In 1988, Rumpole of the Bailey (PBS) was initially nominated in the Outstanding Miniseries category[3][4] but the Academy ruled that the nomination was not valid a few days later[5] and later allowed the program to compete in the Outstanding Drama Series category.
[6][7] Since 2000, every single winner has been a serial drama: The West Wing (2000–2003), The Sopranos (2004, 2007), Lost (2005), 24 (2006), Mad Men (2008–2011), Homeland (2012), Breaking Bad (2013–2014), Game of Thrones (2015–2016, 2018–2019), The Handmaid's Tale (2017), Succession (2020, 2022-2023), and The Crown (2021).
Since the advent of Hill Street Blues in 1981, every winner has had some serialized arcs with the exception of Law & Order.
Since 1967, they are the only non-US series or television series from outside the United States to be nominated including The Avengers, The Forsyte Saga, The First Churchills, Elizabeth R, The Six Wives of Henry VIII, Upstairs, Downstairs, Rumpole of the Bailey, Downton Abbey, Bodyguard, Killing Eve, Squid Game, and Slow Horses; most non-US series are entirely United Kingdom, Squid Game is the only Asia and South Korea to do so.
Game of Thrones, Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law, Mad Men, and The West Wing share the record for most wins in the category with four.