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:
Winners and nominations
Outstanding Directing for a Comedy-Variety or Music Series1970s
Outstanding Directing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Program1980s
1990s
2000s
Outstanding Directing for a Variety Series| Year | Program | Episode | Nominee | Network |
| 2009 | American Idol | "833 " | Bruce Gowers | Fox |
| 2009 | The Colbert Report | "4159" | Jim Hoskinson | Comedy Central |
| 2009 | The Daily Show with Jon Stewart | "13107" | Chuck O'Neil | Comedy Central |
| 2009 | Late Show with David Letterman | "2932" | Jerry Foley | CBS |
| 2009 | Real Time with Bill Maher | "705" | Hal Grant | HBO |
| 2009 | Saturday Night Live | "Host: Justin Timberlake" | Don Roy King | NBC |
2010s
2020s
Programs with multiple wins
;9 wins- Saturday Night Live
- The Carol Burnett Show
Programs with multiple nominations
;21 nominations
- Saturday Night Live
- Late Show with David Letterman
- The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
- The Colbert Report
- Late Night with David Letterman
- American Idol
- The Carol Burnett Show
- The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
- Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
- The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
- Portlandia
;2 nominations
- Da Ali G Show
- Drunk History
- Inside Amy Schumer
- The Jim Henson Hour
- Jimmy Kimmel Live!
- The Late Late Show with James Corden
- The Muppet Show
- Tracey Takes On...
- The Tracey Ullman Show