Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series
The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series debuted in 1966 and has been awarded most years since. Generally the award has recognized writers of variety and sketch comedy shows. Exceptions include the years 1969, 1970, and 1979 when it served as the main category for writers of situation comedies. Prior to 1966, variety series competed in the category Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series where The Red Skelton Show and others were only occasionally nominated.
The category has undergone several name changes, mostly involving the addition or removal of the word comedy. This includes, in the late 70's, the unwieldy Outstanding Writing In A Comedy Or Comedy-Variety Or Music Series. The category name eventually found greater stability when, in 1982, it settled on Outstanding Writing for a Variety or Music Program. That name lasted almost two decades until 2000 when the word comedy was added. The current name dates from 2012.
From 1971 to 1978 the Variety Series category was effectively split into two branches, with one-off specials being honored separately from ongoing series. That distinction returned in 2009 with the addition of the Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special category. During the intervening years, writers of one-off variety specials had to compete against series' writers and awards to a variety special were infrequent. This lack of distinction also led to some peculiar outcomes, as in 1987 when writers of a special edition of Late Night with David Letterman beat out the series' writers of The Tracey Ullman Show and Saturday Night Live despite the fact that Letterman as a series was not nominated.
Of all the writing Emmy categories, Writing for a Variety Series has recently become the one most dominated by cable networks. Since 1996 it has been won by a major terrestrial broadcaster only twice, with the overwhelming majority of winners coming from HBO and Comedy Central. Since 2003 just 3 series have won the award every year but one : Comedy Central's The Daily Show, its spin-off The Colbert Report, and HBO's Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.
The following list of winners is organized both by year and the name being used by the category in that year:
Programs with multiple wins
;10 winsLast Week Tonight with John Oliver;9 winsThe Daily Show with Jon Stewart
;5 winsThe Carol Burnett Show
;4 winsThe Colbert Report Dennis Miller Live Late Night with David Letterman Saturday Night Live
;2 wins
- ''SCTV Network''
Programs with multiple nominations
;31 nominationsSaturday Night Live;20 nominationsThe Daily Show
;16 nominationsLate Show with David Letterman
;14 nominationsLate Night with Conan O'BrienLate Night with David Letterman
;12 nominationsThe Carol Burnett Show
;11 nominationsLast Week Tonight with John Oliver
;10 nominationsThe Colbert Report
;9 nominationsSCTV Network
;7 nominationsThe Late Show with Stephen Colbert
;6 nominationsDennis Miller LiveReal Time with Bill Maher
;5 nominationsFull Frontal with Samantha BeeLate Night with Seth MeyersRowan & Martin's Laugh-InThe Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
;4 nominationsThe Chris Rock ShowThe Muppet ShowPortlandiaThe Tracey Ullman Show
;3 nominationsThe Flip Wilson ShowIn Living ColorInside Amy SchumerKey & PeeleThe Kids in the HallPolitically Incorrect with Bill MaherThe Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour
;2 nominationsA Black Lady Sketch ShowThe Danny Kaye ShowMr. Show with Bob and DavidMystery Science Theater 3000The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour