| Primetime Emmy Award for Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score) | |
| Awarded For: | Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score) |
| Presenter: | Academy of Television Arts & Sciences |
| Country: | United States |
| Year: | 1955 |
| Holder: | Siddhartha Khosla, Only Murders in the Building (2024) |
This is a list of winners and nominees of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score).
Starting in 2019, the category recognizes scripted programs. Unscripted programs compete for Music Composition for a Documentary Series or Special (Original Dramatic Score).[1]
| Year | Program | Episode | Nominee(s) | Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 (18th) | Michelangelo: The Last Giant | NBC | ||
| Bonanza | NBC | |||
| Gunsmoke | "Seven Hours to Dawn" | CBS | ||
| I Spy | NBC | |||
| The Making of the President, 1964 | CBS | |||
| The Man from U.N.C.L.E. | NBC | |||
| Run for Your Life | Pete Rugolo | |||
| 1967 (19th) | The Andy Williams Show | NBC | ||
| CBS Playhouse | CBS | |||
| I Spy | NBC | |||
| Mission: Impossible | CBS | |||
| Run for Your Life | NBC | |||
| 1968 (20th) | I Spy | "Laya" | NBC | |
| CBS Playhouse | "My Father and My Mother" | CBS | ||
| Gunsmoke | "Major Glory" | Morton Stevens | ||
| The High Chaparral | "The Champion of the Western World" | NBC | ||
| Mission: Impossible | "The Seal" | CBS | ||
| Run for Your Life | "Cry Hard, Cry Fast" | NBC | ||
| 1969 (21st) | Heidi | NBC | ||
| Hawaii Five-O | "Pilot" | CBS | ||
| Hemingway's Spain: A Love Affair | Jacques Belasco | ABC | ||
| Mission: Impossible | "The Heir Apparent" | CBS | ||
| The Outcasts | "Take Your Lover In The Ring" | ABC | ||
Note: Award titled Outstanding Individual Achievements in Music Composition (1966–69)
| Year | Program | Episode | Nominee(s) | Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 (32nd) | Lou Grant | "Hollywood" | ||
| Dallas | "The Lost Child" | CBS | ||
| Eischied | "Only the Pretty Girls Die, Part 2" | NBC | ||
| Paris | "Decisions" | CBS | ||
| Skag | "Pilot" | NBC | ||
| 1981 (33rd) | Buck Rogers in the 25th Century | "The Satyr" | NBC | |
| The Gangster Chronicles | "Chapter 1" | NBC | ||
| Hill Street Blues | "Hill Street Station" | Mike Post | ||
| Little House on the Prairie | "The Lost Ones, Part 1" | David Rose | ||
| Lou Grant | "Stroke" | CBS | ||
| 1982 (34th) | Little House on the Prairie | "He Was Only Twelve, Part 2" | NBC | |
| Dallas | "The Search" | CBS | ||
| The Incredible Hulk | "The Triangle" | Joe Harnell | ||
| Lou Grant | "Hometown" | Patrick Williams | ||
| 1983 (35th) | Dallas | "The Ewing Blues" | CBS | |
| The Devlin Connection | "Ring of Kings, Ring of Thieves" | Nan Schwartz | NBC | |
| Fame | "Not in Kansas Anymore" | William Goldstein | ||
| Father Murphy | "Sweet Sixteen" | David Rose | ||
| Knots Landing | "Loss of Innocence" | CBS | ||
| 1984 (36th) | Dallas | "The Letter" | CBS | |
| Emerald Point N.A.S. | "The Homecoming" | CBS | ||
| Mr. Smith | "Mr. Smith Falls in Love" | NBC | ||
| St. Elsewhere | "In Sickness and in Health" | J. A. C. Redford | ||
| Trapper John, M.D. | "Send in the Clowns" | John Parker | CBS | |
| 1985 (37th) | Murder, She Wrote | "The Murder of Sherlock Holmes" | CBS | |
| Cagney & Lacey | "Organized Crime" | Nan Schwartz | CBS | |
| Dynasty | "Triangles" | ABC | ||
| Highway to Heaven | "Thoroughbreds" | NBC | ||
| Miami Vice | "Evan" | Jan Hammer | ||
| St. Elsewhere | "Fade to White" | J. A. C. Redford | ||
| 1986 (38th) | Scarecrow and Mrs. King | "We're Off to See the Wizard" | CBS | |
| Dynasty | "The Subpoenas" | ABC | ||
| Miami Vice | "Bushido" | NBC | ||
| Moonlighting | "The Dream Sequence Always Rings Twice" | ABC | ||
| 1987 (39th) | Knots Landing | "Cement the Relationship" | Joel Rosenbaum | |
| Dallas | "A Death in the Family" | CBS | ||
| The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd | "Here's Why You Should Never Wear High Heels to the Bank" | NBC | ||
| Jack and Mike | "Come Together" | Nan Schwartz | ABC | |
| Matlock | "The Chef" | NBC | ||
| Moonlighting | "Atomic Shakespeare" | ABC | ||
| 1988 (40th) | Beauty and the Beast | "Pilot" | CBS | |
| Beauty and the Beast | "To Reign in Hell" | CBS | ||
| Dallas | "Hustling" | Angela Morley | ||
| The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd | "Here's Why You Shouldn't Get Too Attached to Your Cat" | NBC | ||
| Moonlighting | "Here's Living with You, Kid" | ABC | ||
| 1989 (41st) | Falcon Crest | "Dust to Dust" | Joel Rosenbaum | CBS |
| Blue Skies | "The White Horse" | CBS | ||
| Columbo | "Murder, Smoke and Shadows" | ABC | ||
| Moonlighting | "A Womb with a View" | Alf Clausen | ||
| "The Child" | Syndicated |
| Year | Program | Episode | Nominee(s) | Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 (42nd) | Beauty and the Beast | "A Time to Heal" | CBS | |
| Matlock | "The Clown" | Bruce Babcock | NBC | |
| "Yesterday's Enterprise" | Syndicated | |||
| Twin Peaks | "Traces to Nowhere" | ABC | ||
| 1991 (43rd) | The Young Riders | "Kansas" | ||
| Father Dowling Mysteries | "The Consulting Detective Mystery" | Bruce Babcock | ABC | |
| Jake and the Fatman | "God Bless the Child" | CBS | ||
| My Life and Times | "The Collapse of '98" | ABC | ||
| "Half a Life" | Syndicated | |||
| 1992 (44th) | Matlock | "The Strangler" | Bruce Babcock | NBC |
| In the Heat of the Night | "Family Reunion" | Nan Schwartz | NBC | |
| "Unification, Part 1" | Syndicated | |||
| The Simpsons | "Treehouse of Horror II" | Fox | ||
| 1993 (45th) | The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles | "Young Indiana Jones and the Scandal of 1920" | ABC | |
| Murder, She Wrote | "Wind Around the Tower" | Bruce Babcock | CBS | |
| Quantum Leap | "Lee Harvey Oswald, Part 1" | NBC | ||
| The Simpsons | "Treehouse of Horror III" | Fox | ||
| The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles | "Vienna, 1908" | ABC | ||
| 1994 (46th) | The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles | "Ireland, 1916" | ABC | |
| Christy | "Pilot" | CBS | ||
| SeaQuest DSV | "Whale Song" | NBC | ||
| "All Good Things..." | Syndicated | |||
| The Simpsons | "Cape Feare" | Fox | ||
| 1995 (47th) | SeaQuest DSV | "Daggers" | NBC | |
| Murder, She Wrote | "Murder in High C" | Bruce Babcock | CBS | |
| "Caretaker, Part 1" | UPN | |||
| "Heroes and Demons" | Dennis McCarthy | |||
| The Simpsons | "Treehouse of Horror V" | Fox | ||
| 1996 (48th) | Picture Windows | "Language of the Heart" | Showtime | |
| "Mind Over Murder" | CBS | |||
| SeaQuest DSV | "Brave New World" | NBC | ||
| "The River of Stars" | Fox | |||
| "Our Man Bashir" | Syndicated | |||
| 1997 (49th) | The Cape | "Pilot" | Syndicated | |
| Early Edition | "The Choice" | CBS | ||
| Orleans | "Pilot" | David Hamilton | ||
| The X-Files | "Paper Hearts" | Fox | ||
| "Destiny" | Syndicated | |||
| 1998 (50th) | Buffy the Vampire Slayer | "Becoming, Part 1" | The WB | |
| Roar | "Pilot" | Fox | ||
| Stargate SG-1 | "The Nox" | Showtime | ||
| The Simpsons | "Treehouse of Horror VIII" | Fox | ||
| The X-Files | "The Post-Modern Prometheus" | Mark Snow | ||
| 1999 (51st) | Invasion America | "Final Mission" | Carl Johnson | The WB |
| Fantasy Island | "Pilot" | ABC | ||
| The Simpsons | "Treehouse of Horror IX" | Fox | ||
| The X-Files | "S.R. 819" | Mark Snow | ||
| "Devi" | Syndicated |
| Year | Program | Episode | Nominee(s) | Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 (52nd) | "Fallen Angel" | Syndicated | ||
| Falcone | "Lealta" | CBS | ||
| Felicity | "Help for the Lovelorn" | The WB | ||
| "Spirit Folk" | ||||
| The X-Files | "Theef" | Fox | ||
| 2001 (53rd) | "Endgame" | UPN | ||
| The Simpsons | "Simpson Safari" | Fox | ||
| "Workforce, Part 1" | UPN | |||
| The West Wing | "In the Shadow of Two Gunmen" | NBC | ||
| "The Rheingold" | Syndicated | |||
| 2002 (54th) | The Blue Planet | "Seas of Life: Ocean World" | Discovery | |
| JAG | "Adrift, Part 2" | CBS | ||
| 24 | "7:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m." | |||
| The X-Files | "The Truth" | Mark Snow | ||
| "A Friend in Need, Part 2" | Syndicated | |||
| 2003 (55th) | 24 | "10:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m." | Fox | |
| The Agency | "The Great Game" | CBS | ||
| Enterprise | "The Expanse" | UPN | ||
| JAG | "Need to Know" | CBS | ||
| Odyssey 5 | "Pilot" | Showtime | ||
| 2004 (56th) | Enterprise | "Similitude" | UPN | |
| Dead Like Me | "Pilot" | Showtime | ||
| Line of Fire | "Eminence Front" | ABC | ||
| Pandemic: Facing AIDS | "Uganda/Thailand" | HBO | ||
| The Simpsons | "Treehouse of Horror XIV" | Fox | ||
| 24 | "6:00 a.m. – 7:00 a.m." | Sean Callery | ||
| 2005 (57th) | Lost | "Pilot" | ABC | |
| Carnivàle | "Lincoln Highway" | |||
| House | "Pilot" | Fox | ||
| The Simpsons | "Treehouse of Horror XV" | Alf Clausen | ||
| 24 | "2:00 a.m. – 3:00 a.m." | Sean Callery | ||
| 2006 (58th) | 24 | "6:00 a.m. – 7:00 a.m." | Fox | |
| Masters of Horror | "Dreams in the Witch House" | Showtime | ||
| Rome | "Triumph" | HBO | ||
| Stargate Atlantis | "Grace Under Pressure" | Sci Fi | ||
| Supernatural | "Pilot" | The WB | ||
| 2007 (59th) | Planet Earth | "Pole to Pole" | Discovery | |
| "Law of Gravity" | CBS | |||
| Ghost Whisperer | "Love Never Dies" | Mark Snow | ||
| Kidnapped | "Pilot" | NBC | ||
| Rome | "Philippi" | HBO | ||
| 24 | "6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m." | Fox | ||
| 2008 (60th) | Pushing Daisies | "Pigeon" | ABC | |
| Family Guy | "Lois Kills Stewie" | Fox | ||
| House | "Guardian Angels" | Jon Ehrlich and Jason Derlatka | ||
| Little People, Big World | "Roloff Road Trip: Grand Canyon" | TLC | ||
| Lost | "The Constant" | ABC | ||
| The Simpsons | "Treehouse of Horror XVIII" | Fox | ||
| 2009 (61st) | Legend of the Seeker | "Prophecy" | Syndicated | |
| Castle | "Flowers from Your Grave" | ABC | ||
| Ghost Whisperer | "Leap of Faith" | CBS | ||
| The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency | "Pilot" | HBO | ||
| The Simpsons | "Gone Maggie Gone" | Fox | ||
| 24 | "7:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m." | Sean Callery |