Best Television Special

Recorded at Sony Music Studios in New York in 1993, Nirvana's MTV Unplugged performance places the band in an intimate setting with mostly acoustic arrangements. Kurt Cobain's raw vocal delivery remains central, while the quieter instrumentation makes changes in phrasing and dynamics particularly au...

Presented as a visual album and premiered on HBO, Beyoncé's Lemonade combines songs with poetry and cinematic imagery to explore betrayal and the possibility of reconciliation. Southern Black womanhood provides an important cultural frame, while family history connects intimate feeling to experience...

Bo Burnham: Inside is a 2021 Netflix television special created and performed by comedian Bo Burnham. Shot entirely within a single room during COVID-19 lockdowns, it’s notable for its innovative approach to stand-up comedy blending musical performance with introspective commentary on social media,...

First broadcast in 1965, A Charlie Brown Christmas brings the characters of Charles M. Schulz's Peanuts comic strip into an animated holiday story. Charlie Brown feels out of step with the commercial excitement around Christmas and searches for a more sincere understanding of the season. His involve...

The CBS documentary 9/11 draws on footage made by Jules and Gédéon Naudet while working with firefighter James Hanlon on a film about a New York rookie firefighter. Their project became a firsthand record of the September 11, 2001 attacks and the emergency response. Material filmed inside the World...

Liza with a 'Z' captures Liza Minnelli in a 1972 television concert shaped by Bob Fosse's direction and choreography. The performance brings theatrical song interpretation into a format made for the camera, with movement and staging closely tied to the music. Minnelli's stage presence connects the n...

Broadcast by NBC in 1968, Elvis Presley's television special brought renewed attention to his live performance after a period dominated by film work. Commonly known as the '68 Comeback Special, it combines informal music-making with staged production sequences rather than presenting a single uninter...

Directed by Chuck Jones, the 1966 animated television special How the Grinch Stole Christmas! adapts Dr. Seuss's story about a hostile outsider who tries to stop the holiday celebrations of Whoville. Boris Karloff supplies the narration and the Grinch's speaking voice, giving the storytelling a meas...

The Beatles Anthology traces the British group's development from its early years through the breakup, using interviews alongside archival film and audio. The documentary series gives the band's own recollections a central role while placing them beside recorded evidence of their changing work and p...

Beyoncé's Homecoming documents her 2018 headlining performance at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and the preparation behind it. The concert draws on the musical and visual traditions of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, commonly called HBCUs. Marching-band arrangements and...

The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is a beloved animated television special originating from the Peanuts comic strip. Created in 1966, it depicts Charlie Brown’s persistent hope for the Great Pumpkin to rise from the pumpkin patch on Halloween night. This story resonates with children and adults who a...

Eric Clapton: Unplugged (1992) is an MTV Unplugged concert special featuring Eric Clapton in an acoustic performance whose accompanying album became one of the best-selling live records ever released.

Sinatra: A Man and His Music is a 1965 NBC television special built around Frank Sinatra performing songs associated with different stages of his recording career. Rather than using the guest-heavy format common to variety television, the program keeps its focus on Sinatra, an orchestra, and career-...

Bill Hicks’ “Relentless” offers a raw and uncompromising look at the comedian’s perspective on society, religion, and consumerism. Recorded in London in 1992, this television special showcases his distinctive blend of sharp wit and challenging observations. It is notable for its intellectual depth a...

My Name Is Barbra is Barbra Streisand's first television special, broadcast by CBS in 1965. Structured as a sequence of staged musical sections rather than a conventional guest-based variety show, it places Streisand alone at the center of most of the program and includes material associated with he...

Bo Burnham’s Inside (2021) is a Netflix television special presenting a deeply personal and innovative comedy performance. Filmed within a single room during lockdown, it showcases Burnham's remarkable musical talent and sharp observational humor reflecting on isolation, the internet, and contempora...

“The Last Dance” is a 2020 ESPN documentary series offering unprecedented access to Michael Jordan’s career, particularly his final season with the Chicago Bulls. The series details the team's 1997-1998 championship run through archival footage and interviews, providing insights into Jordan’s compet...

The Motown 25: Yesterday, Today and Forever television special documented the iconic Detroit-based music label’s history. Featuring performances from Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Lionel Richie, and Michael Jackson, it showcased a remarkable reunion of Motown talent. The broadcast notably included Mich...

Elvis: Aloha from Hawaii is a 1973 concert television special featuring Elvis Presley at the Honolulu International Center. The performance was transmitted by satellite to several countries, while the United States broadcast followed later on NBC and included additional material. Backed by his touri...

Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged in New York is a seminal 1993 television special showcasing the band's raw and intimate performance. Featuring stripped-down versions of their hits alongside covers by artists like David Bowie and Bob Dylan, it demonstrated Nirvana’s musical depth and evolution. The recording...

Robin Williams: A Night at the Met is a 1986 HBO stand-up comedy special filmed at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City. Williams moves rapidly among character voices, physical comedy, topical observations, and improvised-seeming transitions, reflecting the performance style associated with...

Christmas Eve on Sesame Street is a 1978 holiday television special featuring the human and Muppet characters of Sesame Street. Its linked stories include Big Bird questioning how Santa Claus can fit through a chimney, Bert and Ernie exchanging prized possessions for gifts, and Cookie Monster repeat...

The HBO television special “Simon & Garfunkel: The Concert in Central Park” captures a pivotal moment in music history. It documents the iconic 1981 reunion performance by the folk-rock duo at New York’s Central Park. Featuring beloved classics and showcasing their enduring harmonies, the concert re...

The Madonna: Blond Ambition World Tour Live television special captures the electrifying energy of Madonna’s 1990 tour finale. Broadcast by HBO, it documents her ambitious stage production featuring striking visuals and a dynamic performance style. This recording provides a rare glimpse into one of...

The 1965 CBS television special, My Name Is Barbra, marked Barbra Streisand’s groundbreaking first solo performance on national television. Featuring a diverse musical program encompassing pop, Broadway standards, and jazz, the show garnered widespread acclaim and secured five Emmy Awards. It remain...

Jerrod Carmichael’s Rothaniel is a comedy television special presented by the acclaimed stand-up performer. The show gained significant attention through Carmichael's deeply personal and public declaration of his sexual orientation. It offers an intimate exploration of identity and family relationsh...

George Carlin’s “Back in Town” showcases the iconic comedian's sharp, observational stand-up routines recorded in New York City during 1996. The special offers a potent distillation of his signature style—a fearless examination of American society and language through a deliberately provocative lens...

Beyoncé’s *Lemonade* is a groundbreaking 2016 HBO television special serving as an accompaniment to her celebrated visual album. The project explores themes of Southern Black womanhood, family, and infidelity through interwoven music, film, and performance art. It's notable for its ambitious cinemat...

Julie and Carol at Carnegie Hall is a 1962 CBS television special starring Julie Andrews and Carol Burnett. Recorded at Carnegie Hall in New York, it combines songs, comic sketches, duets, and character pieces built around the performers' contrasting stage personas. The program was written as a tele...