The Television Academy gives joy to Emmy nominees, and crushes the souls of those snubbed. 2025 saw fewer egregious contenders overlooked than previous years, but with the end of the Peak TV era, which saw the nomination fields grow exponentially, category fields are now increasingly getting smaller. That means a ton of snubs and surprises and, most importantly, we let the have-nots find their moment in the sun.
READ MORE: “‘Severance” Tops 2025 Emmys Nominations [Complete List]
Snub: Diego Luna, Genevieve O’Reilly, and most of the “Andor” cast
Tony Gilroy’s masterpiece earned 13 nominations overall, but the main cast members were left out in the cold. This despite the fact that Luna and O’Reilly earned TCA and Gotham Award nominations during the season. A particularly disappointing moment for Luna, who campaigned his ass off and even hosted “Jimmy Kimmel Live” for a week before voting began. That being said, the series did get its only acting nomination for Forest Whitaker as Saw Gerrera in the Guest Actor in a Drama Series category, and Alan Tudyk earned a Voice Over nom for reprising his “Rogue One” role as K-2SO. But Mon Mothma, you were robbed.
Surprise and Snub: “Squid Game” bombs
Not one nomination. Not one. After 14 nominations, including Outstanding Drama Series, and six wins for its first season, the Television Academy completely turned its back on the global sensation for its second season. Netflix had a stellar morning, but this had to have come as a shock. Not even a below-the-line recognition.
Snub: Prime Video
Whether it was “Etoile,” “Overcompensating,” “Cross,” or “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” (just one nom), it was a very off year for the streamer as it earned just 12 nominations overall. That was down from 37 last year when “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” led the way with 16. The one good piece of news? “The Boys” earned four nominations, but all below the line.
Surprise and Snub: “What We Do In The Shadows”
The FX staple did it. Despite major competition and a down year for the network, the Jemaine Clement-created program earned one last Outstanding Comedy Series nomination. The series earned another six nominations, including an Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series nom, to bring the series tally to 35 overall. So far, “Shadows” has won just one Emmy, for Outstanding Fantasy/Sci-Fi Costumes in 2022.
Snub: “The Handmaid’s Tale”
A critically acclaimed statement of resistance against the first Trump administration, the final season of “The Handmaid’s Tale” could not turn back time eight years later. The Hulu program was shut out of Outstanding Drama Series, a category it was nominated for four times previously and won in 2017. Moreover, star and Emmy favorite Elisabeth Moss didn’t make the Lead Actress in a Drama Series cut despite also winning in 2017. Four of her nine nominations in the category are for “Handmaid’s.” The alternate timeline drama earned one nomination overall this year. Just one for Cherry Jones in the Guest Actress in a Drama Series category. It ends its run with a massive 77 nods. It has 15 wins so far.
Surprise: Netflix‘s late additions
We knew Netflix would overperform, but weren’t sure if “The Residence,” “Sirens,” or “Four Seasons” would be the beneficiary. It turns out they all were. Uzo Aduba earned a Lead Actress in a Comedy Series nom for the now-cancelled “The Residence,” Colman Domingo earned a nod in the Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series category for “The Four Seasons,” and Meghann Fahy scored a nod in the Outstanding Lead Actress In A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie category for “Sirens.”
Snub: “Agatha All Along”
Despite strong viewership, excellent reviews, and a cast that cared enough to campaign for months, the Marvel Studios standout was shut out of any major categories. Even star Kathryn Hahn couldn’t make the Lead Actress in a Comedy Series field (she was nominated for Supporting Actress for “The Studio” instead). The show did earn three nominations overall, including Original Music and Lyrics, but, in hindsight, maybe staying in the Limited or Anthology categories would have been smarter? It helped for guild season, but things got much more competitive when Emmys came around.
Snub: “Mid-Century Modern”
You gotta feel for the creators and stars of the Hulu multi-cam. Still on the bubble for renewal, stars Matt Bomer, Nathan Lane, and Nathan Lee Graham campaigned, but it didn’t matter. The show earned just our below-the-line nom (although one was or the legendary James L. Brooks). Even the beloved Linda Lavin was ignored posthumously. Let’s see what Hulu does next.
Snub: “Everybody’s Live with John Mulaney
Someone was going to be on the outside looking in when it came to the Outstanding Talk Series category after it dropped from five to three nomination slots over just three years. Many thought it would be “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” but that long-running ABC program made the cut. Instead, not only was “Late Night with Seth Meyers” overlooked (expected, not really a snub), but so was Netflix’s highly hyped “Everybody’s Live with John Mulaney.” A spin-off of “John Mulaney Presents: Everybody’s in LA,” which only earned one Emmy despite massive critical acclaim, “Everybody Presents” seems to have gotten lost for a number of reasons. Still, the power of Netflix and Mulaney’s overall popularity with the Television Academy (he has 20 nominations and three wins) was expected to propel it into the three-series field. And yet, no.
Snub: Leslie Bibb and Michelle Monaghan, “The White Lotus”
Listen, there was no way that every actor or actress from Mike White’s uber-popular drama was going to get a nomination. There simply weren’t enough slots. And while it was expected that Sarah Catherine Hook, Sam Nivola, Tayme Thapthimthong, and Lalisa Manobal would be on the outside looking in, Leslie Bibb and Michelle Monaghan were expected to make the cut. Well, Bibb certainly was. Instead, only Carrie Coon, Parker Posey, Aimee Lou Wood, and Natasha Rothwell earned Supporting Actress in a Drama Series nominations. Even Patrick Schwarzenegger was overlooked in Supporting Actor (Jason Issacs, Sam Rockwell, and Walton Goggins made it). A very “Piper, no!” morning for many in the “White Lotus” cast.
Surprise: Zach Cherry, “Severance”
This could have gone either way. With the Apple TV+ breakout earning 27 nominations, Zach Cherry could have been seen as a big snub for not earning an acting nod alongside his co-stars Adam Scott, Britt Lower, Patricia Arquette, John Turturro, and Tramell Tillman. Especially considering the storyline his character Dylan experiences over the course of the second season. Instead, it was actually a surprise that he made the Supporting Actor in a Drama Series category in an uber-competitive field that saw Stellan Skarsgard and Choi Seung-hyun snubbed.
Surprise: “Presumed Innocent”
Apple TV+’s record-setting nomination haul was in part thanks to this June 2024 release, which clearly stuck with Television Academy voters 12 months later. It didn’t make the Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series category, but saw its four main stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Ruth Negga, Peter Skarsgard, and Bill Camp earn acting nominations. A rare Emmy nomination winner, considering the release date.
Surprise: “The Gorge”
We had a feeling “Nonnas” would land in the TV Movie category (we are kicking ourselves for not formally predicting it). We even thought the campy “G20” could make it, but never in a million years did we think Scott Derrickson’s “The Gorge” would crash the five (check out this Metacritic score). To be fair, this category is always a hot mess with deserving nominees and other selections that are utter head scratchers. This is definitely one of the latter, but it tells you how much Apple TV+ Television Academy members are watching.
Snub: Aaron Pierre, “Rebel Ridge”
Historically, it’s been difficult for an actor or actress to get nominated for a television movie against competition from limited or anthology series. Then again, “Rebel” was a big hit for Netflix and was a shoo-in for a TV Movie nomination, which it got. But, Pierre? He couldn’t make the cut.
Surprise: Jeff Hiller and “Somebody Somewhere”
We are utterly thrilled that in its last season, the Peabody-winning “Somebody Somewhere” earned two major nominations. First, the phenomenal Jeff Hiller landed in the Outstanding Supporting Actor category as previous nominees such as Tyler James Williams and Paul W. Downs were snubbed. Second, creators Hannah Bos and Paul Thureen and star and writer Bridget Everett earned an Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series nomination. We’re not saying we need a fourth season, HBO, but we’re not not saying it either.
Snub: Natasha Lyonne, “Poker Face”
Despite earning a nomination in 2003 for the first season of “Poker Face” and the Peacock anthology series seemingly being more popular its second time around, Lyonne was still shut out of Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. Was it just a super competitive category? Did voters tire of the series (it earned just two noms overall)? Did Lyonne not campaign enough? Ponder.
The 77th Primetime Emmy Awards will be broadcast live on CBS and streamed on Paramount+ on September 14 at 5 PM PT, 8 PM ET.
For The Playlist’s complete coverage of the 2025 Emmy Awards, click here.
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