10 Emmy award-winning Netflix shows you have to watch
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10 Emmy award-winning Netflix shows you have to watch

The Primetime Emmy Award is a prestigious award bestowed on television programming to help them gain the deserved recognition for their brilliance. To be nominated itself is a huge deal; victory tastes sweeter than honey!

Having premiered in 1949, the 73rd Emmy Awards recently took place with Netflix shows like The Crown reigning supreme with umpteen nominations. Last year, Schitt’s Creek had a major award sweep at the Emmys.

Keeping Covid-19 protocols in mind, this year, the Emmys honoured brilliant performances and productions. While watching the award acceptance speeches, we could not help but reminisce about all the other shows that have won big at the Emmys, and rightfully so! 

From Breaking Bad to House of Cards, there are various shows now streaming on Netflix that have always had huge takeaways at the Emmys. To bask in the award season fever, check out the ten best Emmy-winning Netflix shows that are worth bingeing on right now: 

10 Emmy-winning Netflix shows you have to watch

10. Halston (Ryan Murphy, 2021) 

Created by Ryan Murphy, the show traces the journey of the famous American fashion designer Roy Halston Frowick. Halston ascended from the lowest rung of the social ladder and garnered global fame and success with his incredibly minimalistic and neat designs, becoming a culture-defining phenomenon. His story is laced with controversies, pomp, scandals, glitz, glamour, love and mirth, making him a legend of some sorts.

Out of the five nominations, the show won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor that went to Ewan Mcgregor for his brilliant portrayal of the mysterious and iconic fashion designer. In his acceptance speech, McGregor attributed the show’s success to the hard work on the part of the cast and crew and thanked Murphy for “championing” the show.

9. Master of None (Aziz Ansari, Alan Young, 2015-2019)

As a 30-year-old struggling actor, Ansari’s Dev Shah tries to balance his personal and professional spheres while trying to understand his purpose in life. The series is an amusing take on what it means to be brown and single in New York City where loneliness and relationships are entirely antithetical to each other yet go hand in hand.

Well-scripted and neat, it addresses various issues and subverts masculinity by portraying Ansari in a raw, vulnerable light. As Ansari tries to struggle and survive the concrete urban jungle, the series focuses on his pursuit of happiness.

With 12 whopping nominations, the series won three Emmys for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series in 2016 and 2017 and an Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series in 2017.

8. Black Mirror (Charlie Brooker, 2011-2019)

Scary, creepy, realistic, this series is modelled on the contemporary world set in a dystopian future where a series of anthology episodes deal with the ill-effects of technology on families, relationships and other social norms. The episodes have a lingering presence with their explosive and provocative ideas. 

For episodes like San Junipero, USS Callister and Bandersnatch, the series has won three Emmys in a row, despite various criticism from critics regarding the series being allowed to compete in the television movie category.

It prevails as one of Netflix’s most scary and eerie series that remain embedded in realism. 

7. Unorthodox (Maria Schrader, 2020)

Based on Deborah Feldman’s 2012 autobiographical novel, the series revolves around a 19-year old Jewish woman Esty who elopes to Berlin to escape from the shackles of a forced arranged marriage within the orthodox Hasidic community. However, she is soon pursued by her husband and his cousin when the former comes to know of her pregnancy.

The first-ever show on Netflix to be in Yiddish, the series focuses on the rigidity of various communities, while ushering in hope via the imagery of a woman embarking on her path towards freedom.

With eight nominations, the series won an Emmy for Outstanding Directing For A Limited Series, Movie Or Dramatic Special in 2020.

6. Sherlock (Mark Gatiss, Steven Moffat, Stephen Thompson, 2010-2014)

Arguably one of the best shows of all time, the modern-day adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories featuring the extremely intelligent and quick-witted sleuth Sherlock Holmes is set in contemporary London where Holmes is a “high-functioning sociopath” with a knack for criminals.

As ever, Holmes is accompanied by his best friend and war veteran John Watson on all his (mis)adventures. It acts as one of the finest on-screen partnerships in many years.

Starring the likes of Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, the show amassed unimaginable popularity and bagged numerous Emmy, BAFTA and Golden Globe nominations. Out of nearly 39 nominations, the show won 9 Emmys in total.  

5. Orange Is the New Black (Jenji Kohan, 2013-2019) 

Based on Piper Kerman’s memoir, Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison, the series recounts her harrowing experiences at a low-security federal prison where the women must engage in the most vicious politics and interactions to save their own skin. 

With four Emmys to its name, the show will always have a longstanding legacy. The show was one of the first to achieve “binge-worthy” status and the show’s storyline is now etched into Netflix history.

Despite being forced to change their category from comedy to drama, the show was Netflix’s most popular and watched original series. 

4. The Queen’s Gambit (Scott Frank, Allan Scott, 2020)

Set in the 1950s, the series revolves around a fictional orphaned chess prodigy named Elizabeth ‘Beth’ Harmon who embarks on a quest to become the world’s greatest chess player. However, various obstacles stand in her way, including emotional problems and dependency on alcohol and drugs. 

A riveting watch, The Queen’s Gambit was well-received by the chess community as it would ignite interest within youngsters to start partaking in the game, especially among young female players.

With a whopping 18 nominations, the show won 11 Primetime Emmy Awards and confirmed itself as one of the finest TV shows in recent years.

3. House of Cards (Beau Willimon, 2013-2018)

Starring the likes of disgraced actor Kevin Spacey and legendary thespian Robin Wright in the lead as the cruel and ruthless Underwoods, the series sees how a Democrat and his wife seek vengeance against those who betrayed them while he was ascending the throne.

Adapted from Michael Dobbs’ eponymous 1989 novel, the series is a political thriller that reeks of manipulation, contempt, power, lust and revenge. 

With 56 nominations, the series won seven Emmy awards for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Original Dramatic Score) in 2017, Outstanding Music Composition For A Series (Original Dramatic Score) in 2015, Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Comedy Or Drama Series (One Hour) in 2014 and Outstanding Cinematography For A Single-camera Series, Outstanding Casting For A Drama Series and Outstanding Directing For A Drama Series in 2013.   

2. Breaking Bad (Vince Gilligan, 2008- 2013)

A high school chemistry teacher finds out about his incurable lung cancer and wants to put in his utmost to help secure his family’s future. He begins cooking and selling meth for a fortune before finding himself tumbling down the path of crime and drugs, proving his efficiency and wit that aids his desperation and dwindles down his morality. 

All hail Walter White, one of TV’s greatest and most legendary characters! The show itself is arguably one of the best ones ever made. Lucky Netflix viewers can now binge the show for all it’s worth — and it is worth a lot.

With a whopping 58 nominations, the show boasts of 16 Emmys to its name and is absolutely well-deserved.  

1. The Crown (Peter Morgan, Stephen Daldry, 2016-)

Based on Peter Morgan’s award-winning play The Audience, the lavish Original series delves into the nitty-gritty of the royal family, especially emphasizing the life of Queen Elizabeth II from the 1940s when she first ascended the throne at the age of 25 after the demise of her father King George VI to the modern times. 

The series delves deep into the Queen’s political and romantic pursuits as well as the events that led to major developments in the late 20th century and deal with various events surrounding the Royal family. It’s an enticing prospect of a script that manages to not only deliver where hoped but exceed expectations in performance and insight, providing a balanced and buoyant portrayal.

With a talented ensemble, riveting narrative and massive fan following, the show has won 11 Emmys of which they won the Best Drama Series last night, marking the first-ever win for Netflix.