The

Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...

for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series is presented to the best directing of a television drama series, usually for a particular episode.Though this category is the dominant one in which dramatic directing has been recognized, there were a few years in which the categories were determined by running time, not genre. Until 1979, miniseries and television films competed alongside drama series.

Winners and nominations

1950s

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

2020s

Total awards by network

* NBC – 21 * CBS – 17 * ABC – 11 * HBO – 10 *

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...

– 4 * Fox – 2 *

Hulu Hulu () is an American subscription streaming service majority-owned by The Walt Disney Company, with Comcast's NBCUniversal holding a minority stake. It was launched on October 29, 2007 and it offers a library of films and television series ...

– 1 * PBS – 1 * Showtime – 1

Programs with multiple awards

;4 awards * ''NYPD Blue'' (3 consecutive) ;3 awards * ''CBS Playhouse'' (consecutive) * ''The Defenders'' (2 consecutive) * ''Hill Street Blues'' (2 consecutive) * ''The West Wing'' (2 consecutive) ;2 awards * ''Boardwalk Empire'' (consecutive) * ''

The Crown The Crown is the state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, overseas territories, provinces, or states). Legally ill-defined, the term has differ ...

'' * ''Cagney & Lacey'' (consecutive) * ''Equal Justice'' (consecutive) * ''ER'' * ''

Game of Thrones ''Game of Thrones'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss for HBO. It is an adaptation of '' A Song of Ice and Fire'', a series of fantasy novels by George R. R. Martin, the fir ...

'' (consecutive) * ''Hallmark Hall of Fame''

Programs with multiple nominations

;13 nominations * ''ER'' (NBC) * ''The Sopranos'' (HBO) ;12 nominations * ''Hill Street Blues'' (NBC) * ''L.A. Law'' (NBC) ;11 nominations * ''

'' (HBO) * ''Hallmark Hall of Fame'' (NBC) ;10 nominations * ''Lou Grant'' (CBS) ;9 nominations * ''NYPD Blue'' (ABC) ;8 nominations * ''The West Wing'' (NBC) ;7 nominations * ''Playhouse 90'' (CBS) ;6 nominations * ''Boardwalk Empire'' (HBO) * ''CBS Playhouse'' (CBS) * ''

'' (Netflix) * '' Homeland'' (Showtime) * '' Ozark'' (Netflix) * ''

Succession Succession is the act or process of following in order or sequence. Governance and politics *Order of succession, in politics, the ascension to power by one ruler, official, or monarch after the death, resignation, or removal from office of ...

'' (HBO) ;5 nominations * ''Breaking Bad'' (AMC) * ''The Defenders'' (CBS) * ''Fame'' (NBC) * ''

The Handmaid's Tale ''The Handmaid's Tale'' is a futuristic dystopian novel by Canadian author Margaret Atwood and published in 1985. It is set in a near-future New England in a patriarchal, totalitarian theonomic state known as the Republic of Gilead, which ...

'' (Hulu) ;4 nominations * ''

Downton Abbey ''Downton Abbey'' is a British historical drama television series set in the early 20th century, created and co-written by Julian Fellowes. The series first aired in the United Kingdom on ITV on 26 September 2010 and in the United States o ...

'' (PBS) * ''Lost'' (ABC) * ''Mad Men'' (AMC) * ''Moonlighting'' (ABC) * ''Roots'' (ABC) ;3 nominations * ''24'' (Fox) * ''Boston Legal'' (ABC) * ''Cagney & Lacey'' (CBS) * ''Chicago Hope'' (CBS) * ''China Beach'' (ABC) * ''General Electric Theatre'' (NBC) * ''Law & Order'' (NBC) * ''Six Feet Under'' (HBO) * ''The Waltons'' (CBS) ;2 nominations * ''Alcoa Premiere'' (ABC) * ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' (CBS) * ''Battlestar Galactica'' (Syfy) * ''Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre'' (NBC) * ''The Bold Ones: The Senator'' (NBC) * ''Columbo'' (NBC) * ''Damages'' (FX) * ''Deadwood'' (HBO) * ''The Dinah Shore Chevy Show'' (NBC) * ''Equal Justice'' (ABC) * ''Homicide: Life on the Street'' (NBC) * ''House of Cards'' (Netflix) * ''I'll Fly Away'' (NBC) * ''

The Knick ''The Knick'' is an American medical period drama television series on Cinemax created by Jack Amiel and Michael Begler and directed by Steven Soderbergh. The series follows Dr. John W. Thackery (Clive Owen) and the staff at a fictionalized ve ...

'' (Cinemax) * ''Kojak'' (CBS) * ''Miami Vice'' (NBC) * ''Producers' Showcase'' (NBC) * ''Rich Man, Poor Man'' (PBS) * ''Sirens'' (ABC) * ''

Stranger Things ''Stranger Things'' is an American science fiction horror drama television series created by the Duffer Brothers, who also serve as showrunners and are executive producers along with Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen. Produced by Monkey Massacre Pr ...

'' (Netflix) * ''thirtysomething'' (ABC) * ''The United States Steel Hour'' (ABC) * ''Upstairs, Downstairs'' (PBS) * ''Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse'' (CBS) * ''The X-Files'' (Fox)

Individuals with multiple awards

;3 awards *

Paul Bogart Paul Bogart (né Bogoff; November 13, 1919 – April 15, 2012) was an American television director and producer. Bogart directed episodes of the television series Way Out'' in 1961, '' Coronet Blue'' in 1967, '' Get Smart'', '' The Dumplings' ...

* David Greene (2 consecutive) * Mark Tinker (2 consecutive) ;2 awards * Paris Barclay (consecutive) * Robert Butler * Thomas Carter (consecutive) * George Schaefer * Franklin J. Schaffner (consecutive) * Thomas Schlamme (consecutive)

Individuals with multiple nominations

;10 nominations * George Schaefer ;9 nominations *

Tim Van Patten Timothy Van Patten (born June 10, 1959) is an American director, actor, screenwriter, and producer. He has directed episodes of ''Perry Mason'', ''Boardwalk Empire'', '' Black Mirror'', '' Deadwood'', '' Ed'', '' Game of Thrones'', '' The Pacific ...

;7 nominations *

;6 nominations * Lesli Linka Glatter * Mimi Leder ;5 nominations *

Jack Bender Jack Bender (born September 25, 1949) is an American television and film director, television producer and former actor best known for his work as a director on ''Lost'', ''The Sopranos'' and '' Game of Thrones''. Biography Bender grew up in ...

* Robert Butler * Thomas Carter * John Frankenheimer *

Alex Segal Alex Segal (July 1, 1915 – August 22, 1977) was an American television director, television producer, and film director. Segal directed more than 25 different television programs, including '' The United States Steel Hour'' and ''Celanese Th ...

* Mark Tinker ;4 nominations * Allen Coulter * Vince Gilligan *

Gregory Hoblit Gregory King Hoblit (born November 27, 1944) is an American film director, television director and television producer. He is best known for directing the films '' Primal Fear'', ''Fallen'', '' Frequency'', ''Hart's War'', '' Fracture'', and '' ...

* Rod Holcomb * Gene Reynolds * Thomas Schlamme *

Scott Winant Scott Winant is an American television director A television director is in charge of the activities involved in making a television program or section of a program. They are generally responsible for decisions about the editorial content ...

;3 nominations * Paris Barclay *

Jason Bateman Jason Kent Bateman (born January 14, 1969) is an American actor, director and producer known for his roles of Michael Bluth in the Fox/Netflix sitcom '' Arrested Development'' and of Marty Byrde in the Netflix crime drama series '' Ozark'' (20 ...

Burt Brinckerhoff Burton Field Brinckerhoff (born October 25, 1936) is an American actor, director, and producer. He was nominated for a Tony Award for his role as Igor in the play '' Cactus Flower'' (1965–1968), a Daytime Emmy Award for directing an episode of ...

* Georg Stanford Brown *

Christopher Chulack Christopher Chulack is an American television producer and director, best known for his work on the NBC drama series '' ER'' (1995–2008), along with Michael Crichton, also ''Third Watch'' (1999–2005), which he co-produced along with Edward Al ...

* Fielder Cook *

Bill D'Elia William D'Elia is an American screenwriter, producer, director and actor. Life D'Elia grew up in Queens, New York City, and is a second generation Italian-American. He graduated from Ithaca College, and earned a master's degree in communicatio ...

* David Greene * George Roy Hill *

Eric Laneuville Eric Gerard Laneuville (born July 14, 1952) is an American television director, producer and actor. His first acting roles were in the science-fiction film ''The Omega Man'' (1971) with Charlton Heston, and the ABC television series '' Room 222 ...

* David Nutter *

Sydney Pollack Sydney Irwin Pollack (July 1, 1934 – May 26, 2008) was an American film director, producer and actor. Pollack directed more than 20 films and 10 television shows, acted in over 30 movies or shows and produced over 44 films. For his film '' Out ...

* Jeremy Podeswa * Franklin J. Schaffner * Robert Scheerer * Alan Taylor ;2 nominations * Phil Abraham * Edward M. Abroms *

Corey Allen Corey Allen (born Alan Cohen; June 29, 1934 – June 27, 2010) was an American film and television director, writer, producer, and actor. He began his career as an actor but eventually became a television director. He is best known for playing ...

* Alan Ball *

Bob Banner Robert James Banner Jr. (August 15, 1921 – June 15, 2011) was an American producer, writer and director. From 1967 to 1972 he co-produced '' The Carol Burnett Show''. Life and career Banner was a native of Ennis, Texas, and credited his ho ...

Jeff Bleckner Jeff Bleckner (born August 12, 1943) is an American theatre and television director. Biography Born in Brooklyn, New York, Bleckner made his directorial debut off-Broadway with ''The Unseen Hand/Forensic and the Navigators'', an evening of one- ...

Benjamin Caron Benjamin Caron (born 2 July 1976) is a Golden Globe, Emmy and BAFTA-winning British film and television director. Life and career Born in the West Midlands, Caron was educated at Homerton College, Cambridge. Caron began his television career maki ...

Marvin J. Chomsky Marvin Joseph Chomsky (May 23, 1929 – March 28, 2022) was an American director and producer who worked both in television and film. Early life and career Chomsky born in the Bronx and raised in Brooklyn. He attended Stuyvesant High School i ...

* Stephen Daldry * Mel Damski *

The Duffer Brothers Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer (born February 15, 1984), often credited as the Duffer Brothers, are American film and television writers, directors, and producers. They are best known as the creators, directors and executive producers of the hit Ne ...

* Alex Graves *

Charles Haid Charles Maurice Haid III (born June 2, 1943) is an American actor and television director, with notable work in both movies and television. He is best known for his portrayal of Officer Andy Renko in '' Hill Street Blues''. Haid was born in Sa ...

* Harry Harris * Jessica Hobbs * Clark Jones *

Jonathan Kaplan Jonathan Kaplan (born November 25, 1947) is an American film producer and director. His film '' The Accused'' (1988) earned actress Jodie Foster an Oscar for Best Actress and was nominated for the Golden Bear at the 39th Berlin Internation ...

* Lee H. Katzin * Buzz Kulik *

Will Mackenzie Will Mackenzie (born July 24, 1938) is an American television director and actor. Born in Providence, Rhode Island, Mackenzie began his professional career as an actor, making his Broadway debut in 1965 in the original production of the musica ...

* Michelle MacLaren *

Nancy Malone __NOTOC__ Nancy Malone (born Anne Josefa Maloney March 19, 1935 – May 8, 2014) was an American television actress from the 1950s to 1970s, who later moved into producing and directing in the 1980s and 1990s. Television Malone appeared in a nu ...

* Tom Moore * Mark Mylod * Ralph Nelson * John Patterson * Win Phelps *

Stuart Rosenberg Stuart Rosenberg (August 11, 1927 – March 15, 2007) was an American film and television director whose motion pictures include ''Cool Hand Luke'' (1967), ''Voyage of the Damned'' (1976), '' The Amityville Horror'' (1979), and ''The Pope of Gree ...

Daniel Sackheim Daniel Sackheim (born in 1962) is an American television and film director, producer, and photographer. Sackheim has produced and directed for ''The X-Files'', ''Law & Order'', ''House'' and ''NYPD Blue''. He also directed '' The Walking Dead,'' ...

* Miguel Sapochnik * Edwin Sherin * Jack Smight *

Steven Soderbergh Steven Andrew Soderbergh (; born January 14, 1963) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, cinematographer and editor. A pioneer of modern independent cinema, Soderbergh is an acclaimed and prolific filmmaker. Soderbergh's direct ...

Rick Wallace Rick Wallace (born February 12, 1948) is an American film director and television producer. He has worked on '' Smallville'', ''L.A. Law'', ''Doogie Howser, M.D.'' and ''The Closer'', as well as many other programs. Partial filmography Direct ...

Notes

References

{{Primetime Emmy Award categories Directing for a Drama Series