Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series
Primetime Emmy Awards · 105 nominations across 22 ceremonies · 21 wins
78th Emmys · 2026
- Nominee The American Revolution · Sarah Botstein, Ken Burns
- Nominee Sean Combs: The Reckoning · 50 Cent, Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, Alexandria Stapleton
- Nominee Mr. Scorsese · Cindy Tolan, Rebecca Miller, Julie Yorn, Ron Burkle
- Nominee The Yogurt Shop Murders · Margaret Brown, Emma Stone, Dave McCary, Beth Garrabrant
- Nominee Rafa · Zachary Heinzerling, David Ellison, Jon Weinbach
77th Emmys · 2025
- Winner 100 Foot Wave · Chris Smith
- Nominee SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night · Morgan Neville, Caitrin Rogers
- Nominee Simone Biles Rising · Gotham Chopra, Yiannis Exarchos, Jemele Hill
- Nominee Chef's Table · David Gelb, Andrew Fried, Brian McGinn
- Nominee Social Studies · Lauren Greenfield, Frank Evers, Wallis Annenberg, Regina K. Scully
76th Emmys · 2024
- Winner Beckham · Gary Neville, John Battsek, Fisher Stevens
- Nominee Stax: Soulsville U.S.A. · Ezra Edelman, Caroline Waterlow, Nigel Sinclair, Jamila Wignot
- Nominee Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV · Eli Holzman, Aaron Saidman
- Nominee Telemarketers · Adam Bhala Lough, Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie, Danny McBride
- Nominee The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst · Andrew Jarecki, Zachary Stuart-Pontier
75th Emmys · 2023
- Winner The 1619 Project · Nikole Hannah-Jones, Roger Ross Williams, Oprah Winfrey
- Nominee Secrets of the Elephants · James Cameron, Dr. Paula Kahumbu
- Nominee Dear Mama · Nelson George, Jamal Joseph, Allen Hughes
- Nominee 100 Foot Wave · Chris Smith
- Nominee The U.S. and the Holocaust · Sarah Botstein, Lynn Novick, Ken Burns
74th Emmys · 2022
- Winner The Beatles: Get Back · Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono Lennon, Olivia Harrison, Peter Jackson
- Nominee The Andy Warhol Diaries · Ryan Murphy, Andrew Rossi, Josh Braun, Alexis Martin Woodall, Dan Braun
- Nominee jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy · Connor Schell, Coodie Simmons, Chike Ozah
- Nominee 100 Foot Wave · Chris Smith
- Nominee We Need to Talk About Cosby · W. Kamau Bell, Andrew Fried
73rd Emmys · 2021
- Winner Secrets of the Whales · James Cameron, Brian Skerry
- Nominee American Masters · Alicia Keys, Lacey Schwartz Delgado, Mehret Mandefro
- Nominee City So Real · Diane Weyermann, Alex Kotlowitz, Gordon Quinn, Steve James
- Nominee Allen v. Farrow · Amy Ziering, Kirby Dick, Dan Cogan, Amy Herdy
- Nominee Pretend It's a City · Martin Scorsese, Fran Lebowitz, Ted Griffin, Emma Tillinger Koskoff
72nd Emmys · 2020
- Winner The Last Dance · Michael Tollin, Estee Portnoy, Connor Schell
- Nominee Hillary · Ben Silverman, Howard T. Owens, Nanette Burstein
- Nominee McMillion$ · Mark Wahlberg, Archie Gips
- Nominee American Masters · Suzi Dietz, Jeff Kaufman, Marcia S. Ross
- Nominee Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness · Chris Smith, Fisher Stevens, Eric Goode
71st Emmys · 2019
- Winner Our Planet · Alastair Fothergill, Keith Scholey
- Nominee American Masters
- Nominee Hostile Planet · Guillermo Navarro, Martha Holmes, Bear Grylls
- Nominee 30 for 30 · Connor Schell
- Nominee Chef's Table · Brian McGinn, Andrew Fried, David Gelb
70th Emmys · 2018
- Winner Wild Wild Country · Mark Duplass, Jay Duplass, Josh Braun, Dan Braun, Chapman Way, Maclain Way
- Nominee The Fourth Estate · Dan Cogan, Liz Garbus, Justin Wilkes
- Nominee American Masters
- Nominee The Defiant Ones · Allen Hughes, Doug Pray
- Nominee Blue Planet II · James Honeyborne
69th Emmys · 2017
- Winner Planet Earth II
- Nominee Chef's Table · David Gelb, Andrew Fried, Brian McGinn
- Nominee 30 for 30 · Judd Apatow
- Nominee The Keepers · Ryan White, Josh Braun
- Nominee American Masters · Brent Miller
68th Emmys · 2016
- Winner Making a Murderer · Laura Ricciardi, Moira Demos
- Nominee Chef's Table · David Gelb, Andrew Fried, Brian McGinn
- Nominee American Masters
- Nominee The Seventies · Tom Hanks, Gary Goetzman
- Nominee Woman with Gloria Steinem · Amy Richards, Gloria Steinem
67th Emmys · 2015
- Winner The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst · Jason Blum, Zachary Stuart-Pontier, Marc Smerling, Andrew Jarecki
- Nominee Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies · Ken Burns, Dalton Delan, Laura Ziskin
- Nominee The Roosevelts · Ken Burns
- Nominee The Sixties · Tom Hanks, Gary Goetzman
- Nominee American Masters
66th Emmys · 2014
- Winner American Masters
65th Emmys · 2013
- Winner American Masters
- Nominee Through the Wormhole
- Nominee Vice · Bill Maher, Jason Mojica
- Nominee The Men Who Built America
- Nominee American Experience
64th Emmys · 2012
- Winner Frozen Planet · Alastair Fothergill
- Nominee Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations · Anthony Bourdain
- Nominee American Masters
- Nominee The Weight of the Nation · Sheila Nevins, Sarah Teale
- Nominee Inside the Actors Studio · James Lipton
63rd Emmys · 2011
- Winner American Masters
- Nominee 30 for 30 · Bill Simmons
- Nominee Pioneers of Television
- Nominee Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations · Anthony Bourdain
- Nominee Biography
- Nominee Moguls and Movie Stars
62nd Emmys · 2010
- Winner The National Parks: America's Best Idea · Ken Burns, Dayton Duncan
- Nominee American Masters · Dick Wolf, Peter Jankowski
- Nominee Life · Martha Holmes
- Nominee Monty Python: Almost the Truth (Lawyers Cut)
- Nominee American Experience
- Nominee Deadliest Catch · Thom Beers
61st Emmys · 2009
- Winner American Masters
- Nominee Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations
- Nominee Deadliest Catch · Thom Beers
- Nominee Biography
- Nominee This American Life
- Nominee American Experience
60th Emmys · 2008
- Winner American Masters
59th Emmys · 2007
- Winner Planet Earth · Alastair Fothergill, Mark Linfield
- Nominee Inside the Actors Studio · James Lipton
- Nominee American Masters · Peter Brant, Larry Gagosian, Diane von Fürstenberg, Donald Rosenfeld, Ric Burns
- Nominee Deadliest Catch · Thom Beers
- Nominee Biography · Kevin Burns
58th Emmys · 2006
- Winner 10 Days That Unexpectedly Changed America · Joe Berlinger
- Nominee Biography · Kevin Burns
- Nominee Inside the Actors Studio · James Lipton
- Nominee American Masters · Martin Scorsese, Nigel Sinclair, Anthony Wall
- Nominee Deadliest Catch · Thom Beers
57th Emmys · 2005
- Winner Broadway: The American Musical · Jac Venza, Julie Andrews
- Nominee Dinner for Five · Jon Favreau, Peter Billingsley, Chris Donovan
- Nominee Inside the Actors Studio · James Lipton
- Nominee Cold Case Files · Bill Kurtis
- Nominee Biography