The 2025 Emmy Nominations: Major Headlines and Key Contenders

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The 2025 Emmy nominations have arrived, and television’s biggest night is set to deliver some serious surprises and fierce competition. Here’s your complete guide to the major headlines and standout nominations from the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards.

Severance Leads the Pack with 27 Nominations

Apple TV+’s mind-bending workplace thriller “Severance” has completely dominated the 2025 Emmy nominations, earning a staggering 27 nominations across all categories. The sci-fi drama, which explores the dark side of work-life balance through surgical memory separation, has secured nominations in major categories including Outstanding Drama Series, with lead acting nods for Adam Scott and Britt Lower.

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The show’s success represents a massive jump from its 2022 debut season, which received just 14 nominations. With nine performance category nominations alone, “Severance” has positioned itself as the clear frontrunner for television’s most prestigious awards.

The Penguin Breaks Comic Book Records

HBO Max’s “The Penguin” has made history by becoming the most Emmy-nominated comic book adaptation ever, securing 24 nominations. The Batman spin-off series, starring Colin Farrell in a transformative performance as Oz Cobb, has earned nominations for Outstanding Limited Series, with Farrell nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor and Cristin Milioti for Outstanding Lead Actress.

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The show’s 24 nominations surpass the previous record held by HBO’s “Watchmen,” which received 26 nominations in 2020. This achievement demonstrates the growing recognition of superhero content in prestigious award categories.

The Studio Makes Comedy History

Apple TV+’s Hollywood satire “The Studio” has set a new record for the most Emmy nominations ever received by a debut comedy series, earning 23 nominations. The show, starring and created by Seth Rogen, has made Emmy history by securing five out of six slots in the Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series category.

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Most remarkably, the series has earned first-ever acting nominations for legendary directors Martin Scorsese and Ron Howard, who play themselves in the show. This achievement ties “The Studio” with last year’s record set by “The Bear” for most nominations in a single comedy season.

Adolescence Becomes Britain’s Breakout Hit

Netflix’s British crime drama “Adolescence” has captured Emmy voters’ attention with 13 nominations, including Outstanding Limited Series. The show, which tells the story of a 13-year-old boy accused of murder, has made headlines for featuring 15-year-old Owen Cooper, who became the youngest actor ever nominated in the Supporting Actor category.

Stephen Graham leads the series with a nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor, while the show’s unique approach of filming each episode in a single continuous shot has earned recognition across multiple technical categories. The series has become Netflix’s second-most-watched English-language series of all time.

The White Lotus Returns with 23 Nominations

HBO’s “The White Lotus” continues its Emmy dominance with 23 nominations for its third season. The darkly comic series, which explores the privileged world of luxury resort guests, has secured nominations across multiple acting categories, with eight cast members receiving recognition.

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The show’s success continues from its previous seasons, with Season 2 winning the Outstanding Drama Series category in 2022. This year’s nominations include Outstanding Drama Series and numerous supporting acting nods for its ensemble cast.

Major Series Categories: The Top Contenders

Outstanding Drama Series

Andor (Disney+)
The Diplomat (Netflix)
The Last of Us (HBO)
Paradise (Hulu)
The Pitt (Max)
Severance (Apple TV+)
Slow Horses (Apple TV+)
The White Lotus (HBO)

Outstanding Comedy Series

Abbott Elementary (ABC)
The Bear (FX)
Hacks (Max)
Nobody Wants This (Netflix)
Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)
Shrinking (Apple TV+)
The Studio (Apple TV+)
What We Do in the Shadows (FX)

Outstanding Limited/Anthology Series

Adolescence (Netflix)
Black Mirror (Netflix)
Dying for Sex (FX)
Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story (Netflix)
The Penguin (HBO)

Notable Surprises and Historic Nominations

The 2025 Emmy nominations are filled with historic achievements and surprising recognitions:

Harrison Ford received his first Emmy nomination at age 83 for “Shrinking”, while Kathy Bates became the oldest woman nominated in the lead drama actress category at 77 for “Matlock”.

Bella Ramsey made history as the first openly non-binary actor to receive multiple Emmy nominations, earning their second consecutive nod for “The Last of Us”.

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Cooper Koch landed his first nomination for “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story,” with the real Lyle Menendez calling from prison to congratulate him.

Platform Wars: HBO Max Takes the Lead

HBO Max dominated the nominations with a record-breaking 142 nominations across all categories, surpassing Netflix’s 120 nominations. Apple TV+ had a remarkable year with 81 nominations, primarily driven by “Severance” and “The Studio”.

The success of streaming platforms continues to reshape the Emmy landscape, with traditional broadcast networks receiving fewer nominations than their streaming counterparts.

Looking Ahead to September

The 77th Primetime Emmy Awards will air in the UK at 1:00 AM BST on Monday, September 15, 2025. Taking place at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles, the ceremony will be hosted by comedian Nate Bargatze. In the United States, the event will be broadcast live on CBS and streamed on Paramount+ on Sunday, September 14, at 8:00 PM ET / 5:00 PM PT.

With “Severance” leading the pack and fierce competition across all major categories, the 2025 Emmy Awards promise to be one of the most exciting and unpredictable ceremonies in recent years. From ground breaking sci-fi dramas to comic book adaptations achieving critical acclaim, this year’s nominations reflect the incredible diversity and quality of modern television.

The ceremony will celebrate not just the shows themselves, but the historic achievements and boundary-breaking performances that have defined television in 2025. Whether “Severance” can convert its 27 nominations into Emmy gold, or if surprises await in the major categories, September 14 promises to be a night to remember for television fans everywhere.

references:

ABC News – “2025 Primetime Emmy Awards: See who is nominated.” ABC News, 15 July 2025. https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Culture/emmy-nominees-2025/story?id=123693851

CBS News – “2025 Emmy nominations are announced: See the full list.” CBS News, 15 July 2025. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/2025-primetime-emmy-nominations-full-list/

CNN – “‘Severance’ leads 2025 Emmy nominations.” CNN, 15 July 2025. https://edition.cnn.com/2025/07/15/entertainment/emmy-nominations-2025

IGN – “Emmy Nominations 2025: The Full List.” IGN, 15 July 2025. https://www.ign.com/articles/emmy-nominations-2025-the-full-list

The Hollywood Reporter – “Apple’s Matt Cherniss on Record Emmy Haul and ‘Studio’ Breakthrough.” The Hollywood Reporter, 15 July 2025. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/apple-tv-studio-severance-emmy-nominations-matt-cherniss-1236315644/

The Hollywood Reporter – “‘Adolescence’ Breakout Owen Cooper Becomes Emmys’ Youngest-Ever Supporting Actor Nominee.” The Hollywood Reporter, 15 July 2025. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/adolescence-owen-cooper-emmy-nomination-2025-1236315094/

Deadline – “‘Adolescence’ Lands 13 Emmy Nominations, Beating ‘Baby Reindeer’s Tally From Last Year.” Deadline, 15 July 2025. https://deadline.com/2025/07/adolescence-emmy-nominations-2025-beats-baby-reindeer-1236457582/

Deadline – “‘The Penguin’ Emmy Nominee Colin Farrell On Whether He’s Read ‘Batman II’ Yet.” Deadline, 16 July 2025. https://deadline.com/2025/07/the-penguin-colin-farrell-batman-ii-emmy-nominations-1236458845/

Netflix – “From Adolescence to Nobody Wants This: A Toast to Netflix’s 2025 Emmy Nominees.” Netflix Tudum, 15 July 2025. https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/emmy-nominations-2025

Apple – “Apple lands record-breaking 81 Emmy Award nominations with ‘Severance’ leading as this year’s most-nominated series.” Business Wire, 15 July 2025. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250715987568/en/Apple-lands-record-breaking-81-Emmy-Award-nominations

Screen Rant – “Severance’s Record-Breaking Emmy Nominations Redeem Season 1’s Biggest Snub.” Screen Rant, 15 July 2025. https://screenrant.com/severance-season-2-britt-lower-emmy-nomination-fix-snub/

Collider – “‘The Studio’ Kicks ‘Ted Lasso’ to the Curb To Set a New Emmys Record.” Collider, 15 July 2025. https://collider.com/the-studio-overtakes-ted-lasso-emmy-nomination-record/

CBR – “The Penguin Just Got Way More Emmy Nominations Than The Bear, Andor, and The Last Of Us.” CBR, 15 July 2025. https://www.cbr.com/the-penguin-2025-emmy-nominations/