Primetime Emmy Award for Program of the Year
{{more citations needed|date=March 2016}}
{{Infobox award
| name = Primetime Emmy Award for Program of the Year
| awarded_for = Outstanding Program of the Year
| presenter = Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
| country = United States
| year = 1955
| holder = A War of Children (1973)
| website = {{url|emmys.com}}
}}
The Primetime Emmy Award for Program of the Year was an annual award presented as part of the Primetime Emmy Awards. It recognized the best single television program of the year. In early Emmy ceremonies, anthology series were more common than traditional sitcoms or dramas; this made Program of the Year the highest honor.O'Neil, Thomas. "1960-61 A Bloodless Coup for Macbeth." The Emmys: The Ultimate, Unofficial Guide to the Battle of TV's Best Shows and Greatest Stars. New York: Perigee, 2000. 80.
Though traditional comedy and drama series were nominated, the majority of nominees and winners were: telefilms, variety specials, and documentaries. The award was last presented in 1973.
Winners and nominations
=1950s=
| class="wikitable" style="width:100%" |
| bgcolor="#bebebe"
! width="12%" | Year ! width="38%" | Program ! width="38%" | Episode ! width="12%" | Network |
| rowspan=6 style="text-align:center" | 1954 (7th) |
| style="background:#FAEB86"
| "Operation Undersea" | ABC |
| Light's Diamond Jubilee
| style="background:#ddd;"| Variety Special |
| Medic
| "White is the Color" | NBC |
| Chrysler Shower of Stars
| rowspan=2|CBS |
| Westinghouse Studio One | "Twelve Angry Men" |
| rowspan=8 style="text-align:center" | 1955 (8th) |
| style="background:#FAEB86"
| "Peter Pan" | NBC |
| Disneyland
| "Davy Crockett and the River Pirates" | ABC |
| Ford Star Jubilee
| "The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial" | CBS |
| Make Room for Daddy
| "Peter Pan Meets Rusty Williams" | ABC |
| Producers' Showcase
| NBC |
| The United States Steel Hour
| ABC |
| Wide Wide World
| "The American West" | NBC |
| rowspan=6 style="text-align:center" | 1956 (9th) |
| style="background:#FAEB86"
|CBS |
| Kraft Television Theatre
| NBC |
| Omnibus
| rowspan=3|CBS |
| See It Now
| "Secret Life of Danny Kaye" |
| Victor Borge: Comedy in Music
| style="background:#ddd;"| Variety Special |
| rowspan=6 style="text-align:center" | 1957 (10th) |
| style="background:#FAEB86"
| "The Comedian" | CBS |
| The Edsel Show
| rowspan=2 style="background:#ddd;"| Variety Special | CBS |
| General Motors 50th Anniversary Show
| rowspan=2| NBC |
| Hallmark Hall of Fame |
| Playhouse 90
| CBS |
| rowspan=5 style="text-align:center" | 1958–1959 (11th) |
| style="background:#FAEB86"
| An Evening with Fred Astaire | Variety Special | NBC |
| Hallmark Hall of Fame
| "Little Moon of Alban" | NBC |
| rowspan=2|Playhouse 90
| "Child of Our Time" | rowspan=2|CBS |
| "The Old Man" |
=1960s=
| class="wikitable" style="width:100%" |
| bgcolor="#bebebe"
! width="12%" | Year ! width="38%" | Program ! width="38%" | Episode ! width="12%" | Network |
| rowspan=2 style="text-align:center" | 1959–1960 (12th) |
| colspan=3 style="text-align:center;" |Not Awarded |
| rowspan=6 style="text-align:center" | 1960–1961 (13th) |
| style="background:#FAEB86"
| "Macbeth" |NBC |
| 1960 Presidential Nominating Conventions
| style="background:#ddd;"| News Program | NBC |
| An Hour with Danny Kaye
| rowspan=2 style="background:#ddd;"| Variety Special | CBS |
| Astaire Time
| rowspan=2|NBC |
| NBC Sunday Showcase |
| rowspan=6 style="text-align:center" | 1961–1962 (14th) |
| style="background:#FAEB86"
| "Victoria Regina" |NBC |
| Bell & Howell Close Up!
| "Walk in My Shoes" | ABC |
| CBS Reports
| "Biography of a Bookie Joint" | rowspan=2|CBS |
| The Judy Garland Show
| style="background:#ddd;"| Variety Special |
| Vincent Van Gogh: A Self-Portrait
| style="background:#ddd;"| Telefilm | NBC |
| rowspan=5 style="text-align:center" | 1962–1963 (15th) |
| style="background:#FAEB86"
| Documentary | NBC |
| Alcoa Premiere
| "The Voice of Charlie Pont" | ABC |
| The Danny Kaye Show with Lucille Ball
| style="background:#ddd;"| Variety Special | NBC |
| The Defenders
| "The Madman" | CBS |
| rowspan=6 style="text-align:center" | 1963–1964 (16th) |
| style="background:#FAEB86"
| The Making of the President 1960 | Documentary | ABC |
| The American Revolution of '63
| style="background:#ddd;"| News Program | NBC |
| The Defenders
| "Blacklist" | CBS |
| The Kremlin
| style="background:#ddd;"| Documentary | NBC |
| Town Meeting of the World
| style="background:#ddd;"| News Program | CBS |
| rowspan=2 style="text-align:center" | 1964–1965 (17th) |
| colspan=3 style="text-align:center;" |Not Awarded |
| rowspan=5 style="text-align:center" | 1965–1966 (18th) Limited to dramatic programs. |
| style="background:#FAEB86"
| Telefilm | CBS |
| rowspan=2| Hallmark Hall of Fame
| "Eagle in a Cage" | rowspan=2|NBC |
| "Inherit the Wind" |
| Slattery's People
| "Rally 'Round Your Own Flag, Mister" | CBS |
| rowspan=7 style="text-align:center" | 1966–1967 (19th) Limited to dramatic programs. |
| style="background:#FAEB86"
| Telefilm | CBS |
| rowspan=2| ABC Stage 67
| rowspan=2| ABC |
| "The Love Song of Barney Kempinski" |
| rowspan=2|CBS Playhouse
| "The Final War of Olly Winter" | rowspan=3|CBS |
| "The Glass Menagerie" |
| Mark Twain Tonight!
| style="background:#ddd;"| Telefilm |
| rowspan=7 style="text-align:center" | 1967–1968 (20th) Limited to dramatic programs. |
| style="background:#FAEB86"
| "Elizabeth the Queen" |NBC |
| rowspan=2|CBS Playhouse
| "Dear Friends" | rowspan=2|CBS |
| "Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night" |
| NET Playhouse
| "Uncle Vanya" | NET |
| The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
| style="background:#ddd;"| Telefilm | rowspan=2|ABC |
| Xerox Special
| "Luther" |
| rowspan=7 style="text-align:center" | 1968–1969 (21st) Limited to dramatic programs. |
| style="background:#FAEB86"
| "Teacher, Teacher" |NBC |
| CBS Playhouse
| CBS |
| Heidi
| rowspan=2 style="background:#ddd;"| Telefilm | NBC |
| A Midsummer Night's Dream
| rowspan=2|CBS |
| Mission: Impossible
| "The Execution" |
| NET Playhouse
| NET |
=1970s=
| class="wikitable" style="width:100%" |
| bgcolor="#bebebe"
! width="12%" | Year ! width="38%" | Program ! width="38%" | Episode ! width="12%" | Network |
| rowspan=5 style="text-align:center" | 1969–1970 (22nd) Limited to dramatic programs. |
| style="background:#FAEB86"
| "A Storm in Summer" |NBC |
| David Copperfield
| style="background:#ddd;"| Telefilm | NBC |
| Marcus Welby, M.D.
| "Hello, Goodbye, Hello" | ABC |
| My Sweet Charlie
| style="background:#ddd;"| Telefilm | NBC |
| rowspan=6 style="text-align:center" | 1970–1971 (23rd) |
| style="background:#FAEB86"
| Telefilm |PBS |
| rowspan=2|Hallmark Hall of Fame
| "Hamlet" | rowspan=4|NBC |
| "The Price" |
| Night Gallery
| "They're Tearing Down Tim Riley's Bar" |
| Vanished
| style="background:#ddd;"| Telefilm |
| rowspan=6 style="text-align:center" | 1971–1972 (24th) |
| style="background:#FAEB86"
| Telefilm |ABC |
| All in the Family
| "Sammy's Visit" | CBS |
| Elizabeth R
| "The Lion's Cub" | PBS |
| Hallmark Hall of Fame
| "The Snow Goose" | NBC |
| The Six Wives of Henry VIII
| "Jane Seymour" | CBS |
| rowspan=6 style="text-align:center" | 1972–1973 (25th) |
| style="background:#FAEB86"
| Telefilm | CBS |
| That Certain Summer
| rowspan=4 style="background:#ddd;"| Telefilm | rowspan=2|ABC |
| Long Day's Journey into Night |
| The Marcus-Nelson Murders
| CBS |
| The Red Pony
| NBC |
Total awards by network
- NBC – 8
- CBS – 5
- ABC – 3
- PBS – 1
Programs with multiple awards
;5 awards
- Hallmark Hall of Fame (2 consecutive; 3 consecutive)
;2 awards
- Playhouse 90 (consecutive)
Programs with multiple nominations
;12 nominations
- Hallmark Hall of Fame (NBC)
;5 nominations
- CBS Playhouse (CBS)
- Playhouse 90 (CBS)
;2 nominations
- ABC Stage 67 (ABC)
- The Defenders (CBS)
- Disneyland (ABC)
- NET Playhouse (NET)
- Producers' Showcase (NBC)
Notes
{{reflist|group=note}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20180318123451/http://www.emmys.com/awards/nominations/award-search?search_api_views_fulltext=&field_celebrity_details_field_display_name=&field_show_details_field_nominee_show_nr_title=&field_show_details_field_network=All&field_show_details_field_production_company=All&field_nominations_year=1949-01-01+00:00:00&field_nominations_year_1=2015-01-01+00:00:00&field_nomination_category=25133&submit=Search Emmys.com – list of Nominees & Winners]
{{EmmyAward ProgramoftheYear}}
{{Primetime Emmy Award categories}}