Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special
| Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for Variety Special | |
|---|---|
| Awarded for | Outstanding Writing for Variety Special |
| Country | United States |
| Presented by | Academy of Television Arts & Sciences |
| Currently held by | Bo Burnham: Inside (2021) |
| Website | emmys |
The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for Variety Special is awarded to one television special each year. In the 1960s and between 1979 and 2008, specials competed alongside nominees for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series.
In the following list, the first titles listed in gold are the winners; those not in gold are nominees, which are listed in alphabetical order. The years given are those in which the ceremonies took place:
Winners and nominations[]
1970s[]
| Year | Program | Nominees | Network |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 [1] | |||
| Singer Presents Burt Bacharach | Bob Ellison and Marty Farrell | CBS | |
| The Doris Mary Anne Kappelhoff Special | Alex Barris, Gary Belkin, Ernest Chambers and Saul Ilson | CBS | |
| Timex Presents Jack Benny's 20th Anniversary Special | Hal Goldman, Al Gordon, Hilliard Marks and Hugh Wedlock | NBC | |
| 1972 [2] | |||
| The Trial of Mary Lincoln | Anne Howard Bailey | PBS | |
| Jack Lemmon in 'S Wonderful, 'S Marvelous, 'S Gershwin | Martin Charnin | NBC | |
| Julie and Carol at Lincoln Center | Bob Ellison, Marty Farrell, Ken Welch and Mitzi Welch | CBS | |
| 1973 [3] | |||
| Acts of Love and Other Comedies | Joseph Bologna and Renée Taylor | ABC | |
| Liza with a Z | Fred Ebb | NBC | |
| The Lily Tomlin Show | Ann Elder, Karyl Geld, Allan Manings, Richard Pryor, John Rappaport, Jim Rusk, Lily Tomlin, Jane Wagner, Rod Warren and George Yanok | CBS | |
| 1974 [4] | |||
| Lily | Rosalyn Drexler, Ann Elder, Karyl Geld, Robert Illes, Lorne Michaels, Richard Pryor, Jim Rusk, Herb Sargent, James Stein, Lily Tomlin, Jane Wagner, Rod Warren and George Yanok | ABC | |
| Barbra Streisand...and Other Musical Instruments | Larry Gelbart, Ken Welch and Mitzi Welch | CBS | |
| Paradise | Joseph Bologna and Renée Taylor | ||
| 1975 [5] | |||
| Shirley MacLaine: If They Could See Me Now | John Bradford, Cy Coleman and Robert Wells | CBS | |
| Lily | Sybil Adelman, Gloria Banta, Stuart Birnbaum, Barbara Gallagher, Lorne Michaels, Marilyn Suzanne Miller, Pat Nardo, Matt Neuman, Earl Pomerantz, Rosie Ruthchild, Lily Tomlin and Jane Wagner | ABC | |
| 1976 [6] | |||
| Lily Tomlin | Ann Elder, Christopher Guest, Lorne Michaels, Earl Pomerantz, Jim Rusk, Lily Tomlin, Jane Wagner, Rod Warren and George Yanok | ABC | |
| Gypsy in My Soul | Fred Ebb | CBS | |
| Mitzi...Roarin' in the 20's | Jerry Mayer | ||
| Van Dyke and Company | Allan Blye, George Burditt, Bob Einstein, Robert Illes, Steve Martin, Jack Mendelsohn, Rick Mittleman, James Stein and Dick Van Dyke | NBC | |
| 1977 [7] | |||
| America Salutes Richard Rodgers: The Sound of His Music | Buz Kohan and Ted Strauss | CBS | |
| The Barry Manilow Special | Steve Binder, Don Clark, Susan Clark, Barry Manilow, Ronny Pearlman, Alan Thicke and Bruce Vilanch | ABC | |
| An Evening with Diana Ross | Bill Dyer and Ntozake Shange | NBC | |
| John Denver and Friend | George Schlatter and Digby Wolfe | ABC | |
| Sills and Burnett at the Met | Gail Parent, Kenny Solms, Ken Welch and Mitzi Welch | CBS | |
| 1978 [8] | |||
| The Paul Simon Special | Chevy Chase, Tom Davis, Al Franken, Charles Grodin, Lorne Michaels, Paul Simon, Lily Tomlin and Alan Zweibel | NBC | |
| Bette Midler: Ol' Red Hair Is Back | Jerry Blatt, Tom Eyen, Buz Kohan, Pat McCormick, Bette Midler, Bruce Vilanch and Rod Warren | NBC | |
| The George Burns One-Man Show | Fred Fox, Seaman Jacobs and Elon Packard | CBS | |
| The Second Barry Manilow Special | Ernest Chambers and Barry Manilow | ABC | |
| The Sentry Collection Presents Ben Vereen: His Roots | Michael H. Kagan |
1980s[]
| Year | Program | Nominees | Network | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Outstanding Individual Achievement - Classical Music/Dance Programming - Writing[9][note 1] | |||
| Dance in America: Baryshnikov by Tharp with American Ballet Theatre (Great Performances) | Peter Elbling and Twyla Tharp | PBS | ||
| 1986 | Outstanding Individual Achievement - Classical Music/Dance Programming[10][note 2] | |||
| Gala of Stars 1986 | John Ardoin | PBS | ||
| 1987 | Outstanding Individual Achievement - Classical Music/Dance Programming - Writing[11][note 3] | |||
| Carnegie Hall: The Grand Reopening | Sara Lukinson | CBS | ||
| 1988 | Outstanding Individual Achievement - Classical[12][note 4] | |||
| Dance in America: David Gordon's Made in U.S.A. (Great Performances) | David Gordon | PBS | ||
| 1989 | Outstanding Writing for Special Events[13][note 5] | |||
| The 42nd Annual Tony Awards | Jeffrey Lane | CBS | ||
1990s[]
| Year | Program | Nominees | Network | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Outstanding Writing in Classical Music/Dance Programming[14][note 6] | |||
| Dance in America: The Search for Nijinsky's Rite of Spring (Great Performances) | Holly Brubach | PBS | ||
2000s[]
| Year | Program | Nominees | Network |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 [15] |
Chris Rock: Kill the Messenger | Chris Rock | HBO |
| Louis C.K.: Chewed Up | Louis C.K. | Showtime | |
| The 81st Annual Academy Awards | Jon Macks, Jenny Bicks, Bill Condon, John Hoffman, Phil Alden Robinson, Bruce Vilanch, Dan Harmon, Rob Schrab, Ben Schwartz and Joel Stein | ABC | |
| Ricky Gervais: Out of England – The Stand-Up Special | Ricky Gervais | HBO | |
| You're Welcome America. A Final Night with George W. Bush | Will Ferrell |
2010s[]
| Year | Program | Nominees | Network |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 [16] |
The 63rd Annual Tony Awards | Dave Boone and Paul Greenberg | CBS |
| Bill Maher... But I'm Not Wrong | Bill Maher | HBO | |
| The 82nd Annual Academy Awards | Jon Macks, Bruce Vilanch, Steve Martin, Beth Armogida, Dave Barry, David Feldman, Carol Leifer, Jeffrey Richman, Marc Shaiman, Colleen Werthmann and Scott Wittman | ABC | |
| The Kennedy Center Honors | George Stevens Jr., Michael Stevens, Sara Lukinson and Lewis Friedman | CBS | |
| Wanda Sykes: I'ma Be Me | Wanda Sykes | HBO | |
| 2011 [17] |
The 64th Annual Tony Awards | Dave Boone, Matt Roberts and Mo Rocca | CBS |
| Colin Quinn: Long Story Short | Colin Quinn | HBO | |
| Louis C.K.: Hilarious | Louis C.K. | Epix | |
| Night of Too Many Stars: An Overbooked Concert for Autism Education | Eric Slovin, Russ Armstrong, Andy Blitz, R. J. Fried, Brian Huskey, Anthony King, Dan Mintz, Jason Reich, Craig Rowin, Andrew Secunda, Robert Smigel, Anthony Jeselnik and Adam Moerder | Comedy Central | |
| The Women of SNL | Paula Pell, Seth Meyers, Emily Spivey and John Solomon | NBC | |
| 2012 [18] |
Louis C.K.: Live at the Beacon Theatre | Louis C.K. | FX |
| The 84th Annual Academy Awards | Jon Macks, Dave Boone, Carol Leifer, Tim Carvell, Jeff Cesario, Billy Crystal, Ed Driscoll, Billy Martin, Ben Schwartz, Marc Shaiman, Eric Stangel, Justin Stangel, David Steinberg, Mason Steinberg and Colleen Werthmann | ABC | |
| Betty White's 90th Birthday: A Tribute to America's Golden Girl | Jon Macks, Steve Ridgeway, Mason Steinberg and Brad Lachman | NBC | |
| The Kennedy Center Honors | George Stevens Jr., Michael Stevens, Sara Lukinson and Lewis Friedman | CBS | |
| The 65th Annual Tony Awards | Dave Boone and Paul Greenberg | ||
| 2013 [19] |
Louis C.K.: Oh My God | Louis C.K. | HBO |
| Night of Too Many Stars: America Comes Together for Autism Programs | Eric Slovin, Doug Abeles, Ethan T. Berlin, Luke Cunningham, R.J. Fried, Dan Klein, Eric Ledgin, Doug Lieblich, Dan Mirk, Craig Rowin and Robert Smigel | Comedy Central | |
| Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday (Part One) | Seth Meyers, Colin Jost, James Anderson, James Downey, Steve Higgins, Zach Kanin, Chris Kelly, Joe Kelly, Erik Kenward, Rob Klein, Lorne Michaels, John Mulaney, Michael Patrick O'Brien, Josh Patten, Sarah Schneider, Pete Schultz, Frank Sebastiano, John Solomon, Kent Sublette and Alex Baze | NBC | |
| The 66th Annual Tony Awards | Dave Boone and Paul Greenberg | CBS | |
| The 70th Annual Golden Globe Awards | Barry Adelman, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Jon Macks, Dave Boone, Alex Baze, Robert Carlock, Seth Meyers and Mike Scully | NBC | |
| 2014 [20] |
Sarah Silverman: We Are Miracles | Sarah Silverman | HBO |
| The Beatles: The Night That Changed America | Ken Elrich and David Wild | CBS | |
| Billy Crystal: 700 Sundays | Billy Crystal | HBO | |
| The 71st Annual Golden Globe Awards | Barry Adelman, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Jon Macks, Dave Boone, Alex Baze, Robert Carlock, Sam Means, Seth Meyers and Michael Shoemaker | NBC | |
| The 67th Annual Tony Awards | Dave Boone and Paul Greenberg | CBS | |
| 2015 [21] |
Louis C.K.: Live at the Comedy Store | Louis C.K. | LouisCK.net |
| The 72nd Annual Golden Globe Awards | Barry Adelman, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Jon Macks, Dave Boone, Alex Baze, Robert Carlock, Eric Gurian, Sam Means, Seth Meyers, Meredith Scardino and Michael Shoemaker | NBC | |
| Key & Peele Super Bowl Special | Brendan Hunt, Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele and Rich Talarico | Comedy Central | |
| Mel Brooks: Live at the Geffen | Mel Brooks | HBO | |
| Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special | James Anderson, Fred Armisen, Tina Fey, Steve Higgins, Chris Kelly, Erik Kenward, Rob Klein, Seth Meyers, Lorne Michaels, John Mulaney, Paula Pell, Jeff Richmond, Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, Tom Schiller, Sarah Schneider, Marc Shaiman, Michael Shoemaker, Robert Smigel, Emily Spivey, Kent Sublette, Jorma Taccone and Bryan Tucker | NBC | |
| 2016 [22] | |||
| Patton Oswalt: Talking for Clapping | Patton Oswalt | Netflix | |
| Amy Schumer: Live at the Apollo | Amy Schumer | HBO | |
| John Mulaney: The Comeback Kid | John Mulaney | Netflix | |
| Tig Notaro: Boyish Girl Interrupted | Tig Notaro | HBO | |
| Triumph's Election Special 2016 | Robert Smigel, David Feldman, RJ Fried, Michael Koman, Brian Reich, Andy Breckman, Josh Comers, Raj Desai, Jarrett Grode, Ben Joseph, Matthew Kirsch, Michael Lawrence, Craig Rowin, Zach Smilovitz, David Taylor, Andy Weinberg, Ray James, Jesse Joyce, Jason Reich and Alex Scordelis | Hulu | |
| 2017 [23] | |||
| Full Frontal with Samantha Bee Presents Not the White House Correspondents' Dinner | Jo Miller, Samantha Bee, Ashley Nicole Black, Pat Cassels, Eric Drysdale, Mathan Erhardt, Travon Free, Joe Grossman, Miles Kahn and Melinda Taub | TBS | |
| Louis C.K. 2017 | Louis C.K. | Netflix | |
| Sarah Silverman: A Speck of Dust | Sarah Silverman | ||
| Stephen Colbert's Live Election Night Democracy's Series Finale: Who's Going to Clean Up This Sh*t? | Jay Katsir, Opus Moreschi, Stephen Colbert, Michael Brumm, Nate Charny, Aaron Cohen, Cullen Crawford, Paul Dinello, Rob Dubbin, Ariel Dumas, Glenn Eichler, Django Gold, Gabe Gronli, Barry Julien, Daniel Kibblesmith, Matt Lappin, Michael Pielocik, Tom Purcell, Kate Sidley, Jen Spyra, Brian Stack and John Thibodeaux | Showtime | |
| The 70th Annual Tony Awards | Dave Boone, Mike Gibbons, Lauren Greenberg, Ian Karmel, Ben Winston, Justin Shanes and James Corden | CBS | |
| 2018 [24] | |||
| John Mulaney: Kid Gorgeous at Radio City | John Mulaney | Netflix | |
| Full Frontal with Samantha Bee Presents: The Great American* Puerto Rico (*It's Complicated) | Melinda Taub, Samantha Bee, Pat Cassels, Mike Drucker, Eric Drysdale, Mathan Erhardt, Miles Kahn, Nicole Silverberg, Ashley Nicole Black, Joe Grossman, Sean Crespo, Razan Ghalayini, Tyler Hall, Allana Harkin, Paul Myers, Halcyon Person and Mike Rubens | TBS | |
| Michelle Wolf: Nice Lady | Michelle Wolf | HBO | |
| Patton Oswalt: Annihilation | Patton Oswalt | Netflix | |
| Steve Martin & Martin Short: An Evening You Will Forget for the Rest of Your Life | Steve Martin and Martin Short | ||
| 2019 [25] | |||
| Hannah Gadsby: Nanette | Hannah Gadsby | Netflix | |
| Adam Sandler: 100% Fresh | Adam Sandler | Netflix | |
| Amy Schumer Growing | Amy Schumer | ||
| Carpool Karaoke: When Corden Met McCartney Live from Liverpool | Matt Roberts, James Corden, Rob Crabbe, Lawrence Dai, Dicky Eagan, Nate Fernald, Lauren Greenberg, John Kennedy, Ian Karmel, James Longman, Jared Moskowitz, Sean O'Connor, Tim Siedell, Benjamin Stout, Louis Waymouth and Ben Winston | CBS | |
| Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé | Beyoncé Knowles-Carter | Netflix | |
| Wanda Sykes: Not Normal | Wanda Sykes |
2020s[]
| Year | Program | Nominees | Network |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 [26] | |||
| Dave Chappelle: Sticks & Stones | Dave Chappelle | Netflix | |
| Hannah Gadsby: Douglas | Hannah Gadsby | Netflix | |
| John Mulaney & the Sack Lunch Bunch | John Mulaney and Marika Sawyer | ||
| Patton Oswalt: I Love Everything | Patton Oswalt | ||
| Seth Meyers: Lobby Baby | Seth Meyers | ||
| 2021 [27] | |||
| Bo Burnham: Inside | Bo Burnham | Netflix | |
| The Daily Show with Trevor Noah Presents: Jordan Klepper Fingers the Pulse - Into the MAGAverse | Devin Delliquanti and Zhubin Parang | Comedy Central | |
| 8:46 - Dave Chappelle | Dave Chappelle | Netflix | |
| John Lewis: Celebrating a Hero | Mitchell Marchand | CBS | |
| Stephen Colbert's Election Night 2020: Democracy's Last Stand Building Back America Great Again Better 2020 | Ariel Dumas, Jay Katsir, Stephen T. Colbert, Delmonte Bent, Michael Brumm, River Clegg, Aaron Cohen, Nicole Conlan, Paul Dinello, Glenn Eichler, Django Gold, Gabe Gronli, Barry Julien, Michael Cruz Kayne, Eliana Kwartler, Matt Lappin, Felipe Torres Medina, Opus Moreschi, Asher Perlman, Tom Purcell, Kate Sidley, Brian Stack, John Thibodeaux, and Steve Waltien | Showtime |
Individuals with multiple awards[]
Totals include individuals wins for Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program.
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Individuals with multiple nominations[]
Totals are for individuals nominated since 2009.
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Notes[]
- ^ As a juried award, nominees had to garner 50% approval to win the award. The nominee did not meet the benchmark and no award was given.
- ^ As a juried award, nominees had to garner 50% approval to win the award. The nominee did not meet the benchmark and no award was given.
- ^ As a juried award, nominees had to garner 50% approval to win the award. The nominee did not meet the benchmark and no award was given.
- ^ As a juried award, nominees had to garner 50% approval to win the award. The nominee did not meet the benchmark and no award was given.
- ^ As a juried award, nominees had to garner 50% approval to win the award.
- ^ As a juried award, nominees had to garner 50% approval to win the award. The nominee did not meet the benchmark and no award was given.
References[]
- ^ "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
- ^ "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
- ^ "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
- ^ "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
- ^ "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
- ^ "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
- ^ "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
- ^ "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
- ^ "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Television Academy. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
- ^ "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Television Academy. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
- ^ "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Television Academy. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
- ^ "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Television Academy. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
- ^ "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Television Academy. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
- ^ "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Television Academy. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
- ^ "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 9, 2016.
- ^ "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 9, 2016.
- ^ "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 9, 2016.
- ^ "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 9, 2016.
- ^ "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 9, 2016.
- ^ "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 9, 2016.
- ^ "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 9, 2016.
- ^ "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
- ^ "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
- ^ "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
- ^ "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
- ^ "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
- ^ "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
Categories:
- Primetime Emmy Awards
- Screenwriting awards for television