Millions of Americans tuned into the 2021 Emmy Awards, hoping to see their favorite TV and streaming programs take home the statuette. Tense dramas, exciting mysteries, laugh out loud comedies, and beloved reality shows were all honored during the awards.
The 2021 Emmys celebrated some of the biggest and most popular shows from TV networks and streaming platforms. With all the different platforms, it’s hard to know which shows are worth watching. Many of the Emmy winners are nearly universally beloved, with very positive reviews from audience members and critics alike.
To determine the most popular Emmy Award-winning shows in 2021, 24/7 Tempo reviewed user rating data from the Internet Movie Database, current as of September 2021 for shows that won an Emmy during the 73rd Emmy Awards telecast. Our Emmy Award tallies do not include Creative Arts Emmys. The shows are ranked by the number of wins.
“The Crown,” “Ted Lasso,” and “Mare of Easttown” all came away as the big winners of the night, each racking up several Emmy Awards. Other shows, like “Last Week Tonight,” “Hacks,” “The Queen’s Gambit,” and more, also scored big wins as well.
The shows that won tended to be either very new or very old. Several streaming shows in their first or second season brought home multiple Emmys, while venerable classics like “Saturday Night Live” and “RuPaul’s Drag Race” added to their already considerable Emmy pile after many years on the air. These are the longest running shows in history.
Click here to see the most popular shows at the 2021 Emmy Awards
7. Hamilton
> Emmy wins: 1
> Emmy awards: Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded)
> Premiered in: 2020
> IMDb rating: 8.4/10 (73,482 votes)
Broadway smash hit “Hamilton” continued to collect trophies more than five years after winning 11 Tony Awards. Disney+ released the recorded version of the hip-hop musical about one of America’s most underrated founding fathers in 2020, and it won the Emmy for Outstanding Variety Special. It was nominated for 10 more for its acting, directing, editing, and sound mixing.
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7. Saturday Night Live
> Emmy wins: 1
> Emmy awards: Outstanding Variety Sketch Series
> Premiered in: 1975
> IMDb rating: 8.0/10 (45,294 votes)
“Saturday Night Live” is one of the longest-running primetime TV shows. Its catchphrase “Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night!” is probably recognizable to most Americans. The comedy show won the Emmy for outstanding variety series for a fifth time in a row. SNL is the most decorated TV show, having won a total of 86 Emmys — both Creative and Primetime.
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7. RuPaul’s Drag Race
> Emmy wins: 1
> Emmy awards: Outstanding Competition Program
> Premiered in: 2009
> IMDb rating: 8.4/10 (17,371 votes)
The 13th season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” has again slayed the competition at the Emmys. For the fourth year in a row, RuPaul’s search for America’s next drag superstar won in the Outstanding Competition Program category. RuPaul also won in the outstanding host category, and the show also claimed best casting, directing, and editing Emmys.
7. I May Destroy You
> Emmy wins: 1
> Emmy awards: Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
> Premiered in: 2020
> IMDb rating: 8.1/10 (16,265 votes)
“I May Destroy You” is a British critically-acclaimed drama series about a young female writer struggling to start anew after being raped. The show is based on its creator’s, Michaela Coel, true story of sexual assault.
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7. Halston
> Emmy wins: 1
> Emmy awards: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or a Movie
> Premiered in: 2021
> IMDb rating: 7.5/10 (11,592 votes)
Ewan McGregor won his first ever Emmy for his role in the Netflix original show “Halston.” His win was considered an upset because the statuette for outstanding lead actor in a limited series was largely expected to go to either Hugh Grant for “The Undoing” or Paul Bettany for “WandaVision.” “Halston” follows iconic American fashion designer Halston on his way to massive stardom.
7. Stephen Colbert’s Election Night 2020: Democracy’s Last Stand Building Back America Great Again Better 2020
> Emmy wins: 1
> Emmy awards: Outstanding Variety Special (Live)
> Premiered in: 2020
> IMDb rating: 4.1/10 (53 votes)
“Stephen Colbert’s Election Night 2020: Democracy’s Last Stand Building Back America Great Again Better 2020” was Steven Colbert’s live election night special. The talk show host and his guests were reacting in real-time to the election results. The show was also nominated for production design and writing.
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5. The Queen’s Gambit
> Emmy wins: 2
> Emmy awards: Outstanding Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series
> Premiered in: 2020
> IMDb rating: 8.6/10 (350,127 votes)
Though “The Queen’s Gambit” did not win the most Emmys, the miniseries won the top prize in the genre — outstanding limited series. The show is based on Walter Tevis’ 1983 novel of the same name about an orphaned girl who masters the game of chess while battling addiction. The “The Queen’s Gambit” was one of the most watched Netflix original shows in the streaming giant’s history.
5. Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
> Emmy wins: 2
> Emmy awards: Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series, Outstanding Variety Talk Series
> Premiered in: 2014
> IMDb rating: 8.9/10 (83,402 votes)
“Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” has dominated the variety series category at the Emmys since it debuted in 2014. The show takes a comedic look at recent events before doing a deep dive into a selected topic. Hosted by “Daily Show” alum John Oliver, “Last Week Tonight” has earned 22 total Emmys during its run — two of which came at the 2021 Emmys, for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series and Outstanding Variety Talk Series.
3. Mare of Easttown
> Emmy wins: 4
> Emmy awards: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or a Movie
> Premiered in: 2021
> IMDb rating: 8.5/10 (100,215 votes)
HBO’s limited series crime drama “Mare of Easttown” won four of the 16 Emmys for which it was nominated in 2021. Kate Winslet stars as Mare, a tough Pennsylvania detective trying to solve seemingly unrelated missing persons cases while also trying to keep her own life from spiraling out of control. Though intended to be a limited series, “Mare of Easttown” was so popular that Winslet has confirmed there have been discussions about a second season.
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3. Hacks
> Emmy wins: 3
> Emmy awards: Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series, Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
> Premiered in: 2021
> IMDb rating: 8.2/10 (10,598 votes)
HBO comedy “Hacks” landed three Emmy Awards for its first season — Outstanding Writing, Outstanding Directing, and Outstanding Lead Actress for Jean Smart. This was Smart’s fourth Emmy win. The show follows a venerable comedian as she tries to revamp her career with the help of a brash young comedy writer.
2. Ted Lasso
> Emmy wins: 4
> Emmy awards: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
> Premiered in: 2020
> IMDb rating: 8.8/10 (89,377 votes)
Apple TV comedy “Ted Lasso” was another big winner at the 73rd Primetime Emmys. Largely thanks to the show, the streaming service won more Emmys than it did in 2020 — a total of 11 this year, compared to one last year.
“Ted Lasso” follows a small-time American football coach who is hired as the manager of a soccer team in London despite having no soccer experience at all.
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1. The Crown
> Emmy wins: 7
> Emmy awards: Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series, Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series, Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
> Premiered in: 2016
> IMDb rating: 8.6/10 (173,560 votes)
Netflix’s royal drama “The Crown” was the biggest winner at this year’s Emmy Awards, winning a total of seven statuettes. The show’s win of the biggest prize is the first for Netflix.
“The Crown” is a historical drama following the reign of Queen Elizabeth II and the ups and downs of the British royal family.
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