The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Series is a category at the Primetime Emmy Awards. It is awarded annually to the best variety show or similarly formatted program of the year. The award was previously known as "Outstanding Comedy-Variety or Music Program" and "Outstanding Variety, Music, or Comedy Series".
History From 1979 to 1989 and in 1991, variety series and specials competed together. Single programs dominated as winners during this time until the Outstanding Variety Special category was created. Starting in 1994, all of the winners in this category have been late-night talk shows, except in 1997.
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart won the award for ten years consecutively (2003–2012), the longest winning streak for a television show in Primetime Emmys history. In 2015, this category was separated into two categories, Outstanding Variety Sketch Series and Outstanding Talk Series.
In 2026, the split was reversed and the category returned at the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards with the two categories being merged.
Winners and nominations 1950s Year Program Network Best Variety Show 1951(3rd) The Alan Young Show KTTV Four Star Revue KNBH The Ken Murray Show KTTV Texaco Star TheaterKNBH Your Show of Shows 1952(4th) Your Show of Shows NBC All Star RevueNBC The Colgate Comedy Hour The Fred Waring ShowCBS Toast of the Town Best Variety Program 1953(5th) Your Show of Shows NBC Arthur Godfrey and His Friends CBS The Colgate Comedy Hour NBC The Jackie Gleason ShowCBS Toast of the Town 1954(6th) Omnibus CBS The Colgate Comedy Hour NBC The Jackie Gleason ShowCBS Toast of the Town Your Show of Shows NBC Best Variety Series Including Musical Varieties 1955(7th) Disneyland ABC The Ed Sullivan Show CBS The George Gobel Show NBC The Jack Benny ProgramCBS The Jackie Gleason Show Your Show of Shows NBC 1956(8th)In 1956, two separate series categories were presented, Best Variety Series and Best Music Series, and an award was given in each category. The Ed Sullivan Show won Best Variety Series, while Your Hit Parade won Best Music Series.Best Variety Series The Ed Sullivan Show CBS The Dinah Shore Show NBC Ford Star Jubilee CBS The Perry Como Show NBC Shower of Stars CBSBest Music Series Your Hit Parade NBC Coke Time with Eddie FisherNBC The Dinah Shore Show The Perry Como Show The Voice of Firestone CBS 1957(9th)In 1957, two separate series categories were presented, Best Series – Half Hour or Less and Best Series – One Hour or More, and an award was given in each category. The Phil Silvers Show, a comedy, won Best Series – Half Hour or Less, while Caesar's Hour, another comedy, won Best Series – One Hour or More. For this ceremony (and also in 1965), variety shows competed directly against comedies, dramas, and other shows. Best Series – Half Hour or Less The Phil Silvers Show (comedy) || style="background:#FAEB86;" | CBS|- | Alfred Hitchcock Presents (anthology) || CBS |- | Father Knows Best (comedy) || NBC |- | The Jack Benny Program (comedy) || rowspan=2|CBS |- | Person to Person (interview) |- ! colspan="3"| Best Series – One Hour or More |- style="background:#FAEB86;" | Caesar's Hour (comedy) || style="background:#FAEB86;" | NBC|- | Climax! (drama) || rowspan="3" | CBS |- | The Ed Sullivan Show (musical variety) |- | Omnibus (educational) |- | The Perry Como Show (musical variety) || NBC |- ! colspan="3" | Best Musical, Variety, Audience Participation or Quiz Series |- | rowspan="6" style="text-align:center" | 1958(10th) |- style="background:#FAEB86;" | The Dinah Shore Chevy Show NBC The Ed Sullivan Show CBS The Perry Como ShowNBC The Steve Allen Show Tonight Starring Jack Paar Best Musical or Variety Series 1959(11th) The Dinah Shore Chevy Show NBC The Perry Como ShowNBC The Steve Allen Show
1960s Year Program Producers Network Outstanding Program Achievement in the Field of Variety 1960(12th) The Fabulous Fifties CBS Another Evening with Fred Astaire NBC The Dinah Shore Chevy Show The Garry Moore Show CBS The Revlon Revue 1961(13th) Astaire Time NBC Belafonte, N.Y. CBS The Garry Moore Show An Hour with Danny Kaye The Jack Paar Tonight Show NBC Outstanding Program Achievements in the Fields of Variety and Music - Variety 1962(14th) The Garry Moore Show CBS Here's Edie ABC The Judy Garland Show CBS Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall NBC Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color Outstanding Program Achievement in the Field of Variety 1963(15th) The Andy Williams Show NBC Carol and Company CBS The Garry Moore Show Here's Edie ABC The Red Skelton Hour CBS 1964(16th) The Danny Kaye Show CBS The Andy Williams Show NBC The Garry Moore Show CBS The Judy Garland Show The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson NBCOutstanding Program Achievements in Entertainment 1965(17th)1965 Emmy Awards The Dick Van Dyke Show(Season 4)| Carl Reiner, producer| CBS|-style="background:#FAEB86;" | Hallmark Hall of Fame: "The Magnificent Yankee"| George Schaefer, producer| NBC|-style="background:#FAEB86;" | My Name Is Barbra Richard Lewine, producerCBS New York Philharmonic Young People's Concerts with Leonard Bernstein Roger Englander, producer The Andy Williams Show Bob Finkel, producerNBC Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre Dick Berg, producer A Carol for Another Christmas Joseph L. Mankiewicz, producer ABC The Defenders Bob Markell, producer CBS Hallmark Hall of Fame George Schaefer, producerNBC The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Sam Rolfe, producer Mr. Novak Leonard Freeman, producer Profiles in Courage Robert Saudek, producer Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color Walt Disney, producer Who Has Seen the Wind? George Sidney, producer ABC The Wonderful World of Burlesque George Schaefer, producer NBC Outstanding Variety Series 1966(18th) The Andy Williams Show Bob Finkel, producer NBC The Danny Kaye Show Robert Scheerer, producer CBS The Hollywood Palace William O. Harbach and Nick Vanoff, producers ABC The Red Skelton Hour Seymour Berns, producer CBS The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson Art Stark, producer NBC 1967(19th) The Andy Williams Show Edward Stephenson and Bob Finkel, producers NBC The Dean Martin Show Greg Garrison, producer NBC The Hollywood Palace Nick Vanoff and William O. Harbach, producers ABC The Jackie Gleason Show Ronald Wayne, producer CBS The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour Saul Ilson and Ernest Chambers, producers The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson Art Stark, producer NBC Outstanding Musical or Variety Series 1968(20th) Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In George Schlatter, producer NBC The Bell Telephone Hour Henry Jaffe, executive producer; Robert Drew, Mike Jackson and Mel Stuart, producers NBC The Carol Burnett Show Joe Hamilton, producer CBS The Dean Martin Show Greg Garrison, producer NBC The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour Saul Ilson and Ernest Chambers, producers CBS Outstanding Variety or Musical Series 1969(21st) Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In Paul Keyes and Carolyn Raskin, producers; Dick Martin and Dan Rowan, stars NBC The Carol Burnett Show Joe Hamilton, producer; Carol Burnett, star CBS The Dean Martin Show Greg Garrison, producer; Dean Martin, star NBC The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour Allan Blye and George Sunga, producers; Tom Smothers and Dick Smothers, stars CBS That's Life Marvin Marx and Stan Harris, producers; Robert Morse, star ABC
1970s Year Program Producers Network Outstanding Variety or Musical Series 1970(22nd) The David Frost Show Peter Baker, producer; David Frost, star Syndicated The Carol Burnett Show Joe Hamilton, producer; Carol Burnett, star CBS The Dean Martin Show Greg Garrison, producer; Dean Martin, star NBC The Dick Cavett Show Jack Rollins, executive producer; Tony Converse, producer; Dick Cavett, star ABC Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In George Schlatter, executive producer; Carolyn Raskin and Paul Keyes, producers; Dan Rowan and Dick Martin, stars NBC 1971(23rd) Outstanding Variety Series – Musical The Flip Wilson Show Monte Kay, executive producer; Bob Henry, producer; Flip Wilson, star NBC The Carol Burnett Show Joe Hamilton, executive producer; Arnie Rosen, producer; Carol Burnett, star CBS Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In George Schlatter, executive producer; Carolyn Raskin, producer; Dick Martin and Dan Rowan, stars NBC Outstanding Variety Series – Talk The David Frost Show Peter Baker, producer; David Frost, star Syndicated The Dick Cavett Show Jack Rollins, executive producer; John Gilroy, producer; Dick Cavett, star ABC The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson Rudy Tellez and Frederick De Cordova, producers; Johnny Carson, host NBC 1972(24th) Outstanding Variety Series – Musical The Carol Burnett Show Joe Hamilton (executive producer), Arnie Rosen (producer), Carol Burnett (star) CBS The Dean Martin Show Greg Garrison (producer), Dean Martin (star) NBC The Flip Wilson Show Monte Kay (executive producer), Bob Henry (producer), Flip Wilson (star) The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour Allan Blye (producer), Chris Bearde (producer), Sonny Bono (star), Cher (star) CBS Outstanding Variety Series – Talk The Dick Cavett Show John Gilroy (producer), Dick Cavett (star) ABC The David Frost Show Peter Baker (producer), David Frost (star) Syndicated The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson Frederick De Cordova (producer), Johnny Carson (host) NBC Outstanding Variety Musical Series 1973(25th) The Julie Andrews Hour Nick Vanoff (producer), William O. Harbach (producer), Julie Andrews (star) ABC The Carol Burnett Show Joe Hamilton (executive producer), Bill Angelos (producer), Buz Kohan (producer), Arnie Rosen (producer), Carol Burnett (star) CBS The Dick Cavett Show John Gilroy (producer), Dick Cavett (star) ABC The Flip Wilson Show Monte Kay (executive producer), Bob Henry (producer), Flip Wilson (star) NBC The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour Allan Blye (producer), Chris Bearde (producer), Sonny Bono (star), Cher (star) CBS Outstanding Music-Variety Series 1974(26th) The Carol Burnett Show Joe Hamilton (executive producer), Ed Simmons, Carol Burnett (star) CBS The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour Allan Blye (producer), Chris Bearde (producer), Sonny Bono (star), Cher (star) CBS The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson Johnny Carson (star), Frederick De Cordova (producer) NBC 1975(27th) Outstanding Comedy-Variety or Music Series The Carol Burnett Show Joe Hamilton (executive producer), Ed Simmons (producer), Carol Burnett (star) CBS Cher George Schlatter (producer), Cher (star) CBS Special Classification of Outstanding Program and Individual AchievementAs a juried award, nominees had to receive 50% approval to win the award. The nominee did not meet the benchmark and the award was not given. The Dick Cavett Show John Gilroy, producer; Dick Cavett, star ABC Outstanding Comedy-Variety or Music Series 1976(28th) Saturday Night Live(Season 1)| Lorne Michaels (producer)| NBC|- | The Carol Burnett Show | Joe Hamilton (executive producer), Ed Simmons (producer), Carol Burnett (host) | CBS |- | rowspan=13 style="text-align:center" | 1977(29th) |- ! colspan="3" | Outstanding Comedy-Variety or Music Series |- style="background:#FAEB86"