From The Red Skelton Show and I Love Lucy to Get Smart and All in the Family through Taxi, Cheers and Murphy Brown to Frasier, Seinfeld and 30 Rock to Modern Family, Veep and Ted Lasso, the Emmy Awards have been laughing at TV best comedies for more than 70 years. Here is a gallery of all the shows to win the golden statuette since 1952; click on the image above to launch it.
The category itself has gone by various names, starting with Best Comedy Show and rolling through Best Comedy Series, Outstanding Program Achievement in the Field of Humor, Outstanding Program Achievement in the Field of Comedy to the current Outstanding Comedy Series. But the yuks have remained constant, whether it’s Lucille Ball and Vivian Vance trying to keep up with the conveyor belt at the chocolate factory or Jason Sudeikis Yank-coaching an English football club.
Our gallery lists all of the winners, including the two series tied for the all-time most Comedy Series Emmys with five each: Frasier (1994-98) and Modern Family (2010-14), both of which made their hauls over consecutive years. All in the Family (1971-73, 1978) and Cheers (1981-82, 1989, 1991) took four trophies apiece, nonconsecutively. A half-dozen others — The Phil Silvers Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Taxi, 30 Rock and Veep — all managed three career wins.
Note that some years had multiple winners — rewarding hourlong and half-hour series, for example.
So put down your remote, pop some corn, and dig into Deadline’s photo gallery of the Emmy-winning comedies of the past 71 years. Did your all-time favorites ever make the cut?
RELATED: Emmy Winners For Best Drama Since 1960: A Photo Gallery
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The Studio (2025)
From left: Chase Sui Wonders, Ike Barinholtz, Bryan Cranston, Seth Rogen, Catherine O’Hara
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Hacks (2024)
Image Credit: Max From left: Rose Abdoo, Jean Smart, Hannah Einbinder and Paul W. Downs
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The Bear (2023)
Image Credit: FX Ayo Edebiri and Jeremy Allen White
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Ted Lasso (Apple TV+) – 2021 & 2022
Image Credit: Apple TV+ Jason Sudeikis
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Schitt’s Creek (Pop) – 2020
Image Credit: CBC / courtesy Everett Collection From left: Daniel Levy, Catherine O’Hara, Annie Murphy & Eugene Levy
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Fleabag (Amazon) – 2019
Image Credit: Amazon / courtesy Everett Collection Phoebe Waller-Bridge & Andrew Scott
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The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Prime Video) – 2018
Image Credit: Amazon Rachel Brosnahan
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Veep (HBO) – 2015, 2016, 2017
Image Credit: HBO From left: Kevin Dunn, Gary Cole, Andy Daly, Julia Louis-Dreyfus & Tony Hale
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Modern Family (ABC) – 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014.
Image Credit: ABC / Everett Collection From left: Sarah Hyland, Ariel Winter, Sofia Vergara, Ed O’Neill, Julie Bowen and Rico Rodriguez
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30 Rock (NBC) – 2007, 2008, 2009
From left: Tracy Morgan, Alec Baldwin, Tina Fey, Jane Krakowski & Jack McBreyer
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The Office (NBC) – 2006
Standing, from left: Leslie David Baker, Angela Kinsey, Ellie Kemper, Creed Bratton, Phyllis Smith, Bob Shafer, Kate Flannery, Jenna Fischer, John Krasinski, Mindy Kaling, B.J. Novak; (bottom): Steve Carell, Rainn Wilson, Brian Baumgartner, Ed Helms and Oscar Nunez
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Arrested Development (Fox) -2004
Image Credit: 20th Century Fox Clockwise from center, bottom: Jason Bateman, Portia de Rossi, David Cross, Will Arnett, Jeffrey Tambor, Jessica Walter, Michael Cera, Tony Hale and Alia Shawkat.
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Everybody Loves Raymond (CBS) – 2003, 2005
Image Credit: Hbo/Worldwide Pants Inc/Kobal/Shutterstock From left: Brad Garrett, Roy Romano, Doris Roberts & Patricia Heaton
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Friends (NBC) – 2002
Image Credit: Warner Bros. Television Group From left: Matthew Perry, Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc and Lisa Kudrow
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Sex and the City (HBO) – 2001
Image Credit: Moviestore/Shutterstock Clockwise from left: Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis, Sarah Jessica Parker and Cynthia Nixon
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Will & Grace (NBC) – 2000
Image Credit: Nbc-Tv/Kobal/Shutterstock Eric McCormack & Debra Messing
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Ally McBeal (Fox) – 1999
Image Credit: Everett Collection From left: Gil Bellows, Lisa Nicole Carson, Calista Flockhart, Jane Krakowski & Greg Germann
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Frasier (NBC) – 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998
Image Credit: Shutterstock David Hyde Pierce & Kelsey Grammer
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Seinfeld (NBC) – 1993
Image Credit: Shutterstock From left: Michael Richards, Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus & Jason Alexander
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Murphy Brown (CBS) – 1990, 1992
Image Credit: Shutterstock Candice Bergen, left
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The Wonder Years (ABC) – 1988
Image Credit: Moviestore/Shutterstock Clockwise from top left: Alley Mills, Olivia d’Abo, Dan Lauria, Jason Harvey and Fred Savage
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The Golden Girls (NBC) – 1986, 1987
Image Credit: Touchstone Tv/Whitt-Thomas-Harris Prod/Kobal/Shutterstock Clockwise from left: Estelle Getty, Bea Arthur, Betty White and Rue McClanahan
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The Cosby Show (NBC) – 1983
Image Credit: Everett Collection From left, Lisa Bonet, Tempestt Bledsoe, Bill Cosby, Keshia Knight Pulliam, Phylicia Rashad and Malcolm-Jamal Warner
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Cheers (NBC) – 1983, 1984, 1989, 1991
Image Credit: Moviestore/Shutterstock From left: Kelsey Grammer, John Ratzenberger, Woody Harrelson, Rhea Perlman, (background actor) and Ted Danson
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Barney Miller (ABC) – 1982
Image Credit: Everett Collection From left: Jack Soo, Abe Vigoda & Hal Linden
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Taxi (ABC) – 1979, 1980, 1981
Image Credit: Moviestore/Shutterstock From left: Judd Hirsch, Marilu Henner, Christopher Lloyd, Tony Danza (back), Danny Devito and Carol Kane
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All in the Family (CBS) – 1978
Image Credit: CBS/Courtesy Everett Collection From left: Rob Reiner, Jean Stapleton, Sally Struthers and Carroll O’Connor
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The Mary Tyler Moore Show (CBS) – 1975, 1976, 1977
Image Credit: Albert Watson / TV Guide / courtesy Everett Collection From lefT: Georgia Engel, Mary Tyler Moore & Valerie Harper
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M*A*S*H (CBS) – 1974
Image Credit: TV Guide / ©20th Century Fox Television / courtesy Everett Collection Clockwise from bottom center: Alan Alda (seated), Mike Farrell, William Christopher, Jamie Farr, David Ogden Stiers, Loretta Swit and Harry Morgan
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All in the Family (CBS) – 1971, 1972, 1973
Image Credit: CBS / courtesy Everett Collection Carroll O’Connor & Mel Stewart
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My World and Welcome to It (NBC) – 1970
Image Credit: Ivan Nagy/TV Guide/courtesy Everett Collection Clockwise from top left: Joan Hotchkis, William Windom and Lisa Gerritsen
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Get Smart (NBC) – 1968, 1969
Image Credit: Ken Whitmore / TV Guide / courtesy Everett Collection Barbara Feldon & Don Adams
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The Monkees (NBC) – 1967
Image Credit: Everett Collection Outstanding Comedy Series
From left: Forrest Lewis, Peter Tork, Michael Nesmith (back), Davy Jones and Micky Dolenz
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The Dick Van Dyke Show (CBS) – 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966
Image Credit: Ivan Nagy / TV Guide / courtesy Everett Collection Mary Tyler Moore & Dick Van Dyke
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The Bob Newhart Show (NBC) – 1962
Image Credit: Everett Collection Bob Newhart
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The Jack Benny Program (CBS) – 1961
Image Credit: Everett Collection Jack Benny
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The Art Carney Special (NBC) – 1960
Image Credit: Everett Collection Art Carney
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The Jack Benny Program (CBS) – 1959
Image Credit: Everett Collection Jack Benny
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The Phil Silvers Show (CBS) – 1958
Image Credit: Everett Collection Phil Silvers & Gretchen Wyler
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The Phil Silvers Show (CBS) & Caesar’s Hour (NBC) – 1957
Image Credit: Everett Collection The Phil Silvers Show – Best Series (Half Hour or Less)
Caesar’s Hour – Best Series (One Hour or More)
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The Phil Silvers Show (CBS) – 1956
Image Credit: Everett Collection Phil Silvers
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Make Room for Daddy (ABC) – 1955
Image Credit: Everett Collection Jean Hagen, Danny Thomas & Sherry Jackson.
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I Love Lucy (CBS) – 1953, 1954
Image Credit: Everett Collection Lucille Ball
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The Red Skelton Show (NBC) – 1952
Image Credit: Everett Collection Red Skelton
I’m surprised M*A*S*H and Seinfeld both only won once although their competition was other iconic shows
I vaguely remember “My World and Welcome to It”. That’s an odd one.
It’s a shame what these studios owning these shows, and/or the classic TV networks themselves, are doing to these shows. Altering aspect ratios stretching or cutting the picture; shrinking end credits, if not cutting them altogether; and even editing out what seems to be up to 3 minutes of the show in order for the network to run commercials mostly promoting the very shows they are editing. Looking at you METV! I think they may have cut a music number by William Frawley from a third season episode of “My Three Sons” – possibly due to music license fees – so there’s that issue too.
Just as there are those wanting to preserve films, there should be wanting the same for these television classics. Whether you like these shows, or not, they should have guaranteed protection for historical, pop-culture, reasons that current and future generations can experience, and enjoy, as they were meant to be seen.