emmy nominations 2025: Complete List and Highlights

Neemesh
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The Television Academy revealed the Emmy nominations 2025 for the 77th Emmy Awards on July 15, 2025. The HBO/Max drama Severance led all shows with 27 nominations, followed by HBO’s The Penguin (24 nods) and both Apple TV+’s The Studio and HBO’s The White Lotus (23 each). Nominees span broadcast networks and streaming platforms, from legacy hits like Abbott Elementary and The Last of Us to newcomers like Netflix’s Adolescence (13 noms). Below is the full list of categories and nominees, with the major awards (Drama, Comedy, Limited Series, Lead Actors/Actresses) featured prominently at the front.

Major Categories

  • Outstanding Drama Series: Andor; The Diplomat; The Last of Us; Paradise; The Pitt; Severance; Slow Horses; The White Lotus.
  • Outstanding Comedy Series: Abbott Elementary; The Bear; Hacks; Nobody Wants This; Only Murders in the Building; Shrinking; The Studio; What We Do in the Shadows.
  • Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series: Adolescence; Black Mirror; Dying for Sex; Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story; The Penguin.
  • Outstanding Television Movie: Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy; The Gorge; Mountainhead.
  • Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series: Sterling K. Brown (Paradise); Gary Oldman (Slow Horses); Pedro Pascal (The Last of Us); Adam Scott (Severance); Noah Wyle (The Pitt).
  • Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series: Kathy Bates (Matlock); Sharon Horgan (Bad Sisters); Britt Lower (Severance); Bella Ramsey (The Last of Us); Keri Russell (The Diplomat).
  • Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series: Adam Brody (Nobody Wants This); Seth Rogen (The Studio); Jason Segel (Shrinking); Martin Short (Only Murders in the Building); Jeremy Allen White (The Bear).
  • Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series: Uzo Aduba (The Residence); Kristen Bell (Nobody Wants This); Quinta Brunson (Abbott Elementary); Ayo Edebiri (The Bear); Jean Smart (Hacks).
  • Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie: Colin Farrell (The Penguin); Stephen Graham (Adolescence); Jake Gyllenhaal (Presumed Innocent); Brian Tyree Henry (Dope Thief); Cooper Koch (Monsters…).
  • Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or TV Movie: Cate Blanchett (Disclaimer); Meghann Fahy (Sirens); Rashida Jones (Black Mirror); Cristin Milioti (The Penguin); Michelle Williams (Dying for Sex).
  • Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series: Zach Cherry (Severance); Walton Goggins (The White Lotus); Jason Isaacs (The White Lotus); James Marsden (Paradise); Sam Rockwell (The White Lotus); Tramell Tillman (Severance); John Turturro (Severance).
  • Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series: Patricia Arquette (Severance); Carrie Coon (The White Lotus); Katherine LaNasa (The Pitt); Julianne Nicholson (Paradise); Parker Posey (The White Lotus); Natasha Rothwell (The White Lotus); Aimee Lou Wood (The White Lotus).
  • Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series: Ike Barinholtz (The Studio); Colman Domingo (The Four Seasons); Harrison Ford (Shrinking); Jeff Hiller (Somebody Somewhere); Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Bear); Michael Urie (Shrinking); Bowen Yang (Saturday Night Live).
  • Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series: Liza Colón-Zayas (The Bear); Hannah Einbinder (Hacks); Kathryn Hahn (The Studio); Janelle James (Abbott Elementary); Sheryl Lee Ralph (Abbott Elementary); Jessica Williams (Shrinking).
  • Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie: Javier Bardem (Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story); Bill Camp (Presumed Innocent); Owen Teague (Adolescence); Rob Delaney (Dying for Sex); Peter Sarsgaard (Presumed Innocent); Ashley Walters (Adolescence).
  • Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or TV Movie: Erin Doherty (Adolescence); Ruth Negga (Presumed Innocent); Deirdre O’Connell (The Penguin); Chloë Sevigny (Monsters…); Jenny Slate (Dying for Sex); Christine Tremarco (Adolescence).
  • Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series: Jon Bernthal (The Bear); Bryan Cranston (The Studio); Dave Franco (The Studio); Ron Howard (The Studio); Anthony Mackie (The Studio); Martin Scorsese (The Studio).
  • Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series: Olivia Colman (The Bear); Jamie Lee Curtis (The Bear); Cynthia Erivo (Poker Face); Robby Hoffman (Hacks); Zoë Kravitz (The Studio); Julianne Nicholson (Hacks).
  • Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series: Giancarlo Esposito (The Boys); Scott Glenn (The White Lotus); Shawn Hatosy (The Pitt); Joe Pantoliano (The Last of Us); Forest Whitaker (Andor); Jeffrey Wright (The Last of Us).
  • Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series: Jane Alexander (Severance); Gwendoline Christie (Severance); Kaitlyn Dever (The Last of Us); Cherry Jones (The Handmaid’s Tale); Catherine O’Hara (The Last of Us); Merritt Wever (Severance).
  • Outstanding Reality Competition Program: The Amazing Race; RuPaul’s Drag Race; Survivor; Top Chef; The Traitors.
  • Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality Competition Program: RuPaul (RuPaul’s Drag Race); Mark Cuban & Lori Greiner & Kevin O’Leary & Barbara Corcoran & Robert Herjavec & Daymond John & Daniel Lubetzky (Shark Tank); Alan Cumming (The Traitors); Kristen Kish (Top Chef); Jeff Probst (Survivor).
  • Outstanding Structured Reality Program: Antiques Roadshow; Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives; Love Is Blind; Queer Eye; Shark Tank.
  • Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program: America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders; Love on the Spectrum; RuPaul’s Drag Race: Untucked; The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives; Welcome to Wrexham.
  • Outstanding Talk Series: The Daily Show; Jimmy Kimmel Live!; The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
  • Outstanding Scripted Variety Series: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver; Saturday Night Live.
  • Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series: Abbott Elementary (“Back to School”); Hacks (“A Slippery Slope”); The Rehearsal (“Pilot’s Code”); Somebody Somewhere (“AGG”); The Studio (“The Promotion”); What We Do in the Shadows (“The Finale”).
  • Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series: Andor (“Welcome to the Rebellion”); The Pitt (“2:00 P.M.”); The Pitt (“7:00 A.M.”); Severance (“Cold Harbor”); Slow Horses (“Hello Goodbye”); The White Lotus (“Full-Moon Party”).
  • Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series or Movie: Adolescence; Black Mirror (“Common People”); Dying for Sex (“Good Value Diet Soda”); The Penguin (“A Great or Little Thing”); Say Nothing (“The People in the Dirt”).
  • Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series: The Bear (“Napkins” – Ayo Edebiri); Hacks (“A Slippery Slope” – Lucia Aniello); Mid-Century Modern (“Here’s to You, Mrs. Schneiderman” – James Burrows); The Rehearsal (“Pilot’s Code” – Nathan Fielder); The Studio (“The Oner” – Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg).
  • Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series: Andor (“Who Are You?” – Janus Metz); The Pitt (“6:00 P.M.”); The Pitt (“7:00 A.M.”); Severance (“Chikhai Bardo”); Severance (“Cold Harbor”); Slow Horses (“Hello Goodbye”); The White Lotus (“Amor Fati”).
  • Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series or Movie: Adolescence; Dying for Sex (“It’s Not That Serious”); The Penguin (“Cent’anni”); The Penguin (“A Great or Little Thing”); Sirens (“Exile”); Zero Day.

(Categories below Outstanding Directing – including the wide array of Creative Arts Emmys (cinematography, editing, costumes, etc.) – were also announced by the Television Academy. Those full lists are available on the Academy website.)

The Emmy nominations 2025 underscored the continued dominance of streaming platforms. Apple TV+ in particular had a banner year: Severance (27 noms) and The Studio (23) led all shows, and even newcomer Nobody Wants This earned nods. HBO/Max was also strong, with The Penguin (24 noms) and The White Lotus (23 noms) topping many categories. By contrast, Netflix – usually a ratings behemoth – had a quieter morning: its most-nominated show was the drama Adolescence (13 noms). Notably, two limited series scored surprisingly high: Monsters: The Lyle & Erik Menendez Story (11 noms) and Black Mirror (10 noms) – feats commentators found unexpected.

New milestones were set: Kathy Bates, at age 77, became the oldest-ever nominee for Lead Actress in a Drama (for Matlock), and Harrison Ford received his first Emmy nomination (at 82) for Shrinking. Several 2024 newcomers arrived with honors – for example, The Pitt’s Noah Wyle earned a Lead Actor Drama nod (his first in 26 years) – though its ensemble saw few additional noms. Comedy series Hacks (14 noms) and The Bear (13) again led their field, but both trailed The Studio’s 23 nods, reflecting industry affection for Seth Rogen’s insider Hollywood satire. In writing/directing categories, the usual suspects appear – Andor, Slow Horses, Severance, The Bear, Hacks – reinforcing the critical consensus from recent years.

Reality and variety categories also saw familiar names and a few surprises. For instance, Survivor unexpectedly returned to Outstanding Reality Competition after a hiatus (producer Jeff Probst also earned a hosting nom). Scripted variety remains a two-show race between Saturday Night Live and Last Week Tonight, each nominated again.

Industry reactions were enthusiastic. The Studio star Seth Rogen quipped to Entertainment Weekly: “What the heck?!! We never thought this would happen” upon learning of his Lead Actor nomination. Kathy Bates expressed “deeply grateful” thanks to the Academy for her historic nomination. (Full remarks from nominated stars ranged from celebratory to humorous on social media.)

Surprises and Snubs

As always, some nominations surprised observers, and others were widely seen as snubs. On the surprise side, critics noted Jake Gyllenhaal earned an unexpected Best Drama Actor nod for Presumed Innocent, and co-stars Bill Camp and Ruth Negga also picked up noms. Meghann Fahy’s nomination for the dark comedy Sirens was another joyful shock to fans. Even Hulu’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives – a reality docu-soap in its second season – scored a competition nom, a rare feat for a Housewives-style series.

By contrast, some high-profile shows were shut out. The global hit Squid Game’s second season received no nominations at all, a blackout that EW called “an egregious snub” – many believed lead Lee Jung-jae deserved a nod. Similarly, the lauded Hulu limited series La Máquina (starring Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna) got no recognition. Apple TV+’s international drama Pachinko was passed over again. Comedy oversights included Steve Martin, who, as in 2023, was left off the Lead Actor ballot despite Only Murders in the Building earning 8 noms. (Notably, his friend Martin Short picked up multiple nods instead.)

In short, the 2025 Emmy nominations reflected both industry favorites and a few surprises. The full list above gives every nominee. As Entertainment Weekly observed, “voters got a lot right — but not everything.” Tune in on September 14 to see which shows and performances ultimately take home the gold.

Sources: Official Television Academy nomination release; Vanity Fair and Entertainment Weekly coverage of the Emmy nominations 2025. These sources provide the category lists and analysis cited above. (All nominees are as officially announced by the Television Academy.)

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Neemesh Kumar is the founder of EduEarnHub.com, an educator, SEO strategist, and AI enthusiast with over 10 years of experience in digital marketing and content development. His mission is to bridge the gap between education and earning by offering actionable insights, free tools, and up-to-date guides that empower learners, teachers, and online creators. Neemesh specializes in: Search Engine Optimization (SEO) with a focus on AI search and GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) Content strategy for education, finance, and productivity niches AI-assisted tools and real-world applications of ChatGPT, Perplexity, and other LLMs He has helped multiple blogs and micro-SaaS platforms grow their visibility organically—focusing on trust-first content backed by data, experience, and transparency.
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