Emmy season is officially in full swing, the frantic FYC event calendar has wrapped, all the “you gotta see ___” recommendations were promptly followed or ignored, and now it’s time for nominations. As we all catch up over the summer, awaiting this year’s choice for Outstanding Television, several titles are already considered safe bets in this year’s race. Returning shows like The Bear, Hacks, Abbott Elementary, Andor, Severance, and The White Lotus are all in contention. At the same time, newcomers like The Pitt and Adolescents in Paradise continue to make waves.
One of the unfortunate consequences of the streaming boom is that, despite the expanded categories, many deserving contenders will inevitably be left out when nominations are announced on July 15. This year, due to the Television Academy’s rules on categories, several races that had been expanded in recent years will revert to 5 nominations each. The Lead Actor and Actress contenders for Drama, Comedy, and Limited Series will have to vie for five slots, and the competition is fiercer than ever. Numerous returning shows have maintained their quality and continue to grow their audiences. As a result, the off-the-beaten-path nominations that used to pepper the Emmys are now a rarity, especially in major categories. A quiet international fave might pick up a few craft nominations or some technical recognition, but drama, acting, and limited series slots are increasingly complex. We are hoping for some surprise names, like Say Nothing and Overcompensating, but our predictions this year signal a year of feast or famine for many marquee titles.
If this is your first time hearing about some of these titles, be sure to head on over to our What to Watch hub, where we will break down where you can watch all the best television and film every week. And tune in to see if we were right when the nominations are announced on July 15th. Rest assured, we have plenty for you to look forward to, and we’ll be here to recount every twist and turn along Emmy season, all the way until the awards are handed out.
Read on for our predictions for this year’s Emmy noms, and check back on our Awards Tour Hub for all Emmy News. Disagree with one of our picks? Let us know in the comments.
Outstanding Comedy Series
Our Picks:
The Bear (Hulu/FX)
Hacks (HBO/Max)
Abbott Elementary (ABC)
Nobody Wants This
(Netflix)
Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)
The Rehearsal (HBO)
The Studio (Apple TV+)
Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Our Picks:
Ayo Edebiri- The Bear (FX)
Jean Smart – Hacks (Max)
Kristen Bell – Nobody Wants This (Netflix)
Selena Gomez – Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)
Quinta Brunson – Abbott Elementary (ABC)
Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Our Picks:
Adam Brody – Nobody Wants This (Netflix)
Martin Short – Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)
Seth Rogen, The Studio (AppleTV+)
Jeremy Allen White – The Bear (FX )
Matt Berry, What We Do in the Shadows (FX)
Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Our Picks:
Hannah Einbinder – Hacks (Max)
Sheryl Lee Ralph – Abbott Elementary (ABC)
Janelle James – Abbott Elementary (ABC)
Abby Elliott – The Bear (FX )
Liza Colon-Zayas – The Bear (FX )
Catherine O’Hara, The Studio (AppleTV+)
Kathryn Hahn, The Studio (AppleTV+)
Meryl Streep, Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)
Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Our Picks:
Ike Barinholtz, The Studio (AppleTV+)
Ebon Moss-Bachrach – The Bear (FX on Hulu)
Tyler James Williams – Abbott Elementary (ABC)
Paul W. Downs – Hacks (Max)
Harrison Ford, Shrinking (AppleTV+)
Bowen Yang, Saturday Night Live (NBC)
Walton Goggins, The Righteous Gemstones (HBO/Max)
Timothy Simons, Nobody Wants This (Netflix)
Outstanding Drama Series
Our Picks:
House of the Dragon (HBO)
The Last of Us (HBO)
Matlock (CBS)
Severance (AppleTV+)
The Pitt (Max)
Squid Game (Netflix)
The White Lotus (HBO)
Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Our Picks:
Kathy Bates, Matlock (CBS)
Emma D’Arcy, House of the Dragon (HBO)
Britt Lower, Severance (AppleTV+)
Bella Ramsey, The Last of Us (HBO)
Keri Russell, The Diplomat (Netflix)
Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Our Picks:
Sterling K. Brown, Paradise (Hulu)
Pedro Pascal, The Last of Us (HBO)
Gary Oldman, Slow Horses (AppleTV+)
Adam Scott, Severance (AppleTV+)
Noah Wyle, The Pitt (Max)
Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Our Picks:
Patricia Arquette, Severance (AppleTV+)
Leslie Bibb, The White Lotus (HBO)
Olivia Cooke, House of the Dragon (HBO)
Carrie Coon, The White Lotus (HBO)
Taylor Deardan – The Pitt (Max)
Allison Janney, The Diplomat (Netflix)
Catherine O’Hara, The Last of Us (HBO)
Parker Posey, The White Lotus (HBO)
Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Our Picks:
Patrick Ball – The Pitt (Max)
Walton Goggins– The White Lotus (HBO)
Jason Isaacs – The White Lotus (HBO)
Jonathan Pryce – Slow Horses (AppleTV+)
Sam Rockwell, The White Lotus (HBO)
Tramell Tillman- Severance (AppleTV+)
John Turturro – Severance (AppleTV+)
Patrick Schwarzenegger – The White Lotus (HBO)
Outstanding Limited Series
Our Picks:
Adolescence (Netflix)
Disclaimer (AppleTV+)
Dying for Sex (FX)
The Penguin (HBO/MAX)
Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story (Netflix)
Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie
Our Picks:
Cooper Koch, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story (Netflix)
Steve Carrell, Mountainhead (HBO)
Colin Farrell, The Penguin (Max)
Paul Giamatti, Black Mirror (Netflix)
Stephen Graham, Adolescence (Netflix)
Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie
Our Picks:
Cate Blanchett, Disclaimer (AppleTV+)
Cristin Milioti, The Penguin (Max)
Julianne Moore, Sirens (Netflix)
Michelle Williams, Dying for Sex (FX)
Renée Zellweger, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy (Peacock)
Nominations for the 2025 Emmy Awards will be announced on July 15, 2025.
