Emmys add new Legacy Award honouring television’s most influential series

The Television Academy announced Thursday the creation of the Legacy Award, marking the first addition of a major new Emmy category in nearly two decades. The honor will recognise television programs that have made “a profound and lasting impact” on audiences while maintaining relevance to society, culture and the industry.

To qualify for consideration, programs must have produced at least 60 episodes across a minimum of five seasons and demonstrated sustained influence on their genre, audiences or broader culture. The award can only be given to a program once, and franchise properties will be evaluated and honored as complete entities rather than individual installments.

The eligibility criteria opens the door for both concluded series and currently running shows. Classic programs like “All in the Family”, which aired nine seasons from 1971 to 1979, and “Will & Grace”, which ran for 11 seasons across two separate periods, would qualify for the distinction. Long-running current series such as “Grey’s Anatomy”, now in its 22nd season, and “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”, which has aired 17 seasons, are also eligible.

The nomination process will be open to multiple groups. Members of the TV Academy’s board of governors and its special awards committee can submit candidates, as can members of the television industry and the general public through written submissions to the Academy. Final selections will be made annually by what is being renamed from the Governors Award Committee to the Special Awards Committee.