The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series represents excellence in the category of limited series that are two or more episodes, with a total running time of at least 150 minutes.

Criteria

The program must tell a complete, non-recurring story, and not have an ongoing storyline or main characters in subsequent seasons.

Background

The category began as the Outstanding Drama/Comedy – Limited Episodes in 1973.Link
via

ProQuest ProQuest LLC is an Ann Arbor, Michigan-based global information-content and technology company, founded in 1938 as University Microfilms by Eugene B. Power. ProQuest is known for its applications and information services for libraries, provid ...

. Prior to that year, limited series and miniseries were entered in the same category as continuing series for Outstanding Series – Drama. According to a 1972 newspaper article in the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...

'', this change might be due to the then recent entry of a number of British produced limited series that were competing with American produced continuing series in the same pre-existing category. The category was renamed Outstanding Limited Series in 1974, and later Outstanding Miniseries in 1986. In 1991, the Outstanding Miniseries category was merged with Outstanding TV Movie, then called Outstanding Drama/Comedy Special, to form Outstanding Drama/Comedy Special and Miniseries, and the number of nominees increased from five to six. For that year, two miniseries had competed with four "made-for-television movies". The decision was reversed in 1992. In 2011, due to a low number of eligible miniseries in recent years, the categories were again merged as Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Miniseries or Movie, before reverting in 2014, following an influx in limited series following the critically and commercial popularity of the FX anthology series ''

American Horror Story ''American Horror Story'' is an American anthology horror television series created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk for the cable network FX. The first installment in the '' American Story'' media franchise, each season is conceived as a ...

''. A year later, the name of the awards category was changed to Outstanding Limited Series, and the rules were made to distinguish that category from that of a movie by having the work have at least two episodes, and from that of a regular series by having no more than five episodes. The 2015 rule change allowed more short-seasoned cable TV programs to compete, while prior rules had forced the same programs to compete in the same category with full seasons network programs. What has been unique about this award in recent years (and even so today) is that there is almost always at least one nominee originating from

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...

. For example, the 2005 winner was ''

The Lost Prince ''The Lost Prince'' is a British television drama about the life of Prince John – youngest child of Britain's King George V and Queen Mary – who died at the age of 13 in 1919. A Talkback Thames production written and directed by Stephe ...

'', which happened to be that year's British entry. The 2006 winner, ''

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is ...

'', was also a British miniseries, although it was a co-production with American television network HBO. Likewise, the

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winner, ''

Chernobyl Chernobyl ( , ; russian: Чернобыль, ) or Chornobyl ( uk, Чорнобиль, ) is a partially abandoned city in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, situated in the Vyshhorod Raion of northern Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine. Chernobyl is about no ...

'', was a co-production of British and American companies (in this case, Sky UK and HBO).

Winners and nominations

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

2020s

Programs with multiple wins

;3 wins * ''

Prime Suspect ''Prime Suspect'' is a British police procedural television drama series devised by Lynda La Plante. It stars Helen Mirren as Jane Tennison, one of the first female Detective Chief Inspectors in Greater London's Metropolitan Police Service, who ...

'' ;2 wins * ''

American Crime Story ''American Crime Story'' is an American anthology true crime television series developed by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, who are also executive producers, alongside Brad Falchuk, Nina Jacobson, Ryan Murphy, and Brad Simpson. The ser ...

Producers with multiple awards

;6 awards * Tom Hanks ;5 awards * Gary Goetzman ;4 awards * Rebecca Eaton * Steven Shareshian ;3 awards * Stan Margulies * Steven Spielberg * Tony To ;2 awards * Scott Alexander * Erik Bork * David Coatsworth * Brad Falchuk * Sally Head * Nina Jacobson * Larry Karaszewski * Paul Marcus * Ryan Murphy * Chad Oakes * Brad Simpson * George Stevens Jr. * Chip Vucelich * David L. Wolper * Alexis Martin Woodall * Graham Yost

Programs with multiple nominations

Totals include continuing series, but not sequels as is the case with '' Cranford'' and ''

Return to Cranford ''Return to Cranford'' (known in the United Kingdom as the '' Cranford'' Christmas Special) is the two-part second season of a British television series directed by Simon Curtis. The teleplay by Heidi Thomas was based on material from two nove ...

'', '' Roots'' and '' Roots: The Next Generations'', and others. ;5 nominations * ''

'' ;4 nominations * ''

'' ;3 nominations * '' Fargo'' * '' Horatio Hornblower'' ;2 nominations * ''

The Adams Chronicles ''The Adams Chronicles'' is a thirteen-episode miniseries by PBS that aired in 1976 to commemorate the American Bicentennial. Synopsis The series chronicles the story of the Adams political family over a 150-year span, including John Adams (dra ...

'' * '' American Crime'' * ''

'' * '' Columbo'' * ''

Genius Genius is a characteristic of original and exceptional insight in the performance of some art or endeavor that surpasses expectations, sets new standards for future works, establishes better methods of operation, or remains outside the capabili ...

'' * ''

Luther Luther may refer to: People * Martin Luther (1483–1546), German monk credited with initiating the Protestant Reformation * Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968), American minister and leader in the American civil rights movement * Luther (give ...

'' * '' McCloud''

Producers with multiple nominations

;12 nominations * Rebecca Eaton ;8 nominations * Robert Halmi Sr. ;7 nominations * Stan Margulies * Ryan Murphy * Alexis Martin Woodall ;6 nominations * Brad Falchuk * Delia Fine * Tom Hanks * Frank Konigsberg ;5 nominations * Gary Goetzman * Suzanne de Passe * Chip Vucelich * Joan Wilson * David L. Wolper ;4 nominations * Andrew Benson * Bradley Buecker * Joyce Eliason * Suzanne Girard * Dante Di Loreto * Dyson Lovell * Tim Minear * Chad Oakes * Steven Spielberg * Peter Sussman * Jac Venza ;3 nominations * Tim Bevan * Colin Callender * John Cameron * Marvin J. Chomsky * Kirk Ellis * George S. J. Faber * Preston Fischer * Michael Frislev * Ed Gernon * Brian Grazer * Noah Hawley * Richard Heus * Polly Hill * Dirk Hoogstra * Ron Howard * Glenn Jordan * Warren Littlefield * Neil Meron * Lorenzo Minoli * Nina Kostroff Noble * Alan Poul * Jonathan Powell * David W. Rintels * David A. Rosemont * John Ryan * Jennifer Salt * Larry Sanitsky * Jessica Sharzer * David Simon * Tony To * Kim Todd * Michael Wearing * Ethel Winant * Mark M. Wolper * James Wong * Craig Zadan ;2 nominations * Gerald W. Abrams * Andrew Adelson * Scott Alexander * Phillip Von Alvensleben * Susan Baerwald * Eric Bercovici * William Beaudine Jr. * Jay Benson * Kenneth Biller * Sue Birtwistle * Erik Bork * Richard Brams * Andrew Brown * Michele Buck * Francie Calfo * Mark Carliner * Robert W. Christiansen * Jack Clements * David Coatsworth * Fred Coe * Ethan Coen * Joel Coen * Francis Ford Coppola * Robert Costello * Suzanne Coston * Dan Curtis * Edward K. Dobbs * Nancy Dubuc * Howard Ellis * Laura Fattori * Gregg Fienberg * Bill Finnegan * Daryl Frank * Scott Frank * John Frankenheimer * Fred Fuchs * Phillippa Giles * Michael Gleason * Robert Greenblatt * Robert Halmi Jr. * Dean Hargrove * Andy Harries * Kate Harwood * John Hawkesworth * Sally Head * Julie Hébert * Keith Huff * Joseph Incaprera * Nina Jacobson * David Janollari * James Cellan Jones * Larry Karaszewski * Virginia Kassel * Diana Kerew * Roland Kibbee * Ann Kindberg * Steven King * Glen A. Larson * Lindsay Law * Stacy A. Littlejohn * Jerry London * Michael Mann * Martin Manulis * Paul Marcus * Armistead Maupin * Michael J. McDonald * Ian McDougall * John McRae * Emilio Nunez * Charles Pattinson * Samuel Paul * David V. Picker * Noah Pink * Susan G. Pollock * Gigi Pritzker * Michael Prupas * Gerald Rafshoon * Lynn Raynor * Ken Riddington *

John Ridley John Ridley IV (born 1965) is an American screenwriter, television director, novelist, and showrunner, known for '' 12 Years a Slave'', for which he won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. He is also the creator and showrunner of the a ...

* Rick Rosenberg * Nathan Ross * Edgar J. Scherick * Ridley Scott * Tony Scott * Rachel Shane * Sam Sokolow *

Diana Son Diana Miae Son is an American playwright, television producer, and writer. She is known for her work on '' American Crime'', '' Law & Order: Criminal Intent'', '' Southland'', and '' Blue Bloods''. She, along with Brian Yorkey, has also served as ...

* Carolyn Strauss * George Stevens Jr. * Joan Sullivan * Lori-Etta Taub * Kevin Tierney * Jean-Marc Vallée * Dan Wigutow * Robert M. Williams Jr. * Oprah Winfrey * Reese Witherspoon * Graham Yost * David W. Zucker

Total awards by network

* HBO/HBO Max – 14 * NBC – 10 * PBS – 10 * ABC – 5 * FX – 3 * Syndicated – 2 * A&E – 1 * AMC – 1 * CBS – 1 * Netflix — 1 * Sci Fi – 1 * TNT – 1

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Primetime Emmy Award For Outstanding Miniseries Miniseries Awards established in 1973