Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special
Primetime Emmy Awards · 113 nominations across 22 ceremonies · 21 wins
78th Emmys · 2026
- Nominee My Mom Jayne: A Film by Mariska Hargitay · Mariska Hargitay, Trish Adlesic
- Nominee John Candy: I Like Me · Colin Hanks, Sean Stuart, Glen Zipper, Ryan Reynolds, Shane Reid
- Nominee Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man! · Judd Apatow, Michael Bonfiglio
- Nominee Ocean with David Attenborough · Keith Scholey
- Nominee Marty, Life Is Short · Justin Wilkes, Lawrence Kasdan
77th Emmys · 2025
- Winner Pee-wee as Himself · Emma Tillinger Koskoff, Matt Wolf, Ronald Bronstein, Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie, Paul Reubens
- Nominee Deaf President Now! · Laurene Powell Jobs, Davis Guggenheim, Nyle DiMarco
- Nominee Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of Black Genius) · Questlove, Joseph Patel
- Nominee Will & Harper · Christopher Leggett, Will Ferrell, Jessica Elbaum, Josh Greenbaum
- Nominee Martha · R. J. Cutler, Alina Cho
76th Emmys · 2024
- Winner Jim Henson Idea Man · Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Justin Wilkes
- Nominee Albert Brooks: Defending My Life · Rob Reiner, Michele Singer Reiner, Matthew George
- Nominee Steve! (Martin) A Documentary in 2 Pieces · Caitrin Rogers, Morgan Neville
- Nominee The Greatest Night in Pop · Larry Klein, Lionel Richie
- Nominee Girls State · Davis Guggenheim, Laurene Powell Jobs, Amanda McBaine, Jesse Moss
75th Emmys · 2023
- Winner Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie · Laurene Powell Jobs, Davis Guggenheim, Annetta Marion
- Nominee Being Mary Tyler Moore · Lena Waithe, Debra Martin Chase
- Nominee Pamela, a Love Story · Ryan White, Josh Braun
- Nominee My Transparent Life · Serena De Comarmond
- Nominee Judy Blume Forever · Justin Wilkes
74th Emmys · 2022
- Winner George Carlin's American Dream · Teddy Leifer, Judd Apatow, Kelly Carlin, Joe Beshenkovsky, Wayne Federman
- Nominee We Feed People · Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Justin Wilkes
- Nominee The Tinder Swindler · Bart Layton, Jeff Gaspin, Stuart Ford
- Nominee Lucy and Desi · Michael Rosenberg, Justin Wilkes, Nigel Sinclair, Amy Poehler
- Nominee New York Times Presents
73rd Emmys · 2021
- Winner Boys State · Davis Guggenheim, Laurene Powell Jobs, Jesse Moss
- Nominee The Social Dilemma
- Nominee Tina · Simon Chinn
- Nominee The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart · Jody Gerson, Frank Marshall
- Nominee Framing Britney Spears
72nd Emmys · 2020
- Winner The Apollo · Lisa Cortés, Roger Ross Williams, Dan Cogan, Julie Goldman
- Nominee Laurel Canyon: A Place in Time · Frank Marshall, Alex Gibney, Jeff Pollack
- Nominee The Great Hack · Karim Amer, Geralyn White Dreyfous, Mike Lerner
- Nominee Beastie Boys Story · Spike Jonze, Mike Diamond, Adam Horovitz
- Nominee Becoming · Marilyn Ness
71st Emmys · 2019
- Winner Leaving Neverland
- Nominee Jane Fonda in Five Acts
- Nominee Minding the Gap · Bing Liu, Gordon Quinn, Steve James
- Nominee FYRE: The Greatest Party That Never Happened · Chris Smith, Mick Purzycki
- Nominee The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley · Alex Gibney, Graydon Carter
- Nominee Love, Gilda · Lisa D'Apolito, Alan Zweibel, Amy Entelis
70th Emmys · 2018
- Winner The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling · Judd Apatow, Sheila Nevins
- Nominee Icarus · Bryan Fogel, Dan Cogan
- Nominee Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond · Shane Smith, Tony Clifton, Spike Jonze, Chris Smith
- Nominee Spielberg
- Nominee Mister Rogers: It's You I Like
69th Emmys · 2017
- Winner The 13th · Angus Wall, Spencer Averick, Ava DuVernay, Howard Barish
- Nominee L.A. Burning: The Riots 25 Years Later · John Singleton
- Nominee Amanda Knox · Brian McGinn, Stephen Robert Morse
- Nominee A House Divided · Shane Smith, Josh Tyrangiel
- Nominee The Beatles: Eight Days a Week · Ron Howard
68th Emmys · 2016
- Winner What Happened, Miss Simone? · Amy Hobby, Liz Garbus, Justin Wilkes
- Nominee Becoming Mike Nichols · Frank Rich, Jack O'Brien, Douglas McGrath, Sheila Nevins
- Nominee Everything Is Copy – Nora Ephron: Scripted & Unscripted · Graydon Carter, Sheila Nevins
- Nominee Listen to Me Marlon · Andrew Ruhemann, John Battsek, R. J. Cutler
- Nominee Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures · Sheila Nevins, Katharina Otto-Bernstein
67th Emmys · 2015
- Winner Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief · Sheila Nevins, Alex Gibney, Lawrence Wright
- Nominee Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck · Frances Bean Cobain, Lawrence Mestel, Sheila Nevins, Brett Morgen, Danielle Renfrew
- Nominee The Case Against 8 · Sheila Nevins
- Nominee Virunga · Leonardo DiCaprio, Howard G. Buffett, Jess Search, Jon Drever, Orlando von Einsiedel, Joanna Natasegara
- Nominee Sinatra: All or Nothing at All · Frank Marshall, Alex Gibney, Andrew Kosove, Broderick Johnson
66th Emmys · 2014
- Winner American Experience
- Nominee Whoopi Goldberg Presents Moms Mabley
- Nominee The Sixties: The Assassination of President Kennedy · Tom Hanks, Gary Goetzman
- Nominee Running from Crazy · Mariel Hemingway, Oprah Winfrey, Barbara Kopple
- Nominee Paycheck to Paycheck: The Life and Times of Katrina Gilbert · Sheila Nevins, Maria Shriver
- Nominee The Square · Jehane Noujaim
65th Emmys · 2013
- Winner Manhunt: The Search for Bin Laden · Sheila Nevins, John Battsek, Julie Goldman, Greg Barker
- Nominee Ethel · Sheila Nevins, Rory Kennedy
- Nominee Crossfire Hurricane · Mick Jagger
- Nominee American Experience · Ric Burns
- Nominee All the President's Men · Robert Redford
64th Emmys · 2012
- Winner George Harrison: Living in the Material World · Emma Tillinger Koskoff, Olivia Harrison, Nigel Sinclair, Martin Scorsese
- Nominee Bobby Fischer Against the World · Sheila Nevins, Liz Garbus, Rory Kennedy
- Nominee Gloria: In Her Own Words · Dyllan McGee, Peter W. Kunhardt, Sheila Nevins
- Nominee Paul Simon's Graceland Journey: Under African Skies · Justin Wilkes, Joe Berlinger
- Nominee 6 Days to Air: The Making of South Park · Arthur Bradford
63rd Emmys · 2011
- Winner Gettysburg · Ridley Scott, Tony Scott
- Nominee Stand Up to Cancer · Laura Ziskin
- Nominee Becoming Chaz · Chaz Bono
- Nominee His Way · Steven Soderbergh, Graydon Carter, Gabe Polsky
- Nominee Jaws: The Inside Story
62nd Emmys · 2010
- Winner Teddy: In His Own Words · Dyllan McGee, Peter W. Kunhardt, Sheila Nevins
- Nominee Saturday Night Live
- Nominee The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special – In 3-D! On Ice!
- Nominee Believe: The Eddie Izzard Story · Sarah Townsend
- Nominee Johnny Mercer: The Dream's on Me · Clint Eastwood, Bruce Ricker
- Nominee By the People: The Election of Barack Obama · Edward Norton
61st Emmys · 2009
- Winner 102 Minutes That Changed America
- Nominee The Alzheimer's Project: Momentum in Science · Sheila Nevins, Maria Shriver, Susan Froemke
- Nominee Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired · Steven Soderbergh, Jeffrey Kusama-Hinte, Marina Zenovich
- Nominee Farrah's Story · Farrah Fawcett, Craig J. Nevius, Alana Stewart
- Nominee Michael J. Fox: Adventures of an Incurable Optimist · Michael J. Fox
60th Emmys · 2008
- Winner Autism: The Musical · Janet Grillo, Kristen Stills
- Nominee The Pixar Story · Leslie Iwerks
- Nominee Alive Day Memories: Home from Iraq · Sheila Nevins, James Gandolfini, Ellen Goosenberg Kent, Jon Alpert, Matthew O'Neill
- Nominee Pioneers of Television – Late Night: Johnny, Jack, Steve, and Merv
- Nominee AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies – 10th Anniversary Edition · Bob Gazzale
59th Emmys · 2007
- Winner Ghosts of Abu Ghraib · Sheila Nevins, Rory Kennedy, Liz Garbus
- Nominee Brando · Leslie Greif
- Nominee AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers: America's Most Inspiring Movies · Bob Gazzale
- Nominee Blood Diamonds
- Nominee Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed · Kevin Burns
58th Emmys · 2006
- Winner Rome: Engineering an Empire
- Nominee Inside 9/11
- Nominee How William Shatner Changed the World
- Nominee Stardust: The Bette Davis Story · Roger Mayer
- Nominee All Aboard! Rosie's Family Cruise · Sheila Nevins, Rosie O'Donnell
57th Emmys · 2005
- Winner Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson · Ken Burns
- Nominee Beyond The Da Vinci Code
- Nominee Cary Grant: A Class Apart
- Nominee Saturday Night Live · Ken Aymong
- Nominee Inside the Actors Studio · James Lipton