Which TV shows have won the most Emmy Awards?
Who cares about the likes of the Emmys, Golden Globes, Oscars, and BAFTAs, you ask? Whilst audiences are increasingly turning their backs on such awards shows, it is production companies and actors who care the most about these golden statuettes. Each award gives Hollywood stars a bigger industry platform and studios a generous amount of publicity to enable them to make more movies.
In the realm of cinema William Wyler’s Ben-Hur, James Cameron’s Titanic, and Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King each share the record for the most successful movie at the Academy Awards, with 11 Oscars apiece, meanwhile the Primetime Emmys decorate the best shows of the small screen. Created in 1949, when the game show Pantomime Quiz took home the inaugural award for Most Popular Television Program, the awards ceremony has since praised the very best content on TV.
As a result, the top five shows with the most Emmy awards in the history of the ceremony are largely restricted to the programmes that have been running the longest, thrilling American audiences for generations.
The same can certainly be said of the fifth-placed programme on the shortlist, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, a favourite sitcom of the 1970s that followed the trials of a young single woman and her close friends. Starring a roster of iconic American film stars, including Edward Asner, Betty White, John Amos, and Valerie Harper, the show ran for seven seasons over six years, winning 29 Emmys in the process.
Next comes the timeless Matt Groening cartoon, The Simpsons, whose legacy in the realm of TV is nothing short of iconic. Running for a staggering 34 seasons, with a new series being released every year since its inception in 1989, The Simpsons is a cultural institution of contemporary America, having been present throughout the life of several generations, winning 35 Primetime Emmys throughout its staggering run.
Taking the third spot is another comedy, with Frasier being the most decorated sitcom in American TV history, thanks to 11 series of consistent hilarity from 1993–2004. Starring the likes of Kelsey Grammer, David Hyde Pierce, Jane Leeves, Peri Gilpin, and John Mahoney, Frasier collected 37 Emmys over the years, including the award for Outstanding Comedy Series in 1998.
Sitting just below the top spot is the HBO fantasy juggernaut, Game of Thrones, which has changed the face of the modern genre since its initial release in 2011. Winning a remarkable 59 Emmys over the course of eight seasons, Game of Thrones is still considered a marvel of small-screen drama despite the damage that the eighth and final series of the show caused.
Taking the top spot with the most Emmy award wins of all time is the long-running comedy series Saturday Night Live (SNL). Having played host to the likes of John Belushi, Will Ferrell, Bill Hader, Chevy Chase, and Chris Rock ever since its inception in 1975, SNL has become appreciated as one of the most consistent comedy series of contemporary television, winning a massive 87 Primetime Emmys over the years.
TV shows with the most Emmy Awards
- The Mary Tyler Moore Show – 29 wins
- The Simpsons – 35 wins
- Fraiser – 37 wins
- Game of Thrones – 59 wins
- Saturday Night Live – 87 wins
