23 Biggest 2025 Emmy Snubs & Surprises
Each year, the Emmys stir up conversation around the nominations, and 2025 is no different, as plenty of big hits were recognized, while some exciting surprises broke through. Meanwhile, some shows were completely snubbed from the categories.
While viewers cheer for their favorite shows’ triumphs, they’re also likely to lament the misses for stars and shows they were hoping to see honored in the nominations. The biggest question is, did your favorites surprise in the categories or get snubbed altogether? Among the most-nominated shows of the year are Severance, The Studio, The White Lotus, The Penguin, and The Pitt, as well as The Last of Us. Meanwhile, Hacks also scored big alongside The Bear and others.
Notably absent from major categories, though, are shows like The Righteous Gemstones, Interview With the Vampire, and many more. Scroll down for our roundup of the biggest snubs and surprises surrounding the 2025 Emmys, and let us know which snubs and surprises you’re most shocked by in the comments section below.
77th Emmy Awards, Sunday, September 14, 8/7c, CBS and Paramount+
SURPRISE: Colman Domingo for The Four Seasons
Colman Domingo shone in Netflix’s lovely comedy from co-creator and star Tina Fey. While the ensemble series focused on the inner workings of friends and their relationships, Domingo stood out as Danny, who is the life of the party among his friends. Domingo is great in anything he does, so it’s wonderful to see him get recognized here. — Meaghan Darwish
SNUB: Dichen Lachman for Severance
Despite Severance‘s several nominations, Dichen Lachman was notably absent from the roster, which is utterly shocking. After getting her own Gemma-centric episode to shine in, her nomination seemed all but certain, making its absence even more pronounced. Fingers crossed she gets the nomination love she deserves in Season 3. — Meaghan Darwish
SURPRISE: Robby Hoffman for Hacks
Hacks always has a great guest star slate, and Robby Hoffman’s addition as Jimmy (Paul W. Downs) and Kayla’s (Megan Stalter) assistant, Randi, was no exception. But it’s nice to see the newcomer recognized as a Guest Actress nominee alongside Season 4’s other shining guest star, Julianne Nicholson as Dance Mom. — Meaghan Darwish
SNUB: Meg Stalter & Paul W. Downs for Hacks
But despite the exciting guest nominations and all-but-guaranteed nominations of Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder, the biggest snubs from Hacks Season 4 are certainly Paul W. Downs and Megan Stalter. The duo continued to deliver laughs in Season 4 and did so in a more exciting way than ever before, especially with that hilarious dressing room ordeal with Dance Mom. We’re lamenting their snub as we speak. — Meaghan Darwish
SURPRISE: What We Do in the Shadows
A nice surprise is the nomination of What We Do in the Shadows for Best Comedy. The FX series had earned nominations in the category before, but it’s special to see the nod for the show’s final season, which delivered some of the most amazingly zany plots for the vampire roommates and their human pal Guillermo (Harvey Guillén). What’s even more special is Guillén was there to present the nomination during the Emmys livestream. — Meaghan Darwish
SNUB: The Righteous Gemstones
Sadly, the same treatment wasn’t given to The Righteous Gemstones, which didn’t get nods in any major comedy categories for its final season. Whether it was Walton Goggins‘ run as Uncle Baby Billy or Bradley Cooper‘s surprise appearance in Season 4’s opening episode, we can’t help but lament the loss of The Righteous Gemstones recognition at the Emmys for its last chapter. — Meaghan Darwish
SNUB: Interview With the Vampire
While it’s great that AMC‘s Interview With the Vampire received its first-time Emmy nominations today (for hairstyling and makeup), the fact that its stars — especially Jacob Anderson — were shut out of the acting categories is a crime, as is its snub in Outstanding Drama Series. Season 2 has a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, higher than any other show nominated in the drama categories except Slow Horses (the same goes for AMC’s Dark Winds, also snubbed), and Anderson’s performance as Louis is the stellar center of the season that has already earned him nominations and wins from other awards bodies. Sam Reid and Delainey Hayles were also snubbed in the supporting actor/actress categories. IWTV was listed as one of the best shows of 2024 by just about every major critics outlet. When will the Emmys catch up? (Honorable mentions to Assad Zaman, Eric Bogosian, and Ben Daniels, who weren’t submitted but are certainly deserving of recognition.) — Kelli Boyle
SURPRISE: Deirdre O'Connell for The Penguin
The Penguin was a huge hit, and while we weren’t shocked to see Colin Farrell and Cristin Milioti recognized for their stellar performances, it was so thrilling to see Deirdre O’Connell recognized for her role as Oz’s mom in the HBO series. Delivering Olivia Soprano-levels of familial toxicity, O’Connell stole the scenes she appeared in, and it’s nice to see that repaid with a nomination for Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series. — Meaghan Darwish
SNUB: Outlander
Sure, Outlander might not usually get nominated, but the Starz hit remains a top-notch program, and we’d argue that its most recent season was one of the best in quite some time. Whether it’s leading stars Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan, or the show overall, each time this drama is ignored, it hurts our hearts a little bit. Here’s to keeping hope alive for a Season 8 nomination before the show is through. — Meaghan Darwish
SNUB: Squid Game
Squid Game‘s first season resulted in a big splash even at the very drama-crowded 2022 Emmys — including wins for lead actor Lee Jung-jae and creator-director Hwang Dong-hyuk — but this year, the series has been shut out of the nominations for the second season (note: the recently-premiered third season was not eligible this year), which followed Seong Gi-hun back into the deadly games. — Amanda Bell
SURPRISE: Uzo Aduba for The Residence
Another Shondaland show, The Residence, paved the way for this exciting surprise of Uzo Aduba‘s Lead Actress in a Comedy Series nomination for her role as Cordelia Cupp, an investigator who is called in to solve a murder at the White House. Aduba’s performance was fantastic, and it’s nice to see it recognized despite the show’s recent cancellation. — Meaghan Darwish
SNUB: Dept. Q
This Netflix thriller, in which Matthew Goode‘s detective leads a cold case team, debuted with an exhilarating, engaging first season, one that kept us guessing and hoping that he would find Merritt (Chloe Pirrie), who had been missing for years. Goode made us feel for Carl as he both tackled this case and dealt with his own guilt following the attack on himself and his partner. And Pirrie was outstanding showcasing Merritt’s resiliency and the effects of being held captive for as long as she was. The show and these actors should’ve gotten some recognition. — Meredith Jacobs
SNUB: Peter Krause for 9-1-1
For eight seasons, Peter Krause led this Fox-turned-ABC drama as its heart, the captain of the 118, Bobby Nash. But his work was the strongest in the heartbreaking “Lab Rats,” in which his character died of a super-virus after giving the only anti-viral to his firefighter, Chimney (Kenneth Choi). Krause saying goodbye to first Buck (Oliver Stark), then his wife Athena (Angela Bassett) was one of the best performances on the show, and it’s telling how well he knew his character that he contributed to Bobby’s final moments. — Meredith Jacobs
SURPRISE: Pedro Pascal for The Last of Us
While we’re certainly big fans of Pedro Pascal and his performance in HBO’s The Last of Us, with so little of him onscreen in Season 2, we’re a bit surprised to see him nominated as a Lead Actor in a Drama Series. Sure, he made quite an impact between [Spoiler] Joel’s death and that flashback penultimate episode, but his nod isn’t one we were entirely certain about. — Meaghan Darwish
SNUB: Nicola Coughlan for Bridgerton
Again, while Bridgerton may not be synonymous with Emmy consideration, there’s no doubting that Nicola Coughlan delivered rom-com excellence in Season 3 of the Shondaland hit, making her exclusion from the nominations a bit disappointing. While she’d played Penelope Featherington in past seasons, this most recent chapter really allowed Coughlan to shine. — Meaghan Darwish
SURPRISE: The Studio Dominating Guest Actor Category
With the exception of Jon Bernthal for The Bear, The Studio occupies every single slot in the guest actor, comedy category. The nominees include Bryan Cranston, Dave Franco, Ron Howard, Anthony Mackie, and Martin Scorsese, and all but Cranston are nominated for playing themselves. With the exception of Bernthal and Cranston, all of these stars are now first-time acting nominees, another surprise. — Kelli Boyle
SNUB: Patrick Ball for The Pitt
The good news: The Pitt got some well-deserved serious love. However, not recognized for his work was Patrick Ball, whose Langdon was revealed to be an addict, despite showing he could go toe-to-toe with Noah Wyle in two notable scenes: when Robby confronted Langdon about stealing pills in Episode 10, then when Langdon took it too far trying to get his job back in the Season 1 finale. Despite this being his first regular role, he delivered a veteran performance. — Meredith Jacobs
SNUB: The Day of the Jackal
The Day of the Jackal was an instant awards darling after the gripping spy thriller series, centering on a talented international assassin, premiered last fall on Peacock (and later enjoyed a broadcast run on NBC) and subverted audience expectations with bold new takes on the long-lived story. Before its finale, the show earned nods at the Golden Globes for Best Drama and Best Actor for lead Eddie Redmayne. It Later notched nominations at the BAFTAs, Critics Choice Awards, Screen Actors Guild, and more, but it seems the Television Academy didn’t follow suit with recognition. Since the series was renewed for Season 2, though, there’s always next time. — Amanda Bell
SNUB: Austin Stowell for NCIS: Origins
There were big shoes to fill on this NCIS prequel, after Mark Harmon played the character of Gibbs for 19 seasons, and Austin Stowell definitely rose to the occasion. He portrayed the young version dealing with the fresh grief of his wife and daughter’s deaths. This is a Gibbs who’s more emotional than the one on the mothership, and Stowell did a great job of showing that along with hints of the stoic man he becomes. — Meredith Jacobs
SNUB: Skye P. Marshall, Matlock
Kathy Bates is fabulous in Matlock and deserving of her nomination, and Skye P. Marshall proved herself a formidable scene partner in the CBS drama’s first season. The show’s best scenes are when Bates and Marshall go head-to-head, and that’s especially true in the penultimate episode of the season during that gripping interrogation scene. Bates and Marshall make each other better through their onscreen partnership, and they were already great to begin with. Marshall received nominations for her performance from multiple awards bodies this year, making her exclusion from the acting list a bummer. — Kelli Boyle
SNUB: Dark Winds
AMC’s sorely overlooked drama Dark Winds remains notably absent from the nominations, despite lead Zahn McClarnon‘s compelling performance as Navajo Police Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn in the 70s-set drama’s third season earlier this year. Even with cameos of executive producers, Robert Redford and George R.R. Martin, it didn’t seem to be enough to make an impression on voters. Thankfully, another season of the series is on the way, because McClarnon and the ensemble are way overdue for their turn on the Emmys stage. — Meaghan Darwish
SURPRISE: James Marsden for Paradise
Paradise definitely took viewers on a ride, and while we’re not shocked to see Sterling K. Brown and Julianne Nicholson recognized as nominees, we’re a little more surprised to see James Marsden acknowledged, considering his character is dead for a considerable amount of the season. Still, it’s nice to see the actor recognized for his performance, which definitely was a standout in the penultimate flashback episode. — Meaghan Darwish
SNUB: Industry
Industry Season 3 was shut out completely from this year’s Emmys despite its critical praise and nominations from other awards bodies this year, plus a BAFTA win for star Marisa Abela in the U.K. The financial drama is a bold and frenetic series with standout writing and acting performances. HBO clearly is not at a lack of nominations, but Industry being eclipsed by other titles on the network is a disappointment, especially when the nominated HBO titles are many repeat nominees and winners. The Emmys has a bad habit of nominating the same small group of shows every year, forcing other deserving shows onto the back burner. — Kelli Boyle
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