The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series represents excellence in the category of limited series that are two or more episodes, with a total running time of at least 150 minutes.

Criteria The program must tell a complete, non-recurring story, and not have an ongoing storyline or main characters in subsequent seasons.

Background The category began as the Outstanding Drama/Comedy – Limited Episodes in 1973. Prior to that year, limited series and miniseries were entered in the same category as continuing series for Outstanding Series – Drama. According to a 1972 newspaper article in the Los Angeles Times, this change might be due to the then recent entry of a number of British produced limited series that were competing with American produced continuing series in the same pre-existing category. The category was renamed Outstanding Limited Series in 1974, and later Outstanding Miniseries in 1986.

In 1991, the Outstanding Miniseries category was merged with Outstanding TV Movie, then called Outstanding Drama/Comedy Special, to form Outstanding Drama/Comedy Special and Miniseries, and the number of nominees increased from five to six. For that year, two miniseries had competed with four "made-for-television movies". The decision was reversed in 1992. In 2011, due to a low number of eligible miniseries in recent years, the categories were again merged as Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Miniseries or Movie, before reverting in 2014, following an influx in limited series following the critically and commercial popularity of the FX anthology series American Horror Story. A year later, the name of the awards category was changed to Outstanding Limited Series, and the rules were made to distinguish that category from that of a movie by having the work have at least two episodes, and from that of a regular series by having no more than five episodes. The 2015 rule change allowed more short-seasoned cable TV programs to compete, while prior rules had forced the same programs to compete in the same category with full seasons network programs.

What has been unique about this award in recent years (and even so today) is that there is almost always at least one nominee originating from Great Britain. For example, the 2005 winner was The Lost Prince, which happened to be that year's British entry. The 2006 winner, Elizabeth I, was also a British miniseries, although it was a co-production with American television network HBO. Likewise, the 2019 winner, Chernobyl, was a co-production of British and American companies (in this case, Sky UK and HBO).

Milestones Before the inaugurated category in 1973, The Life of Leonardo da Vinci marked the first non-English language television program to be nominated.

Winners and nominations

1970s Year Program Producers Network Outstanding Drama/Comedy - Limited Episodes 1973(25th) Tom Brown's Schooldays John McRae, producer PBS The Last of the Mohicans John McRae, producer PBS The Life of Leonardo da Vinci RAI Radiotelevisione Italiana CBS Outstanding Limited Series 1974(26th) Columbo (Season 3)| Dean Hargrove and Roland Kibbee, executive producers; Douglas Benton, Robert F. O'Neil, and Edward K. Dodds, producers| NBC|- | The Blue Knight | Lee Rich, executive producer; Walter Coblenz, producer | rowspan=2|NBC |- | McCloud (Season 4) | Glen A. Larson, executive producer; Michael Gleason, producer |- | rowspan="4" style="text-align:center" | 1975(27th) |- style="background:#FAEB86" | Benjamin Franklin Lewis Freedman, executive producer; George Lefferts and Glenn Jordan, producers CBS Columbo (Season 4) Roland Kibbee and Dean Hargrove, executive producers; Everett Chambers and Edward K. Dodds, producersNBC McCloud (Season 5) Glen A. Larson, executive producer; Michael Gleason and Ron Satlof, producers 1976(28th) Upstairs, Downstairs (Season 4)| Rex Firkin, executive producer; John Hawkesworth, producer| PBS|- | The Adams Chronicles | Jac Venza, executive producer; Virginia Kassel, series producer; Paul Bogart, Robert Costello, James Cellan Jones, and Fred Coe, producers | rowspan=2|PBS |- | Jennie: Lady Randolph Churchill | Stella Richman, executive producer; Andrew Brown, producer |- | The Law | William Sackheim, producer | NBC |- | Rich Man, Poor Man | Harve Bennett, executive producer; Jon Epstein, producer | ABC |- | rowspan="6" style="text-align:center" | 1977(29th) |- style="background:#FAEB86" | Roots David L. Wolper, executive producer; Stan Margulies, producer ABC The Adams Chronicles Jac Venza, executive producer; Virginia Kassel, series producer; Robert Costello, coordinating producer; Fred Coe and James Cellan Jones, producers PBS Captains and the Kings Roy Huggins, executive producer; Jo Swerling Jr., producer NBC Madame Bovary Richard Beynon, producer PBS The Moneychangers Ross Hunter and Jacque Mapes, producers NBC 1978(30th) Holocaust Herbert Brodkin, executive producer; Robert Berger, producer NBC Anna Karenina Ken Riddington, executive producer; Joan Sullivan, series producer; Donald Wilson, producerPBS I, Claudius Joan Sullivan, series producer; Martin Lisemore, producer King Edward S. Feldman, executive producer; Paul Maslansky, producer; Bill Finnegan, supervising producer NBC Washington: Behind Closed Doors Stanley Kallis, executive producer; Eric Bercovici and David W. Rintels, supervising producers; Norman S. Powell, producer ABC 1979(31st) Roots: The Next Generations David L. Wolper, executive producer; Stan Margulies, producer ABC Backstairs at the White House Ed Friendly, executive producer; Michael O'Herlihy, producer NBC Blind Ambition David Susskind, executive producer; George Schaefer and Renée Valente, producers CBS

1980s Year Program Producers Network Outstanding Limited Series 1980(32nd) Edward & Mrs. Simpson Andrew Brown, producer Syndicated Disraeli: Portrait of a Romantic Joan Wilson, series producer; Cecil Clarke, producerPBS The Duchess of Duke Street Joan Wilson, series producer; John Hawkesworth, producer The Scarlett O'Hara War David L. Wolper, executive producer; Stan Margulies, producer NBC 1981(33rd) Shōgun James Clavell, executive producer; Eric Bercovici, producer NBC East of Eden Mace Neufeld, executive producer; Barney Rosenzweig, producer; Ken Wales, co-producerABC Masada George Eckstein, producer Rumpole of the Bailey Joan Wilson, series producer; Jacqueline Davis, producerPBS Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Jac Venza, executive producer; Jonathan Powell, producer; Samuel Paul, series producer 1982(34th) Marco Polo Vincenzo Labella, producer NBC Brideshead Revisited Jac Venza and Robert B. Kotlowitz, executive producers; Samuel Paul, series producer; Derek Granger, producerPBS Flickers Joan Wilson, executive producer; Joan Brown, producer Oppenheimer Peter Goodchild, producer; Lindsay Law, coordinating producer A Town Like Alice Joan Wilson, executive producer; Henry Crawford, producer 1983(35th) Nicholas Nickleby Colin Callender, producer Syndicated Smiley's People Jonathan Powell, producer Syndicated The Thorn Birds David L. Wolper and Edward Lewis, executive producers; Stan Margulies, producer ABC To Serve Them All My Days Ken Riddington, producer PBS The Winds of War Dan Curtis, producer ABC 1984(36th) Concealed Enemies Lindsay Law and David Elstein, executive producers; Peter B. Cook, producer PBS Chiefs Martin Manulis, executive producer; Jerry London, supervising producer; John E. Quill, producerCBS George Washington David Gerber, executive producer; Buzz Kulik, supervising producer; Richard Fielder, producer Nancy Astor Philip Hinchcliffe, producerPBS Reilly, Ace of Spies Verity Lambert, executive producer; Chris Burt, producer 1985(37th) The Jewel in the Crown Denis Forman, executive producer; Christopher Morahan, producer PBS Ellis Island Gabriel Katzka and Frank Konigsberg, executive producers; Jerry London, supervising producer; Nick Gillott, producerCBS Robert Kennedy and His Times Rick Rosenberg and Robert W. Christiansen, producers Space Richard Berg, executive producer; Martin Manulis, producer; Allan Marcil, co-producer; Jack Clements and Robert Birnbaum, coordinating producers A Woman of Substance Ian Warren and Tom Donald, executive producers; Diane Baker, producer OPT Outstanding Miniseries 1986(38th) Peter the Great Lawrence Schiller, executive producer; Marvin J. Chomsky, producer; Konstantin Thoeren, line producer NBC Dress Gray Francis von Zerneck, executive producer; Glenn Jordan and William Beaudine Jr., producersNBC The Long Hot Summer Leonard Hill and John Thomas Lenox, executive producers; Ronald Gilbert, supervising producer; Dori Weiss, producer Lord Mountbatten: The Last Viceroy George Walker, executive producer; Judith de Paul, producer PBS On Wings of Eagles Edgar J. Scherick, executive producer; Lynn Raynor, producer NBC 1987(39th) A Year in the Life Joshua Brand and John Falsey, executive producers; Stephen Cragg, producer NBC Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna Michael Lepiner and Kenneth Kaufman, executive producers; Graham Cottle, supervising producer; Marvin J. Chomsky, producerNBC Nutcracker: Money, Madness and Murder Chuck McLain and William Hanley, executive producers; William Beaudine Jr., producer Out on a Limb Stan Margulies, producer; Colin Higgins, co-producer ABC The Two Mrs. Grenvilles Susan G. Pollock, executive producer; John Erman, supervising producer; Preston Fischer, producer NBC 1988(40th) The Murder of Mary Phagan George Stevens Jr., producer NBC Baby M Ilene Amy Berg, executive producer; Gordon Freedman, producer ABC Billionaire Boys Club Donald March, executive producer; Marvin J. Chomsky, supervising producer; Marcy Gross and Ann Weston, producers NBC Lincoln Sheldon Pinchuk, Bill Finnegan and Patricia Finnegan, executive producers; Robert W. Christiansen and Rick Rosenberg, producers NBC The Bourne Identity Frederick Muller, producer ABC 1989(41st) War and Remembrance Dan Curtis, executive producer; Barbara Steele, producer ABC I Know My First Name Is Steven Andrew Adelson, executive producer; Kim C. Friese, producer NBC Lonesome Dove Suzanne de Passe and William D. Wittliff, executive producers; Robert Halmi Jr., co-executive producer; Dyson Lovell, producer; Michael Weisbarth, supervising producer CBS A Perfect Spy Jonathan Powell, executive producer; Colin Rogers, producer PBS The Women of Brewster Place Carole Isenberg and Oprah Winfrey, executive producers; Karen Hall, supervising producer; Patricia K. Meyer and Reuben Cannon, producers; Barbara Black, line producer ABC

1990s