Who actually deserves an Emmy nomination this year?

It felt a little strange to say that Severance was the king of TV and then pass up Adam Scott and Britt Lower nominations in favor of actors on other shows, but the Supporting Actor trophy simply must go somewhere in Lumon offices. Despite Adam Scott’s true turn as a leading man in season 2, Severance’s ensemble-heavy plot also stars Tramell Tillman, John Turturro, Christopher Walken, and Zach Cherry. If I had to choose just one (and I do, sadly), Tillman is the clear choice. Mr. Milchick is the role he was born to play.

Honourable mentions: Turturro, Walken, and Cherry (Severance); Walton Goggins and Tayme Thapthimthong (The White Lotus); James Marsden (Paradise); Charles Edwards (The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power) – RIP Celebrimbor! – and Paddy Considine (MobLand).

Supporting Actress (Drama) – Genevieve O’Reilly (Andor)

This is another tough category, but folks around the Esquire office were dead set on giving Genevieve O’Reilly her flowers for playing Mon Mothma on Andor. According to Variety’s predictions, the galactic senator isn’t expected to even receive a nomination. Instead, the voters are more likely to choose Katherine LaNasa (The Pitt), Carrie Coon and Parker Posey (The White Lotus), and possibly even Patricia Arquette (Severance). All fine picks! But did you hear Mon Mothma’s senate speech? It’s the most inspiring thing I heard from any politician – real or fictional – all year. 

Honourable mentions: Katherine LaNasa (The Pitt), Taylor Dearden (The Pitt), Isabela Merced (The Last of Us), Dichen Lachman and Patricia Arquette (Severance), and Carrie Coon and Parker Posey (The White Lotus).

Guest Actor and Guest Actress (Drama) – Joe Pantoliano and Kaitlyn Dever (The Last of Us)

The Guest Actor award is for actors who appear in one episode – or even just a single scene. No drama had better guests this year than The Last of Us, partly because the season was so haphazardly pieced together that even Pedro Pascal featured only in a couple episodes. But that disarray may win them a few Emmy Awards, as the short performances from Joe Pantoliano as a man bitten by the infected and Kaitlyn Dever as the new antagonist who – spoiler alert – kills Joel were some of the year’s best.

Honourable mentions: Jon Bernthal (Daredevil: Born Again), John Noble (Severance), Gwendoline Christie (Severance), Catherine O’Hara (The Last of Us), and Ella Purnell (Yellowjackets).

Outstanding Comedy Series – The Studio

In our rankings of the best TV shows of 2025 so far, our senior entertainment editor Brady Langmann wrote, “When I finished The Studio, I ran to a meeting and loudly (slash obnoxiously) declared it the best comedy of the streaming era.” Once I finally got around to it, it was clear why. There’s a lot working in The Studio’s favour – Seth Rogen, Hollywood parody, people playing fictional versions of themselves like on Curb Your Enthusiasm – but its real strength lies in picking apart just what makes movie studios tick nowadays. Where Fox News hosts may lazily joke that everything is too woke, The Studio shows film executives freaking out in their conference rooms while planning the Kool-Aid movie because they’re worried that they may actually be perceived as not woke enough. 

Honourable mentions: The Rehearsal, Hacks, The Righteous Gemstones, The Bear, Abbott Elementary, and What We Do in the Shadows.

Lead Actor (Comedy) – Nathan Fielder (The Rehearsal)

Lead Actress (Comedy) – Jean Smart (Hacks)

Supporting Actor (Comedy) – Walton Goggins (The Righteous Gemstones)

We may see Goggins nominated for both Supporting Actor (Drama) and Supporting Actor (Comedy) this year, but it’s his comedic role as Billy Gemstone in the final season of The Righteous Gemstones that deserves recognition. Gemstones is packed to the brim with zany characters. You could throw Adam DeVine, John Goodman, and Tony Cavalero in here just as easily as Goggins, but every scene with Baby Billy exudes silliness. If you want to really drive home that The Bear isn’t a comedy (and critics always do), then award one of the funniest guys on TV this year instead.

Honourable mentions: Ike Barinholtz (The Studio), Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Bear), Matty Matheson (The Bear), Tyler James Williams (Abbott Elementary), Harrison Ford (Shrinking), and Bowen Yang (Saturday Night Live).

Supporting Actress (Comedy) – Liza Colón-Zayas (The Bear)

Okay, look, I know I just complained that The Bear isn’t a comedy. And when I say that Liza Colón-Zayas should win this award, it’s equally as contradictory, because there’s nothing about her starring episode, “Napkins,” that is ha-ha funny. But goddamn. I’m not the one who submits this show for Comedy, so don’t get angry at me. As much as I love the cast of Abbott Elementary, I have no qualms saying that Colón-Zayas gave one of the greatest performances in season 3 of The Bear that I’ve ever seen.

Honourable mentions: Janelle James and Sheryl Lee Ralph (Abbott Elementary), Kathryn Hahn (The Studio), Hannah Einbinder (Hacks), and Jessica Williams (Shrinking).

Guest Actor & Guest Actress (Comedy) – Dave Franco and Zoë Kravitz (The Studio)

Among a host of actors playing fictional versions of themselves on The Studio – shout-out Martin Scorsese, Anthony Mackie, and Ron Howard – Dave Franco and Zoë Kravitz steal the show in the two-part finale. Basically, the two guest stars pretend that they are high out of their minds on mushrooms during an important CinemaCon presentation. Where Franco is mostly in his element here – the man has appeared in too many bro comedies to count – Kravitz is a delightful surprise.

Honourable mentions: Bradley Cooper (The Righteous Gemstones), Julianne Nicholson (Hacks), Jamie Lee Curtis (The Bear).

Outstanding Limited Series – The Penguin

Adolescence is a heavy favorite to win at this year’s awards show, but I’m putting all my eggs in The Penguin’s basket. The Batman spin-off should serve as the new pinnacle for superhero-adjacent TV, and a lot of its success stands on the shoulders of its exceptional cast.

I could write four more paragraphs here, but I’ll take this space to say that I hope Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, and Deidre O’Connell sweep the Limited Series categories this year. The Penguin was campy, silly, and one of the most compelling character studies I’ve seen on TV in a long time. In The Penguin, Farrell is completely transformed. Milioti’s villain is a long way from her role in How I Met Your Mother, and O’Connell insane performance as Oz Cobb’s mother maybe deserves two Emmys instead of just one. 

I hope Owen Cooper (Adolescence) takes home the award for Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series. The 15-year-old is easily the most impressive emerging talent among all the actors up for nominations this year, and he found the perfect little slice of televised drama to show off his chops. Still, I can’t hide that I was absolutely in a state of glee over The Penguin every week last fall. Oz Cobb, I love you, man.

Honourable mentions: Presumed Innocent, Disclaimer, American Primeval, Brian Tyree Henry (Dope Thief) and Betty Gilpin (Three Women).