8th Primetime Emmy Awards

|+ {{sronly|Programs}}

• The Phil Silvers Show (CBS){{double dagger|alt=Winner}}
• The Bob Cummings Show (CBS)
• Caesar's Hour (NBC)
• The George Gobel Show (NBC)
• The Jack Benny Program (CBS)
• Make Room for Daddy (ABC)

| style="vertical-align:top;" width="50%" | {{Award category|#EEDD82|Best Dramatic Series}}

• Producers' Showcase (NBC){{double dagger|alt=Winner}}
• Climax! (CBS)
• Goodyear Television Playhouse (NBC)
• Studio One (CBS)
• The United States Steel Hour (CBS)

| style="vertical-align:top;" width="50%" | {{Award category|#EEDD82|Best Audience Participation Series (Quiz, Panel, Etc.)}}

• The $64,000 Question (CBS){{double dagger|alt=Winner}}
• I've Got a Secret (CBS)
• People Are Funny (NBC)
• What's My Line? (CBS)
• You Bet Your Life (NBC)

| style="vertical-align:top;" width="50%" | {{Award category|#EEDD82|Best Children's Series}}

• Lassie (CBS){{double dagger|alt=Winner}}
• Ding Dong School (NBC)
• Kukla, Fran and Ollie (ABC)
• The Mickey Mouse Club (ABC)
• The Pinky Lee Show (NBC)
• Puppet Playhouse (NBC)

| style="vertical-align:top;" width="50%" | {{Award category|#EEDD82|Best Special Event or News Program}}

• A-Bomb Coverage (CBS){{double dagger|alt=Winner}}
• 7th Primetime Emmy Awards (NBC)
• 27th Academy Awards (NBC)
• Rose Bowl (NBC)
• World Series (NBC)

| style="vertical-align:top;" width="50%" | {{Award category|#EEDD82|Best Contribution to Daytime Programming}}

• Matinee Theatre (NBC){{double dagger|alt=Winner}}
• The Bob Crosby Show (CBS)
• The Garry Moore Show (CBS)
• Home (NBC)
• Today (NBC)

|+ {{sronly|Lead performances}}

• Phil Silvers – The Phil Silvers Show as MSgt. Ernest G. Bilko (CBS){{double dagger|alt=Winner}}
• Robert Cummings – The Bob Cummings Show as Bob Collins (CBS)
• Jackie Gleason – The Honeymooners as Ralph Kramden (CBS)
• Danny Thomas – Make Room for Daddy as Danny Williams (ABC)
• Robert Young – Father Knows Best as Jim Anderson (CBS)

| style="vertical-align:top;" width="50%" | {{Award category|#EEDD82|Best Actress in a Continuing Performance}}

• Lucille Ball – I Love Lucy as Lucy Ricardo (CBS){{double dagger|alt=Winner}}
• Gracie Allen – The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show as Gracie Allen (CBS)
• Eve Arden – Our Miss Brooks as Connie Brooks (CBS)
• Ann Sothern – Private Secretary as Susie McNamara (CBS)

|+ {{sronly|Supporting performances}}

• Art Carney – The Honeymooners as Ed Norton (CBS){{double dagger|alt=Winner}}
• Ed Begley – Kraft Television Theatre: "Patterns" as Andy Sloane (NBC)
• William Frawley – I Love Lucy as Fred Mertz (CBS)
• Carl Reiner – Caesar's Hour as various characters (NBC)
• Cyril Ritchard – Producers' Showcase: "Peter Pan" as Mr. Darling / Captain Hook (NBC)

| style="vertical-align:top;" width="50%" | {{Award category|#EEDD82|Best Actress in a Supporting Role}}

• Nanette Fabray – Caesar's Hour as various characters (NBC){{double dagger|alt=Winner}}
• Ann B. Davis – The Bob Cummings Show: "Schultzy's Dream World" as Charmaine Schultz (CBS)
• Jean Hagen – Make Room for Daddy as Margaret Williams (ABC)
• Audrey Meadows – The Honeymooners as Alice Kramden (CBS)
• Thelma Ritter – Goodyear Television Playhouse: "The Catered Affair" as Aggie Hurley (NBC)

|+ {{sronly|Single performances}}

• Lloyd Nolan – Ford Star Jubilee: "The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial" as Capt. Queeg (CBS){{double dagger|alt=Winner}}
• Ralph Bellamy – The United States Steel Hour: "The Fearful Decision" as the Father (CBS)
• José Ferrer – Producers' Showcase: "Cyrano de Bergerac" as Cyrano (NBC)
• Everett Sloane – Kraft Television Theatre: "Patterns" as the President (NBC)
• Barry Sullivan – Ford Star Jubilee: "The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial" as Defense Attorney Greenwald (CBS)

| style="vertical-align:top;" width="50%" | {{Award category|#EEDD82|Best Actress in a Single Performance}}

• Mary Martin – Producers' Showcase: "Peter Pan" as Peter Pan (NBC){{double dagger|alt=Winner}}
• Julie Harris – The United States Steel Hour: "A Wind from the South" as Shevawn (CBS)
• Eva Marie Saint – Producers' Showcase: "Our Town" as Emily (NBC)
• Jessica Tandy – Producers' Showcase: "The Fourposter" as the Wife (NBC)
• Loretta Young – The Loretta Young Show: "Christmas Stopover" as Sadie (NBC)

|+ {{sronly|Directing}}

• The Phil Silvers Show – Nat Hiken (CBS){{double dagger|alt=Winner}}
• Alfred Hitchcock Presents: "The Case of Mr. Pelham" – Alfred Hitchcock (CBS)
• The Bob Cummings Show – Rod Amateau (CBS)
• Dragnet – Jack Webb (NBC)
• Make Room for Daddy – Sheldon Leonard (ABC)
• You Are There – Bernard Girard (CBS)

| style="vertical-align:top;" width="50%" | {{Award category|#EEDD82|Best Director for a Live Series}}

• Ford Star Jubilee: "The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial" – Franklin Schaffner (CBS){{double dagger|alt=Winner}}
• Climax!: "Portrait in Celluloid" – John Frankenheimer (CBS)
• Producers' Showcase: "Our Town" – Delbert Mann (NBC)
• Producers' Showcase: "Peter Pan" – Clark Jones (NBC)
• The United States Steel Hour: "No Time for Sergeants" – Alex Segal (CBS)

|+ {{sronly|Producing}}

• Disneyland – Walt Disney (ABC){{double dagger|alt=Winner}}
• The Bob Cummings Show – Paul Henning (CBS)
• Medic – Frank LaTourette (NBC)
• The Phil Silvers Show – Nat Hiken (CBS)
• You Are There – James D. Fonda (CBS)

| style="vertical-align:top;" width="50%" | {{Award category|#EEDD82|Best Producer for a Live Series}}

• Producers' Showcase – Fred Coe (NBC){{double dagger|alt=Winner}}
• Alcoa-Goodyear Playhouse – Herbert Brodkin (NBC)
• Climax! – Martin Manulis (CBS)
• The George Gobel Show – Hal Kanter (NBC)
• The United States Steel Hour – The Theatre Guild (CBS)
• Wide Wide World – Barry Wood (NBC)

|+ {{sronly|Writing}}

• Kraft Television Theatre: "Patterns" – Rod Serling (NBC){{double dagger|alt=Winner}}
• Alcoa-Goodyear Playhouse: "A Catered Affair" – Paddy Chayefsky (NBC)
• Alcoa-Goodyear Playhouse: "Thunder over Washington" – David Davidson (NBC)
• The Philco Television Playhouse: "A Man is Ten Feet Tall" – Robert Alan Aurthur (NBC)
• The United States Steel Hour: "Fearful Decision" – Cyril Hume and Richard Maibaum (CBS)

| style="vertical-align:top;" width="50%" | {{Award category|#EEDD82|Best Television Adaptation}}

• Ford Star Jubilee: "The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial" – Paul Gregory and Franklin Schaffner (CBS){{double dagger|alt=Winner}}
• The 20th Century Fox Hour: "Miracle on 34th Street" – John Monks (CBS)
• The 20th Century Fox Hour: "The Ox-Bow Incident" – David Dortort (CBS)
• Climax!: "The Champion" – Rod Serling (CBS)
• Producers' Showcase: "Our Town" – David Shaw (NBC)

|+ {{sronly|Best Specialty Act}}

• Marcel Marceau
• Harry Belafonte
• Victor Borge
• Sammy Davis Jr.
• Donald O'Connor

|+Networks with multiple major nominations"Major" constitutes the categories listed above: Program, Acting, Directing, and Writing. Does not include the technical categories.

|+Programs with multiple major nominations

|+Networks with multiple major awards"Major" constitutes the categories listed above: Program, Acting, Directing, and Writing. Does not include the technical categories.

|+Programs with multiple major awards