The 8th Emmy Awards, later referred to as the 8th Primetime Emmy Awards, were held on March 17, 1956, to honor the best in television of the year. The ceremony was held at the Pan Pacific Auditorium in Hollywood, California and was hosted by Art Linkletter and John Charles Daly. All nominations are listed, with winners in bold and series' networks are in parentheses.
The top shows of the night were The Phil Silvers Show, and Producers' Showcase. Each show won a record four major awards. Producers' Showcase, with its twelve major nominations, became the first show to receive over ten major nominations. (Both of these records were subsequently passed by multiple shows).
Arnold Auerbach, Barry Blitzer, Vincent Bogert, Nat Hiken, Coleman Jacoby, Harvey Orkin, Arnold Rosen, Terry Ryan, Tony Webster for The Phil Silvers Show, (CBS)
George Balzer, Hal Goldman, Al Gordon, Sam Perrin for The Jack Benny Show, (CBS)
Mel Brooks, Selma Diamond, Larry Gelbart, Sheldon Keller, Mel Tolkin for Caesar's Hour, (NBC)
Bob Carroll, Jr., Jess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh Davis, Robert Schiller, Robert Weiskopf, for I Love Lucy, (CBS)
Everett Greenbaum, Hal Kanter, Howard Leeds, Harry Winkler for The George Gobel Show, (NBC)
Rod Serling for Kraft Television Theatre, (Episode: "Patterns"), (NBC)
Robert Alan Aurthur for The Philco Television Playhouse, (Episode: "A Man is Ten Feet Tall"), (NBC)
Paddy Chayefsky for Alcoa-Goodyear Playhouse, (Episode: "A Catered Affair"), (NBC)
David Davidson for Alcoa-Goodyear Playhouse, (Episode: "Thunder over Washington"), (NBC)
Cyril Hume, Richard Maibaum for The United States Steel Hour, (Episode: "Fearful Decision"), (CBS)
Best Television Adaptation
Paul Gregory, Franklin Schaffner, for Ford Star Jubilee, (Episode: "The Cain Mutiny Court Martial"), (CBS)
David Dortort, for The 20th Century Fox Hour, (Episode: "The Ox-Bow Incident"), (CBS)
John Monks, for The 20th Century Fox Hour, (Episode: "Miracle on 34th Street"), (CBS)
Rod Serling, for Climax!, (Episode: "The Champion"), (CBS)
David Shaw for Producers' Showcase, (Episode: Our Town"), (NBC)
Ford Star Jubilee (CBS) / Make Room for Daddy (ABC) – 6
The Bob Cummings Show (CBS) / The Phil Silvers Show (CBS) – 5
Caesar's Hour (NBC) / Climax! (CBS) – 4
Alcoa-Goodyear Playhouse (NBC) / Disneyland (ABC) / The George Gobel Show (NBC) / The Honeymooners (CBS) / I Love Lucy (CBS) / Kraft Television Theatre (NBC) – 3