Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series

The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series debuted in 1966 and has been awarded most years since. Generally the award has recognized writers of variety and sketch comedy shows. Exceptions include the years 1969, 1970, and 1979 when it served as the main category for writers of situation comedies. Prior to 1966, variety series competed in the category Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series where The Red Skelton Show and others were only occasionally nominated.

The category has undergone several name changes, mostly involving the addition or removal of the word comedy. This includes, in the late 70's, the unwieldy Outstanding Writing In A Comedy Or Comedy-Variety Or Music Series. The category name eventually found greater stability when, in 1982, it settled on Outstanding Writing for a Variety or Music Program. That name lasted almost two decades until 2000 when the word comedy was added. The current name dates from 2012.

From 1971 to 1978 the Variety Series category was effectively split into two branches, with one-off specials being honored separately from ongoing series. That distinction returned in 2009 with the addition of the Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special category. During the intervening years, writers of one-off variety specials had to compete against series' writers and awards to a variety special were infrequent (they include 1991 and 2000). This lack of distinction also led to some peculiar outcomes, as in 1987 when writers of a special edition of Late Night with David Letterman beat out the series' writers of The Tracey Ullman Show and Saturday Night Live despite the fact that Letterman as a series was not nominated.

Of all the writing Emmy categories, Writing for a Variety Series has recently become the one most dominated by cable networks. Since 1996 it has been won by a major terrestrial broadcaster (aka broadcast network) only twice, with the overwhelming majority of winners coming from HBO and Comedy Central. Since 2003 just 3 series have won the award every year but one (2007): Comedy Central's The Daily Show, its spin-off The Colbert Report, and HBO's Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (Oliver, himself, is a Daily Show alumnus).

The following list of winners is organized both by year and the name being used by the category in that year:

Winners and nominations 1950s Year Program Episode Nominee(s) NetworkBest Written Comedy MaterialThe George Gobel ShowJames B. Allardice, Jack Douglas, Hal Kanter and Harry WinklerNBCI Love LucyJess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll Jr.CBSThe Jack Benny ProgramGeorge Balzer, Milt Josefsberg, Sam Perrin and John TackaberryThe Jackie Gleason ShowJackie Gleason and staff writersMake Room for DaddyDanny Thomas and staff writersABCMister PeepersJim Fritzell and Everett GreenbaumNBCBest Comedy WritingThe Phil Silvers ShowArnold M. Auerbach, Barry Blitzer, Vincent Bogert, Nat Hiken, Coleman Jacoby, Harvey Orkin, Arnold Rosen, Terry Ryan and Tony WebsterCBSCaesar's HourMel Brooks, Selma Diamond, Larry Gelbart, Sheldon Keller and Mel TolkinNBCThe George Gobel ShowEverett Greenbaum, Hal Kanter, Howard Leeds and Harry WinklerI Love LucyJess Oppenheimer, Madelyn Pugh, Bob Carroll Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob WeiskopfCBSThe Jack Benny ProgramGeorge Balzer, Hal Goldman, Al Gordon and Sam PerrinBest Comedy Writing - Variety or Situation ComedyThe Phil Silvers ShowBilly Friedberg, Nat Hiken, Coleman Jacoby, Arnold Rosen, Leonard B. Stern and Tony WebsterCBSCaesar's HourGary Belkin, Mel Brooks, Larry Gelbart, Sheldon Keller, Neil Simon and Michael Stewart and Mel TolkinNBCThe Ernie Kovacs ShowLouis M. Heyward, Ernie Kovacs, Rex Lardner and Mike MarmerThe Jack Benny ProgramGeorge Balzer, Hal Goldman, Al Gordon and Sam PerrinCBSThe Perry Como ShowGoodman Ace, Jay Burton, George Foster and Mort GreenNBCBest Comedy WritingThe Phil Silvers ShowBilly Friedberg, Nat Hiken, Coleman Jacoby, Arnold Rosen, A.J. Russell, Terry Ryan, Phil Sharp, Tony Webster and Sydney ZelinkaCBSCaesar's HourGary Belkin, Mel Brooks, Larry Gelbart, Sheldon Keller, Neil Simon and Michael Stewart and Mel TolkinNBCThe Ernie Kovacs Show"No Dialogue Show"Ernie KovacsFather Knows BestRoswell Rogers and Paul WestThe Jack Benny ProgramGeorge Balzer, Hal Goldman, Al Gordon and Sam PerrinCBSBest Writing of a Single Musical or Variety ProgramAn Evening with Fred AstaireHerbert Baker and Bud YorkinNBCArt Carney Meets "Peter and the Wolf"A.J. RussellABCThe Perry Como Show"Pier Angeli, Andy Griffith and Helen O'Connell"Goodman Ace, Jay Burton, George Foster and Mort GreenNBCSid Caesar's Chevy ShowWoody Allen and Larry GelbartThe Steve Allen Show"Peter Ustinov, Louis Armstrong and Van Cliburn"Stan Burns, Bill Dana, Hal Goodman, Don Hinkley, Larry Klein, Herb Sargent and Leonard Stern

1960s Year Program Episode Nominee(s) NetworkOutstanding Writing Achievement in ComedyThe Jack Benny ProgramGeorge Balzer, Hal Goldman, Al Gordon and Sam PerrinCBSThe Ballad of Louie the LouseNat HikenCBSFather Knows BestDorothy Cooper and Roswell RogersThe Red Skelton ShowDave O'Brien, Martin Ragaway, Al Schwartz, Sherwood Schwartz and Red SkeltonCBSThe Danny Thomas ShowJack Elinson and Charles StewartCBSHenneseyRichard BaerThe Dick Van Dyke ShowCarl ReinerCBSThe Bob Newhart ShowErnest Chambers, Dean Hargrove, Don Hinkley, Robert Kaufman, Roland Kibbee, Norm Liebman, Bob Newhart, Milt Rosen, Charles Sherman, Larry Siegel and Howard SnyderNBCCar 54, Where Are You?Nat Hiken, Terry Ryan and Tony WebsterChun King Chow Mein HourStan FrebergABCThe Red Skelton ShowDave O'Brien, Arthur Phillips, Martin Ragaway, Al Schwartz, Sherwood Schwartz, Ed Simmons and Red SkeltonCBSThe Dick Van Dyke ShowCarl ReinerCBSThe Beverly HillbilliesPaul HenningCBSCar 54, Where Are You?Nat HikenNBCThe Jack Benny ProgramGeorge Balzer, Hal Goldman, Al Gordon and Sam PerrinCBSThe Red Skelton ShowMort Greene, Bruce Howard, Rick Mittleman, Dave O'Brien, Arthur Phillips, Martin A. Ragaway, Larry Rhine, Ed Simmons, Red Skelton and Hugh WedlockOutstanding Writing Achievement in Comedy or VarietyThe Dick Van Dyke ShowCarl Reiner, Bill Persky and Sam DenoffCBSThe Danny Kaye ShowHerbert Baker, Gary Belkin, Ernest Chambers, Larry Gelbart, Saul Ilson, Sheldon Keller, Paul Mazursky, Mel Tolkin and Larry TuckerCBSThe Farmer's DaughterSteven Gethers, Jerry Davis, Lee Loeb and John McGreeveyABCThat Was the Week That WasRobert Emmett, Gerald Gardner, Thomas Meehan, David Panich, Ed Sherman, Saul Turteltaub and Tony WebsterNBC Outstanding Individual Achievements in Entertainment – WritersThe Defenders"The 700 Year Old Gang"David KarpCBSThe Danny Thomas HourThe Wonderful World of BurlesqueColeman Jacoby and Arnie RosenNBCThe Dick Van Dyke Show"Never Bathe on Saturday"Carl ReinerCBSHallmark Hall of Fame"The Magnificent Yankee"Robert HartungNBCThat Was the Week That WasWilliam Boardman, Dee Caruso, Robert Emmett, David Frost, Gerald Gardner, Buck Henry, Joseph Hurley, Thomas Meehan, Herbert Sargent, Larry Siegel, Gloria Steinem, Jim Stevenson, Calvin Trillin and Saul TurteltaubOutstanding Writing Achievement in Variety 1966(18th) An Evening with Carol Channing Hal Goldman, Al Gordon and Sheldon Keller CBS The Danny Kaye Show Norman Barasch, Billie Barnes, Ernest Chambers, Ron Friedman, Paul Mazursky, Pat McCormick, Carroll Moore, Bernard Rothman and Larry Tucker CBS The Julie Andrews Show Sam Denoff and Bill Persky NBC 1967(19th) The Sid Caesar, Imogene Coca, Carl Reiner, Howard Morris Special Mel Brooks, Sam Denoff, Bill Persky, Carl Reiner and Mel Tolkin CBS The Dean Martin Show Harry Crane, Rich Eustis, Lee Hale, Paul Keyes and Al Rogers NBC The Jackie Gleason Show Marvin Marx, Rod Parker and Walter Stone CBSOutstanding Writing Achievement in Music or Variety 1968(20th) Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In Chris Bearde, Phil Hahn, Jack Hanrahan, Coslough Johnson, Paul Keyes, Marc London, Allan Manings, David Panich, Hugh Wedlock Jr. and Digby Wolfe NBC The Carol Burnett Show Bill Angelos, Stan Burns, Don Hinkley, Buz Kohan, Mike Marmer, Gail Parent, Arnie Rosen, Kenny Solms and Saul Turteltaub CBS Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In "Pilot" Larry Hovis, Paul Keyes, Jim Mulligan, David Panich, George Schlatter and Digby Wolfe NBC The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour "Ronnie Schell, Kate Smith and Simon & Garfunkel" Allan Blye, Bob Einstein, Carl Gottlieb, Cy Howard, Steve Martin, Lorenzo Music, Murray Roman, Cecil Tuck, Paul Wayne and Mason Williams CBSOutstanding Writing Achievement in Comedy, Variety or Music 1969(21st) The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour "David Frye and Liberace" Allan Blye, Bob Einstein, Carl Gottlieb, Cy Howard, Steve Martin, Lorenzo Music, Murray Roman, Cecil Tuck, Paul Wayne and Mason Williams CBS The Carol Burnett Show "Nanette Fabray, Mel Tormé and Don Rickles" Roger Beatty, Stan Hart, Don Hinkley, Arthur Julian, Woody Kling, Jack Mendelsohn, Gail Parent, Arnie Rosen, Larry Siegel and Kenny Solms CBS Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In "Don Rickles" Chris Bearde, Jim Carlson, David M. Cox, Phil Hahn, Jack Hanrahan, Coslough Johnson, Paul Keyes, Marc London, Allan Manings, Jack Mendelsohn, Lorne Michaels, James Mulligan, Hart Pomerantz, David Panich and Hugh Wedlock Jr. NBC

1970s