It’s OK to admit it: You’ve  practiced your Emmy acceptance speech in front of the mirror, complete with the transition music and all. With one of television’s biggest nights approaching and a new slate of nominees vying for the golden statuette, it’s time to start perfecting that speech once again. For inspiration, and to get ready for the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards on September 12, why not revisit past titles that have been nominated and/or won the coveted accolade? We won’t tell anyone if you settle in on the sofa in your finest evening attire.  

Bridgerton

Nominated for Outstanding Drama Series in 2021
Dearest reader, slip into your best Regency ball wear and waltz into London’s high society. Based on Julia Quinn’s best-selling novels, the Shonda Rhimes series follows the Bridgerton family’s eight close-knit siblings as they look for love and happiness. With plenty of wigs, pop instrumental covers and romance, it’s a social affair you won’t want to miss.

Bridgerton

4 Seasons   TV-MA   2020

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Cobra Kai

Nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series in 2021
Decades after The Karate Kid, martial arts dojos are still battling it out in Los Angeles. Now in his 50s, original karate kid Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) is a successful car salesman. His past comes crawling back when his teenage daughter Sam (Mary Mouser) falls for Miguel (Xolo Maridueña), a student at his nemesis Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka)’s dojo. As the longtime rivals meet face-to-face again, new tensions arise — and a younger generation of eager students discover the power and consequences of karate.

Cobra Kai

6 Seasons   TV-14   2018

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Dead to Me

Nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series in 2020
Even in mourning the most unlikely friendships can blossom. Jen (Christina Applegate) is a recently widowed real estate agent who’s stuck in the anger and resentment stage of grief after her husband is killed in a hit-and-run. In search of a healthier way of coping, she joins a support group where she meets Judy (Linda Cardellini). Unbeknownst to Jen, her new friend is actually the hit-and-run driver. 

Dead to Me

3 Seasons   TV-MA   2019

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Emily in Paris

Nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series in 2021
When an unexpected job opportunity comes up, Chicago marketing exec Emily (Lily Collins) relocates to Paris to provide an American perspective at French marketing firm Savoir. Moving to the City of Love is nothing short of a dream, especially for a fashionable twentysomething. Unfortunately, Emily quickly learns that her Midwestern ways aren’t always well-received by her Parisian colleagues. As she experiences culture clash, the young professional also juggles her career, new friends and some très dashing bachelors. 

Emily in Paris

5 Seasons   TV-MA   2020

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GLOW

Nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series in 2018
Set in 1980s Los Angeles, this show focuses on struggling actor Ruth Wilder (Alison Brie) who auditions for a fledgling professional wrestling promotion called Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling (aka GLOW). Inside the ring, she meets a crew of misfits also looking to reinvent themselves. Of course, life within the wrestling circuit has its fair share of punches, like butting heads with a cynical director and having to work with an ex-best friend whose husband you had an affair with — you know, normal stuff.

GLOW

3 Seasons   TV-MA   2017

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Inventing Anna

Nominated for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series in 2022
If you were on TikTok in early spring, chances are you’ve scrolled through countless videos imitating Anna Delvey’s fake accent. Based on a true story, this series features Russian-born Anna Sorokin (Julia Garner) who convinces New York City’s upper echelon into believing that she’s a wealthy German heiress. With a plan to open up an exclusive art-themed club, Anna receives hundreds of thousands of dollars from investors and friends, but soon becomes the victim of her own web of lies. Garner is nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series.

Inventing Anna

Limited Series   TV-MA   2022

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Master of None

Nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series in 2016, 2017
Dev Shah (Aziz Ansari) is a 30-year-old aspiring actor living in New York City, aka a walking red flag on the dating apps. Along with his childhood friend Denise (Lena Waithe) and their eclectic posse of fellow young city dwellers , he navigates love, career and social issues. In 2017, Waithe made history by becoming the first Black woman to win an Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series (she shared the award with co-writer Ansari).

Master of None

3 Seasons   TV-MA   2015

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Orange Is the New Black

Nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series in 2014 and Outstanding Drama Series in 2015
Piper Chapman (Taylor Schilling) seems to have it all: She’s on career high as a public relations executive and is engaged to the love of her life. Then her past catches up to her and she’s sentenced to 15 months in a women’s prison. Trading a comfortable upper-middle-class life for an orange jumpsuit, Piper learns how to toughen up behind bars as she meets a slate of eccentric inmates. Uzo Aduba won Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series in 2014, as well as Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2015 for her role as Crazy Eyes.

Orange Is the New Black

7 Seasons   TV-MA   2013

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Ozark

Nominated for Outstanding Drama Series in 2019, 2020, 2022
How does one’s family get involved with the Mexican drug cartel? Ask Marty Byrde (Jason Bateman). After accepting an offer to launder money for the cartel, Marty, his wife Wendy (Laura Linney) and their kids move from the Chicago suburbs to Missouri for some risky business. Over the course of four seasons, the Byrdes experience their fair shares of run-ins with criminals and the FBI. Julia Garner, who plays Ruth Langmore, won consecutive Emmys for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2019 and 2020.

Ozark

4 Seasons   TV-MA   2017

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Russian Doll

Nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series in 2019
For some people, having every day be your birthday sounds like an indulgent dream. For software engineer Nadia (Natasha Lyonne), this seemingly inescapable time loop is nothing but a curse. Every day, Nadia experiences her 36th birthday, dies and then repeats the same cycle. Fed up with being stuck in the timeline, Nadia is determined to find a way out of this repetitive nightmare.

Russian Doll

2 Seasons   TV-MA   2019

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Squid Game

Nominated for Outstanding Drama Series in 2022
Strapped for money, a group of selected players participate in a series of childhood games in order to win a life-changing cash prize. However, it’s not your average game of tug-of-war or Red Light, Green Light. Eliminated players aren’t sent home — they’re killed. Within its first four weeks, the Korean series pulled in a total of 1.65 billion hours of viewing. In July 2022, it became the first non-English series nominated for Outstanding Drama Series, and actors Lee Jung-jae, Jung Ho-yeon, Park Hae-soo, ​​Lee You-mi and Oh Yeung-su received their own nods as well.

Squid Game

3 Seasons   TV-MA   2021

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Stranger Things

Nominated for Outstanding Drama Series in 2017, 2018, 2020, 2022
After premiering in 2016, the horror series has had viewers journeying through the Upside Down and making deals with God. Set in the 1980s, the show centers on a group of kids living in Hawkins, Indiana, who encounter firsthand a series of  supernatural events in their small town. In early July , Stranger Things became the first English-speaking series on Netflix to reach a total of 1.15 billion hours viewed in the first 28 days since Season 4 was released.

Stranger Things

5 Seasons   TV-14   2016

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The Crown

Won Outstanding Drama Series in 2021
Nominated for Outstanding Drama Series in 2017, 2018, 2020
The reign of Queen Elizabeth II unfolds in this historical drama that follows Her Majesty’s life from the 1940s to modern day.  Different casts portray the British royal family at different points in their lives, including Claire Foy, Olivia Colman, Matt Smith, Tobias Menzies, John Lithgow, Emma Corrin, Gillian Anderson and more. In addition to the show’s 2021 win, Foy, Colman, Lithgow, Josh O’Connor, Menzies and Anderson were also crowned Emmy winners for their roles.

The Crown

6 Seasons   TV-MA   2016

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The Kominsky Method

Nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series in 2020, 2021
Sandy Kominsky (Michael Douglas) once enjoyed fame as an actor, and now, many years later, he finds himself working as an aging acting coach at a studio named after him. With his best friend and agent Norman (Alan Arkin), both men question their existence as they navigate loss, grief and the impending fate of death.

The Kominsky Method

3 Seasons   TV-MA   2018

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The Queen's Gambit

Won Outstanding Limited Series in 2021
In this coming-of-age period drama, Anya Taylor-Joy stars as Beth Harmon, an orphan turned chess prodigy. After being introduced to the game by an orphanage custodian, Beth quickly becomes a strong player due to her extraordinary visualization skills. Unfortunately, the orphanage dispenses daily tranquilizer pills to the girls, causing Beth to develop an addiction at a young age. As her winning streak takes off, her drug and alcohol dependency worsens. The limited series took home 11 Emmys in 2021, including Outstanding Limited Series and Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series.

The Queen's Gambit

Limited Series   TV-MA   2020

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Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

Nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series in 2015–2018
After being rescued from a doomsday cult, 29-year-old Kimmy Schmidt (Ellie Kemper) finds herself a fish out of water living in New York City. After living in an Indiana bunker for 15 years, her positive and naive attitude isn’t exactly a perfect fit for the Big Apple. As she starts fresh, Kimmy meets a cast of new friends — from her landlady to a Manhattan trophy wife — who all teach her how to survive in the real world.

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

4 Seasons   TV-14   2015

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Unorthodox

Nominated for Outstanding Limited Series in 2020
Stuck in an unhappy arranged marriage among the Satmar sect of the Hasidic community, 19-year-old Esther (Shira Haas) runs away, from Brooklyn to Berlin, to reunite with her estranged mother. In 2020, Unorthodox director Maria Schrader won an Emmy for Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series.

Unorthodox

Limited Series   TV-MA   2020

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