Emmys 2025 live updates from TV's biggest night — awards winners, 'Severance' vs. 'The Pitt' for the crown, and more

Can Jean Smart go 4 for 4 with ‘Hacks’?

Jean Smart is up once again for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her portrayal of veteran comedian and Las Vegas stalwart Deborah Vance in “Hacks.” It’s her fourth nomination in just five years, but can she make a clean sweep? All signs point to the answer being “damn straight,” but what’s an Emmys night without an upset or two?

She’s the clear frontrunner, and any way you choose to look at this race, it’s Smart’s trophy to lose. That being said, Uzo Aduba could potentially take home the crown. She’s long been an Emmy favorite, winning three of her five previous nominations, and voters might feel inclined to snub Netflix over its decision to cancel “The Residence.”

Will 2024’s ‘The Penguin’ beat out 2025’s ‘Adolescence’?

Here’s where things get interesting. “The Penguin” dominated at the Creative Arts Emmys, scoring eight wins from 17 nominations compared to just two wins from five nominations for “Adolescence.” But that makes sense. “The Penguin” is a period piece superhero show. It’s all about the creative arts of television making, with production values on par with big-budget films. Meanwhile, “Adolescence,” while impressive with its single-shot presentation, is essentially a stage play in four acts. It’s all about the writing, directing and acting.

Emmy voters seem to agree with my assessment on that front. At tonight’s Primetime Emmys, “Adolescence” has one more Emmy nomination than “The Penguin,” and is the overwhelming Vegas odds favorite to win Outstanding Limited or Anthology series at -1500 compared to +1200 for DC’s Colin Farrell-led drama. I think “Adolescence” takes home the top prize, as well as Outstanding Directing, Writing, Supporting Actor and Supporting Actress, while “The Penguin” takes home Outstanding Lead Actor and Actress for Farrell and Cristin Milioti, respectively. — MM

‘The Studio’ feels inevitable after the Creative Arts Emmys

While Outstanding Drama Series is shaping up to go down to the wire, the same likely can’t be said for Outstanding Comedy Series. “The Bear” and “Hacks” have dominated in the past, but everyone’s comedy darling this year has been “The Studio,” and with good reason. The debut season of Seth Rogen’s comedy about a fictional studio head was my top comedy of the year for a while, though I now have “The Rehearsal” season 2 in my top spot.

“The Rehearsal,” sadly, did not earn a nomination for Outstanding Comedy, and of the nominees, I’d be voting for “The Studio” without question. Vegas seems to think most voters will agree with me, too — “The Studio” is the clear odds-on favorite at -750, followed by “Hacks” at a distant +750. “The Studio” also cleaned up at the Creative Arts Emmys, winning nine awards from 16 nominations, the most of any program and well ahead of “Hacks” single win for Outstanding Guest Actress despite securing an impressive nine nominations.

It could be a bloodbath by the time tonight is over, and I’ll be shocked if someone doesn’t thank Sal Saperstein at least once. — MM

‘The Pitt’ vs. ‘Severance’ is the main event tonight

Outstanding Drama Series seems to be a two-horse race. It’s not impossible “The White Lotus” pulls a shocking upset, but from where I sit typing this out, it looks like either “The Pitt” or “Severance” will take home the big prize. Of the two, I have “The Pitt” firmly ahead in my rankings — it’s my best show of the year, while I have the very uneven “Severance” season 2 all the way down at 21 of the dozens of shows I’ve watched this Emmy Awards cycle.

But just because I have “The Pitt” so firmly ahead doesn’t mean voters will. Vegas, for its part, has Apple TV Plus’s stylized sci-fi thriller as the betting favorite. As of this writing, FanDuel Research lists “Severance” season 2 at -250, while HBO Max’s medical drama is the underdog at +240, but clearly ahead of the rest of the field. The Creative Arts Emmy wins, though, paint a closer race. “Severance” season 2 won six Emmys at the 77th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, while “The Pitt” won just two, but HBO Max’s medical drama was only nominated for six to begin with, while “Severance” was nominated for 17, so they won at a similar rate. They also only beat the other once, with “Severance” beating out “The Pitt” for Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (One Hour), while “The Pitt” beat out “Severance” for Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series. This is really anyone’s game, and I’m still going with “The Pitt” the (deserving) upset win. — Malcolm McMillan

This year's most nominated shows

HBO Max is always a frontrunner at the Emmys, but this year, we’re seeing Apple TV Plus give the streaming giant a run for its money. The mind-bending Apple TV Plus thriller “Severance” is the runaway leader with 27 nominations, including lead acting nominations for stars Adam Scott and Britt Lower. It’s followed closely by HBO Max’s “The Penguin” with 24 nominations, a particularly strong showing for a miniseries. Tied for third place with 23 nominations apiece are one of HBO Max’s perennial favorites, “The White Lotus,” along with Seth Rogan’s “The Studio” on Apple TV Plus, which breaks “Ted Lasso’s” record for the most-nominated first-year comedy in Emmy history.

This year’s most nominated shows include many genre-bending entries, with “Severance” serving as a shining example. Its blend of psychological sci-fi meets office dystopia has clearly captured the hearts of both critics and audiences, and it even managed to avoid the sophomore slump most TV shows fall prey to. Let’s see if it can keep this momentum going come "Severance" season 3 (which hopefully doesn’t take another three years to get here). — AS

Creative Arts Emmys hints at upset win for best drama

The Creative Arts Emmys wrapped up on Sunday, offering a glimpse into how tonight’s main event could shake out. Unfortunately, this year’s most unpredictable race — who will take home the crown for Best Drama Series — remains just as murky. Sure, frontrunner “Severance” scored the most wins of any drama with six, including an odds-defying win for Merritt Wever for guest actress in a drama series. But it lost out to “The Pitt,” with only two wins under its belt, for Best Casting.

That might not seem like a big deal, but over the past decade, 80 percent of series that won Best Casting went on to claim the Best Series trophy. This year, “The Pitt” earned that honor for drama, as did other favorites like “The Studio” and “Adolescence” for their respective genres. So while “Severance” may look like it has this race in the bag, “The Pitt” could very well still snag the night’s biggest prize. — AS

Roll out the red carpet...

Welcome all! TV's biggest night in television is just getting underway, and we're kicking off our Emmys 2025 live blog to keep you up to date on all the latest winners, viral moments, and red carpet coverage. The show doesn't technically begin for another hour, but Hollywood's biggest stars are already schmoozing on the red carpet ahead of the awards ceremony.

Don't expect biting celebrity roasts like those delivered by previous Emmy hosts. Comedian Nate Bargatze says he's bringing his signature nice-guy humor to the ceremony — and he may have even found a way to keep acceptance speeches short. Every Emmy winner gets 45 seconds to say their piece, but for every second they keep rambling on, $1,000 will be docked from Bargatze’s charitable donation to the Boys and Girls Club of America. The pot starts at $100,000, and we'll see how much Chatty Katies have whittled that down by the end of the night. I don't know about you, but that's exactly the kind of chaotic gremlin energy I watch these shows for. — Alyse Stanley