The 2025 Emmy nominations are here, and while plenty of heavy hitters received the expected nods, there were also a ton of unexpected moments. From the A-list actors who were passed over to the Cinderella stories of the season, campaigning is sure to heat up before the Sept. 14 ceremony. Check out Variety’s list of the biggest snubs and surprises from nomination morning below.
Surprise: No ‘Last of Us’ Season 2 Fatigue for the Show’s Key Players
First season leads Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, who received nominations last year, also picked up nods this season, despite a rockier reception to the second season and an early change in Pascal’s status.
Snub: Patrick Schwarzenegger, Michelle Monaghan, Sam Nivola and Leslie Bibb Didn’t Check Into the Awards Race With ‘White Lotus’ Co-Stars
There was never going to be enough room for everyone in the fêted cast to have a shot, so these absences read more as a volume issue than an acting critique. (And a ton of their co-stars did make the cut in both supporting and guest categories.)
Surprise: ‘The Pitt’ Supporting Players May Have Split the Vote
As sometimes happens with buzzy shows with huge casts, it seems likely that some of “The Pitt” cast members might have canceled each other out, including Fiona Dourif, Taylor Dearden, Isa Briones and Tracy Ifeachor. Katherine LaNasa was the only supporting nod with Shawn Hatosy picking up a guest actor nomination.
Snub: Elisabeth Moss not nominated for the last season of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’
Although it was the sixth and final season of the prestigious series — which she had been nominated for outstanding lead actress in a drama series four times and won once — Moss didn’t receive a nod for the series’ end.
Surprise: ‘The Residence’ Star Uzo Aduba Scores Even Though Netflix Cancelled the Series
While Netflix doesn’t want any more episodes of the mystery series, the Television Academy awarded Aduba’s sly lead performance.
Surprise: Meghann Fahy gets a nod for “Sirens”
Fahy’s punky, inquisitive role was not overlooked, despite the series’ short episode count.
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Snub: Seth Meyers’ Time Slot Put Him at a Disadvantage
By moving from four to three submissions in the talk series category, Meyers’ late start time could have nudged him out of his other late night competitors.
Surprise: ‘The Voice’ Stumbles for the First Time in More Than a Decade
The singing competition has received an outstanding reality competition program nod every year since 2012 and has won four times along the way — yet it was boxed out this year.
Snub: ‘Agatha All Along’ Missed in All Acting Categories
Kathryn Hahn and the cast couldn’t conjure up any magic in the above-the-line nominations.
Snub: Tina Fey’s Buzzy “The Four Seasons” Only Lands One Nomination
While Colman Domingo got a supporting actor nod, Fey, a Television Academy darling, couldn’t make more waves with her most recent project.
Snub: Paul Giamatti Can’t Jump in With ‘Black Mirror’
Despite anchoring one of the most emotional episodes of the series, Giamatti — who previously won an Emmy for the 2008 miniseries “John Adams” — didn’t draw enough attention to his understated performance.
Snub: ‘Yellowjackets’ Comes Up Empty-Handed.
The survival series was DOA with the Television Academy.
Surprise: No Acting Love for ‘Andor’
Diego Luna, Adria Arjona and Genevieve O’Reilly felt like shoo-ins for their great work during this epic second season, but no one from this galaxy far, far away was celebrated.
Snub: ‘The Bear’ Creator Chris Storer left out of the race.
Storer may have won four Emmys for his work on the show, but that streak has come to an end.
Snub: ‘Industry’ Is Closed for Awards Business
Given all of HBO Max’s nominations today, it’s bizarre that this intelligent, well-reviewed drama was left out in the cold — but it also has never received an Emmy nod, so maybe the show doesn’t resonate with voters.
Snub: The Cast of ‘Righteous Gemstones’
TV’s brashest comedy ended its four-season run this season, and its fearless cast was never afraid to go to places both sublime and ridiculous. Despite that, it’s another year of the Emmys ignoring the players, including Danny McBride, Adam DeVine, Edi Patterson and Walton Goggins.
Snub: ‘Squid Games’ Ignored
The long-awaited Season 2 was greeted with silence by the Television Academy, despite the freshman run of the series earning 14 nominations, including the first best drama nod for a non-English show.
Surprise: Martin Scorsese Might Finally Be Celebrated for His … Acting
The legendary director’s turn in “The Studio” was an early high point of the series, and while he’s always interesting during his (usually brief) acting roles, it’s a treat to see him get kudos for his work in front of the camera.
Snub: Eddie Redmayne’s Award-Winning Role in ‘The Day of the Jackal’
It’s not often that an acting performance will get a SAG and Golden Globes nomination and miss an Emmy nomination, but that’s what happened to Redmayne with his assassin role in “Jackal.” Maybe he’ll bounce back in the upcoming second season.
Snub: Natasha Lyonne Had a Losing Hand With ‘Poker Face’
Lyonne earned an acting nomination for the show in 2023, and seemed to be everywhere campaigning for the crime comedy’s second season. But outside of a guest spot nod for Cynthia Erivo and a comedy stunt coordination nomination, the series came up short.
Surprise: Jeff Hiller Puts a Spotlight on ‘Somebody Somewhere’
Hiller’s marvelous work in the small but mighty “Somebody Somewhere” confirms there is room at the Emmys for heartfelt performances that march to a totally different beat than anything else on television.
Snub: Allison Janney Can’t Get the Vote
Janney might have a whopping seven Emmys, but her performance as Vice President Grace Penn in the political drama “The Diplomat” didn’t earn her another nomination — despite love from the Golden Globes and SAGs for the role.
See all of the Emmy nominations here.
From Variety US