Emmy

Stephen Graham has revealed that a follow-up to Adolescence is in the works following the Emmy Award-winning success of the Netflix hit but cannot say much right now

Stephen Graham has revealed that a follow-up to Adolescence is in the works. The actor, 52, starred in the acclaimed Netflix drama earlier this year, where he played the father of a boy who is arrested for the murder of his classmate, and the series recently scooped up multiple wins at this year’s Emmy Awards in the US.

Stephen picked up Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie at the ceremony, whilst Owen Cooper, 15, who played teenager Jamie, received the gong for Outstanding Supporting Actor.

Filming for each episode of the drama series was carried out in one continuous take, and Stephen, who is also known for his roles in This Is England and Peaky Blinders, has revealed that another project that would follow the same sort of production method is potentially on the way, but has to be ‘tight-lipped’ about it at the moment.

READ MORE: Real reason Adolescence star Owen Cooper won’t take his Emmy award to schoolREAD MORE: Adolescence’s Stephen Graham leaves fans ‘in tears’ with heartfelt Emmy Awards speech

Stephen said: “Right now we are having talks and discussions about finding another story. I think we have to be tight-lipped at the moment.” He went on to tell the Daily Mail: “And we’re all talking at the moment. The same concept with the idea of doing something in one take.”

The programme examines so-called incel (involuntary celibate) culture, which has led to misogyny online and bullying using social media.

Adolescence has prompted a national conversation around online safety, with Graham and co-creator Jack Thorne accepting an invitation to a parliamentary meeting on the subject by Labour MP Josh MacAlister.

Speaking to Parliament’s Women And Equalities Committee (WEC) during an evidence session, Thorne spoke about being subjected to “personal criticism or even abuse” since it began streaming.

He said: “You know that I’m a bald, skinny, weird-looking man, and some people have made something of the fact that I’m a bald, skinny, weird-looking man, and saying these things and that somehow my masculinity is the reason why I’ve questioned other people’s masculinity.

“Well, if you look at how Stephen Graham looks, he looks more male than anyone else on the planet, I think, and so we’re a combination of things and we work together on it all.

“So, yes, my looks have been put under the microscope a little bit by it all, but I’m absolutely comfortable with those questions being answered, and that’s the thing, when I talk about boys feeling that they need to look a certain way.”

He said the comments about his appearance were a symptom of the issues the show is highlighting. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has also praised the show, urging Parliament and schools to watch it, and saying he had watched the show with his own children.

During an edition of Prime Minister’s Questions in March, Sir Keir said: “This violence carried out by young men, influenced by what they see online, is a real problem, it’s abhorrent, and we have to tackle it.”

The show also received plaudits for the way it was filmed in a one-shot format, which sees each of the four episodes filmed in a single shot. Speaking about the show ahead of its release, Cooper, who beat Scott Jacoby’s long-held record for the youngest male Emmy winner, said he got the role after sending in a tape.

Talking about the impact the show had on him in February, Cooper said: “One week before filming, it was my last day in school before I was off for six weeks and at the final assembly my head of year told the whole school something like, ‘Owen is going on a journey and making this show for Netflix…’, and I was like, ‘oh my God’.

“So it went from two or three people knowing to suddenly the whole year knowing about it, and everyone coming up to me and asking about it. It was a bit weird but everyone is fine with it.”

At the Emmys, co-star Erin Doherty, who plays psychologist Briony Ariston, won best supporting actress in a limited series, dedicating the award to her older sister while Graham picked up the award for lead actor in a limited series.

Doherty, 33, also worked with Graham in Disney+’s A Thousand Blows, where she played Mary Carr, the leader of a crime syndicate called the Forty Elephants and she has also played the Princess Royal in The Crown.

Adolescence recently scooped two gongs at this year’s National Television Awards (NTAs), including the new drama award and best drama performance for Cooper.

Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.

There were two questions the 77th Emmy Awards, held Sunday night at the Peacock Theater in downtown Los Angeles, had to answer, other than who would win what. (It’s an honor just to be nominated.)

One was how the show, a glittery evening devoted to the most popular of popular arts, would play against a world gone mad. The other, not distinct from the first, was how first-time host Nate Bargatze would do.

The ceremony is hosted by a round robin of the major networks, and this year the honor fell to CBS, whose corporate overlord, Paramount, has come to represent capitulation to the Trump administration, settling a baseless lawsuit in what is widely viewed as a payoff to grease the wheels of its merger with Skydance and promising to eliminate its DEI protocols. Executive interference in the news department amid an apparent rightward turn has led to the resignations of “60 Minutes” producer Bill Owens and CBS News President and CEO Wendy McMahon. And there’s the cancellation of Stephen Colbert’s “Late Show,” the timing of which some have found suspicious.

But if your goal was to avoid insulted celebrities, social media outrage or petulant notes from the White House, you could have done no better than to hire Bargatze, a clean, calm, classical, noncontroversial, nonpolitical, very funny, very successful comedian. Bargatze, who has been in comedy since 2002, saw his career explode over the last few years; his appeal is not so much mainstream, which is to say soft-edged, as it is broad — something for everybody.

The show opened quite brilliantly — perhaps confusingly, if you had missed Bargatze’s “Washington’s Dream” sketches on “Saturday Night Live” on which the routine was closely modeled, including the presence of Mikey Day, Bowen Yang and James Austin Johnson — with the host as Philo T. Farnsworth, “the inventor of television,” foreseeing the medium’s less than sensible future. First presenter Stephen Colbert followed immediately to a standing ovation and chants of his name. “While I have your attention, is anyone hiring? I have 200 very qualified candidates with me tonight who will be available in June.”

Emmys host Nate Bargatze, right, and Bowen Yang appear in an opening sketch at the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday.

(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

Then the host introduced his much publicized, one would say quintessentially Bargatzean, gimmick. To keep acceptance speeches short, he would donate $100,000 to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America; $1,000 per second would be deducted for anyone going over the allotted 45 seconds. Money would be added to the pot for anyone running short. (J.B. Smoove, a former Boys Club member, was a sort of co-sponsor, in the audience with a young boy and girl.) This efficiency made professional sense, though it had the potential to put a lid on what is usually the most interesting, unruly, moving, unpredictable part of the show. (If anyone had thought for a second, it also spelled trouble: Try talking for what you imagine is 45 seconds. You will be wrong.)

As it happened, the state of the world was addressed, sidelong and directly. Presenter Julianne Nicholson said of living in a post-apocalyptic bunker in “Paradise,” “compared to headlines that’s positively feel-good TV.” Jeff Hiller, winning supporting actor in a comedy series for “Somebody Somewhere,” thanked the Duplass brothers “for writing a show of connection and love in this time when compassion is seen as a weakness.” “Last Week Tonight” senior writer Daniel O’Brien dedicated their second award to “all writers of political comedy while that is still a type of show that is allowed to exist.” And in a generational echo of their “Hacks” characters, fourth-time winner Jean Smart (who has won seven Emmys overall) ended her acceptance speech saying, “Let’s be good to each other, just be good to each other,” while co-star and first-time winner Hannah Einbinder, finished with, “I just want to say: Go Birds, f— ICE, and free Palestine.” Going way over the 45-second limit, she promised to pay the difference on the tote board.

Hannah Einbinder accepts the award for supporting actress in a comedy series for “Hacks” during the show at the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday.

(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

After Einbeinder, the most direct acknowledgment of current bad events came from Academy Chair and CEO Cris Abrego, speaking of the Governors Award given the week before to the Corp. for Public Broadcasting. In a highly quotable speech, he noted how “Congress had voted to defund it and silence yet another cultural institution.” He continued, “In a time when division dominates the headlines, storytelling still has the power to unite us … In times of cultural regression [it reminds] us what’s at stake and what can still be achieved,” and he rattled off a number of much loved shows that challenged the status quo. “In a moment like this, neutrality is not enough. … Culture does not come from the top down, it rises from the bottom up. … Let’s make sure that culture is not a platform for the privileged but a public good for all.” The stars in the audience nodded approvingly.

There were also some pure delights among the bedrock of desultory scripted banter and unimpressive tributes to old shows (“Law & Order: SUV,” “The Golden Girls”). Reunited “Everybody Loves Raymond” co-stars Ray Romano and Brad Garrett, presenting the award for comedy series, recaptured the essence of their television brotherhood. Jennifer Coolidge, presenting the award for lead supporting actress in a comedy, sounded like she’d walked in from a Christopher Guest film. “Between us, I was actually hoping to be nominated for you tonight for my work on this season of ‘The Pitt.’ I played a horny grandmother having a colonoscopy during a power outage and I had to play a lot of levels. I even had to do my own prep.” She went on, after a while, to tell the nominees that winning “is not all it’s cracked up to be. It’s really not… I thought I had gotten really close with my fellow nominees especially after I won but I’m pretty sure they removed me from the group chat.”

The inevitable losses incurred by Bargatze’s charity gimmick provided a sort of running joke at the host’s expense, which he managed quite well, while some winners made a game of trying to put money back on the board. But the longer it went on, the more pressure it put on the winners to be short. Eventually, the show found its natural level, as winners said what they needed to, or much of it, and the count dropped tens of thousands of dollars past zero. For everyone but the bean counters, the least important thing about an awards show is it running on time; in any case, it was only a few minutes over.

And, as one might have expected, Bargatze — who made it through the three hours in a way that served the event and his own down-home ethos — paid the originally promised $100,000 and added a $250,000 tip.

The Studio, satirical cringe comedy on Apple TV about floundering film production company Continental Studios, has been praised for its humour, direction and cinematography

Apple TV series The Studio has today broken an Emmy Awards record for wins by a comedy in a season.

The programme picked up 13 awards, including Seth Rogen’s gong for Best Actor in a Comedy Series, at the ceremony at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles. The Studio’s success beats last year’s record for The Bear, which won 11 awards at the Emmys for one season.

Speaking after his win for best comedy actor, Seth, 43, said: “I could not wrap my head around this happening. I’ve never won anything in my life.” Seth co-directs and stars in The Studio, which is a satirical cringe comedy about floundering film production company Continental Studios.

Seth shares the directing Emmy with his longtime collaborator and Studio co-creator Evan Goldberg. In a recent review, Seth is praised highly. It reads: “Rogen has made a lot of very funny stuff over the years, but this is by far the best thing he’s ever done. It’s been said that in order to make an effective satire, you first have to love, or at least care about, the thing you’re mocking.”

READ MORE: Emmys 2025: Seth Rogen’s humble joke as he wins his first Emmy AwardREAD MORE: Myleene Klass and Holly Willoughby sip fizz with famous friends after skipping NTAs

It was a successful night for Apple TV as Britt Lower and Tramell Tillman took trophies for Severance. Britt won best actress in a drama for “Severance” and Tramell won best supporting actor in a drama. It was the first career Emmy for each.

“My first acting coach was tough, y’all,” Tramell, wearing an all-white tuxedo, said from the stage. “But all great mothers are.”

He looked out to his mother in the audience and told her, “You were there for me where no one else was, and no one else would show up.” His win had been widely expected but Lower’s was a surprise in a category where Kathy Bates was considered a heavy favorite, for “Matlock.”

READ MORE: Netflix reveals cast for ‘chaotic’ family drama based on hit novel

Jean Smart won best actress in a comedy for “Hacks” for the fourth time, at 73 extending her own record for the oldest woman ever to win the category. Her castmate and constant scene partner Hannah Einbinder, who had also been nominated for all four seasons but unlike Smart had never won, took best supporting actress in a comedy.

She said she had become committed to a bit where “it was cooler to lose.”

“But this is cool too!” she shouted, then ended her speech by cursing the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency and saying “Free Palestine!”

ADOLESCENCE star Owen Cooper has earned a major honor as the youngest male winner ever at the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards.

The actor nabbed the award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie.

5

5

5

This was also the first nomination for the 15-year-old.

Owen tearfully hugged his parents and colleagues before approaching the stage where actress Sydney Sweeney presented him with the gold trophy.

He then delivered a heartfelt speech, acknowledging all those who had worked on the project.

His words touched host Nate Bargatze, who appeared to stop the countdown he’d set during his opening monologue, penalizing those who went over the allotted 45-second acceptance speeches.

The comedian jokingly threatened to take away money from his $100,000 donation to the Boys and Girls Club for every second an Emmy winner extended their speech.

Owen, however, didn’t have those same rules, despite it being an ongoing bit throughout the show.

Nate addressed the change in rules afterward, revealing that he hadn’t penalized the teenager, although his speech had exceeded the time limit.

Owen was up against some heavy hitters in the category, including his co-star Ashley Walters, Presumed Innocent’s Bill Camp and Peter Sarsgaard, Javier Bardem in Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, and Rob Delaney for Dying for Sex.

Before Owen, the youngest actor to win the award was then-23-year-old Michael A. Goorjian, for his portrayal in 1994’s David’s Mother.

Adolescence premiered on Netflix in March 2025 and also stars Stephen Graham, Erin Doherty, and Faye Marsay.

The psychological drama had gained recognition not only for its intense storyline but also for its impressive filming.

All four episodes of the series were shot in one continuous take, with no cuts.

Owen played Jaime, a 13-year-old boy accused of murdering his classmate in Northern England.

Ahead of the star-studded awards ceremony, the young star spoke with People about making his acting debut on the project.

2025 EMMYS NOMINEE’S GIFT BAG

The Emmy Awards Giving Suite will provide an exclusive backstage experience for presenters, nominees, and winners with a generous swag bag worth a fortune. The gifting suite will be open on Emmys rehearsal days as well as during the live telecast on Sept. 14. Among some of the items the stars will get to take home include:

Miage Skincare set – $200 

Alma hair restoration treatment – $3,900 

Hasbro game pack – $150

Krovblit Fine Art – ranges from $100 to $10,000

Peta x Miomojo vegan leather bag – $400 

Beboe marijuana basket – $300

Brightharbor disaster relief for LA fire victims still struggling – Up to $1m in relief 

DESUAR day spa experience – $400

Helight Sleep device – $140  

Johnnie Walker Blue Label Blended Scotch Whisky – $230

LifeRegen skincare bundle – $200

Senorita THC-infused drinks – $100

SKANDINAVISK candles – $150 

Training Loft personalized training, coaching, nutrition & wellness services for one month – $1,000

“It’s my first role — it’ll be the best role of my life,” Owen gushed to the outlet.

“It was the best summer of my life to film, and I just can’t wait to be there on the night of the Emmys. I can’t wait.”

The U.S. Sun exclusively revealed in March that the streamer is exploring options to extend the series after its rave reviews.

5

5

Television’s biggest night is here and with it comes some of the best red carpet fashion of awards season.

This year’s Emmy-nominated stars include the always stylish Kristen Bell (“Nobody Wants This”), Quinta Brunson (“Abbott Elementary”), Ayo Edebiri (“The Bear”), Keri Russell (“The Diplomat”), Carrie Coon (“The White Lotus”), Cate Blanchett (“Disclaimer”) and Michelle Williams (“Dying for Sex”). Meanwhile, Adam Brody (“Nobody Wants This”), Jeremy Allen White (“The Bear”), Colman Domingo (“The Four Seasons”), Bowen Yang (“Saturday Night Live”), Sterling K. Brown (“Paradise”), Pedro Pascal (“The Last of Us”) and Javier Bardem (“Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story”) are among the men who are sure to impress. Here’s hoping that host Nate Bargatze dresses as George Washington at one point in the night to revive his hit “Saturday Night Live” sketch “Washington’s Dream.” Hollywood (and red carpet) veterans Kathy Bates, Jean Smart, Catherine O’Hara, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Harrison Ford, Martin Short and Gary Oldman may school them all on sartorial taste.

The 77th Emmy Awards will be broadcast from the Peacock Theater at L.A. Live at 5 p.m. Pacific on CBS. Apple TV+’s “Severance” leads all nominees this year with 27, followed by HBO’s “The Penguin” with 24.

Here are the best looks from the 2025 Emmys, updating live:

Taylor Dearden

Taylor Dearden steps out of “The Pitt” and on the red carpet.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Jackie Tohn

Jackie Tohn wows at the Emmys.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor

Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor are back in black at the Emmys.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

Jeannie Mai

Jeannie Mai hits the Emmys red carpet.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Krys Marshall

“Paradise” actor Krys Marshall stuns in a strapless Sebastian Gunawan gown.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Walton Goggins and Nadia Conners

Walton Goggins and his wife Nadia Conners share a sweet moment on the red carpet.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Phaedra Parks

“The Real Housewives of Atlanta” star Phaedra Parks waves hello.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Zuri Hall

Zuri Hall stuns in a metallic burgundy dress.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Kit Hoover

“Access Hollywood” host Kit Hoover is effortlessly chic on the red carpet.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Haley Kalil

Social media influencer Haley Kalil is serving looks.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Derek Hough

Leave it to “Dancing With the Stars” judge Derek Hough to bust a move on the red carpet.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Justine Lupe

“Nobody Wants This” star Justine Lupe sparkles in Carolina Herrera on the Emmys carpet.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Shanina Shaik

Shanina Shaik looks chic in a black long sleeve Carolina Herrera gown.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Bresha Webb

Bresha Webb, one of the hosts of E!’s Emmys red carpet live show, arrives in style.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

The Emmy Awards bring together the best and brightest in television each year, and as such, it’s always a tightly secured event. This year will be no exception.

The security measures for Sunday’s awards ceremony, which will be held at the Peacock Theater at L.A. Live in the heart of downtown, was reviewed with close eyes this week in light of Wednesday’s fatal shooting of political commentator Charlie Kirk in Utah.

With any large event, law enforcement officials and organizers take caution with security measures, but the recent spate recent of political violence targeting elected officials and those in the public eye have brought increased attention to how these large and highly publicized events are secured.

Though LAPD did not offer specifics about the security measures it was taking, an official for the department said they are ready for the event. “For security reasons, the Department does not discuss protective measures for special events or any public gatherings. What I can assure you is that we are appropriately staffed and fully prepared,” said Jennifer Forkish, LAPD communications director.

For several years, the LAPD has had a SWAT team at the scene, and numerous Metro officers and counter snipers have been visibly stationed on rooftops. Law enforcement officials also design a vehicle approach with barriers that prevents car bombings and vehicle attacks.

Since the attacks on 9/11, the 24th anniversary of which were recognized this week, the department has applied an extensive layer of security to the biggest awards ceremonies with large red carpets. The Peacock Theater also has security personnel who use metal-detector screening, visual inspection and bag inspection to keep guests safe.

The Television Academy revisited its security system for the weekend in light of Kirk’s shooting death at a speaking event on a college campus.

“We’re absolutely relooking at all of our security plans, but we always have a very robust security plan in place,” Television Academy president and chief executive Maury McIntyre told Variety on Thursday. “I know that basically once things happened yesterday, our security personnel all gathered together to just recheck things like that. Sitting with the LA Police Department, sitting with our department of transportation, just to make sure that we felt buttoned up. We are confident in the plans we’ve got in place.”

Stand-up comedian Nate Bargatze is hosting the 77th Emmy Awards, which begin at 5 p.m. PDT Sunday and will be broadcast live on CBS and available to stream live and on-demand on Paramount+.

Times staff writer Richard Winton contributed to this report.

Feedback is the seasoning that flavors the success of our favorite TV shows. Whether it’s from an executive, a trusted colleague or the actors, advice can shape tone, pacing, plotlines and character arcs — all of which can make or break a series. We asked some of this year’s Emmy contenders how creative collaborations provided the notes to their success.

“The Diplomat”

Allison Janney in “The Diplomat.”

(Netflix)

To create the unrelenting tension in the Netflix political drama, which was inspired by conversations with real diplomats, creator Debora Cahn turned to advice from “Homeland” showrunner Alex Gansa: “He said take whatever story that you’re planning in the last episode of the first season and do it in the first episode. And I was like, ‘Ooh, s—.’” The result hurls lead Kate Wyler (Keri Russell) into high-stakes chaos, none wilder than her clash with the vice president (Allison Janney) and a jaw-dropping Season 2 twist. “I was embarrassed to pitch it to the writers’ room. It was an unspeakably dumb idea and a bad cliche, but I had to get it off my chest. We looked for other things, but we kept coming back to it and realized that it did the thing that you really want a plot to do, which is it changes everything.”

“Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story”

Nicholas Alexander Chavez, left, Cooper Koch and Javier Bardem in “Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story.”

(Miles Crist / Netflix)

“In researching [the Menendez brothers case], [co-creator] Ryan [Murphy] mentioned, ‘I think this story is [Akira Kurosawa’s] “Rashomon.”’ That was the one note I was like, ‘Oh, I totally get this now,’” says co-creator Ian Brennan of the Netflix limited series. “We’re never going to know what the true story is, but that became a really good guiding light because we made sure that when we’re telling an aspect of this story that’s disputed, we’d go back and tell it the other way,” he says. “What we’re doing is based on as much truth as we can find, but I feel like you’re obliged to take some liberty. It’s not only to tell a story that’s entertaining but to get to those deeper truths that are sometimes occluded by the mundanity of some facts. It’s a painting, not a photograph.”

“Only Murders in the Building”

Steve Martin, left, Selena Gomez and Martin Short in “Only Murders in the Building.”

(Eric McCandless / Disney)

Creator John Hoffman says the idea for Hulu’s mystery-comedy came to him during the pandemic, when everyone was afraid to step outside their door. “This show is about lonely New Yorkers who found a connection between true crime and a death in their building,” he says. But his chief concern was injecting soul into the punch lines. “When I was talking about my ideas for how to make it more connective and humorous, I wanted the comedy to come from humanity as opposed to jokes and behavior. I was deeply surprised by everyone’s response, from the studio, the network and [executive producer] Dan Fogelman, that they wanted to lean into that more profound connective tissue that was more unexpected and dramatic at times,” he says. “There are a lot of personal things in that first season that I thought, ‘Well, that’s going to get me fired.’ But they accepted it.”

“Slow Horses”

Gary Oldman in “Slow Horses.”

(Apple TV+)

“[Executive producer] Graham Yost was always very clear that we should focus on adapting Mick Herron’s work and not just use it as a launchpad for some kind of offshoot,” says creator Will Smith of the clever Apple TV+ show, which follows a group of disgraced MI5 agents. “Whenever we got stuck in the room, Graham’s watchword would be, ‘Well, let’s look at what Mick wrote,’ and we would go back to the book and figure it out from there. So the tone of the books infused the scripts.” The outcome is a nail-biter of a tale with humor smuggled in like contraband. ”Our fabulous exec Jamie Laurenson and our brilliant [Season 1] director James Hawes both understood that nothing should ever feel like a joke, nothing should feel gratuitous or crowbarred for a laugh. It should all be thrown away, underplayed, said on the run.”

“What We Do in the Shadows”

The cast of “What We Do in the Shadows.”

“There’s a part of me that feels like it’s cheating, but it really helps,” says showrunner Paul Simms of the mockumentary shooting style behind the hilarious FX series, which portrays the awkward lives and bizarre pitfalls of centuries-old vampires. “If you’re writing a narrative show that’s not documentary format, people’s motivations have to come out in their dialogue. With this, you can have characters very directly and, in a very funny way, state their motivations.” Unlocking its full bite of wit were two keys. “One great thing about this format is that you’re not hamstrung by little continuity details in the edit. You can do jump cuts and jam in as much funny stuff without having to worry,” Simms says. The other, a network note: “From the beginning, FX and John Landgraf were saying the vampire stuff is fun, but it can’t be all vampire jokes. So our approach every season was to go in new directions and create constant tension.”

In an age of changing media consumption (and work-from-home) habits, the phrase “watercooler television” may be something of an anachronism. But as anyone following shows like “The White Lotus” can tell you, discussing, dissecting and debating hit series never goes out of style.

And of all networks, HBO knows how best to capitalize on such buzzed-about moments: The network’s “Inside the Episode” programs have long offered viewers the chance to process shocking plot twists and jaw-dropping deaths. That’s where viewers of Season 3 got to hear creator Mike White break down everything from Saxon and Lochlan’s drunken exploits to Chelsea and Rick’s doomed ending.

“Shows like this are the new watercooler moment,” says Emmy nominee Natalia Echeverria, a creative director at HBO and an executive producer of “The White Lotus: Unpacking The Episode.” “We try to anticipate what beats from the episode people will be talking about and then we dive in, giving audiences an inside peek only we can provide.”

Owing a debt to post-episode talk shows like “The Talking Dead” and podcasts like “Private Joke: The Official How I Met Your Mother Podcast” and “The Good Place: The Podcast,” such companion series, now commonplace across platforms, have risen in popularity in the last decade. This year, in fact, they make up the entirety of the short form nonfiction or reality series Emmy category.

Projects like “Making of: The Last of Us” and “Adolescence: The Making of Adolescence” (also nominated) necessarily straddle the line between creative and marketing. They’re meant to bridge the gap between a show and its fandom. But, in borrowing the familiar format of making-of documentaries, DVD bonus featurettes, even episodic reviews or recaps, they insist on a vision of television as an art worthy of discussion and dissection.

“I think of these pieces like the movie theater parking lot after a film,” says Badger Denehy, an Emmy-nominated executive producer of “Making of: The Last Of Us” and an HBO creative director. “They remind me of that moment when you turn to your friend and dive into all the biggest moments you just watched. It’s my favorite type of project because we get to create something for fans as huge fans of the programming ourselves.”

For Shannon Ryan, president of marketing for Disney Entertainment Television and an Emmy nominee for “Only Murders in the Building: Unlocking the Mystery,” the decision to produce the show was driven by a desire to better serve fans of the hit Hulu comedy.

“These short-form series offer fans a peek behind the curtain to hear directly from the talented people that bring the show to life,” she says. “And for our creators, this is a meaningful way to share more with the fans, give insight into their work, share some entertaining — and often hilarious — behind-the-scenes stories, and also spotlight some of the critical crew members that make every episode of the show so special.”

To “The Last of Us” viewers, there was likely no bigger moment this season than “Through the Valley,” the jaw-dropping second episode. Fans looking for insights on how that action-packed tragic set piece was orchestrated had to look no further than “Inside Episode 2,” where director Mark Mylod, co-creator Craig Mazin and star Pedro Pascal spoke about shooting Joel’s untimely and quite gruesome death.

Boasting more than 710,000 views on YouTube alone, that featurette showcased both the artistry behind such a high-octane hour of television (with talk of prosthetics and wintry shooting conditions) and candid reflections from cast members about the emotional fallout the episode would undoubtedly create.

The history of this Emmy category alone tracks the increased investment from streamers and networks in this kind of programming. Past nominees have included behind-the-scenes series tied to everything from “30 Rock” and “American Horror Story” to “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and “Pose.” And the last two winners (“Succession: Controlling the Narrative” and “Shōgun — The Making of Shōgun”) prove that the industry is similarly invested in (and impressed with) them, in turn.

John Wilhelmy, Emmy-nominated creative director of “Hacks: Bit by Bit,” notes that short-form projects now must be produced so they can exist across different platforms. “Certain stories within the conversation lend themselves well to TikTok and [Instagram] Reels, so we’ll pick those out and optimize them editorially,” he says. “They’re often funny outtakes or quick stories that we’ll post on those platforms alongside the full-length episodes hitting HBO Max and YouTube.”

In an era where fan-driven episode recaps, YouTube reaction videos and TikTok explainers contribute greatly to a show’s success in an increasingly fractured media ecosystem, these projects suggest a way to positively harness that engagement in a way that still puts TV creators front and center.

Echeverria puts it more simply: “Fan-made content has a huge place, but there’s nothing like seeing how the sauce is made from the chefs themselves.”

Feels like a good weekend to stay in, stay cool, maybe put some peaches in a deep freeze and catch up with some favorite shows, old and new. (I’m still watching “Miami Vice,” even though my white linen suit is at the cleaners.)

I’m Glenn Whipp, columnist for the Los Angeles Times and host of The Envelope newsletter. Got any home improvement projects on tap? Seems like a good time to tackle one while we take a look at the shows that might win Emmys next month for writing and directing.

Writing and directing power rankings

The writing and directing categories at this year’s Emmys could give us a couple of A-list acceptance speeches — Ben Stiller and Seth Rogen — as well as providing the usual hints about what shows will wind up prevailing in the series categories.

Let’s sketch out how the races are shaping up with our official set of power rankings, ordered from worst to first for drama, comedy and limited series. Try to see if you can read it all in a single take in honor of all the “oners” nominated.

Drama series directing

Adam Scott and Britt Lower in “Severance.”

(Apple TV+)

7. “The White Lotus.” “Amor Fati,” Mike White
Season 3 aftertaste remains as bitter as one of Timothy’s poison piña coladas.

6. “Slow Horses.” “Hello Goodbye,” Adam Randall
Another exemplary season. There’s a reason Randall recently became the first director to be hired for another go-round.

5. “Andor.” “Who Are You?,” Janus Metz
Should be required viewing for American citizens right now.

4. “The Pitt.” “7 a.m.,” John Wells
How it all began …

3. “The Pitt.” “6 p.m.,” Amanda Marsalis
And how it ended.

2. “Severance.” “Chikhai Bardo,” Jessica Lee Gagné
We finally got our Gemma episode and it was breathtaking in the ways it used visual language to convey the most heartbreaking love story this side of “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.”

1. “Severance.” “Cold Harbor,” Ben Stiller
Innie Mark vs. Outie Mark. Frantic chases down the hallways. An impossible choice. And a marching band.

Comedy series directing

Sarah Polley, left, Catherine O’Hara and Seth Rogen in “The Studio.”

(Apple TV+)

5. “Mid-Century Modern.” “Here’s to You, Mrs. Schneiderman,” James Burrows
For those keeping score, that’s Emmy nomination No. 28 as a director for Burrows. (He has won five times.)

4. “The Bear.” “Napkins,” Ayo Edebiri
Tina’s origin story, and the episode that probably won Liza Colón-Zayas her Emmy last year. Also likely to be remembered for being Edebiri’s directorial debut and, taken with her co-writing this season’s standout “Worms,” an auspicious sign of good things to come.

3. “The Rehearsal.” “Pilot’s Code,” Nathan Fielder
In which Fielder lives the life of Sully Sullenberger, from baby to adult, complete with a puppet mom and an unforgettable lactation scene.

2. “Hacks.” “A Slippery Slope,” Lucia Aniello
Blueprint for Colbert’s last episode?

1. “The Studio.” “The Oner,” Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg
Not my favorite “Studio” episode (that would be “The Pediatric Oncologist”) but an obvious choice to take this category.

Limited / TV movie directing

Owen Cooper, left, and Stephen Graham in “Adolescence.”

(Netflix )

6. “Sirens.” “Exile,” Nicole Kassell
It was not a good year for limited series.

5. “Zero Day,” Lesli Linka Glatter
Seriously.

4. “Dying for Sex.” “It’s Not That Serious,” Shannon Murphy
La petite mort onward to the last roundup. Que Dieu te garde, Molly.

3. “The Penguin.” “A Great or Little Thing,” Jennifer Getzinger
Just when you thought it couldn’t get any darker, the show’s finale went there.

2. “The Penguin,” “Cent’Anni,” Helen Shaver
The series’ best episode and why Cristin Milioti will probably win the Emmy.

1. “Adolescence,” Philip Barantini
Every episode was a oner.

Drama series writing

Tramell Tillman in “Severance.”

(Apple TV+)

6. “Slow Horses.” “Hello Goodbye,” Will Smith
To my great and everlasting surprise, “Slow Horses” won this Emmy last year, meaning that however long it lasts — and there will be at least two more seasons — it will have triumphed at least once.

5. “The White Lotus.” “Full–Moon Party,” Mike White
I’m a little like Saxon after his hookup with his brother in this episode, wanting to pretend it — and the whole season — never happened.

4. “The Pitt.” “7 a.m.,” R. Scott Gemmill
This is such a wonderfully written episode, introducing us to a couple of dozen characters, establishing them and the setting and doing so in a tight 53 minutes.

3. “Andor.” “Welcome to the Rebellion,” Dan Gilroy
There’s so much respect for what the Gilroy brothers did with “Andor” that you could see voters having a strong impulse to reward it.

2. “The Pitt.” “2 p.m.,” Joe Sachs
You remember how this episode ends? The honor walk for Nick? I am getting tears in my eyes typing this sentence. And that was just one element in an episode that left me so gutted that I had to sequester myself after it ended before I could even choke out a word or two with my wife.

1. “Severance.” “Cold Harbor,” Dan Erickson
Trippy, emotionally fraught season finale that’ll probably win since loyalists of “The Pitt” have two choices in this category.

Comedy series writing

Jean Smart in “Hacks.”

(Jake Giles Netter / HBO Max)

6. “What We Do in the Shadows.” “The Finale,” Sam Johnson, Sarah Naftalis and Paul Simms
They shut the casket one final time, satisfying nearly everyone who loved the show for six seasons.

5. “Somebody Somewhere.” “AGG,” Hannah Bos, Paul Thureen and Bridget Everett
Another series finale, a near-perfect summation of the show’s lovely blend of joy and melancholy.

4. “Abbott Elementary.” “Back to School,” Quinta Brunson
Solid season opener of a series that has crossed over into “taken-for-granted” status.

3. “The Rehearsal.” “Pilot’s Code,” Nathan Fielder, Carrie Kemper, Adam Locke-Norton and Eric Notarnicola
“It was difficult at first to inhabit the mind of a baby. I know so much more than babies do, and it can be hard to forget all that stuff. So I tried not to think about the fact that I was a 41-year-old man and just did my best to be present in the moment.”

2. “The Studio.” “The Promotion,” Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Peter Huyck, Alex Gregory and Frida Perez
The episode that started it all and made me more interested to see a “Kool-Aid” movie than practically anything that an actual studio released this summer.

1. “Hacks.” “A Slippery Slope,” Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs and Jen Statsky
“Hacks” has won this Emmy twice in its first three seasons, and the dramatic episode — Deborah loves Ava more than her dream job! — seems a spot to prevent a “Studio” sweep.

Limited / TV movie writing

Christine Tremarco and Stephen Graham in “Adolescence.”

(Netflix )

5. “Say Nothing.” “The People in the Dirt,” Joshua Zetumer
Car bombs, hunger strikes, political assassinations.

4. “Black Mirror.” “Common People,” Charlie Brooker and Bisha K. Ali
Technology really is going to destroy us, isn’t it?

3. “Dying for Sex.” “Good Value Diet Soda,” Kim Rosenstock and Elizabeth Meriwether
Of course, we’re all gonna die anyway. Might as well indulge.

2. “The Penguin.” “A Great or Little Thing,” Lauren LeFranc
After all, evil and depravity win out in the end.

1. “Adolescence,” Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham
So hug your children tonight.

Dystopian drama “Severance” captured the imagination of overworked Americans when it depicted an employee revolt against an oppressive corporation. Now the series and its lead, Adam Scott, are being recognized by the Television Academy. On Tuesday, Scott was nominated for lead actor in a drama for his role as Mark Scout in the dark, sci-fi thriller.

The Apple TV+ series is the most nominated show this year, landing 27 nods for its second season, including for drama series. In Scott’s category, the competition features actors previously nominated for Emmys, including Sterling K. Brown for “Paradise,” Gary Oldman for “Slow Horses,” Pedro Pascal for “The Last of Us” and Noah Wyle for “The Pitt.”

In the series, Scott‘s Mark S. is a macrodata refinement manager employed by the biotechnology corporation Lumon Industries. In order to work in the highly secretive complex, the mild-mannered manager and his co-workers have undergone a “severance procedure.” Their brains have been surgically altered, dividing their work life and home life into separate consciousnesses which are described by the company as “innies” and “outies.” The trouble begins when the line between realms starts to blur.

Show creator Dan Erickson, executive producer and primary director Ben Stiller were also nominated, as were Britt Lower, Tramell Tillman, Zach Cherry, John Turturro, Patricia Arquette and Gwendoline Christie in the acting categories. Scott, who is also an executive producer on the show, spoke with The Times about the recognition, the series and how he separates himself from his work.

“Severance” has broken through in a way that I don’t think anyone expected when it first arrived in 2022. It’s a smart, heady show that requires some brain power. Now Season 2 leads the Emmy nominations.

The feeling is incredible. I just am always sort of at a default position of nothing’s going to happen, and I need to be braced for disappointment. I think that’s a healthy disposition for a career in show business, and then I’ll be delightfully surprised if anything goes in a different direction. I try not to read any of the stuff, the prognosticating. I stay away from it and keep it out of my head as much as possible, and then something like this [nomination] is just a pure delight.

I love the idea that you block out the hype and conjecture around the show. It’s a form of self-severance.

It’s true. I’ve been at this for 30 years now so I think that I’ve found ways to keep myself healthy, as much as possible, anyway. For me, that’s just trying to sever myself from anything beyond keeping my head down and trying to do the best work possible.

Clearly it’s a tactic that’s paid off, for you and your fellow cast mates.

I’m so honored for our show to be recognized and to be on a list with everyone else — Britt and Tramell. Zach and John and Patricia and Merritt [Wever] and Gwendoline. And Ben and Jessica [Lee Gagné] and Dan. His wonderful script is being recognized. We work so hard on the show, every single one of us. It’s a team effort, as any show is, but our show takes a lot of time. So getting recognized for that hard work is really gratifying,

And there’s something redeeming about such a smart show breaking through in such stupid times.

[Laughs] Thank you. “Severance” is sort of this intangible thing, so we work really hard to make it happen. While we’re making the show and while Dan and the writers are putting it together, there’s sort of this invisible third rail. You’re not sure exactly what it is, but when it feels right, it’s like OK, there’s our show. It’s a specific feeling, a specific tone that we’re seeking out and sometimes it takes a while to zero in and find it.

It’s an original story that Dan came up with and it’s very weird. For something this weird to be recognized is really gratifying because we were surprised when anyone watched. We didn’t know if it would be a tiny audience. We thought maybe it’s too weird, so when it broadened out popularity-wise, it was a huge surprise and a really lovely one.

Severance stood out from the competition earning 27 Emmy nods, while HBO’s dark Batman spinoff, The Penguin, secured 24 nominations.

The nominees for the 2025 Primetime Emmy Awards have been announced.

Actors Harvey Guillen and Brenda Song revealed the nominations at the Television Academy’s Wolf Theater in Los Angeles, California, on Tuesday in advance of the 77th annual ceremony.

Severance stood out from the competition, earning 27 Emmy nods, while Apple TV’s The Studio topped the comedy categories with 23 nominations. HBO’s dark Batman spinoff, The Penguin, secured 24 nominations.

Here is the list of nominees in key categories:

Drama series

• Andor
• Paradise
• Severance
• Slow Horses
• The Diplomat
• The Pitt
• The Last of Us
• The White Lotus

#EmmyNoms for Best Drama Series:#Andor – 97%#TheDiplomat – 95%#TheLastOfUs – 91%#Paradise – 87%#ThePitt – 95%#Severance – 94%#SlowHorses – 100%#TheWhiteLotus – 86%

Who do you want to see take home an #Emmy? https://t.co/kMYX7HxEmg pic.twitter.com/retcjGfSYi

— Rotten Tomatoes (@RottenTomatoes) July 15, 2025

Comedy series

• Hacks
• The Bear
• The Studio
• Only Murders in the Building
• Abbott Elementary
• Nobody Wants This
• Shrinking
• What We Do in the Shadows

#EMMY nominations — Outstanding Comedy Series

Abbott Elementary
The Bear
Hacks
Nobody Wants This
Only Murders in the Building
Shrinking
The Studio
What We Do in the Shadows pic.twitter.com/a98KPPARH8

— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) July 15, 2025

Limited series

• Adolescence
• The Penguin
• Dying for Sex
• Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story
• Black Mirror

#EmmyNoms for Best Limited or Anthology Series:#Adolescence – 98%#BlackMirror – 86%#DyingForSex – 98%#Monsters – 45%#ThePenguin – 95%

Who do you want to see take home an #Emmy? https://t.co/kMYX7HxEmg pic.twitter.com/plRuo9SbEw

— Rotten Tomatoes (@RottenTomatoes) July 15, 2025

Drama actor

• Sterling K Brown, Paradise
• Gary Oldman, Slow Horses
• Pedro Pascal, The Last of Us
• Adam Scott, Severance
• Noah Wyle, The Pitt

Drama actress

• Kathy Bates, Matlock
• Sharon Horgan, Bad Sisters
• Britt Lower, Severance
• Bella Ramsey, The Last of Us
• Kerry Russell, The Diplomat

At 77, Kathy Bates is the Oldest #Emmy Nominee for Best Actress, Drama Ever

Show Some Love to a Living Legend pic.twitter.com/RWvQmHKWxz

— Cinema Tweets (@CinemaTweets1) July 15, 2025

Comedy actor

• Seth Rogen, The Studio
• Martin Short, Only Murders in the Building
• Jeremy Allen-White, The Bear
• Adam Brody, Nobody Wants This
• Jason Segel, Shrinking

Comedy actress

• Uzo Aduba, The Residence
• Kristen Bell, Nobody Wants This
• Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary
• Jean Smart, Hacks
• Ayo Edebiri, The Bear

Reality competition

• The Amazing Race
• RuPaul’s Drag Race
• Survivor
• Top Chef
• The Traitors

The 2025 Emmy nominees for Outstanding Reality Competition Program are:

The Amazing Race
RuPaul’s Drag Race
Survivor
Top Chef
The Traitors pic.twitter.com/izSI6BTJqy

— Reality TV News/Updates (@Realitytv__fan) July 15, 2025

Talk show

• The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
• Jimmy Kimmel Live
• The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

Animated programme

• The Dirt Under Your Nails
• Arcane
• They Slug Horses, Don’t They?
• Bob’s Burgers
• Cliff’s Edge
• Common Side Effects
• Spider Rose
• Love, Death + Robots
• Bart’s Birthday

Congrats to “THE SIMPSONS” and “BOB’S BURGERS” crews for their Emmy nominations for Outstanding Animated Program

-The Simpsons – “Bart’s Birthday”
-Bob’s Burgers – “They Slug Horses, Don’t They?”

Other nominees include Arcane, Common Side Effects and Love, Death & Robots. pic.twitter.com/QkwadytB6c

— DTVA News (@DTVANews) July 15, 2025

Supporting actress, drama series

• Patricia Arquette, Severance
• Carrie Coon, The White Lotus
• Katherine LaNasa, The Pitt
• Julianne Nicholson, Paradise
• Parker Posey, The White Lotus
• Natasha Rothwell, The White Lotus
• Aimee Lee Wood, The White Lotus

Supporting actor, drama series

• Zach Cherry, Severance
• Walton Goggins, The White Lotus
• Jason Isaacs, The White Lotus
• James Marsden, Paradise
• Sam Rockwell, The White Lotus
• Tramell Tillman, Severance
• John Turturro, Severance

Congratulations to the entire Severance team on their 27 Emmy Nominations.

Drama Series

Lead Actor: Adam Scott

Lead Actress: Britt Lower

Supporting Actress: Patricia Arquette

Supporting Actor: John Turturro

Supporting Actor: Tramell Tillman

Supporting Actor: Zach Cherry… pic.twitter.com/upZ47rQwOy

— Apple TV (@AppleTV) July 15, 2025

Lead actor, limited series

• Colin Farrell, The Penguin
• Stephen Graham, Adolescence
• Jake Gyllenhaal, Presumed Innocent
• Brian Tyree Henry, Dope Thief
• Cooper Koch, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story

Lead actress, limited series

• Cate Blanchett, Disclaimer
• Meghann Fahy, Sirens
• Rashida Jones, Black Mirror
• Cristin Milioti, The Penguin
• Michelle Williams, Dying for Sex

Supporting actress, limited series

• Erin Doherty, Adolescence
• Ruth Negga, Presumed Innocent
• Deirdre O’Connell, The Penguin
• Chloe Sevigny, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story
• Jenny Slate, Dying for Sex
• Christine Tremarco, Adolescence

ADOLESCENCE, Netflix’s second most-viewed English-language show of all time, has earned 13 Emmy nominations.

• Outstanding Limited Series
• Acting nominations for Stephen Graham, Owen Cooper, Ashley Walters, Erin Doherty, and Christine Tremarco
• Outstanding Directing
•… pic.twitter.com/Q9kjFTSm9D

— Netflix (@netflix) July 15, 2025

Supporting actor, limited series

• Javier Bardem, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story
• Bill Camp, Presumed Innocent
• Owen Cooper, Adolescence
• Rob Delaney, Dying for Sex
• Peter Sarsgaard, Presumed Innocent
• Ashley Walters, Adolescence

Supporting actor, comedy series

• Ike Barinholtz, The Studio
• Colman Domingo, The Four Seasons
• Harrison Ford, Shrinking
• Jeff Hiller, Somebody Somewhere
• Ebon Moss-Bachrach, The Bear
• Michael Urie, Shrinking
• Bowen Yang, Saturday Night Live

Supporting actress, comedy series

• Liza Colon-Zayas, The Bear
• Hannah Einbinder, Hacks
• Kathryn Hahn, The Studio
• Janelle James, Abbott Elementary
• Catherine O’Hara, The Studio
• Sheryl Lee Ralph, Abbott Elementary
• Jessica Williams, Shrinking

Congratulations to the cast and crew of The Bear for their 13 Emmy® nominations. pic.twitter.com/Kqo30C1mb0

— Disney+ (@DisneyPlus) July 15, 2025

Outstanding television movie

• Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy
• The Gorge
• Mountainhead
• Nonnas

Scripted variety series

• Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
• Saturday Night Live

Live variety special

• The Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show Starring Kendrick Lamar
• Beyonce Bowl
• The Oscars
• SNL50: The Anniversary Special
• SNL50: The Homecoming Concert

Beyoncé has earned TWO Emmy nominations for BEYONCÉ BOWL.

• Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special
• Outstanding Variety Special (Live) pic.twitter.com/PKTWSRkqUp

— Netflix (@netflix) July 15, 2025

Outstanding game show host

• Elizabeth Banks, Press Your Luck
• Steve Harvey, Celebrity Family Feud
• Ken Jennings, Jeopardy!
• Colin Jost, Pop Culture Jeopardy!
• Jimmy Kimmel, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire

Talk about hosts with the most! Congratulations to both Ken Jennings and Colin Jost, and the whole Jeopardy! team on the 140th Emmy® nominations for the show! Thank you @TelevisionAcad #Jeopardy! #Emmys pic.twitter.com/FByCOGKJQn

— Jeopardy! (@Jeopardy) July 15, 2025

“Andor” has been the “seminal creative experience” of Tony Gilroy’s life.

The filmmaker spent over five years steeped in the world of the “Star Wars” prequel series, which follows resistance fighter Cassian Andor (portrayed by Diego Luna) during the nascent days of the Rebellion. On Tuesday, “Andor” earned 14 Emmy nominations for its second and final season, including in the marquee race for drama series.

“It’s hard to imagine that I’ll ever be as deeply invested with as much and so submerged with so many people in such a huge endeavor,” Gilroy said via Zoom after the nominations announcement. “It’s a life experience as much as anything else. Everybody on this show really came away with a deeper sense of community and affection than they went in with.”

In addition to drama series, “Andor” was nominated for its directing, writing, cinematography, production design, costume, editing, score, original music, sound editing, sound mixing and special effects. Performances by Forest Whitaker (guest actor) and Alan Tudyk (character voice-over) were also recognized.

A grounded, political spy thriller, “Andor” is set during the five years leading up to the events of “Rogue One: A Star Wars story,” the 2016 film on which Gilroy is credited as one of the writers. The series has been hailed by critics and audiences since its 2022 debut, captivating both longtime “Star Wars” fans as well as those who don’t know an Ewok from a Wookiee.

Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) and K-2SO (Alan Tudyk) in “Andor.”

(Lucasfilm Ltd)

The show’s second season, which unfolds over the span of four years, provided key glimpses into the Galactic Empire’s operations as well as the origins of the Rebel Alliance. And while the show is inspired by revolutions past, Gilroy admits it has been “spooky” to see current events parallel moments from the show.

In an interview with The Times, Gilroy discussed “Andor’s” nominations, real-life parallels and more. The conversation edited for length and clarity.

Congratulations on the 14 nominations! How are you feeling?

I’m trying to find a word that everybody you’re calling doesn’t use. I feel affirmed. It’s very exciting, obviously.

Where were you and what were you doing when you heard the news?

I waited and I took a ride and took a shower and got out and saw my phone was hot. I waited to see if my phone was hot.

Is there an “Andor” group chat where you all can chat in a thread together?

No. Well, maybe there is and I’m not on it. It’s more text mania. Then you have to figure out who’s on WhatsApp, who’s on this, who’s on that. Everybody’s on different s—. It’s actually really f— complicated, to be honest. Now I’ve got emails to answer, WhatsApps to answer.

What has it been like for you to be on this ride with this show as real-life events start to parallel what happened on the show? It feels like we’re living through so much of it now.

It’s been spooky. We had to do a very interesting thing, I think, and figure out how to sell the show while this was all happening without us getting confused, or the world getting confused, or anything else. So I’m really proud. We went all around the world and really sold it really hard. It’s hard to get a large audience to watch “Star Wars” — it’s strange, but it’s really difficult. Along the way I think we managed through the relevancy and the politics of it as successfully as we could. I think now things are a little bit looser. We’re a little bit more free with how we want to speak now so that’s a little bit liberating.

How hard is it to hold some of that in while you’re trying to appeal to an audience?

There wasn’t anything really cynical about it. Everything we said was legit. The historical model is truly what we were doing, and we’re not espousing an ideology in the show or anything like that. But we were also quite taken aback as things went along, at the amount of things that started rhyming with what was going on. Watching Sen. [Alex] Padilla get [handcuffed] while we’re watching the Ghorman senate — there’s things we did not expect to see lining up. It’s really tough and it should be obvious what people think about it.

One of the show’s nominations was writing for Episode 9.

Dan Gilroy, nominated!

How does it feel to be able to share this moment with your brother?

All three Gilroy brothers were nominated today! It’s very pleasing to see that. There’s so many things on here that really, really, really, make me smile. It’s really great that [production designer] Luke [Hull] and [costume designer] Michael Wilkinson [were nominated]. All the technical things that came in for us today were really satisfying. All these awards are community property no matter how people talk about it. You know how many people it takes to stand behind every one of these episodes. They’re just epic, the amount of people that are involved.

As you’re picking these individual episodes, how did Episode 9 stand out? What made it special for you?

We were really torn about what to [submit]. We had three candidates that we really were really interested in. In the end, people felt — direction wise — that the Ghorman massacre, Episode 8, was such a powerhouse. It’s such a strong flavor and so memorable that we could not have that beat for direction. And we also felt that [Episode] 9, it’s just so sophisticated. The spy writing and the sleekness of the politics and the sleekness of the storytelling in there and the scale of the issues for the characters that came up. That was always the favorite for script.

Since you mention Ghorman, what was memorable about working on that episode for you?

It’s always an experiment to see if you’re going to get the power out of things that you think you’re going to get. [So,] to watch that expand beyond where we thought it was going to be, and to have it affect us, the people making it, more than we expected. To have the extras walk off the set on the final day of shooting, when they were finally released, all the people in that square after months and they went off singing the Ghorman national anthem on their own on the way out of Pinewood [Studios]. I’m very proud of it.

That anthem is also nominated.

That’s really all I care about, Tracy. I’ve written a national anthem and it’s been nominated for an Emmy. [Laughs.]

Dedra Meero (Denise Gough) and Grymish (Kurt Egyiawan) in “Andor.”

(Lucasfilm Ltd)

Your time with “Star Wars” is pretty much wrapped up. What has it been like for you, being steeped in this world for so long?

“Rogue [One]” aside, just being on this show the last five and a half, six years, this is the seminal creative experience, I’m imagining, of my life. It’s hard to imagine that I’ll ever be as deeply invested with as much and so submerged with so many people in such a huge endeavor. I can’t imagine that will ever happen again. It’s a life experience as much as anything else. Everybody on this show really came away with a deeper sense of community and affection than they went in with. To make a great show, and we’re really proud of it, and to come away feeling the way that we feel about each other and what everybody did, I’m as proud of that as anything.

How are you going to celebrate?

I’m going to roll these calls and I’m going to go back to prepping the movie that I’m supposed to start shooting. I’ve got homework to do. I’m going to try and get an hour or two of work done before I go out for dinner with my wife. But I’ll have an extra cherry in my old fashioned tonight.

The makers behind Netflix’s hit drama “Adolescence,” knew their series about a 13-year-old boy accused of murdering a female classmate was something special.

And while creators and executive producers Stephen Graham and Jack Thorne were thrilled after learning that the U.K. drama received 13 Emmy nominations in the limited series category, they were even more gratified that the collective efforts of the cast and crew were being honored.

“There was just something magical that happened with this show, and it was the true definition of an ensemble,” said Graham during a video interview with Thorne. The duo were nominated for writing and producing the drama, and Graham was also nominated as lead actor for his portrayal of the devastated father of the teen suspect.

“My true gratitude is not the fact that we got 13 nominations. It’s the fact that every single person, every single player, every single part of the crew is being acknowledged for what we achieved as a collective,” Graham said. “What we do is not a game of golf. We managed this collective consciousness between us.”

The four-episode series became one of the buzziest dramas of the year, and was highly praised for its approach of filming each installment in a single camera shot.

Thorne said of the hoopla surrounding the series, “I think we got very lucky in capturing a particular time, place and mood. We also got lucky with all the people we worked with.”

Win or lose, plans are already being formed for an Emmy night celebration.

“Stephen just declared that we’re all going to the Emmys in a minibus,” Thorne said. “We’re all going to stand on the red carpet as one. That will be really special.”

The minibus passengers will include Owen Cooper, who played the young suspect, and Erin Doherty, who played a psychologist. The two, who were both nominated in supporting actor categories, starred in the drama’s third episode where their characters engaged in a tense battle of wills.

Cooper and Doherty discussed the show and their nominations in a separate video interview.

Congratulations on your nominations and amazing performances. Where were you when you got the news?

Cooper: I was in my living room and I put on the TV. Then I found it we got 13 nominations. It’s just crazy.

Doherty: To be fair, I avoided it. So I was waiting for my phone to ring. My agent told me, “I’ll ring you either way.” Then she started phoning me and I thought, “Oh, what, is this going to me?” And all those nominations came in. I’m so over the moon for the show.

Owen, you’re making history as the youngest Primetime Emmy nominee in a limited series .

Cooper: I heard about that the other day. It’s hard to even think about that stuff, to be honest. It’s crazy. I don’t even know how to put that into words, really.

Did both of you know at the time you were doing the third episode that you were creating something really special?

Cooper: Yes. We knew it would hit many homes, and that it would create conversations. We didn’t know it would get 13 nominations. That’s just the cherry on top. The success of the show has been mind-blowing.

Doherty: We knew everyone who was participating on and off the screen wanted to be a part of this, having the courage to address this subject matter. We knew the importance of the story. You never know if something like this is going to hit the way that this has.

Owen, what impressed you the most about Erin’s performance?

Cooper: The fact that she could just think of things to say off the spot. I would put attitude into the line and she would put even more attitude into it.

And Erin?

Doherty: I would say the exact same thing. Like he would start yawning and start throwing around different things. It felt like the most exciting game of tennis that I’ve been a part of. You don’t get that every day with actors who have been doing this for 40 years. Owen has the ability and skill and bravery. For him to throw himself into this environment, which is nerve-wracking, overwhelming and over-stimulating. To have the ability to stay centered and be present with each other is really rare. I’m so, so proud of him and that I got to be there for his first go, because he’s going to be doing this for years and years and years.

I know it’s early, but any thoughts on how you’ll feel on Emmy night?

Cooper: I don’t think I’ll be nervous. I don’t care if I win. I’ll just get there, eat nice food, meet a lot of people. And I’ll be in L.A. where the weather is nice. I’m not bothered by the result at the end of the day.

Doherty: We’ve won. The show got 13 nominations. We’re all going to be there. It’s just going to be the best night ever. We’re going to treat it like a big party.

Emmy nominations arrived Tuesday morning, and if you made the list, it’s a “White Lotus” Full Moon Party vibe, full of celebratory cheers, toasts with your beverage of choice (it’s still early, maybe some of that Thai Red Bull?) and techno music playing loud enough to have Interpol banging on your door.

And if you didn’t hear your name called, well, you’re feeling like poor Pornchai watching Belinda sail away into the sunset. Or maybe you’re like Saxon, compartmentalizing the whole thing, pretending it never happened. We feel you.

With Emmy submissions down this year, there aren’t as many slots available to salute all the worthy work, leading to some sad omissions — which, for the sake of alliteration and search engine optimization, we’ll call “snubs.” There were also some surprises, some worthy, some about as welcome as one of those poison piña coladas Jason Isaacs blended up in the “White Lotus” finale.

Grab something to eat (maybe an item from the Old School Hollywood buffet table) while we run down the morning’s notables.

SURPRISE: The all-encompassing love for “The White Lotus”

Yes, as you could tell from my intro, the third season of Mike White’s deep dive into miserable white people and fabulous brand collaborations gave us much to discuss, even if discourse was often centered on complaining about the show’s slow pace and dearth of plot. I don’t begrudge some recognition for a series that dominated the pop culture landscape for its two-month run, but nominating seven of its regular cast members reveals a lack of imagination among voters. Pity the poor ensemble member not nominated. I’m not even going to name them and put that FOMO out into the universe.

SNUB: Any actor from “The Pitt” who wasn’t nominated

Conversely, just one nomination for the supporting crew at the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center — for Katherine LaNasa as charge nurse Dana Evans — is an act of voter negligence. I get it. There were a lot of interns and residents and nurses working that 15-hour shift. And just about every one of them was a more fully realized character than anyone on “The White Lotus.” Maybe voters had a hard time focusing their attention with so many choices. I’ll console myself with the knowledge that it’ll win the Screen Actors Guild drama ensemble award next year.

SURPRISE: “Paradise” (drama series)

The dystopian drama that asked the question, “Would you want to be trapped in an underground bunker with the likes of these people?” I can’t think of anything more frightening and enough Emmy voters agreed.

SNUB: “The Four Seasons” (comedy series)

You kind of hated these wealthy, entitled boneheads, and not in ways that were intended or even fun.

SURPRISE: Colman Domingo “The Four Seasons” (comedy supporting actor)

Because even if the show is mediocre, it’s impossible to ignore Domingo in any season.

SNUB: Natasha Lyonne, “Poker Face” (comedy actress)
To quote Lyonne’s human lie-detector Charlie Cale, that’s “bulls—.”

SNUB: “The Rehearsal” (comedy series)

How could a show about airline safety produce more laugh-out-loud moments than any other comedy series this year? How could a show so funny, insightful and, yes, occasionally terrifying not be nominated for comedy series? (Also, and not completely unrelated: How could it take this long for the TSA to let us keep our shoes on?)

SNUB: Selena Gomez, “Only Murders in the Building” (comedy actress)

Gomez earned her first Emmy acting nomination last year, but with the category trimmed to five nominees from six, something had to give. Detractors fault her flat, monotone delivery, though if you’re acting opposite Martin Short and Steve Martin, you need to find your own lane. Arguably, Gomez has. Look for that debate to continue next year when the show returns for a fifth season.

SNUB: Kate Hudson, “Running Point” (comedy actress)

The Lakers can’t win anywhere, can they?

SNUB: Bridget Everett, “Somebody Somewhere” (comedy actress)

Somebody, somewhere voted for Everett, so tender and vulnerable and utterly charming on this now-ended HBO series, one that seems destined for a long life of cult appreciation along the lines of “Enlightened,” created by (yes) Mike White.

SURPRISE: Kristen Bell, “Nobody Wants This” (comedy actress)

Not a surprise that’s she’s nominated — everyone watched this show in one sitting. But a surprise that this is her first nomination ever. Well-earned, even if I’m not convinced Adam Brody’s rabbi would throw everything away for her character.

SNUB: Steve Martin, “Only Murders in the Building” (comedy actor)

How do you nominate Martin Short and not Steve Martin? Big always wins over subtle. You have to wonder if voters forgot, or didn’t watch, the show’s last season — it has been awhile — which had Martin carrying the plot’s emotional weight as his character grieved the loss of longtime stunt double and friend, Sazz (played by Jane Lynch).

SNUB: Megan Stalter, “Hacks” (comedy supporting actress)

If her star turn in Lena Dunham’s “Too Much” had dropped during the voting window, Stalter might have secured her first Emmy nomination. Or maybe not. (Dunham is polarizing.) At any rate, Stalter might have two shots next year, provided “Hacks” premieres its next (and last) season in time.

SNUB: Meryl Streep, “Only Murders in the Building” (comedy supporting actress)

Only a “snub” because it’s Streep and she’s nominated for everything.

SNUB: “Your Friends and Neighbors” (limited series)

As the Jon Hamm series went along, it felt more like a Patek Philippe ad than any kind of comment on the empty lives of the wealthy. (Are there not any rich people out there leading fulfilling lives?) By the end of its run, we were checking our watches, and voters didn’t give it the time of day. (Sorry.)

SNUB: “Disclaimer” (limited series)

What a disappointment. Alfonso Cuarón’s highly anticipated seven-chapter psychological thriller premiered at the Venice Film Festival last August, screening four episodes over two nights. It then went to Telluride, Toronto and London. It was an event … until people saw it and were left baffled. How could the filmmaker behind “Children of Men,” “Gravity” and “Y tu mamá también” make something so dull that few people could to finish it?

SNUB: Renée Zellweger, “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy” (limited series/movie actress)

When “Love Island” defines romantic-comedy for a lot of people, she didn’t stand a chance.

The countdown is almost over: The 2025 Emmy nominations will be announced this morning.

Harvey Guillén, the actor who played the sole human roommate in a vampire household on FX’s “What We Do in the Shadows” for six seasons, and Netflix’s “Running Point” star and real-life knowledgeable sports fan Brenda Song will be on hand to make the announcement live from the Television Academy’s Wolf Theatre along with academy chair Cris Abrego. The nominations will be streamed live starting at 8:30 a.m. PT on the Television Academy website and social media channels.

As a teaser, the nominations for talk series and reality competition program were announced at 4:47 a.m. PT live on “CBS Mornings.”

Among the buzzy new shows expected to earn some nominations are HBO’s medical drama “The Pitt,” Apple TV+’s Hollywood satire “The Studio” and Netflix’s crime drama “Adolescence.” Returning series expected to once again receive Emmys love include “Severance,” “The White Lotus,” “Hacks,” “The Bear” and “Abbott Elementary.”

The 77th Emmy Awards will be held on Sept. 14 at 5 p.m. The live telecast will air on CBS and stream on Paramount+. The Creative Arts Emmy Awards, which honors the artistic and technical achievements as well as some performance categories, will be held on Sept. 6 and 7, then edited to air Sept. 13 on FXX.

Talk series

“The Daily Show”
“Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
“The Late Show With Stephen Colbert”

Reality competition program

“The Amazing Race”
“RuPaul’s Drag Race”
“Survivor”
“Top Chef”
“The Traitors”

This story will be updated.

Michelle Khare has mastered taekwondo, muscled through police academy and conquered Houdini’s deadliest trick. But now comes a different kind of challenge for the popular daredevil: proving to the Hollywood establishment that Emmy-worthy content arises from YouTube.

The host, known for her online reality series “Challenge Accepted,” is part of a group of YouTube creators with massive followings, producing high-caliber content, who are vying for Primetime Emmy Awards this year.

Although she won’t need to enlist the help of an Olympian or train for months this time around, she’s taking the challenge head-on. But while she’s been on the awards campaign, Khare said her top priority is letting her videos speak for themselves.

To that end, she’s taken on some high-profile challenges lately, including surprising Tom Cruise at the premiere of “Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning.” She got in by donning a mask a la the spy franchise, whipping it off for the big reveal. And she teased the process of training to take on Cruise’s infamous stunt of hanging off a plane as it’s taking off.

The video has garnered more than 800,000 views.

“My primary concern constantly is, ‘Is the show we’re making worth a nomination?’ and it needs to be, always,” she said.

Having a creator win an Emmy would be yet another milestone in YouTube’s quest for global dominance.

People now spend more time watching YouTube on TV screens than viewing subscription-based streaming services like Netflix and Prime Video, according to data from Nielsen. On average, there are more than 20 million videos uploaded daily to YouTube, according to the company.

Google-owned YouTube’s revenue last year was estimated to be $54.2 billion, which would make it the second-largest media company behind Walt Disney Co., according to a recent report from research firm MoffettNathanson.

Creators self-submitted for the awards, and YouTube has been supporting their campaigns to bring awareness to their content and sway Emmy voters. The creators and YouTube are jointly contributing to the campaigns. No matter what happens when nominations are announced Tuesday, this year’s push is a long time coming.

Traditional studios and networks have substantial budgets dedicated to awards campaigns because the trophies and the glamour of awards season are not just superficial. A major nomination or award serves as a signal of high quality and legitimacy. That would be all the more meaningful for online creators, who have traditionally been seen as on the outskirts of Hollywood.

For the individual creators and their companies, the investment in the Emmys race could lead to new or more fruitful relationships with advertisers and sponsors. The prestige recognition could also open the door for different opportunities for creators, like Lilly Singh’s late-night stint or MrBeast’s competition series on Prime Video.

Khare said when she met with YouTube Chief Executive Neal Mohan shortly after he was appointed in 2023, he asked her what the company could do for her. Helping a creator earn an Emmy was her request, she said.

“If it’s not me on July 15, if it’s anybody else, if it’s this year, next year, 10 years from now, I can’t wait,” she said.

Khare, who is hoping for a nomination in the hosted nonfiction series category, is in good company with two other YouTube shows in the running for awards this year.

“Good Mythical Morning,” a daily show hosted by YouTube personalities Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal, and Sean Evans’ talk show “Hot Ones,” where celebrity guests eat progressively spicier chicken wings, are also eligible for Emmys. Last year, “My Next Guest With David Letterman and John Mulaney,” an “Only Murders in the Building” aftershow and “The Daily Show” won in the respective categories these YouTubers are hoping for a spot in.

“There’s a reason traditional Hollywood cares about awards,” Khare said. “It attracts the crew who want to work on [the show]. It attracts the audience to bring viewership, and it also attracts advertisers to financially support and make the show continually sustainable, in addition to all of the other wonderful publicity things that it does to elevate us into this world against legacy television.”

Khare said she always wanted to work in television and gained experience at legacy studios before joining BuzzFeed, which she called “paid graduate school for content creation.”

(Luke Johnson / Los Angeles Times)

In a 2024 guest column for the Hollywood Reporter, Mohan wrote that YouTube creators are not just vlogging from their bedrooms. They have writers’ rooms, production teams and business strategies. Mohan wrote that the Television Academy recognizing creators wouldn’t “detract from its storied history” but rather ensure the group is forward-looking.

“In order to maintain its relevance and emerge a leader in the digital age of entertainment, the Emmys should celebrate all kinds of content, especially the creators whose storytelling is pushing culture forward,” he wrote.

A 2025 report from the Television Academy released in February shows the members skew older. About 50% of the body reported their age, and of that group, roughly 68% are age 41 or older.

Much of the challenge in these creators’ quests to get nominated for or win an Emmy Award is making sure voters are familiar with their YouTube content. Although they each attract millions of viewers, Hollywood‘s more old-school folks might not have come across their videos before the awards push began.

Khare, who said she had always wanted to work in television, started off interning at legacy studios before she took on a role as a video producer for BuzzFeed in its heyday. She said her experience making YouTube videos for the media company was like going to “paid graduate school for content creation.” At the same time, she was “moonlighting” as a professional cyclist, she said.

Creating “Challenge Accepted,” where she often undertakes incredible physical tasks, was a marriage of her love for video content and athletics. And the extreme stunts she’s able to pull off make her particularly adept at getting attention online. Training like an Olympic boxer, for example. Or learning how to take hits like a superhero stunt performer.

Beyond what creators are doing and contributing to the campaigns themselves, YouTube is supporting the push for Emmys, most visibly by hosting its first formal For Your Consideration, or FYC, event in coordination with the Television Academy.

More than a decade ago, Bernie Su won an Emmy for a YouTube series he worked on. As far as he’s aware, his 2013 win marked the first time “the word YouTube has ever appeared on the trophy,” Su said. He went on to win two more Emmys, one for another YouTube series and one for a Twitch series.

The category for his YouTube wins, recognizing creative achievement in interactive media for an original interactive program, is judged by panels of industry professionals, rather than by popular vote.

But Su said his road to win the Emmys looked very different than the creators in the race today. YouTube wasn’t even aware he and his team were submitting their series for Emmy consideration in 2013, he said.

Still, Su said he’s rooting for Khare and the other creators in the running this year, especially since he’s seen firsthand how an Emmy Award helps to legitimize digital-native work.

“My parents are very much all about the three Emmy wins when they talk about their son,” he said. “Not about anything else. It starts there. That’s the nexus of the work that I do.”

YouTube declined to share how much money the company has spent to support the campaigns this year. Angela Courtin, a YouTube executive who’s helming the awards push, said the company is relying on “existing commitments” like billboard space and activations at film festivals to highlight the Emmy contenders.

“When they decided that they wanted to be seen among their peers equally, then it became our responsibility and our opportunity, as well as our privilege, to collaborate with them to do so,” Courtin said. “At the end of the day, the award sits on their mantle, not ours. It will never be in my office.”

Evans, left, Khare, McLaughlin and Neal each spoke to Television Academy members about their shows at YouTube’s For Your Consideration event in May.

(Araya Doheny / Getty Images for YouTube)

Offering this kind of support to creators serves YouTube too.

Beyond the benefits of recognition as a serious player in the traditional television world, and the potential boost in advertising dollars flowing to the company, YouTube putting both monetary and figurative weight behind creators is a worthwhile investment, said Jeremy Goldman, senior director of briefings at eMarketer. After all, YouTube doesn’t want to lose more of its talent roster to Instagram Reels and TikTok.

“YouTube creators can take their ideas elsewhere,” Goldman said. “The more you support them, the more likely they are to go to YouTube for future endeavors, which has been very valuable for YouTube, because it’s basically people creating [intellectual property].”

Brian Flanagan, the president of Mythical, the studio founded by YouTubers Rhett and Link, said seeking awards recognition is not about ego but about acknowledging the many people behind “Good Mythical Morning” and the other shows Mythical makes that draw audiences in the millions.

“GMM” is eligible in the category honoring short-form comedy, drama or variety series. Recent winners include “Carpool Karaoke: The Series” and “I Think You Should Leave With Tim Robinson.”

Mythical is also acutely aware of the business implications of a major award nomination or win.

“If you want to seek premium advertising, top-flight guests and other trappings of the best of the best of Hollywood television, it could really be a distinguishing mark, and we’d be excited to have that stamp on us,” Flanagan said.

Evans, who is vying for recognition in the talk series category with the likes of Jon Stewart, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers and Stephen Colbert, told The Times in June that he feels “Hot Ones” should be in the mix with these traditional television mainstays.

“I didn’t know that we’d be a part of the conversation, never dreamed of it,” he said. “But now that we are, I’ll say with my full chest that we belong.”

Khare would also be entering a storied category with legendary past winners like Anthony Bourdain and David Letterman. That prospect, perhaps unsurprisingly given her record of daunting feats, doesn’t intimidate her.

The list of past winners in this category and other television stars who have inspired Khare’s work are mostly men. “I would love to inspire young women to go out and be great too,” she said.

Despite the tough odds of securing not only a nomination but shooting for a win in a competitive field, Khare remains optimistic about her chances.

“Conan O’Brien, I’m coming for you,” she quipped.

Emmy nominations arrive Tuesday, and there will be plenty of time for us to argue about who should win (let’s start with “The Pitt”) and why this could be the year (though probably not) that we’ll have a surprise or two when the trophies are handed out on Sept. 14.

In the meantime, if you love “Severance,” “The White Lotus,” “The Pitt,” “The Studio,” “Hacks” and “Adolescence,” you will find plenty of reasons to smile. These are the shows that are going to steamroll through the nominations. If you belong to the “What We Do in the Shadows” cult and want a tip of the hat for its final season, you’re probably in luck. And if your comic taste embraces the absurd, and you have complicated feelings about air travel, you might be disappointed that Nathan Fielder’s “The Rehearsal” is left out of comedy series, though Fielder could earn a nod for his direction. Attaboy, Captain!

Who else will be flying high when nominations are announced? Let’s take a look.

COMEDY SERIES
“Abbott Elementary”
“The Bear”
“Hacks”
“Nobody Wants This”
“Only Murders in the Building”
“Shrinking”
“The Studio”
“What We Do in the Shadows”

Possible surprise: “The Four Seasons”
Possible “snub”: “What We Do in the Shadows”

“The Bear” won 11 Emmys last year, the most wins ever for a comedy series in a single ceremony. But that record was lost on viewers when “Hacks” won the final Emmy of the evening, besting “The Bear” for comedy series. “The Bear” has been sliding with critics, going from a 92 rating on review aggregator Metacritic for its second season to an 80 for its third and a 73 for its just-released fourth season. Sometimes I wonder if the naysayers are taking the time to consider the whole picture and the patient, deliberate way “The Bear” shows the difficulties in breaking free from addiction and familial dysfunction.

Because the show’s new seasons arrive in June, there’s some overlap between what voters are watching (the latest episodes) and what they’re supposed to be voting for (the episodes that came out a year ago). The new season was exceptional, ending in a showcase for its primary actors and providing well-earned catharsis for their characters. I don’t know if “The Bear” will win any Emmys this year, but the nominations will still be plentiful — and deserved.

COMEDY ACTRESS
Kristen Bell, “Nobody Wants This”
Quinta Brunson, “Abbott Elementary”
Ayo Edebiri, “The Bear”
Natasha Lyonne, “Poker Face”
Jean Smart, “Hacks”

Possible surprise: Selena Gomez, “Only Murders in the Building”
Possible “snub”: Lyonne

As always, it’s an honor to be nominated. And in a category that includes Smart, a nomination will be as far as it goes for the four women joining her. Edebiri and Brunson are sure bets to return. Bell has never been nominated, though she was a delight on “The Good Place.” She should break through for “Nobody Wants This,” the most easily binged contender this Emmy season. But voters could go any number of ways here, opting for past Emmy favorites like Tina Fey (“The Four Seasons”), Kathryn Hahn (“Agatha All Along”) or Uzo Aduba (“The Residence”). Or they could re-up Gomez, who received her first acting nomination last year, or Lyonne, recognized two years ago for the first season of “Poker Face.”

COMEDY ACTOR
Adam Brody, “Nobody Wants This”
Seth Rogen, “The Studio”
Jason Segel, “Shrinking”
Martin Short, “Only Murders in the Building”
Jeremy Allen White, “The Bear”

Possible surprise: Steve Martin, “Only Murders in the Building”
Possible “snub”: Segel

As with comedy actress, this category has one less nominee slot this year, which could be bad news for veterans Martin and Ted Danson (“A Man on the Inside”). If Bell earns a nomination for lead actress, how could you leave out Brody? And if you laud Short, how do you neglect Martin? (That happened two years ago, when the field was five.) But if Emmy voters were paying attention — and that is, admittedly, a big if — they’d remember that it’s Martin who carried the emotional weight of the past season of “Only Murders,” his character grieving the guilt from the loss of his longtime stunt double and friend (played by Jane Lynch).

COMEDY SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Liza Colón-Zayas, “The Bear”
Hannah Einbinder, “Hacks”
Kathryn Hahn, “The Studio”
Janelle James, “Abbott Elementary”
Catherine O’Hara, “The Studio”
Sheryl Lee Ralph, “Abbott Elementary”
Jessica Williams, “Shrinking”

Possible surprise: Megan Stalter, “Hacks”
Possible “snub”: Hahn

There’s more room in the supporting categories, which sport seven spots. That should be good news for Hahn, consistently the most delightful actor working in television today. She could well be a double nominee for her profane, force-of-nature marketing exec on “The Studio” and for her lead turn in the Marvel spinoff “Agatha All Along.” She could also somehow be shut out completely. (Let’s not go there.)

COMEDY SUPPORTING ACTOR
Ike Barinholtz, “The Studio”
Paul Downs, “Hacks”
Harrison Ford, “Shrinking”
Ebon Moss-Bachrach, “The Bear”
Tyler James Williams, “Abbott Elementary”
Michael Urie, “Shrinking”
Bowen Yang, “Saturday Night Live”

Possible surprise: Colman Domingo, “The Four Seasons”
Possible ”snub”: Urie

“The Four Seasons” was a bit of a snooze, but I was nudged awake every time Domingo came onscreen. Will older voters have a soft spot for this featherweight Gen X friends drama, or were they just watching to take notes on places to visit in upstate New York? Netflix campaigners excel at vacuuming up nominations, so it wouldn’t be surprising if “The Four Seasons” outperforms expectations.

DRAMA SERIES
“Andor”
“The Diplomat”
“The Last of Us”
“Paradise”
“The Pitt”
“Severance”
“Slow Horses”
“The White Lotus”

Possible surprise: “Squid Game”
Possible “snub”: “Paradise”

The first season of “Andor” earned 8 nominations and it could well surpass that for its second and final go-round, one that leaned into a pointed critique of authoritarianism, showing how easily a democracy can erode into fascism. The category’s last spot is a toss-up between the disappointing second season of “Squid Game,” which felt bloated even at just seven episodes, and “Paradise,” another dystopian drama, but a lot more fun, even with all the overwrought ’80s covers.

DRAMA ACTRESS
Kathy Bates, “Matlock”
Britt Lower, “Severance”
Elisabeth Moss, “The Handmaid’s Tale”
Bella Ramsey, “The Last of Us”
Keri Russell, “The Diplomat”

No “snubs.” No surprises. These are the nominees. And jumping ahead, to answer your question: Yes, Kathy Bates has won an Emmy — two, in fact. If you saw her on “American Horror Story: Coven” somehow making a serial killer and slave abuser almost sympathetic, you know that particular Emmy was earned. And I’m not sure if she had more than two minutes of running time for the guest turn on “Two and a Half Men,” for which she won her first Emmy, but watching her spot-on imitation of Charlie Sheen as the ghost of Charlie Harper, I can’t argue with the choice.

DRAMA ACTOR
Sterling K. Brown, “Paradise”
Gary Oldman, “Slow Horses”
Pedro Pascal, “The Last of Us”
Adam Scott, “Severance”
Noah Wyle, “The Pitt”

Again, no “snubs.” No surprises. Unless the nerds in the actors branch go all in for Diego Luna in “Andor.”

DRAMA SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Carrie Coon, “The White Lotus”
Taylor Dearden, “The Pitt”
Allison Janney, “The Diplomat”
Katherine LaNasa, “The Pitt”
Parker Posey, “The White Lotus”
Natasha Rothwell, “The White Lotus”
Aimee Lou Wood, “The White Lotus”

Possible surprise: Leslie Bibb, “The White Lotus”
Possible “snub”: Dearden

“The White Lotus” snagged four nominations in this category for its second season, with Jennifer Coolidge winning. I’d expect the widely seen third season to at least equal that and possibly exceed it if voters go with Bibb. Meanwhile, “The Pitt,” featuring an ensemble with more fully realized characters, will have to settle for a one or two nods. (I’ll need Dr. King’s calm, caring support if Dearden isn’t nominated.) What will it take to break through this two-show category blockade? Just an actor owning seven Emmys. Janney doesn’t need a spot on “The Pitt” or “The White Lotus” to make it in, though wouldn’t it be fun if she showed up on the next season of one of these shows?

DRAMA SUPPORTING ACTOR
Walton Goggins, “The White Lotus”
Jason Isaacs, “The White Lotus”
Jack Lowden, “Slow Horses”
Sam Rockwell, “The White Lotus”
Patrick Schwarzenegger, “The White Lotus”
Tramell Tillman, “Severance”
John Turturro, “Severance”

Possible surprise: Patrick Ball, “The Pitt”
Possible “snub”: Schwarzenegger

Do all the “White Lotus” men make the cut too? Possibly. Though, again, it’d be nice to even things out a bit and include Ball, so good as the troubled Dr. Langdon on “The Pitt.” Given the character’s ambiguous fate, this might be the only chance to nominate Ball. Lowden earned his first nomination last year, alongside “Slow Horses” castmate Jonathan Pryce. With the show’s latest season hinging on the emotional relationship between their characters, there’s a chance they both could return.

LIMITED SERIES
“Adolescence”
“Dying for Sex”
“Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story”
“The Penguin”
“Say Nothing”

Possible surprise: “Disclaimer”
Possible “snub”: “Say Nothing”

Perhaps I’m underestimating “Disclaimer,” Alfonso Cuarón’s pulpy psychological thriller. Expectations were high; Apple TV+ had the chutzpah to show it at both the Venice and Telluride film festivals last year. But its pleasures and narrative momentum dissipated rather rapidly over the course of its seven episodes. I don’t know anyone who managed to finish it. Yet, in a weak year for limited series, it might make it in on name value alone.

LIMITED SERIES/MOVIE ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett, “Disclaimer”
Kaitlyn Dever, “Apple Cider Vinegar”
Cristin Milioti, “The Penguin”
Michelle Williams, “Dying for Sex”
Renée Zellweger, “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy”

Possible surprise: Ellen Pompeo, “Good American Family”
Possible “snub”: Dever

Zellweger won an Oscar for playing the plucky farmer in “Cold Mountain” and a deteriorating Judy Garland in “Judy.” And, given the film academy’s aversion to humor, it might surprise you to learn that she earned a lead actress nomination for the first “Bridget Jones” movie in 2002. Now, more than two decades later, Zellweger has a shot at her first Emmy nomination for the fourth film in the series. It’s her signature role. Give her the nod and the Emmy too.

LIMITED SERIES/MOVIE ACTOR
Colin Farrell, “The Penguin”
Stephen Graham, “Adolescence”
Brian Tyree Henry, “Dope Thief”
Kevin Kline, “Disclaimer”
Cooper Koch, “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story”

Graham figures to be nominated for “Adolescence” as a producer, actor and writer. (He wrote all four episodes with series co-creator Jack Thorne.) He’s excellent playing Eddie, the shell-shocked dad, particularly in the series’ final episode, which has his character dealing with the aftermath of his son’s arrest, trying to have normal life, a happy birthday, while plagued by doubts that what happened was somehow his fault. Graham deserves the Emmy for the last scene, where Eddie goes into his son’s room, tucks in his teddy bear and whispers, “I’m sorry, son. I should’ve done better.”

LIMITED SERIES/MOVIE SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Erin Doherty, “Adolescence”
Deirdre O’Connell, “The Penguin”
Imogen Faith Reid, “Good American Family”
Chloë Sevigny, “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story”
Jenny Slate, “Dying for Sex”
Christine Tremarco, “Adolescence”

Possible surprise: Lesley Manville, “Disclaimer”
Possible “snub”: Reid

Doherty will likely win for the series’ third episode, the taut two-hander with Owen Cooper. But, again, the fourth episode is just as good — maybe even better — featuring a heart-rending turn from Tremarco as the mom trying to hold it together.

LIMITED SERIES/MOVIE SUPPORTING ACTOR
Javier Bardem, “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story”
Owen Cooper, “Adolescence”
Rob Delaney, “Dying for Sex”
Rhenzy Feliz, “The Penguin”
Peter Sarsgaard, “Presumed Innocent”
Ashley Walters, “Adolescence”

Possible surprise: Clancy Brown, “The Penguin”
Possible “snub”: Sarsgaard

Cooper will soon become the fifth teen actor to win a Primetime Emmy. Next up: A juicy role in Emerald Fennell’s adaptation of “Wuthering Heights.”

July signals summer fun, Independence Day and … Emmy nominations.

Nominations for TV’s biggest awards show will be announced Tuesday. This year’s field of small-screen offerings includes returning favorites like HBO’s “The White Lotus” and breakout hits such as Apple TV+’s “The Studio.”

Here is everything you need to know about this year’s Emmy nominations.

When will Emmy nominations be announced?

The 77th Emmy Awards nominations will be revealed Tuesday beginning at 8:30 a.m. PT/11:30 a.m. ET. The nominees will be announced by Television Academy Chair Cris Abrego alongside “What We Do in the Shadows” star Harvey Guillén and “Running Point’s” Brenda Song.

How can I watch?

You can livestream the announcement on the TV Academy’s website or YouTube channel.

Who are the predicted nominees?

“Hacks” and “The Studio” are expected to lead the comedy pack. Other contenders include “The Bear,” “Only Murders in the Building,” “Abbott Elementary,” “Shrinking,” “What We Do in the Shadows” and “Nobody Wants This.”

Drama series nominees could include “Severance,” “The Pitt,” “The White Lotus” and “The Last of Us.” “Slow Horses,” “Andor,” “The Diplomat” and “Squid Game” are also in the running.

The limited series front-runners, meanwhile, include “Adolescence,” “The Penguin,” “Dying for Sex,” “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story” and “Disclaimer.”

After nominations are announced, final-round voting will commence Aug. 18 and conclude Aug. 27.

When are the 2025 Emmy Awards?

The 77th Emmy Awards will take place Sept. 14 at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET at downtown’s Peacock Theater in L.A. Live. The ceremony, hosted for the first time by Nate Bargatze, will air live on CBS and stream on Paramount+ the next day.

Jesse Collins Entertainment is producing the Emmy Awards for the third consecutive year.

The Creative Arts Emmys will be held Sept. 6 and 7.

Emmy nominations voting ends tonight at 10 p.m. PT. Still need help with your ballot?

I’m Glenn Whipp, columnist for the Los Angeles Times and host of The Envelope newsletter. Still time to bite into a “Jaws” doughnut and peruse my picks for this year’s Emmy races. (An ordinary bagel will do.)

My personal picks in 15 Emmy categories

There are more than 100 Emmy categories, and if you scrolled through each and every one of them on the Television Academy’s website, you are probably one of those people who read the terms and conditions on a document before signing your name.

For me, simply filling out the following 15 categories — five each for comedy, drama and limited series — left me exhausted and in need of a sweet treat. And I already finished my “Jaws” doughnut. Maybe this cherries jubilee? Paul Giamatti would approve.

Without further ado, here are my picks and a brief line of reasoning for each. And if it’s predictions you’re after, you can find our full BuzzMeter panel’s choices here.

Bridget Everett in “Somebody Somewhere.”

(Sandy Morris / HBO)

COMEDY SERIES
“Abbott Elementary”
“The Bear”
“Hacks”
“A Man on the Inside”
“Only Murders in the Building”
“The Rehearsal”
“Somebody Somewhere”
“The Studio”

Yes, “The Rehearsal” is a comedy.

COMEDY ACTRESS
Quinta Brunson, “Abbott Elementary”
Ayo Edebiri, “The Bear”
Bridget Everett, “Somebody Somewhere”
Natasha Lyonne, “Poker Face”
Jean Smart, “Hacks”

Last call on nominating Everett (and her magical series), which has won a Peabody.

COMEDY ACTOR
Ted Danson, “A Man on the Inside”
Steve Martin, “Only Murders in the Building”
Seth Rogen, “The Studio”
Martin Short, “Only Murders in the Building”
Jeremy Allen White, “The Bear”

Best Netflix comedy: “A Man on the Inside,” anchored by Danson, still a master of light laughs.

COMEDY SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Liza Colón-Zayas, “The Bear”
Hannah Einbinder, “Hacks”
Kathryn Hahn, “The Studio”
Linda Lavin, “Mid-Century Modern”
Jane Lynch, “Only Murders in the Building”
Catherine O’Hara, “The Studio”
Sheryl Lee Ralph, “Abbott Elementary”

Colón-Zayas won last year, probably for the episode that she submitted this year. It’s weird when shows drop their new seasons in June.

COMEDY SUPPORTING ACTOR
Ike Barinholtz, “The Studio”
Colman Domingo, “The Four Seasons”
Paul Downs, “Hacks”
Harrison Ford, “Shrinking”
Ebon Moss-Bachrach, “The Bear”
Tyler James Williams, “Abbott Elementary”
Bowen Yang, “Saturday Night Live”

Thank you, Sal Saperstein!

Tramell Tillman in “Severance.”

(Apple TV+)

DRAMA SERIES
“Andor”
“The Last of Us”
“Paradise”
“The Pitt”
“Severance”
“Slow Horses”
“The White Lotus”
“Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light”

Voting for “Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light” checks a couple of boxes.

DRAMA ACTRESS
Kathy Bates, “Matlock”
Britt Lower, “Severance”
Elisabeth Moss, “The Handmaid’s Tale”
Kaitlin Olson, “High Potential”
Bella Ramsey, “The Last of Us”

Moss won this Emmy eight years ago. With the show ending, she has earned a parting gift.

DRAMA ACTOR
Sterling K. Brown, “Paradise”
Gary Oldman, “Slow Horses”
Pedro Pascal, “The Last of Us”
Adam Scott, “Severance”
Noah Wyle, “The Pitt”

“Why don’t you say whatever speech you’ve got rehearsed and get this over with.” Godspeed, old friend. Also: Joel’s parting words should flash onscreen any time an Emmy winner goes long at the podium.

DRAMA SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Carrie Coon, “The White Lotus”
Taylor Dearden, “The Pitt”
Fiona Dourif, “The Pitt”
Tracy Ifeachor, “The Pitt”
Katherine LaNasa, “The Pitt”
Julianne Nicholson, “Paradise”
Parker Posey, “The White Lotus”

Women of “The Pitt” > Women of “The White Lotus”

DRAMA SUPPORTING ACTOR
Patrick Ball, “The Pitt”
Gerran Howell, “The Pitt”
Jason Isaacs, “The White Lotus”
Damian Lewis, “Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light”
Jack Lowden, “Slow Horses”
Tramell Tillman, “Severance”
John Turturro, “Severance”

I don’t know. Tillman might deserve the Emmy for this alone.

Christine Tremarco and Stephen Graham in “Adolescence.”

(Netflix )

LIMITED SERIES
“Adolescence”
“Dope Thief”
“Dying for Sex”
“The Penguin”
“Say Nothing”

“Adolescence” should win everything.

LIMITED SERIES/MOVIE ACTRESS
Kaitlyn Dever, “Apple Cider Vinegar”
Cristin Milioti, “The Penguin”
Lola Petticrew, “Say Nothing”
Michelle Williams, “Dying for Sex”
Renée Zellweger, “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy”

OK, maybe not everything, as “Adolescence” doesn’t have a submission here. Zellweger probably won’t win because comic acting rarely does, even though it most definitely should.

LIMITED SERIES/MOVIE ACTOR
Colin Farrell, “The Penguin”
Stephen Graham, “Adolescence”
Brian Tyree Henry, “Dope Thief”
Kevin Kline, “Disclaimer”
Cooper Koch, “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story”

Farrell has already won so many awards for “The Penguin,” it feels like either A) he must have won the Emmy too or B) he hasn’t, and good God, let somebody else have a prize. (Like Graham.)

LIMITED SERIES/MOVIE SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Erin Doherty, “Adolescence”
Ruth Negga, “Presumed Innocent”
Deirde O’Connell, “The Penguin”
Imogen Faith Reid, “Good American Family”
Jenny Slate, “Dying for Sex”
Christine Tremarco, “Adolescence”

Doherty will likely win for the series’ third episode, the taut two-hander with Owen Cooper. But the fourth episode is just as good — maybe even better — featuring a heart-rending turn from Tremarco as the mom trying to hold it together.

LIMITED SERIES/MOVIE SUPPORTING ACTOR
Javier Bardem, “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story”
Owen Cooper, “Adolescence”
Rob Delaney, “Dying for Sex”
Rhenzy Feliz, “The Penguin”
Hugh Grant, “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy”
Ashley Walters, “Adolescence”

Cooper will soon become the fifth teen actor to win a Primetime Emmy.

Yes, Tom Cruise will soon own an Oscar. But has he ever flown a Boeing 737 with 150 passengers on board?

I’m Glenn Whipp, columnist for the Los Angeles Times and host of The Envelope newsletter, here to explain why Nathan Fielder should be the Top Gun of this Emmy season.

A show too singular to ignore

The second season of Nathan Fielder’s brilliantly bonkers “The Rehearsal” opens inside a commercial jet cockpit where the plane’s captain and first officer are having a tense exchange as they prepare to land at a fogged-in runway. The first officer suggests they’re off course. The captain disagrees but is soon proved wrong as the plane crashes. We see the pilots slumped in the cockpit, dead. Then the camera pans to Fielder, surveying the fiery aftermath, a disaster he just re-created in a simulator on a soundstage.

With that prelude, it may seem strange to tell you that I laughed out loud as many times watching “The Rehearsal” as I did any other TV series this season. Not during the simulated disasters, of course, which Fielder used to illustrate what he believes to be biggest issue in airline travel today — pilots failing to communicate during a crisis.

So, yes, “The Rehearsal” is about airline safety. Mostly. But Fielder is a master of misdirection. There is no way you can predict where he’ll direct his premise, and I found myself delighting in utter surprise at the tangents he took in “The Rehearsal” this season.

An alternate biopic of pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, with Fielder playing Sully from diapered baby to the Evanescence-loving hero landing in the Hudson River? Yes! Re-creating the German subsidiary of Paramount+ as a Nazi headquarters? OK! Vacuuming up air from San Jose to help train a cloned dog in Los Angeles while he attempts to understand how the nature-vs.-nurture dynamic might play out in human behavior? Ummmmm … sure. We’ll go with it!

Nathan Fielder takes the controls in “The Rehearsal.”

(John P. Johnson / HBO)

With Fielder’s incisive mind, the detours are everything. Even the destination this season came as a jolt. Yes, it involves that Boeing 737 I mentioned in the intro, and, no, I’m not going to elaborate because I still feel like not enough people have watched “The Rehearsal.” The series’ first two seasons are available on HBO, as are all four seasons of Fielder’s Comedy Central docuseries “Nathan for You,” which had Fielder “helping” small-business owners improve their sales. (Example: Pitching a Santa Clarita liquor store owner that he should sell booze to minors but just not let them take it home until they turned 21.)

The humor in “The Rehearsal” can be just as outrageous as “Nathan for You,” but the overall tone is more thoughtful, as it also explores loneliness and the masks we all wear at times to hide our alienation.

For the Emmys, HBO has submitted “The Rehearsal” in the comedy categories. Where else would they put it? But the show is so singular that I wonder if even its fans in the Television Academy will remember to vote for it. They should. It’s funny, insightful, occasionally terrifying, utterly unforgettable. And I hope Isabella Henao, the winner of the series’ reality show competition, goes places. She sure can sing!

Tom Cruise, Dolly Parton will have their Oscar moments

Meanwhile, that other pilot, Tom Cruise, will finally receive an Oscar, an honorary one, in November at the Governors Awards, alongside production designer Wynn Thomas and choreographer and actor Debbie Allen.

Dolly Parton, singer, actor and beloved icon, will be given the annual Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for her charitable work.

Cruise has been nominated for three acting Oscars over the years — for playing Marine Corps Sgt. Ron Kovic in Oliver Stone’s 1989 antiwar movie “Born on the Fourth of July,” the sports agent who had Renée Zellweger at hello in Cameron Crowe’s 1996 classic “Jerry Maguire” and the chauvinistic motivational speaker in Paul Thomas Anderson’s 1999 opus “Magnolia.” Cruise was also nominated as a producer for 2022’s dad cinema favorite “Top Gun: Maverick.”

Tom Cruise, left, and Paul Newman in “The Color of Money.”

(Fox Broadcasting Company)

Cruise should have won the supporting actor Oscar for “Magnolia,” a ferocious turn in which he harnessed his strutting brashness to play an odious character hiding a deep well of pain. It came the same year as his star turn opposite then-wife Nicole Kidman in “Eyes Wide Shut.” Not a bad double feature! Instead, Michael Caine won for “Cider House Rules” during an Oscar era in which there was seemingly no prize Harvey Weinstein couldn’t land. It wasn’t even Caine’s first Oscar; he had already won for “Hannah and Her Sisters.”

Cruise has devoted himself to commercial action movies, mostly of the “Mission: Impossible” variety, for the past two decades. He did recently complete filming a comedy with director Alejandro González Iñárritu, scheduled for release next year.

It’d be funny if Cruise wins a competitive Oscar after picking up an honorary one. It happened with Paul Newman, Cruise’s co-star in “The Color of Money.”

Read more of our Emmy coverage