Harrison Ford, Kathy Bates, Ayo Edebiri, and Owen Cooper all made history when the 2025 Emmy nominations were announced in July. On Sunday, we’ll find out if any will leave the 77th annual Primetime Emmy Awards a winner.
This year’s crop of nominees acts a a portrait of the evolving television landscape, as perennial Emmy favorites like Only Murders in the Building and The White Lotus find themselves pit against newcomers like The Studio and, well, The Pitt. It’s also a year full of stars stepping outside their typical comfort zones (imagine telling yourself 10 years ago that Martin Scorsese was nominated for comedy acting while Ben Stiller was recognized for directing a drama), and in many cases, making history by doing so.
Kathy Bates has broken an Emmy age barrier with a role originated by actor Andy Griffith, while The Andy Griffith Show child star (turned Oscar-winning filmmaker) Ron Howard earned his first Emmy nomination for acting, for playing himself. Speaking of child actors, Adolescence star Owen Cooper became the youngest ever nominee in his category, while former Disney Channel star and current media mogul Selena Gomez continued her nomination streak for producing Only Murders in the Building, maintaining her status as the most nominated Latina producer in Emmy history. Conversely, movie star Harrison Ford earned his first Emmy nomination for Shrinking, becoming the second-oldest actor ever nominated in his category.
True stories like Monsters: The Lyle & Erik Menendez Story and Dying for Sex entranced Emmy voters this year, but so did fantastical shows like Andor, The Last of Us, and most particularly, The Penguin, whose record-breaking number of nominations proves that the Joker isn’t the only Batman villain capable of courting awards show prestige.
Below are the 2025 Emmy nominees in the major acting, directing, writing, and overall series categories. Bolded nominees are selections that made Emmy history. Plus, we’ll tell you exactly how you can tune in to watch live.
When Are the 2025 Emmy Awards?
The 77th Primetime Emmy Awards are on Sunday, September 14. The ceremony will air on CBS and Paramount+ from 8 to 11 p.m. ET. You must be a Paramount+ Premium subscriber to stream the ceremony live. All subscribers can watch the special on-demand the next day.
Official red carpet coverage, hosted by Entertainment Tonight’s Kevin Frazier and Nischelle Turner, begins at 7 p.m. ET. You can watch it live on CBS and Paramount+, again for Premium subscribers only.
Who Is Hosting the 2025 Emmy Awards?
Taking the reigns from last year’s hosts, Dan and Eugene Levy, is comedian Nate Bargatze. This is the first awards show hosting gig for the Grammy-nominated comedian, though he presented an award at this year’s Golden Globes in January. The 46-year-old has hosted Saturday Night Live twice, in 2023 and 2024.
Expect to see Angela Bassett, Stephen Colbert, Tina Fey, Mariska Hargitay, Charlie Hunnam, Jude Law, Jenna Ortega, Evan Peters, Hiroyuki Sanada, Anna Sawai, and Sydney Sweeney among this year’s presenters.
Acting Nominees
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
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
History has been made twice in the race for Lead Actress in a Drama Series. First, Kathy Bates’ nomination for the buzzy reboot of the series Matlock makes the 77-year-old the oldest nominee in the category’s history. That title was previously held by Angela Lansbury who received her final nomination for Murder, She Wrote at the age of 70. The Last of Us’ Bella Ramsey, back again after being nominated for the show’s first season, has become the first non-binary performer in Emmy history to be nominated multiple times, for their work as Ellie in the acclaimed video game adaptation.
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
Two actors could potentially make Emmy history this year. To date, Supporting Actor in a Drama Series is the only Emmy category a Black performer has never won in the 77-year history of the awards show. But Severance picked up nominations in this category for both Tramell Tillman’s captivating performance as questioning company man Mr. Milchik and Zach Cherry’s meticulously performed dual-Dylan drama (they are joined in the category by their co-star John Turturro). Should either Tillman or Cherry walk away with the statue on Emmy night, they will have made Emmy history.
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
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
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
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
A first-time and a fourth-time nominee in this category are both making Emmy history. Harrison Ford, best known for big-screen adventures like Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and The Fugitive, has received a nomination for his tender and understated performance on the small screen in Apple TV+’s Shrinking. At 83, the first-time nominee is also the second-oldest actor ever nominated in the category, coming behind only his former Firewall co-star Alan Arkin, who earned a nomination for The Kominsky Method at the age of 86.
Meanwhile, Saturday Night Live star Bowen Yang earned his fourth nomination in the category, making him the most nominated Asian man in Emmy history. The most nominated Asian performer overall remains Sandra Oh, who currently has a total of 14 nominations (including one win), one of which was for hosting Saturday Night Live.
Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
- Liza Colón-Zayas, The Bear
- Hannah Einbinder, Hacks
- Kathryn Hahn, The Studio
- Janelle James, Abbott Elementary
- Catherine O’Hara, The Studio
- Sheryl Lee Ralph, Abbott Elementary
- Jessica Williams, Shrinking
Lead Actor in a Limited/Anthology Series or Movie
- Colin Farrell, The Penguin
- Stephen Graham, Adolescence
- Jake Gyllenhaal, Presumed Innocent
- Brian Tyree Henry, Dope Thief
- Cooper Koch, Monsters: The Lyle & Erik Menendez Story
Lead Actress in a Limited/Anthology Series or Movie
- Cate Blanchett, Disclaimer
- Meghann Fahy, Sirens
- Rashida Jones, Black Mirror
- Cristin Milioti, The Penguin
- Michelle Williams, Dying For Sex
Supporting Actor in a Limited/Anthology Series or Movie
- Javier Bardem, Monsters: The Lyle & Erik Menendez Story
- Bill Camp, Presumed Innocent
- Owen Cooper, Adolescence
- Rob Delaney, Dying for Sex
- Peter Sarsgaard, Presumed Innocent
- Ashley Walters, Adolescence
Newcomer Owen Cooper captivated audiences with his performance as Jamie Miller in the Netflix limited series Adolescence. It has many asking “Who is Owen Cooper?” to which we can now answer: the youngest nominee in the history of the Supporting Actor in a Limited Series category. This record-breaking achievement is made all the more impressive by the fact that this is 15-year-old Cooper’s first ever professional acting role. And should he win, he would become the youngest male Emmy acting winner ever, supplanting 1973’s win by 16-year-old Scott Jacoby for That Certain Summer.
Supporting Actress in a Limited/Anthology Series or Movie
- Erin Doherty, Adolescence
- Ruth Nega, Presumed Innocent
- Deidre O’Connell, The Penguin
- Chloë Sevigny, Monsters: The Lyle & Erik Menendez Story
- Jenny Slate, Dying for Sex
- Christine Tremarco, Adolescence
Directing Nominees
Directing for a Comedy Series
- Ayo Edebiri, The Bear “Napkins”
- Lucia Aniello, Hacks “A Slippery Slope”
- James Burrows, Mid-Century Modern “Here’s To You, Mrs. Schneiderman”
- Nathan Fielder, The Rehearsal “Pilot’s Code”
- Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg, The Studio “The Oner”
Ayo Edebiri has already received an acting Emmy for her breakout performance in the first season of FX’s restaurant dramedy The Bear and netted two more nominations for her performances in Seasons 2 and 3. For the show’s third installment, Edebiri also stepped behind the camera to direct the season’s sixth episode, “Napkins.” Edebiri had already earned a DGA nomination for the episode, and now she’s earned an Emmy nomination for it as well. Paired with her acting nomination for this season, Edebiri has become the second woman nominated for acting and directing in the Emmys’ comedy categories in the same year. Previously, Lena Dunham had achieved the feat twice, for the first two seasons of HBO’s Girls, but came up empty-handed on Emmy night both times. Now, Edebiri has a chance to change that.
Directing for a Drama Series
- Janus Metz, Andor “Who Are You?”
- Amanda Marsalis, The Pitt “6:00 P.M.”
- John Wells, The Pitt “7:00 A.M.”
- Jessica Lee Gagné, Severance “Chikhai Bardo”
- Ben Stiller, Severance “Cold Harbor”
- Adam Randall, Slow Horses “Hello Goodbye”
- Mike White, The White Lotus “Amor Fati”
Directing for a Limited/Anthology Series or Movie
- Philip Barantini, Adolescence
- Shannon Murphy, Dying for Sex “It’s Not That Serious”
- Helen Shaver, The Penguin “Cent’Anni”
- Jennifer Getzinger, The Penguin “A Great or Little Thing”
- Nicole Kassell, Sirens “Exile”
- Lesli Linka Glatter, Zero Day
Writing Nominees
Writing for a Comedy Series
- Quita Brunson, Abbott Elementary “Back To School”
- Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, and Jen Statsky, Hacks “A Slippery Slope”
- Nathan Fielder, Carrie Kemper, Adam Locke-Norton ACE, and Eric Notarnicola, The Rehearsal “Pilot’s Code”
- Hannah Bos, Paul Thureen, and Bridget Everett, Somebody Somewhere “AGG”
- Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Peter Huyck, Alex Gregory, and Frida Perez, The Studio “The Promotion”
- Sam Johnson, Sarah Naftalis, and Paul Simms, What We Do in the Shadows “The Finale”
Quinta Brunson has already received historic Emmys for Abbott Elementary in previous seasons, both for her writing and her acting, but she isn’t done making Emmy history yet. On the heels of having her character Janine dropping f-bombs and c-bombs over on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (in the second part of the acclaimed crossover between the two shows), Brunson has picked up her third writing nomination for Abbott Elementary’s Season 4 premiere “Back to School.” Brunson isn’t the first Black woman to receive three comedy writing nominations—that distinction goes to Stefani Robinson for their work on Atlanta’s “Barbershop” and What We Do in the Shadows’ “On the Run” and “The Wellness Center”—but she is the first to receive all three for the same series.
Writing for a Drama Series
- Dan Gilroy, Andor “Welcome to the Rebellion”
- Joe Sachs, The Pitt “2:00 P.M.”
- R. Scott Gemmill, The Pitt “7:00 A.M.”
- Dan Erickson, Severance “Cold Harbor”
- Will Smith, Slow Horses “Hello Goodbye”
- Mike White, The White Lotus “Full-Moon Party”
Writing for a Limited/Anthology Series or Movie
- Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham, Adolescence
- Charlie Brooker and Bisha K. Ali, Black Mirror “Common People”
- Kim Rosenstock and Elizabeth Meriwether, Dying for Sex “Good Value Diet Soda”
- Lauren LeFranc, The Penguin “A Great or Little Thing”
- Joshua Zetumer, Say Nothing “The People in the Dirt”
Series Nominees
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
Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s Hollywood satire (and stealth sequel to Robert Altman’s 1992 film The Player) played big with the Emmy voting crowd. The debut season of The Studio broke an Emmy record by scoring 23 nominations, the most ever achieved by a debut season of comedy series. Those nominations include taking five out of the six slots in the Guest Actor category, for Bryan Cranston as Griffin Mill (a role originated by Oscar winner Tim Robbins in The Player) as well as four Hollywood icons playing exaggerated versions of themselves: Dave Franco, Anthony Mackie, Ron Howard, and legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese, who had previously won an Emmy for directing the pilot of the HBO crime drama Boardwalk Empire. But in the wake of The Studio’s own awards show skewering episode “The Golden Globes,” the pressure must really be on for all involved to make sure they get their speeches right.
Outstanding Drama Series
- Andor
- The Diplomat
- The Last of Us
- Paradise
- The Pitt
- Severance
- Slow Horses
- The White Lotus
Outstanding Limited/Anthology Series
- Adolescence
- Black Mirror
- Dying for Sex
- Monsters: The Lyle & Erik Menendez Story
- The Penguin
While audiences eagerly await the theatrical follow-up to 2022’s hit The Batman, this spin-off series, following the movie’s breakout side character Oz Cobb in the midst of a gang war threatening to swallow up Gotham, scored big with Emmy voters. The limited series, anchored in transformative performances from Colin Farrell and Cristin Milioti as notable Batman antagonists The Penguin and Sofia Falcone, earned a total of 27 Emmy nominations. That sets a new record for the most Emmy nominations ever for a comic book adaptation, beating out the previous record holder, HBO’s Watchmen, a sequel to the acclaimed graphic novel of the same name, which earned 26 nominations in 2020.
Although the dark origin story of one of Batman’s most iconic villains faces some tough competition in the Limited Series category, Emmy voters made one thing abundantly clear: between The Penguin, Adolescence, and Monsters: The Lyle & Erik Menendez Story, it was a great year to be a murderous child with deep psychological hangups about your neglectful parents on TV.
Michale Natale is a News Editor for the Hearst Enthusiast Group. As a writer and researcher, he has produced written and audio-visual content for more than fifteen years, spanning historical periods from the dawn of early man to the Golden Age of Hollywood. His stories for the Enthusiast Group have involved coordinating with organizations like the National Parks Service and the Secret Service, and travelling to notable historical sites and archaeological digs, from excavations of America’ earliest colonies to the former homes of Edgar Allan Poe.
