The 2025 Emmy nominations are in, and Apple TV+’s workplace thriller Severance has sliced through the competition with 27 nods, the largest haul of any program this year and the most for a drama since Shōgun in 2024.
Close behind, HBO’s comic-book noir The Penguin secured 24 nominations, while Apple’s industry satire The Studio and HBO’s resort drama The White Lotus scored 23 apiece, tying last year’s record for a comedy set by The Bear
Apple TV+ notched a company-best 81 total nominations, underscoring its rapid ascent among prestige streamers. Yet HBO and the newly rebranded HBO Max still dominated the platform leaderboard with 142 overall nods, edging Disney’s 137 and Netflix’s 120.
Historic Firsts and Fresh Faces
Veteran star Kathy Bates became the oldest lead-drama actress nominee ever at 77 for CBS’ Matlock, surpassing Angela Lansbury’s 1996 benchmark.
At the other end of the spectrum, 15-year-old Owen Cooper made history as the youngest supporting-actor nominee in a limited series for Netflix’s Adolescence.
The acting categories also yielded surprises:
- Harrison Ford earned his first Emmy nod, supporting actor in a comedy for Shrinking.
- Legendary filmmakers Martin Scorsese and Ron Howard grabbed guest-acting nominations for their meta turns on The Studio.
- Kathy Bates heads a drama-actress field that includes Bella Ramsey (The Last of Us) and Keri Russell (The Diplomat).
Drama, Comedy and Limited Series Showdowns
Drama Series contenders pit Severance against Andor, The Diplomat, The Last of Us, Paradise, The Pitt, Slow Horses and The White Lotus.
Apple’s The Studio will try to topple defending champ Hacks in Comedy Series, joined by Abbott Elementary, The Bear, Nobody Wants This, Only Murders in the Building, Shrinking and vampire farce What We Do in the Shadows.
On the limited side, Netflix’s moody teen saga Adolescence squares off with Black Mirror, Dying for Sex, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story and DC’s The Penguin for Limited or Anthology Series honors.
Networks and Streamers: Winners and Laggards
The 2025 Emmy nominations reaffirm that deep libraries and bold originals still pay dividends. HBO/HBO Max’s tally rose despite belt-tightening across Warner Bros. Discovery, while Disney’s strength was spread across ABC (Abbott Elementary), Disney+ (Andor) and Hulu (The Bear).
Netflix grabbed 13 nods for The Pitt and a respectable 16 for flagship The Last of Us. Yet its overall count slipped year-over-year as newer players surged. Analysts note that Apple’s strategy of selective, high-budget bets—just 43 scripted hours in 2024—yielded an outsized share of elite noms.
Dates to Watch
- Creative Arts Emmys: September 6-7
- Primetime telecast (CBS, Paramount+): September 14, live from L.A.’s Peacock Theater, hosted by nominee Nate Bargatze.
Voting for winners opens August 7 and closes August 28, giving campaigns six weeks to convert the enthusiasm behind the 2025 Emmy nominations into gold statues.
Five Storylines Heading Into Emmy Season
- Can Apple finally claim Best Drama? Severance faces tough competition from Disney’s Andor and HBO’s White Lotus, but leads the field in acting and craft races.
- Will The Studio upset Hacks? The freshman comedy tied the nomination record and touts star power from Seth Rogen to guest nominee Bryan Cranston.
- Harrison Ford’s late-career victory lap. At 83, the screen icon could walk away with his first Emmy.
- Broadcast revival. CBS’s Matlock gave Kathy Bates a landmark nod; could a network series finally crack major wins again?
- Youth vs. experience. With Owen Cooper at 15 and Kathy Bates at 77, the acting races spotlight television’s widest generational spread in decades.
What’s Next
Campaign events ramp up this month with FYC panels in Los Angeles and New York. Studios will flood voters with screeners, while social-media blitzes aim to keep the 2025 Emmy nominations top-of-mind. Expect Apple and HBO to leverage their rivalry in splashy billboards and digital takeovers, all angling for bragging rights on Emmy night.
