We will update this article throughout the season, along with all our predictions, so make sure to keep checking IndieWire for the latest news from the 2025 Emmys race. The nomination round of voting takes place from June 12 to June 23, with the official Emmy nominations announced Tuesday, July 15. Afterwards, final voting commences on August 18 and ends the night of August 27. The 77th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards are set to take place on Sunday, September 14, and air live on CBS at 8:00 p.m. ET/ 5:00 p.m. PT.
The State of the Race
It is an incredible feat for “Severance” Season 2 to be just one nomination away from doubling the amount of Emmy nods it got for its first season. So incredible, in fact, that it’s hard not to label the Apple TV+ hit a frontrunner for Outstanding Drama Series. While the Dan Erickson-created sci-fi thriller executive produced (and often directed) by Ben Stiller was a critical favorite upon its debut three years ago, its long-awaited return became Apple TV+’s most watched series of all time.
While being the nominations leader does not automatically mean a show is bound for all the Emmys wins, 27 nominations is a pretty huge vote of confidence for “Severance” from the Television Academy. It does not come as too much of a surprise either, as Apple TV+ campaigned hard for the recognition, with memorable for your consideration events on both sides of the country.
If the drama has a main rival, it would be freshman series “The Pitt,” which received a respectable 13 Emmy nominations, putting it at the middle of the road among its fellow nominees. However, the HBO Max series was a slow and steady build that not only provided a blueprint for how medical shows could be done on streaming, but helped its platform better identify how it can carve its own path outside the shadow of its sister network HBO.
Speaking of, “The White Lotus” once again received an avalanche of nominations, this time for the Thailand-set third season. But the HBO show’s bread and butter really is supporting performances (it makes up half of the collective nominees in those categories), so with those all but clenched, it does not feel like there is much incentive for voters to award the series itself this time around (it’s also worth noting that it already won Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series its first season).
The other nominee under the HBO umbrella, “The Last of Us,” did well on the nominations front, but was not as well-received commercially. Its bread and butter is the categories pertaining to guest performances.
Of the rest of the nominees, “Andor” feels like the greatest accomplishment, not only being the increasingly rare “Star Wars” franchise critical success, but also finding a way to meaningfully contribute to great moral conversations currently going on in the world through its storytelling.
Nominees are listed below in order of their likelihood to win.
Power Rankings:
- “Severance” (Apple TV+)
- “The Pitt” (HBO Max)
- “The White Lotus” (HBO)
- “Andor” (Disney+)
- “The Last of Us” (HBO)
- “Paradise” (Hulu)
- “The Diplomat” (Netflix)
- “Slow Horses” (Apple TV+)
Will Win: “Severance”
Could Win: “The Pitt”
Should Win: “Andor”
More Drama Category Predictions:
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
View IndieWire’s full set of predictions for the 77th Emmy Awards.
Last Year’s Winner: “Shōgun”
Still Eligible: No.
Hot Streak: With “Shōgun” off the table, and FX not having any big dramas in the race yet, the 2025 Emmys will more likely start a new hot streak for a show and/or network rather than build off any previous successes.
Notable Ineligible Series: “The Crown” (ended); “The Morning Show” (Season 4 is not eligible); “The Gilded Age” (Season 3 is not eligible); “Shōgun” (Season 2 is not eligible); “3 Body Problem” (Season 2 is not eligible); “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” (Season 2 is not eligible); “Fallout” (Season 2 is not eligible).