Everywhere you look in our Emmy predictions 2025, there’s something modern. The Emmys tend to get dinged for recognizing the same stuff over and over
Everywhere you look in our Emmy predictions 2025, there’s something modern. The Emmys tend to get dinged for recognizing the same stuff over and over—but with TV continuing to weather general industry volatility and rapidly shifting viewer habits, there seems to be more turnover than ever this year. All that unpredictability has yielded several brilliant modern shows poised for major awards breakthroughs this year—from a structurally inventive spin on a classic format in The Pitt, to a harrowing conversation-starter on up-to-date masculinity in Adolescence, to, perhaps most fittingly, a brutally timely Hollywood satire in The Studio.
All of the aforementioned shows will battle returning favorites like Severance, The White Lotus, and Hacks when the Emmys air in September. Voted on by the Television Academy—an organization consisting of actors, writers, directors, and others who work in the TV business—this year’s Emmy Awards will be defined by the intermingling of the ancient and the modern. Only once the dust settles will we know which side will win out. For now, here’s who we project will get some good news when the nominations for all the major categories are announced on July 15.
COMEDY SERIES
Abbott Elementary
The Bear
Hacks
Nobody Wants This
Only Murders in the Building
Shrinking
The Studio
What We Do in the Shadows
This group will be full of returning nominees, including recent category winners Hacks and The Bear, plus Abbott Elementary, What We Do in the Shadows, and Only Murders in the Building. The biggest modern breakout shows, Nobody Wants This and The Studio, feel like effortless locks too. Shrinking wasn’t nominated here for its first season, but has gained momentum from a sturdy second season, especially for Harrison Ford’s work. There’s a chance The Four Seasons could break through because of the talent involved—but the real wild card in comedy series is The Rehearsal, which is competing in this category for the first time. —Rebecca Ford
ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Kristen Bell, Nobody Wants This
Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary
Ayo Edebiri, The Bear
Selena Gomez, Only Murders in the Building
Jean Smart, Hacks
Unless we get a deserving upset, like recognition for the great Bridget Everett in the final season of Somebody Somewhere or a nod for Uzo Aduba and her oddball brilliance in The Residence, this field looks thinner than usual. Really, we’re talking about six or seven stars competing for five slots. Our locks are the women who have been nominated every year they’ve been eligible for their respective shows: Quinta Brunson, Ayo Edebiri, and the undefeated Jean Smart.
Kristen Bell is angling to receive her first Primetime Emmy nomination after decades of great work onscreen, and I suspect she’ll get it. Kate Hudson is in the, ahem, running for Running Point, a charming basketball comedy showcasing her full star power—but the show has struggled to shift from commercial hit to true contender. If Hudson’s impressive commitment to the campaign trail isn’t enough, the last slot will come down to two other returning nominees. Selena Gomez was not nominated for the first two seasons of Only Murders, but she did get in last year. And her reputation as a sedate actor was further bolstered in the fall by Emilia Pérez, for which she received Golden Globe and BAFTA noms. Natasha Lyonne’s Poker Face, meanwhile, is still putting up sturdy numbers. I think the slot will narrowly go to Gomez, if only because Only Murders’ dominance at the SAG Awards earlier this year indicated that her mystery sitcom is bigger than ever with actors. —David Canfield
ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Adam Brody, Nobody Wants This
Seth Rogen, The Studio
Jason Segel, Shrinking
Martin Short, Only Murders in the Building
Jeremy Allen White, The Bear
It feels strange to split up Only Murders in the Building costars Martin Short and Steve Martin—but in 2023, Short landed a nomination and Martin did not. Then Short won a surprise SAG Award in this same category, which has given him added momentum. Jeremy Allen White should return as the category’s reigning champ, and Jason Segel was already nominated for the first season of Shrinking; he seems to have earned just as much love this season. Seth Rogen and Adam Brody would be modern additions to the category, but both feel like locks, as their shows will likely be heavily nominated elsewhere. Matt Berry was a surprise nomination last year for What We Do in the Shadows, but with the category only having five slots this year, I sadly don’t think he will make the cut this time around. —R.F.
SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Ike Barinholtz, The Studio
Paul W. Downs, Hacks
Harrison Ford, Shrinking
Ebon Moss-Bachrach, The Bear
Michael Urie, Shrinking
Tyler James Williams, Abbott Elementary
Bowen Yang, Saturday Night Live
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