Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Variety Series

The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for Variety Series is awarded to one television series each year. After being grouped together for decades as Outstanding Directing for Variety or Music Program, categories were divided for series and Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special in 2009.

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:

Programs with multiple wins

 * 12 wins
 * Saturday Night Live


 * 4 wins
 * The Carol Burnett Show

Programs with multiple nominations
Totals include nominations for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for Nonfiction Programming.


 * 25 nominations
 * Saturday Night Live


 * 15 nominations
 * Late Show with David Letterman


 * 13 nominations
 * The Daily Show with Jon Stewart


 * 10 nominations
 * The Colbert Report


 * 8 nominations
 * Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
 * The Late Show with Stephen Colbert


 * 7 nominations
 * Late Night with David Letterman


 * 6 nominations
 * American Idol
 * The Carol Burnett Show
 * The Tonight Show with Jay Leno


 * 4 nominations
 * Jimmy Kimmel Live!
 * Portlandia


 * 3 nominations
 * The Flip Wilson Show
 * The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour
 * The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon


 * 2 nominations
 * A Black Lady Sketch Show
 * Da Ali G Show
 * Drunk History
 * Inside Amy Schumer
 * The Jim Henson Hour
 * Late Night with Seth Meyers
 * The Late Late Show with James Corden
 * The Muppet Show
 * Real Time with Bill Maher
 * Tracey Takes On...
 * The Tracey Ullman Show

Individuals with multiple wins

 * 10 wins
 * Don Roy King


 * 6 wins
 * Louis J. Horvitz


 * 5 wins
 * Dwight Hemion


 * 4 wins
 * Dave Powers


 * 3 wins
 * Don Mischer


 * 2 wins
 * Patricia Birch
 * Bucky Gunts
 * Walter C. Miller