The Emmy nominations are only sort of embarrassing

The Emmy nominations are here, and while we’re STILL pretending like The Bear is a comedy—a crime, at this point—newcomer series Nobody Wants This and The Studio were also nominated, which I know Lainey is happy about, and the final season of What We Do in the Shadows was also recognized, so I am happy about that. What I am UNHAPPY about? Seth Meyers being snubbed! And this IS a snub! 

The category for Outstanding Talk Series has shifted eligibility over the last few years, shunting shows like perennial winner Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, which does not feature an interview segment, to the “Outstanding Scripted Variety Series” category, while allowing a digital-only show like Hot Ones to compete alongside linear late-night TV. However, this year, a “reduced” field of submissions with only 13 shows submitting resulted in only three nominees (The Daily Show, Kimmel, and Colbert). Fourteen submissions were needed to qualify for four nominees.

Especially since Conan O’Brien retired from late-night TV, Seth Meyers is the only late-night host routinely doing anything interesting with the format. John Mulaney popped up this year with the esoteric, strange, and exciting Everybody’s Live—which was also ignored by the television academy—but Seth Meyers has been in these streets fighting for late-night TV as a viable entertainment format for over a decade. Among his network peers, he’s the only one actually trying to keep late night interesting and funny, he’s the only one INNOVATING as the format itself is in its death throes. And he’s the one NOT nominated? It’s a SCANDAL. It’s an OUTRAGE. I’m so mad I’m QUOTING MUSICALS!

This is Oscars-level embarrassing. Between snubbing Seth Meyers, Everybody’s Live, and Hot Ones, it REALLY seems like the television academy is not interested in anything new or interesting happening in late-night TV. Okay, fine. Have the late night shows you voted for. Enjoy playing drinking games with Jimmy Fallon until the heat death of the universe.

Among comedy and drama nominations, things are much less embarrassing. I mean, we still live trapped inside the funhouse mirror of “The Bear is a comedy”, but beyond that, a lot of good to great nominations were announced. Brian Tyree Henry was nominated for Dope Thief, and The Pitt nabbed 13 nominations in total, including two nominations for Noah Wyle, as an actor and producer, and nominations for Kathryn LaNasa (Dana), and Shawn Hatosy (Dr. Abbot). 

Severance, however, is the leading drama series with 27 nominations, including a nomination for Tramell Tillman, while The White Lotus landed 23, including nominations for Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Sam Rockwell, Carrie Coon, Parker Posey, Natasha Rothwell, Aimee Lou Wood, and Scott Glenn. Andor earned 14 nominations for its stellar second season, and while I sort of think anything else winning would be silly and only look dumber with time, the drama category is so stacked this year it’s impossible to predict how these votes will go, but obviously, the television academy is super into Severance. And following a rather controversial second season, The Last of Us pulled 16 nominations, including nods for Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, who despite identifying as non-binary is nominated in the outstanding actress category (they’re fine with this, but the obvious answer is to do away with gendered categories, which some award shows have already done). 

The Penguin leads the limited series/movie category with 24 nominations, though Colin Farrell’s unopposed march to total TV award victory is now going to have to contend with Stephen Graham and Adolescence, which netted 13 nominations. Meanwhile, Jake Gyllenhaal and Ruth Negga are nominated for Presumed Innocent, and Meghann Fahy is nominated for Sirens, even though that show is unwatchable.

On the comedy side of things, The Studio tied The Bear’s record for the most nominations in a single year with 23, including nods for Seth Rogen, Ike Barinholtz, Catherine O’Hara, and Kathryn Hahn. And the “outstanding guest actor in a comedy series” category is entirely made up of nominees from The Studio—including Martin Scorsese—plus Jon Bernthal from The Bear (the real comedy is that he is nominated as a comedic actor for that show. Some people are giving comedic performances on The Bear, Jon Bernthal is not). Speaking of The Bear, though, Ayo Edebiri is nominated for both acting and directing a comedy series in the same season, a historic first for a woman.

But she’ll have to contend with The Studio and Hacks, which logged 14 nominations. I think The Bear’s comedy supremacy is over, even if people weren’t questioning its status a comedy, The Studio and Hacks are real competition (even though Hacks’ fourth season, which is nominated here, was very uneven). The Studio feels like the real contender, people within the industry F-CKING LOVE IT and won’t shut up about it, and it actually broke Ted Lasso’s record for most nominations for a freshman comedy series. 

As has become common for the Emmys in recent years, the 2025 nominations are a mixed bag. Some things are very embarrassing (snubbing Seth Meyers, acknowledging Sirens), while most of the nominations are as expected, or even pleasant surprises (The Pitt!). One thing is sure, though, the Emmys will be insanely competitive once again, especially in the drama category. The Emmys drama category has become the cutthroat high school cafeteria of Hollywood. 

View the full list of nominees here. 

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