It could be a big night for Apple TV+ when the 77th annual Primetime Emmy Awards are handed out Sunday evening at the Peacock Theater, with the streamer’s sci-fi thriller “Severance” and Hollywood spoof “The Studio” considered leading contenders to land prizes for best drama and comedy series, respectively.
“Severance” went into Emmy season as the top overall nominee, collecting 27 total nominations, including its nod for outstanding drama series. The show already collected a half-dozen prizes during last weekend’s Creative Arts Emmy Award ceremonies, and it appears poised for a solid showing during Sunday’s Emmy finale.
HBO’s medical drama “The Pitt” has earned major buzz and could potentially pull off an upset in the category, as could HBO’s “The White Lotus,” which had 23 overall nominations. Also vying for the drama prize are Disney+’s “Andor,” Netflix’s “The Diplomat,” HBO’s “The Last of Us,” Hulu’s “Paradise” and Apple TV+’s “Slow Horses.”
On the comedy front, Seth Rogen’s freshman series “The Studio” about a fictional Hollywood studio head is already on pace for a record-setting Emmy season. It’s 23 overall nominations already tied the record set last year by FX’s “The Bear.” “The Studio” already collected nine prizes during last weekend’s Creative Arts ceremonies, putting it on pace to top “The Bear’s” record-setting 11 wins for a comedy series last year.
“The Bear” is nominated again this year for the top comedy prize — although many continue to question its categorization as a comedy. Although the show won 11 prizes last year, it was bested in the outstanding comedy series category by HBO’s “Hacks,” which is also up for the honor again this year.
Also competing for the comedy title are ABC’s “Abbott Elementary,” Netflix’s “Nobody Wants This,” Hulu’s “Only Murders in the Building,” Apple TV+’s “Shrinking” and FX’s “What We Do in the Shadows.”
Netflix’s emotional powerhouse “Adolescence” appears to be the top contender for outstanding limited or anthology series, despite the early Television Academy love for HBO’s “The Penguin,” which was one of this year’s most-nominated programs with 24. Also competing in the category are FX’s “Dying for Sex,” and Netflix’s “Black Mirror” and “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.”
One of the more interesting twists on Emmy night could come in the outstanding talk series category. There are only three nominees, but among them is CBS’ “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” which will be officially canceled next May. The network called the decision purely financial, but many saw it as a capitulation to President Donald Trump — who is often the target of Colbert’s jokes — to resolve a federal lawsuit and secure federal approval of the merger of CBS parent company Paramount Global with Skydance Media.
With the much-publicized cancellation, “The Late Show” is a strong sentimental favorite to collect the talk series prize. A win would allow Colbert to take the stage to accept the Emmy — during a ceremony being televised on CBS.
The other nominees in the category are Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” and ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
Adam Scott of “Severance” and Noah Wyle of “The Pitt” are the likely front-runners in the drama series actor category, although they face notable competition from Sterling K. Brown of Hulu’s “Paradise,” Gary Oldman of Apple TV+’s “Slow Horses” and Pedro Pascal for HBO’s “The Last of Us.”
Scott’s co-star Britt Lower is among the nominees for outstanding actress in a drama series, joined by Kathy Bates of CBS’ “Matlock,” Sharon Horgan in Apple TV+’s “Bad Sisters,” Bella Ramsey in “The Last Of Us”; and Keri Russell in Netflix’s “The Diplomat.”
Rogen could have a big night individually for his work on “The Studio.” He is nominated for outstanding lead actor in a comedy series, and is also up for writing and directing prizes for the show. Also competing for the lead actor honor are Adam Brody for Netflix’s “Nobody Wants This,” Jason Segal for Apple TV+’s “Shrinking,” Martin Short for Hulu’s “Only Murders in the Building” and Jeremy Allen White for “The Bear.” White has won the prize the last two years.
Last year’s Emmy winner for outstanding actress in a comedy series, Jean Smart of “Hacks,” is nominated again this year. She will square off against Uzo Aduba of Netflix’s “The Residence,” Kristen Bell for “Nobody Wants This,” Quinta Brunson for “Abbott Elementary” and Ayo Edebiri of “The Bear.”
Comedian Nate Bargatze will host the Emmy ceremony, which will begin at 5 p.m. and be televised on CBS and stream on Paramount+.