7 Biggest 2025 Emmy Snubs, Ranked

The 77th Emmy Awards managed to achieve something many award shows seem allergic to as of late: bestow the right people with their much-deserving statuettes. From the final defeat of The Bear’s domination over the comedy categories (in which the show is woefully misplaced) to the sheer elation of Tramell Tillman becoming the first black man in Emmy history to take home the prize for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama, the Emmys nailed it. Mostly.

Even the best of, well, anything has room for improvement. The best steak could always use a bit more seasoning. The best manicure will always have a stray bit of gel too close to the cuticle. And the best award show will still have some notable snubs. (Written with respect to the winners, who are all deserving of their awards.)

7

Outstanding Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series

Image via Netflix

This one is a bit awkward. Actress (director, producer, spokeswoman, and Lego heroine) Elizabeth Banks took the stage to present the award for Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series. Much of her dialogue made note of the gender balance of the nominees: “And when was the last time a directing category had five women and one man?” Nominated were Shannon Murphy for Dying for Sex, Helen Shaver and Jennifer Getzinger for their respective episodes of The Penguin, Nicole Kassell for Sirens, Lesli Linka Glatter for Zero Day, and Philip Barantini for Adolescence.

Cue the sirens. Anyone with a sense of irony knew what was coming: Baranti’s name was called, and he took home yet another Emmy during Adolescence’s small sweep of the limited categories. It’s certainly not that Baranti isn’t deserving of the award — he absolutely is, and the success of Adolescence is proof enough of that. But after a setup like the one Banks put forth, it’s hard not to consider the loss of the four women nominated alongside him a snub.

6

Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series

Image via Disney+

Andor got its overdue flowers during the 77th Emmys. The most prestigious entry to the Star Wars TV universe, Andor was nominated for three awards — including Outstanding Drama Series and Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series — and took home one. Dan Gilroy landed the win for the ninth episode of Season 2, “Welcome to the Rebellion.” Gilroy, whose brother, Tony Gilroy, created the series for Disney+, made note of another prominent snub: that of actress Genevieve O’Reilly, aka Andor’s Mon Mothma.

There’s no debating that Gilroy was deserving of the award. But consider this: “Cold Harbor.” Severance‘s Season 2 finale was a masterclass in tension-building and pacing, culminating in a cliffhanger that had social media (and critics) buzzing for days. Episode scribe Dan Erickson could have easily taken home the win, and the reaction to the Emmys would have been much the same. In fact, the category was so full of talent that any outcome would have been a good one. What a wonderful problem to have, and what a wonderful era of television we currently inhabit.

5

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

Image via Hulu

Let’s get this out of the way: Seth Rogen’s work in The Studio is undeniably wonderful. His vision for the show is fresh and unique, and his direction and aesthetic preferences are a delight for the eyes. He does Hollywood proud, more than earning the statuette for Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. However, that win did result in some Canadian-on-Canadian violence, and we need to talk about it.

Watching Martin Short’s performance as Oliver Putnam in Only Murders in the Building is like watching a master at work. And thus far, he has yet to win a single Emmy for that role. His co-star, Steve Martin, also has yet to take home an award for his role as Charles Haden-Savage. It seems unbelievable that actors as seasoned and talented as Short and Martin have walked away empty-handed for their work. And if that trend continues, it will surely be looked upon with as much shock as Steve Carell never winning an Emmy for The Office. (Yes, that’s true. And yes, that’s insane.)

4

Outstanding Comedy Series

Image via ABC

Of course, The Studio deserved its win for Outstanding Comedy Series. But can we be real for a second? Where on earth is Abbott Elementary’s win in that category?

Quinta Brunson’s school-centric sitcom has thus far amassed a whopping 30 Emmy nominations and taken home some truly well-deserved statuettes, including Lead Actress for Brunson and Supporting Actress for the incomparable Sheryl Lee Ralph, but it has yet to take home the award it’s been nominated for four times in a row: Best Comedy Series. What more does the Academy need from Abbott Elementary to make that happen? A stunningly talented cast? Got it. Episodes that land every joke while also fleshing out its characters and giving them room for heartfelt moments in between all the chaos? Got it. Amazing guest stars? Got that, too. Slap some respect on Abbott Elementary’s name and give that wonderful little sitcom its Emmy, dammit.

3

Outstanding Drama Series

Image via Atsushi Nishijima / Apple TV+ / Courtesy Everett Collection

Before any The Pitt fans raise their pitchforks (or a medical-equivalent weapon of their choice), let’s just get this out of the way: The Pitt’s win was earned. It was wonderful. It’s a triumph, and so is the show itself. Okay? Are we good? Let’s go.

So…Severance. An equally excellent show with a wildly different vibe, the 2025 Emmy race saw Severance and The Pitt go head-to-head in most of the major categories. Katherine LaNasa took home the award for Outstanding Supporting Actress (hell yeah) for The Pitt, while Britt Lower and Tramell Tillman nabbed one each for Outstanding Lead Actress and Outstanding Supporting Actor for Severance. And then The Pitt just kept winning. And winning. Severance lost over and over, which was a shock to many Severance fans who were sure the show would sweep. But there was one snub that was far more egregious than the show losing out on the Drama Series win…

2

Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series

Image via Apple TV+

Jessica Lee Gagné. The woman, the myth, the legend. Severance’s cinematographer-turned-director was rightfully nominated for her work on “Chikhai Bardo,” the seventh episode of the Apple TV+ show’s stellar second season. Gagné brought her keen eye for the ethereal to the episode and created some of the show’s most heartbreaking, mesmerizing sequences with the flashbacks to Mark and Gemma’s relationship through the years.

Gagné’s eye was crucial in crafting the almost dream-like quality to the couple’s past. She often opted out of CGI and utilized multiple practical maneuvers to bring some of the episode’s trickiest shots to life. You could feel the blood, sweat, and tears that went into making every frame as beautiful and perfect as it could possibly be, and the result was an episode audiences will never forget. So…with all due respect to Slow Horses, that award really should have gone to Gagné.

Image via NBC

While Jean Smart was busy taking home her umpteenth well-earned win for her role as professional comedian Deborah Vance in Hacks, another professional comedian was busy laying a goose egg on the stage: Nate Bargatze. Bargatze, whose successful stand-up career relies on easily palatable, family-friendly jokes, seemingly forgot to bring any of that arena-packing charm to the stage. He rightly chose to kick off his monologue with a small self-roast, quipping: “A lot of people are wondering, like, why am I hosting?” Unfortunately, his lackluster joke delivery and lack of enthusiasm made the comment more of an omen than a smart setup to eschew expectations.

From his apparent inability to land a punchline to his near-constant stumbling through most of his lines, it seems Bargatze was ill-prepared to command a stage as big as the Emmys. All that would normally engender sympathy, if not for his seeming disinterest in getting the train back on the tracks at the first sign of a wobbly wheel. Simply put, Bargatze lacked the charisma to carry the show. And that’s not to mention the Boys & Girls Club speech donation counter. Bargatze’s biggest joke relied heavily on updates to the total, which saw it fall or rise depending on the length of the acceptance speeches. A gimmick that perhaps would have seen more success if placed on the long-winded presenters, rather than the excited winners — many of whom were receiving awards for the very first time. We can only hope that the show opts for a host with a bit more charm for next year’s broadcast.