Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Nonfiction Programming
The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Nonfiction Program is awarded to one television documentary or nonfiction series each year.
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
1980s
1990s
2000s
Year
Program
Episode(s)
Nominees
Network
2003 [ 15]
American Experience
"Seabiscuit"
Michelle Ferrari
PBS
American Experience
"The Murder of Emmett Till "
Marcia A. Smith
PBS
Da Ali G Show
Sacha Baron Cohen , Dan Mazer , Anthony Hines, Jamie Glassman and James Bobin
HBO
Journeys with George
Alexandra Pelosi
Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narratives
Mark Jonathan Harris
2004 [ 16]
American Masters
"Judy Garland: By Myself"
Susan Lacy and Stephen Stept
PBS
Fred Rogers: America's Favorite Neighbor
Rick Sebak
PBS
JFK: A Presidency Revealed
David C. Taylor
History
Pandemic: Facing AIDS
"Uganda/Thailand"
Mark Bailey
HBO
Penn & Teller: Bullshit!
"War on Drugs"
Penn Jillette , Teller , Emma Webster, Star Price and Michael Goudeau
Showtime
Terry Jones' Medieval Lives
"The Peasant"
Terry Jones
History
2005 [ 17]
Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson
Geoffrey C. Ward
PBS
Beyond the Da Vinci Code
Thomas Quinn and Rob Blumenstein
History
Broadway: The American Musical
"Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'"
JoAnn Young
PBS
Death in Gaza
Saira Shah
HBO
Penn & Teller: Bullshit!
"Profanity"
Penn Jillette , Teller , Jon Hotchkiss, Star Price and Michael Goudeau
Showtime
2006 [ 18]
Stardust: The Bette Davis Story
Peter Jones
TCM
American Masters
"John Ford/John Wayne: The Filmmaker and the Legend"
Kenneth Bowser
PBS
"Ernest Hemingway: Rivers to the Sea"
DeWitt Sage
How William Shatner Changed the World
Alan Handel and Julian Jones
History
Penn & Teller: Bullshit!
"Prostitution"
Penn Jillette , Teller , Cliff Schoenberg, Jon Hotchkiss, Michael Goudeau and Star Price
Showtime
2007 [ 19]
American Masters
"Andy Warhol: A Documentary Film "
James Sanders and Ric Burns
PBS
Penn & Teller: Bullshit!
"Wal-Mart"
Penn Jillette , Teller , Sheryl Zohn , Jon Hotchkiss, Michael Goudeau , Star Price, Cliff Schoenberg and David Weiss
Showtime
Planet Earth
"Mountains"
Vanessa Berlowitz and Gary Parker
Discovery
Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed
Steven Smith, David Comtois and Kevin Burns
History
This American Life
"God's Close-Up"
Nancy Updike
Showtime
2008 [ 20]
The War
"Pride of Our Nation (June–August 1944)"
Geoffrey C. Ward
PBS
American Experience
"Walt Whitman"
Mark Zwonitzer
PBS
Intervention
"Caylee"
Jeff Grogan
A&E
Life After People
David de Vries
History
This American Life
"Escape"
Ira Glass
Showtime
2009 [ 21]
Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired
Joe Bini , P. G. Morgan and Marina Zenovich
HBO
American Experience
"The Trials of J. Robert Oppenheimer"
David Grubin
PBS
American Masters
"Jerome Robbins: Something to Dance About"
Amanda Vaill
Make 'Em Laugh: The Funny Business of America
"When I'm Bad, I'm Better — The Groundbreakers"
Michael Kantor and Laurence Maslon
Penn & Teller: Bullshit!
"New Age Medicine"
Penn Jillette , Teller , Star Price, Rich Nathanson, Michael Goudeau , David Wechter, Cliff Schoenberg and Sheryl Zohn
Showtime
2010s
Year
Program
Episode(s)
Nominees
Network
2010 [ 22]
The National Parks: America's Best Idea
"The Last Refuge (1890–1915)"
Dayton Duncan
PBS
America: The Story of Us
"Division"
Jenny Ash and Ed Fields
History
Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations
"Prague"
Anthony Bourdain
Travel
The Buddha
David Grubin
PBS
Life
"Challenges of Life"
Paul Spillenger
Discovery
2011 [ 23]
American Experience
"Freedom Riders "
Stanley Nelson Jr.
PBS
Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations
"Haiti"
Anthony Bourdain
Travel
Gasland
Josh Fox
HBO
Gettysburg
Richard Bedser and Ed Fields
History
Moguls & Movie Stars
"The Birth of Hollywood"
Jon Wilkman
TCM
2012 [ 24]
Prohibition
"A Nation of Hypocrites"
Geoffrey C. Ward
PBS
American Experience
"Clinton "
Barak Goodman
PBS
American Masters
"Johnny Carson: King of Late Night "
Peter Jones
Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations
"Cuba"
Anthony Bourdain
Travel
Sesame Street: Growing Hope Against Hunger
Christine Ferraro
PBS
2013 [ 25]
Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God
Alex Gibney
HBO
Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown
"Libya"
Anthony Bourdain
CNN
The Dust Bowl
"The Great Plow-Up"
Dayton Duncan
PBS
Ethel
Mark Bailey
HBO
The Men Who Built America
"A New War Begins"
Stephen David, Patrick Reams, David C. White , Keith Palmer, Randy Counsman and Ed Fields
History
2014 [ 26]
Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey
"Standing Up in the Milky Way "
Ann Druyan and Steven Soter
Fox
American Experience
"JFK"
Mark Zwonitzer
PBS
Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown
"Congo"
Anthony Bourdain
CNN
The World Wars
"Trial by Fire"
Stephen David, David C. White , John Ealer, Alec Michod, Chelsea Coates, Randy Counsman, Russ McCarroll, Jordan Rosenblum and David Schaye
History
Years of Living Dangerously
"The Surge"
Adam Bolt
Showtime
2015 [ 27]
Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief
Alex Gibney
HBO
American Experience
"Last Days in Vietnam "
Keven McAlester and Mark Bailey
PBS
Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown
"Iran"
Anthony Bourdain
CNN
Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck
Brett Morgen
HBO
The Roosevelts: An Intimate History
"The Rising Road (1933–1939)"
Geoffrey C. Ward
PBS
2016 [ 28]
Making a Murderer
"Eighteen Years Lost"
Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos
Netflix
American Experience
"Walt Disney "
Mark Zwonitzer, Sarah Colt and Tom Jennings
PBS
Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown
"Borneo"
Anthony Bourdain
CNN
Everything Is Copy — Nora Ephron: Scripted & Unscripted
Jacob Bernstein
HBO
Jackie Robinson
David McMahon and Sarah Burns
PBS
2017 [ 29]
13th
Ava DuVernay and Spencer Averick
Netflix
Amanda Knox
Matthew Hamachek and Brian McGinn
Netflix
Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown
"Houston"
Anthony Bourdain
CNN
The Beatles: Eight Days a Week — The Touring Years
Mark Monroe
Hulu
Bill Nye Saves the World
"The Sexual Spectrum"
Prashanth Venkataramanujam , CeCe Pleasants, Sanden Totten, Mike Drucker and Flora Lichtman
Netflix
2018 [ 30]
Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown
"Southern Italy"
Anthony Bourdain
CNN
The Defiant Ones
"Episode 1"
Allen Hughes , Lasse Järvi and Doug Pray
HBO
Icarus
Bryan Fogel , Mark Monroe and Jon Bertain
Netflix
Jane
Brett Morgen
Nat Geo
Mister Rogers: It's You I Like
JoAnn Young
PBS
The Vietnam War
"Episode 8: The History of the World (April 1969-May 1970)"
Geoffrey C. Ward
2019 [ 31]
Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown
"Kenya"
Anthony Bourdain
CNN
The Case Against Adnan Syed
"Forbidden Love"
Amy J. Berg
HBO
Fyre Fraud
Jenner Furst and Julia Willoughby
Hulu
Hostile Planet
"Grasslands"
Bruce Kennedy
Nat Geo
Our Planet
"Jungles"
Huw Cordey, Keith Scholey, Alastair Fothergill and David Attenborough
Netflix
Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics and Men
"Episode 1"
Paul Greenhouse, Sacha Jenkins and Peter J. Scalettar
Showtime
2020s
Year
Program
Episode(s)
Nominees
Network
2020 [ 32]
Don't F**k with Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer
"Closing the Net"
Mark Lewis
Netflix
Beastie Boys Story
Mike Diamond , Adam Horovitz and Spike Jonze
Apple TV+
The Cave
Alisar Hasan and Feras Fayyad
Nat Geo
Circus of Books
Rachel Mason and Kathryn Robson
Netflix
McMillion$
"Episode 1"
James Lee Hernandez and Brian Lazarte
HBO
2021 [ 33]
The Social Dilemma
Vickie Curtis, Davis Coombe and Jeff Orlowski
Netflix
All In: The Fight for Democracy
Jack Youngelson
Prime Video
Allen v. Farrow
"Episode 3"
Kirby Dick , Amy Ziering , Mikaela Shwer and Parker Laramie
HBO
The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart
Mark Monroe
Tulsa Burning: The 1921 Race Massacre
Maia Harris and Marco Williams
History
2022 [ 34]
Lucy and Desi
Mark Monroe
Prime Video
The Andy Warhol Diaries
"Shadows: Andy & Jed"
Andrew Rossi
Netflix
How To with John Wilson
"How To Appreciate Wine"
John Wilson , Michael Koman , Susan Orlean and Conner O'Malley
HBO
The Problem with Jon Stewart
"The Economy"
Chelsea Devantez, Jon Stewart and Kristen Acimovic
Apple TV+
The Tinder Swindler
Felicity Morris
Netflix
2023 [ 35]
The U.S. and the Holocaust
"Episode 2: Yearning to Breathe Free (1938-1942)"
Geoffrey C. Ward
PBS
Dear Mama
"Panther Power"
Allen Hughes and Lasse Järvi
FX
Moonage Daydream
Brett Morgen
HBO
100 Foot Wave
"Chapter V: Lost at Sea"
Zach Rothfeld
Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me
Alek Keshishian and Paul Marchand
Apple TV+
2024 [ 36]
Conan O'Brien Must Go
"Ireland"
Jessie Gaskell, Conan O'Brien , Matt O'Brien and Mike Sweeney
Max
How To with John Wilson
"How To Watch the Game"
John Wilson , Michael Koman and Allie Viti
HBO
Jim Henson Idea Man
Mark Monroe
Disney+
The Jinx — Part Two
"Chapter 7: Why Are You Still Here?"
Andrew Jarecki , Sam Neave and Zac Stuart-Pontier
HBO
The Reluctant Traveler with Eugene Levy
"Scotland: My Mother's Country"
Alan Connor , David Reilly and Christine Rose
Apple TV+
Programs with multiple awards
Individuals with multiple awards
Programs with multiple nominations
9 nominations
8 nominations
7 nominations
4 nominations
3 nominations
Heritage: Civilization and the Jews
2 nominations
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.
^ 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.
^ 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.
^ 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.
^ 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. No nominee met 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.
^ In 2020, the TV Academy rescinded a win in this category for the Disney Channel special George Stevens: D-Day to Berlin , written by George Stevens Jr. The program was a re-edit of the 1985 BBC documentary D-Day to Berlin , in violation of a rule that "a program that is a foreign acquisition without benefit of a domestic co-production cannot be re-introduced into eligibility in a current awards year, even though it may have been modified with new footage, sound track, musical score, etc."
References
^ "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" . 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" . Television Academy . Retrieved April 18, 2020 .
^ Feinberg, Scott (March 12, 2020). "TV Academy Rescinds Several of George Stevens Jr.'s Emmy Noms, Awards (Exclusive)" . The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved March 12, 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 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 16, 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 23, 2021 .
^ "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy" . Academy of Television Arts & Sciences . Retrieved July 12, 2022 .
^ "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy" . Academy of Television Arts & Sciences . Retrieved July 15, 2023 .
^ "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy" . Academy of Television Arts & Sciences . Retrieved July 21, 2024 .
1979–1994 2003–present Between 1979–1994, the category was a juried award.
Programs Performance Directing Writing Animation Casting Choreography Cinematography Commercials Costume Design Hairstyling Lighting Main Title / Motion Design Makeup Music Picture Editing Production Design Sound Editing Sound Mixing Special Effects Stunts Technical Direction Engineering Retired