The International Emmy Award for Best Drama Series is presented by the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (IATAS) during the International Emmy Awards ceremony. The category is described on the official International Academy website as being open to drama series that are “a dramatic production in which theme, storyline, and main characters are presented under the same title, with the intention to develop beyond a first season.” The award was first presented in 2002, recognizing programs broadcast in 2001. From 1979 to 2001, the category was presented as Best Drama.
Rules and regulations According to the rules of the International Academy, the award is given to a dramatic production in which the theme, plot, and main characters are presented under the same title. The program must meet the minimum format length of a televised half-hour time slot and must have been broadcast during the eligibility period.
If the program is part of an anthology series (i.e., each episode presents a different story and a different set of characters), episodes submitted in this category must be less than or equal to one hour in length. Two episodes must be submitted.
Winners and nominees 2000s Year English title Original title Recipients Production company/Network Country2002 Unit One Rejseholdet Peter Thorsboe Danmarks Radio All Stars Jean Van de Velde VARA Always Greener Bevan Lee Seven Network At Home with the Braithwaites Sally Wainwright Yorkshire Television/ITV 2003 Nikolaj og Julie Adam Price Danmarks Radio Waking the Dead Barbara Machin BBC One Cuéntame cómo pasó Miguel Ángel Bernardeau Grupo Ganga / La 1 MDA Greg Haddrick, Des Monaghan ABC 2004 Waking the Dead Barbara Machin BBC One Krøniken Stig Thorsbøe Danmarks Radio Shameless Paul Abbott Channel 4 Schimanski Edward Berger and Mario Giordano Colonia Media / WDR 2005 The Eagle Ørnen: En krimi-odyssé Peter Thorsboe, Mai Brostrom Danmarks Radio Spooks David Wolstencroft BBC One New Tricks Nigel McCrery, Roy Mitchell Wall to Wall / BBC One The Cadets Курсанты Andrey Kavun Channel One Russia 2006 Life on Mars Matthew Graham, Tony Jordan, Ashley Pharoah Kudos / BBC Mandrake Rubem Fonseca, José Henrique Fonseca Conspiração Filmes / HBO Brasil Little Missy Sinhá Moça Benedito Ruy Barbosa TV GloboVincent Stephen Butchard Granada Television / ITV 2007 The Street Jimmy McGovern BBC One / ITV Studios Mandrake Rubem Fonseca, José Henrique Fonseca Conspiração Filmes / HBO Brasil The Killing Forbrydelsen Søren Sveistrup Danmarks Radio Home Affairs Roberta Durrant Penguin Films / SABC 2008 Life on Mars Matthew Graham, Tony Jordan, Ashley Pharoah Kudos / BBC Mandrake Rubem Fonseca, José Henrique Fonseca Conspiração Filmes / HBO Brasil The Killing Forbrydelsen Søren Sveistrup Danmarks Radio Home Affairs Roberta Durrant Penguin Films / SABC 2009 The Protectors Livvagterne Peter Thorsboe Danmarks Radio Capadocia Argos Comunicación HBO Latin America The Kingdom of the Winds 바람의 나라 Choi Wan-kyu, Jin-ok Jeong Chorokbaem Media / KBS Sokhulu & Partners Paw Paw Films SABC Spooks David Wolstencroft BBC
2010s Year English title Original title Recipients Production company/Network Country2010 The Street Jimmy McGovern BBC One The Killing Forbrydelsen Søren Sveistrup Danmarks Radio Epitafios Marcelo Slavich, Walter Slavich Pol-Ka Producciones / HBO Saka no Ue no Kumo Hisashi Nozawa NHK 2011 Accused Jimmy McGovern BBC One / RSJ Films Spiral Engrenages Alexandra Clert, Guy-Patrick Sainderichin Canal+ Saka no Ue no Kumo Hisashi Nozawa NHK Na Forma da Lei Antônio Calmon TV Globo 2012 Braquo Olivier Marchal Canal+ ICAC Investigators TVB RTHK The Kitchen Musical Chee Kong Cheah The Group Entertainment / AXN Asia The Slap Brendan Cowell Matchbox Pictures / ABC El Líder Social Pol-ka Producciones Artear / El Trece 2013 The Returned Les Revenants Fabrice Gobert Canal+ / Haut et Court Maalaala Mo Kaya ABS-CBN ABS-CBN Corporation Accused Jimmy McGovern BBC One / RSJ Films Next in Line O Brado Retumbante Euclydes Marinho TV Globo 2014 Utopia Dennis Kelly Kudos / Channel 4 Prófugos Pablo Illanes, Josefina Fernández HBO Latin America The Tunnel Tunnel Ben Richards, Hans Rosenfeldt Sky Atlantic / Canal+ / Kudos / Shine France Yae's Sakura 八重の桜 / Yae no Sakura Mutsumi Yamamoto NHK 2015 Spiral Engrenages Alexandra Clert Canal+ / Son et LumièreMozu Eiichirō Hasumi TBS / Wowow / Robot My Mad Fat Diary Rae Earl E4 / Tiger Aspect Productions / Drama Republic Psi Contardo Calligaris HBO Brasil 2016 Deutschland 83 Jorg Winger, Anna Winger RTL / UFA Fiction 19-2 Adrian Holmes, Jared Keeso CTV / Sphere Media / Echo Media / Bell Media La casa del mar Juan Pablo Laplace OnDirecTV / Cisne Films / Storylab Waiting for Jasmin بانتظار الياسمين (مسلسل) Osama Kokash ABC Marketing and Distribution 2017 Mammon Vegard and Gjermund Stenberg Eriksen NRK / NRK Drama Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit Sumio Omori NHK Above Justice Justiça Manuela Dias Estúdios Globo / TV Globo Wanted Rebecca Gibney Seven Network / Matchbox Pictures / R&R Productions 2018 Money Heist La casa de papel Álex Pina, Esther Martinez Lobato Vancouver / Atresmedia / Antena 3 Urban Myths Sky Arts Happy Tramp / Sky UK Inside Edge Karan Anshuman Amazon Studios / Excel Entertainment 1 Contra Todos Thomas Stavros, Gustavo Lipsztein, Breno Silveira Conspiração Filmes / Fox Brasil 2019 McMafia Hossein Amini, James Watkins Cuba Pictures / BBC One Bad Banks Oliver Kienle Letterbox Filmproduktion / Iris Productions / ZDF 1 Contra Todos Thomas Stavros, Gustavo Lipsztein, Breno Silveira Conspiração Filmes / Fox Brasil Sacred Games Varun Grover Phantom Films / Netflix
2020s Year English title Original title Recipients Production company/Network Country2020 Delhi Crime Richie Mehta Golden Karavan / Ivanhoe Productions / FilmKaravan / Poor Man's Productions / Netflix Charité Dorothee Schön UFA Fiction / Das Erste Criminal: UK George Kay, Jim Field Smith Idiotlamp Productions / Netflix El jardín de bronce Gustavo Malajovich, Marcos Osorio Vidal HBO / Pol-ka Producciones 2021 Tehran Moshe Zonder Donna and Paper Plane Productions / Kan 11 Aarya Ram Madhvani, Sandeep Modi Endemol / Hotstar El presidente Armando Bó Gaumont / Amazon Studios There She Goes Shaun Pye Merman Television / BBC Two 2022 Vigil Tom Edge World Productions / BBC One Lupin George Kay, François Uzan Netflix / Gaumont Television Reyka Rohan Dickson tpf london / Quizzical / Serena Cullen Productions / M-Net / Fremantle / Heromotives Narcos: Mexico Carlo Bernard, Chris Brancato, Doug Miro Netflix / Gaumont 2023 The Empress Die Kaiserin Katharina Eyssen Sommerhaus Serien Extraordinary Attorney Woo 이상한 변호사 우영우 / Isanghan Byeonhosa U-yeong-u Moon Ji-won AStory / KT Studio Genie Yosi, the Regretful Spy Iosi, el espía arrepentido Daniel Burman Oficina Burman / Amazon / The Devil's Hour Tom Moran Hartswood Films / Amazon 2024 Drops of God 神の雫 / Les Gouttes de Dieu Dang Tran Legendary Entertainment / Les Productions Dynamic / 22H22 / Adline Entertainment / France Télévisions / Hulu / The Newsreader Michael Lucas Werner Film Productions / Australian Broadcasting Corporation / eOne The Night Manager Sandeep Modi Disney+ Hotstar / Banijay Asia / Ink Factory Yosi, the Regretful Spy Iosí, el espía arrepentido Daniel Burman Amazon MGM Studios / 2025 Rivals Dominic Treadwell-Collins Happy Prince part of ITV Studios / Disney+ Women in Blue Las Azules Pablo Aramendi, Fernando Rovzar Lemon Studios / Apple TV+ Bad Boy ילד רע Ron Leshem, Hagar Ben Asher Sipur Studios / North Road Company / Tedy Prod. / Hot Cake Koek Christiaan Olwagen Wolflight 2026 A Thousand Blows Steven Knight The Story Collective / Matriarch Productions / Water & Power Productions / Disney+ Carême Martin Bourboulon Vvz / Shine Fiction / Apple TV Menem Mariano Varela Claxson / Amazon MGM Studios Real Kashmir Football Club Mahesh Mathai Sony Liv / Jaya Entertainment / Oshun Entertainment
Multiple nominations TV series
Nominations TV series 3 The Killing2 Waking the Dead Life on Mars The Street Mandrake Home Affairs Spooks Accused Spiral 1 Contra Todos Saka no Ue no Kumo
Country Nominations Country 20 10 8 5 4 3 2
Multiple wins TV series
Wins TV series2 The Street Life on Mars
Country Wins Country 9 4 4
References
External links 2013 Emmy Awards International Emmy Awards