2025 Emmy Nominations: 5 Key Takeaways About ‘The Studio,' Late Night TV, and More

Yahoo

17-07-2025

The 2025 Primetime Emmy nominations have finally arrived in spite of another set of what feels like annual challenges to the television industry. As if a global pandemic was not Earth-shattering enough, in recent years television has also had to navigate labor strikes, and devastating wildfires in Los Angeles, leading some major Emmy contenders to go as much as three years between seasons.
But for many of the people behind the most beloved TV shows of the current moment, all that hard work and perseverance has paid off in the form of recognition from their peers in the Television Academy. Though one could argue that there are clear winners and losers, this round of Emmy nominations saw many networks and studios still get a piece of the pie.
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Below we cover five key takeaways from the 2025 Emmy nominations, touching on snubs, surprises, and TV series that are on track to become awards season staples.
1. Campaigning Can Only Go So Far
No one can say these shows and these actors didn't put up a fight to be nominated this year. There were takeovers of popular event spaces, there were takeovers of Los Angeles itself, warehouses transformed into the Lumon offices, and For Your Consideration events at the Academy Museum, the Grammys Museum, and more, with several Oscar-nominated actors sticking around for hours to rub elbows with the people determining whether or not they deserve a nomination.
In many cases, including one case study we will talk about below, those efforts can pay off. That office stunt played its part in the Apple TV+ hit 'Severance' being the most nominated drama of the season with 27 nominations, even more than last year's Outstanding Drama Series winner 'Shōgun.' After hitting an Emmys slump when the rules changed to where its individual episodes could not contend for Outstanding Television Movie anymore, the latest season of 'Black Mirror' broke into the near-impenetrable Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series category, with Season 7 star Rashida Jones getting a Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie nomination as well; and Netflix did not necessarily break the bank to make that happen as much as have talent that was game to show up for FYC events.
That is not always an easy task. For example, 'Disclaimer' and 'The Gorge' eschewed official For Your Consideration events, and network stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Ruth Negga eschewed the campaign trail, but all three Apple TV+ projects got major Emmy nominations. If one could credit star power alone for an Emmy nomination, we would have seen 'Running Point' star Kate Hudson or 'Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy' star Renée Zellweger receive acting nominations, but ultimately, this round of nods prove that everything is determined by a balance of popularity and prestige. Any form of campaigning can only go so far.
2. Hulu Holds Strong
'Paradise,' the latest hit drama from Hulu, helmed by 'This Is Us' creator Dan Fogelman, and starring Emmy winner Sterling K. Brown is arguably the best example of how to reach one's peers in the Television Academy. Right off the bat, the show had that mix of popularity and prestige, bringing in notable viewership for the streaming service, and receiving majority positive reviews. With that foundation, plus the charisma of its cast (Brown's co-stars Julianne Nicholson and James Marsden are a former Emmy winner and Emmy nominee, respectively,) it reached the finish line of everyone being nominated again (to the surprise of many prognosticators) by emphasizing in its campaign events how much effort it put into filming in Los Angeles. Most of these Emmys FYC events take place within said city, with the voters in attendance all being locals who work in the industry, making TV shows, so with the devastating fires especially in consideration, it was a message that really resonated — calling for other shows to follow suit.
For as much conversation as there has been over the years about what the role of Hulu will be should Disney ever own it fully, the fact that the streaming service consistently over-performs with Emmy nominations (not even counting its FX-produced series) really shows its worth. Remember, Hulu became the first streaming series to win Outstanding Drama Series with 'The Handmaid's Tale,' earned several nominations for its limited series over the years, even including less popular shows like 'Welcome to Chippendales,' and made entries into hard to breakthrough categories like Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special and Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program this year, with 'Sly Lives! (Aka The Burden Of Black Genius)' and 'The Secret Lives Of Mormon Wives,' respectively, alongside players with a larger budget like Apple TV+, and over some big names in those genres like Bravo.
3. Everybody Wants a Meeting with 'The Studio'
Not only did Apple TV+ have the most Drama nominations with 'Severance,' it broke the records for most Emmy nominations for a freshman comedy with 23 nods for 'The Studio.' There has been a conversation as of late about how voters can have tunnel vision voting for the Guest Actor/Actress categories, with 'The Bear' and 'The Last of Us' being recent examples of that (earning stars like Jamie Lee Curtis and Storm Reid their first Emmys,) but 'The Studio' has taken it to another level, taking five out six nomination slots for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series alone. Creators Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg have already said publicly that many Hollywood figures have been pitching themselves for cameos in Season 2 of the industry satire. Add in how it could earn them an Emmy now, and we are even more likely to see stars sign on to poke fun at themselves. Maybe we even get a real version of 'Alphabet City' now that director Ron Howard, and stars Dave Franco and Anthony Mackie are all nominated.
4. Critical Darlings Are Not Totally Left Cold
Emmy nominations morning was not entirely a tough break for all those critically acclaimed, Peabody Award-winning TV series like 'Somebody Somewhere' or 'Say Nothing.' The former received arguably the most pleasant surprise in the form of star Jeff Hiller being nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for the final season of the HBO gem. And the latter FX series still got a writing nomination on the heels of it ending the 'Slow Horses' winning streak at the USC Scripter Awards earlier this year. While Season 2 proves HBO will give Nathan Fielder a lot of runway to do what he wants with 'The Rehearsal' regardless of Emmys success, it is a hopeful sign that voters are willing to think outside the box, and recognize it in four categories. Meanwhile, a show like 'Mid-Century Modern,' which received the same amount of nominations, can use the Emmy recognition as a bargaining chip to convince Hulu to greenlight a second season of the multicam comedy.
5. Late Night Love Spreads Across a Whole Host of Categories
One could have easily assumed this would be a major year for 'Saturday Night Live' considering not only the landmark 50th season, but all the supplementary programming that went along with it, including a documentary series, a documentary special, and two variety specials. That all helped 'Saturday Night Live' break its own record as the most Emmy nominated show ever with 31 nominations across the board.
But even more than the accomplishments of that singular late night series, the 2025 Primetime Emmy nominations indicate the ways in which late night has evolved in response to the fields for the Outstanding Talk Series and Outstanding Scripted Variety Series categories shrinking every year. For example, Emmy juggernaut 'The Daily Show' did not just get another Outstanding Talk Series nomination as expected, it received the most Emmy nominations it's ever gotten in one year, propelled by spinoff projects like 'The Daily Show Presents: Jordan Klepper Fingers the Pulse: Maga: The Next Generation,' which got into two Hosted Nonfiction Series or Special categories, and 'The Daily Show: Desi Lydic Foxsplains,' nominated for two Short Form Comedy, Drama or Variety Series categories.
Something like 'The Rabbit Hole with Jimmy Kimmel,' which once could have been a segment on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' is now also an Outstanding Short Form Comedy, Drama or Variety Series nominee next to projects from late night host Seth Meyers and Jimmy Fallon as well, whose main shows both did not make the cut for Outstanding Talk Series. Even Conan O'Brien, who was ostensibly driven out of the late night game, had more Emmys success than ever this year by diversifying his portfolio as the host of the Oscars, the host of nonfiction series 'Conan O'Brien Must Go,' and even the subject of Variety Special (Pre-Recorded) nominee 'Conan O'Brien: The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.'
All this said, there is still a demand for series featuring a breadth of experienced late night performers even if the same two shows win Outstanding Talk Series and Outstanding Scripted Variety Series every year.
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