dipper and Mabel Pines as they spend summer vacation in the country with their eccentric great-uncle Stan, who was based directly on Hirsh’s grandfather.

“Community” was a hit with viewers and critics alike but only scored three Emmy nominations and zero wins in its run from 2009 to 2015. The show was mired in controversy between star Chevy Chase and creator Dan Harmon, leading to Harmon’s exit in 2012. Though Harmon earned vocal support from some cast members, all three Emmy nods came after his departure.

Late night talk series “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” will be well represented at the 2019 Emmy Awards with nine nominations. It follows a strong year in 2018, when the show earned nine nominations and four wins, including Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series, Outstanding Variety Talk Series, Outstanding Picture Editing for Variety Programming and Outstanding Interactive Program.

HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire” tells the story of Nucky Thompson, a prohibition era politician and mob boss in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Over five seasons the show racked up 57 Primetime Emmy nominations with 20 wins, including two for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series. Bobby Cannavale also won for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2013 for his role as Gyp Rosetti.

“Battlestar Galactica” commenced its four-season run in 2004 with widespread critical acclaim. By later seasons the show’s luster faded, however, and the series finale has remained controversial. Sci-fi legend George R. R. Martin blasted the finale on his blog writing, “Looks like somebody skipped Writing 101, when you learn that a deus ex machina is a crappy way to end a story.”

The HBO series “Rome” centers on two centurions in Roman legions who rise and fall amongst the city’s various social classes. Initially planned as a multi-season series, the show was cut short due to its exceptionally high cost. In just two seasons “Rome” scored 15 Emmy nominations and seven wins, including back-to-back awards for art direction and hair styling.

“Shameless” tells the story of a poor Chicago family and its patriarch Frank Gallagher (William H. Macy). Despite pressure from producers, showrunner John Wells carefully avoided setting the show in the South or in a trailer park to avoid relying on stereotypes. The show has earned 14 Emmy nominations with three wins over the course of nine seasons.

After two seasons on American television, “Downton Abbey” became the most nominated British show of all time at the Emmys, with 27 nominations in 2012. The show follows a noble family in Edwardian England and the servants who help manage the show’s namesake estate. In six seasons it earned a total 69 Emmy nominations and won 15.

“Freaks and Geeks” only aired for 18 episodes between 1999 and 2000 but has since become a cult classic. It earned three Emmy nods and won for Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series before its cancellation. Creator Judd Apatow has since admitted that his sustained success is partially fueled by “revenge for the people who cancelled ‘Freaks and Geeks.'”

Despite its status as one of the most influential shows in television history, “The Twilight Zone” only won three Emmy Awards. Creator and writer Rod Serling earned the award for Outstanding Writing Achievement in Drama in both 1960 and 1961. The show also won for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography for Television in 1961.

“Mad Men” has not only earned a staggering 116 Emmy nominations, it is also tied with “L.A. Law,” “Hill Street Blues” and “The West Wing” for most wins as Best Drama Series at four. It hasn’t been all success for “Mad Men,” however, as the show also set a record in 2012 by getting 17 nominations without a single win.

Creator Chris Carter was a writer for Surfing Magazine before penning the pilot for “The X-Files” in 1992. He had worked on several comedy series at Disney but was inspired to create something darker after reading an article suggesting that 3.7 million Americans had been abducted by aliens.

“Batman: The Animated Series” ran for four seasons between 1992 and 1995. It won the Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program in 1993 and earned consistently high marks from critics during its run. In 2015, TV Guide ranked the show number seven on its list of the 60 best animated series of all time.

Clare Daines leads this action/drama series about a CIA officer suffering from bipolar disorder. The show has earned 39 Emmys with eight wins since launching in 2011. It was also recognized at the 2016 Television Academy Honors, which is a seperate awards ceremony for programs that successfully tackle social and cultural issues.

“Twin Peaks” was a critical success with its debut in 1990 and thrust primetime television into a more experimental era with a focus on cinematography. Despite the show’s long-term impact and eventual relaunch in 2017, it has won just two Emmys — Outstanding Editing for a Series and Outstanding Achievement in Costuming For a Series (both in 1990).

Scientist Carl Sagan co-created the 1980 documentary series “Cosmos: A Personal Voyage.” The show was the predecessor to 2014’s “Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey,” presented by Neil deGrasse Tyson. It won three Emmys on five nominations, including two for Creative Technical Crafts.

Rami Malek leads this dramatic thriller series about a skilled but unpredictable cyber-security expert who gets in over his head after attempting to take down his employer. Malek won the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 2016 for his role as Elliot Anderson. Thus far the show has earned 12 nominations over three seasons.

“Modern Family” earned high praise for its mockumentary style and top-notch writing after debuting in 2009. The show has remained a network favorite since and was renewed for an 11th season by Fox in early 2019. It is currently tied with “Frasier” for most Emmy wins for a comedy series, with five each.

In 2002, TV Guide named “Seinfeld” number one on their list of the top 50 shows of all time. The show earned 68 Emmy nominations and 10 wins during its nine-season run, but its only win for Outstanding Comedy Series came in 1993. Michael Richards and Julia Louis-Dreyfus both won Emmys for their support roles on the show.

When “Cosmos: A Personal Voyage” producer Ann Druyan began developing the idea for the 2014 series she found support in an unexpected ally — “Family Guy” creator Seth MacFarlane. He had been deeply influenced by the original 1980 series and offered to invest in the project and use his influence at Fox to get the show greenlit.

“Arrested Development” had a strong first showing at the Emmys in 2004, winning five awards on seven nominations. The show earned its sixth Emmy the following year for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series. It moved from Fox to Netflix starting with season four and has not won an Emmy since.

Though “South Park” debuted in 1997, the show didn’t win its first Emmy until 2005. That year the show earned the title for Outstanding Animated Programming (For Programming One Hour or Less) and it has gone on to win that award two more times. It has also won for Outstanding Animated Programming (For Programming One Hour or More) — for its “Imaginationland” episode — and Outstanding Animated Program.

Fox cancelled “Firefly” after just one season due to its big budget and relatively low ratings numbers. That one season was enough though to earn the show a bonafide cult following and win the Emmy for Outstanding Visual Effects for a Series in 2003.

“The Simpsons” has earned 33 Emmy awards since launching in 1989 and has stayed relevant, earning nods for Outstanding Animated Series and Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance (Hank Azaria) in 2019. In addition to being the longest-running scripted series in TV history, it was also named the best TV series of the 20th century by Time Magazine.

This series started off strong at the Emmys, winning the award for Outstanding Comedy Series the year after it premiered. In following years, however, “The Office” became a fixture on lists of the biggest Emmy snubs. Fans and critics especially cried foul when Steve Carell was repeatedly nominated and passed over for his role as Michael Scott.

“Avatar: The Last Airbender” ran from 2005 to 2008 and tells the story of a young boy who sets out on a perilous adventure to save his mystical world. It was nominated for the Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming One Hour or Less) Emmy in 2007. Netflix confirmed plans for a live-action remake of the animated series in September 2018.

“Lost” was a ratings hit during its six seasons on ABC but was also one of the most costly television shows ever produced at the time. The first season alone cost over $45 million causing producers to consider moving production out of Hawaii. The expense paid off, however, with the first season scoring six Emmys, including Outstanding Drama Series.

FX’s black comedy series “Fargo” was inspired by the Coen Brothers 1996 film of the same name. It follows a different cast of unassuming yet sinister Minnesota residents with a new decade featured in each season. Billy Bob Thorton, Martin Freeman, Kirsten Dunst and Ewan McGregon have led the star-studded cast thus far.

“House” was initially conceived by producers Paul Attanasio, David Shore, and Katie Jacobs. They had discovered that medical procedurals were a hot commodity amongst the networks and built the concept from a health column in the New York Times Magazine.

This HBO series is based on the 1973 film of the same name. It centers on a western-themed amusement park in the near future in which humans can act out their every impulse amongst humanoid drones. In just two seasons the show has racked up 43 Emmy nominations, with nine wins including Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for Thandie Newton.

“The Sopranos” thrust James Gandolfini into global stardom and cemented Tony Soprano as one of TV’s great anti-heroes, but the show’s success wasn’t a given. While HBO ordered the show’s pilot, they forced creator David Chase to pay for a pre-launch screening party out of his own pocket.

Creator Charlie Brooker was heavily influenced by “The Twilight Zone” while developing “Black Mirror.” Writing in The Guardian, Brooker explained that Rod Serling’s commitment to tackling social matters in subversive and unexpected ways made him realize what was possible with “Black Mirror.” The show has since won the Emmy for Outstanding Television Movie twice.

“How I Met Your Mother” follows lead character Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor) as he tells his son and daughter stories of his younger days with friends in New York City. Creators Carter Bays and Craig Thomas loosely based the show on their experiences living in New York while working on “The Late Show.”

“Community” creator Dan Harmon teamed with writer and producer Justin Roiland to create the animated series “Rick and Morty.” The show follows a mad scientist named Rick Sanchez through his multidimensional adventures with his grandson Morty. After three seasons Adult Swim extended the show’s contract for an additional 70 episodes.

Robin Wright has successfully carried the mantle as the leading actor in “House of Cards” following Kevin Spacey’s dismissal from the show in 2017. She is nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series this year. Michael Kelly (Doug Stamper) has also earned a Supporting Actor nod and composer Jeff Beal is nominated for Outstanding Music Composition.

Creator Chuck Lorre initially conceived “The Big Bang Theory” as a much different show and completely retooled the cast after the initial pilot was rejected. The entire cast was replaced except for Johnny Galecki (Leonard) and Jim Parsons (Sheldon) and the series was picked up based on a second pilot featuring Kaley Cuoco (Penny) and Kunal Nayyar (Raj).

HBO scored one of the biggest TV hits of the year in 2014 with its anthology crime series “True Detective.” The show wrapped its third season in February 2019 and the network is in negotiations with creator Nic Pizzolatto about a potential fourth season. It is nominated for nine Emmys this year.

“Dexter” is amongst the most popular Showtime original series of all time, with its finale landing the network its biggest single ratings night ever. Leading star Michael C. Hall was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series five times between 2008 and 2012, but has yet to win an Emmy.

AMC’s smash zombie series “The Walking Dead” is based on a comic book series of the same name written by Rob Kirkman at Image Comics. “The Shawshank Redemption” and “The Green Mile” writer/director Frank Darabont was the original showrunner for “The Walking Dead” but was fired from the show in 2011. He has since sued AMC over lost wages associated with his firing.

“Stranger Things” has scored an impressive 30 Emmy nominations, with six wins over just three seasons starting in 2016. Two of the show’s six Emmys came for Outstanding Sound Editing, with back-to-back wins in 2017 and 2018. Creators the Duffer Brothers hinted in 2017 that the show will likely end after season four.

Christina Applegate won the last Emmy award for “Friends” for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series in 2003. The show won five other Emmys in its 10-season run, including Outstanding Comedy Series in 2002 and Outstanding Supporting Actress for Lisa Kudrow in 1998.

Creators Steve Moffat and Mark Gatiss updated the world’s greatest detective for modern times with their BBC series “Sherlock.” Benedict Cumberbatch plays the title role, adding contemporary attitude and current technology. After four seasons, the show’s future is uncertain due to Cumberbatch’s and co-star Martin Freeman’s busy schedules.

Hailed by some as the greatest TV show of all time, “Breaking Bad” was a formidable opponent at the Emmy Awards during its five seasons on the air. Bryan Cranston won four Emmys for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series and Aaron Paul won three times for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.

“Game of Thrones” has the second most Emmy nominations for any series at 160 following only “Saturday Night Live” at 270. It also holds the title for most Emmys won by a drama series at 47 and most Emmys won by a series in a single season with 12. It is nominated for a record 32 Emmys in 2019.