emmy nomination

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.

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.

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.