2025 Emmy nominations snubs and surprises

Hello and welcome to our annual celebration of Emmy voters and their infinite wisdom — as well as our annual airing of grievances about Emmy voters and their upsetting lack of attention to deserving shows and performers.

Here are our picks for the most joyful surprises and most egregious snubs. (And don’t forget to add your own in the comments below.)

Surprises

Jake Gyllenhaal, ‘Presumed Innocent’

It’s not that Jake Gyllenhaal didn’t give a strong performance in Presumed Innocent — the Apple TV+ series adaptation of Scott Turow’s bestselling 1987 novel. He did. But given the tough competition — including Kevin Kline, who was viewed as a top contender for Disclaimer — and the fact that Presumed aired over a year ago, some prognosticators (myself included) figured voters might not have the series at top of mind. Now that Gyllenhaal’s been nominated (along with Peter Sarsgaard, Bill Camp, and Ruth Negga), perhaps Apple TV+ will try to convince them all to come back for season 2 — which has a mostly new cast.

Meghann Fahy, ‘Sirens’

Sorry to The Perfect Couple — Netflix’s other trashy-soapy-fun limited series with A-List stars. While that Nicole Kidman-Liev Schreiber lark was shut out, Sirens — the loopy, dark dramedy starring Julianne Moore as KiKi, a bird-obsessed rich lady — earned four nominations. Fahy landed the only acting nod for her funny, fierce, and slightly unhinged turn as the impulsive and determined Devon, who travels to an elite seaside town to save her sister (Milly Alcock) from KiKi’s clutches.

‘The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives’

Somewhere, Andy Cohen is suppressing a scream. While Bravo’s Real Housewives franchise has never managed to break into this category, Hulu’s Housewives-esque docusoap — which follows a group of very messy Mormon wives and mothers — earned a nomination after only being on for two seasons. MomTok is gonna be lit (sans alcohol, of course) tonight!

Sharon Horgan, ‘Bad Sisters’

On the one hand, Sharon Horgan — who plays Eva Garvey in the Apple TV+ dramedy about a group of loyal and protective Irish sisters — was nominated for season 1. But with the distinct drop in buzz for season 2, which premiered almost a year ago, it seemed likely that a more high-profile performance — perhaps Melanie Lynskey, a two-time nominee already for Yellowjackets — would take that final slot in this very competitive category.

Jeff Hiller, ‘Somebody Somewhere’

It’s a bittersweet day for fans of this little HBO comedy that could. While the stories-at-the-speed-of-life series didn’t get a comedy nomination in its final season, nor did star-writer Bridgett Everett, voters did have the good sense to honor Jeff Hiller, one of the ensemble’s brilliant performers. Hiller’s Joel — the kind, sweet, and slyly funny BFF to Everett’s Sam — is a character we’ll remember forever. And AGG (all glory to God) — Somewhere also earned a writing nomination. Amen!

Snubs

Steve Martin, ‘Only Murders in the Building’

Don’t cry for Hulu’s OMITB — it did receive 8 nominations, including Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for Martin Short. But as they did in 2023, voters chose to leave Steve Martin off the Lead Actor in a Comedy ballot, leaving Short with four nominations to Martin’s three. But what’s a little healthy competition between old friends?

‘Squid Game’

Look, nobody is saying that the second season of Squid Game reached the same levels of electrifying suspense and horror as the first. But did it deserve a complete shut-out? We’re pressing our big red X button on that. At the very least, star Lee Jung-jae deserved a nomination for the range he showed in season 2, as Gi-hun — once a slightly goofy and naive underdog — transformed into a haunted, grim, but never defeated warrior for justice.

‘La Máquina’

The Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series category is a tough one. Generally, it only has five nominees, and now that limited series are A-list stars’ preferred entrée into television, the competition for awards attention is fierce. But I’ll never understand why voters ignored La Máquina, Hulu’s thoroughly original, darkly funny, and deeply weird miniseries about an aging boxer (Gael García Bernal) caught up in a dangerous conspiracy thanks to his fast-talking, frantically scheming manager (Diego Luna). In recent years, the Emmys have embraced out-of-the-box series (2021’s I May Destroy You, 2024’s Baby Reindeer, this year’s Adolescence) in this category; it’s just a shame La Máquina didn’t get its own shot in the ring.

‘Pachinko’

Alas, it’s not surprising that the Emmys have once again snubbed this rich and riveting multi-generational drama about Korean expats, based on Soo Hugh’s acclaimed 2017 novel. I blame Apple TV+, which prefers to pour their considerable promotional resources into uninspired star vehicles like Your Friends & Neighbors and Stick rather than reminding voters about their LITERAL MASTERPIECE. Come on, guys! Severance was already an Emmys lock! You could have devoted, like, a tenth of that show’s marketing and FYC budget to Pachinko just to make it look like you cared.

Check out more from EW’s The Awardist, featuring exclusive interviews, analysis, and our podcast diving into all the highlights from the year’s best in TV, movies, and more.

‘Everybody’s Live with John Mulaney’

Yes, the tiny Outstanding Talk Series category is brutal to break into, but if anyone had a shot, it’s Mulaney — a three-time Emmy winner already. Plus, Everybody’s Live started as Everybody’s in LA, a series that took home an Emmy for Outstanding Picture Editing for Variety Programming in 2024. The comedian also had a shot at guest actor in a comedy for Saturday Night Live, but he struck out there, too.

‘Black Doves’

[Shakes fist at sky] My kingdom for a dramedy category! This action-packed thriller — starring Kiera Knightley and Ben Wishaw as bickering spies in London — is too funny to make sense in the drama category and too bloody/action-packed to fit neatly among the comedies. And thus, it got nothing. Ah well, there’s always season 2.

The 77th Primetime Emmy Awards air Sunday, Sept. 14 at 8 p.m. ET/PT, on CBS.