Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series

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. 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, 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. 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 is that there is almost always at least one nominee originating from Great Britain. For example, the 2005 winner was The Lost Prince, which happened to be that year's British entry. The 2006 winner, Elizabeth I, was also a British miniseries, although it was a co-production with American television network HBO. Likewise, the 2019 winner, Chernobyl, was a co-production of British and American companies.

Milestones

Before the inaugurated category in 1973, The Life of Leonardo da Vinci marked the first non-English language television program to be nominated.

Winners and nominations

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

2020s

Programs with multiple wins

;3 wins

Prime Suspect

;2 wins

''American Crime Story''
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, Roots and Roots: The Next Generations, and others.
;5 nominations

Prime Suspect

;4 nominations

American Horror Story
Fargo

;3 nominations

Horatio Hornblower

;2 nominations

The Adams Chronicles
American Crime
American Crime Story
Columbo
Genius
Luther
McCloud
''Monster''
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