2025 Emmy Awards Recap!

Fall is on the horizon, and that can only mean one thing.... NO, not pumpkin spice, knitted scarves, or leaves changing colors -- It's Awards Season, silly! And it kicked off in a big way last night with the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards. For the most part, the winners were a mixed bag, with nearly all of them being first-time winners! So let's get into it...

"Adolescence" Reigns Supreme

To no one's surprise, the most trophies of the night were doled out to Netflix's intense and groundbreaking series "Adolescence", which nearly swept the Limited/Anthology Series categories, only missing out on Lead Actress (which when to "The Penguin" star Cristin Milioti) but that's only because they had no nominations in that category. But actors Stephen Graham, Erin Doherty, and Owen Cooper -- who became the youngest actor ever to win this category -- all took home acting accolades with the show also nabbing Best Directing for a Limited/Anthology Series, and, of course, Best Limited Series.

Fun(ish) Fact: 5 out of the 6 nominees for Best Directing for a Limited Anthology Series were women, but the win ultimately went to the lone man among them (Philip Barantini), which, to be fair, was totally deserved.

"Hacks" vs. "The Studio"

The Comedy Series categories struck a fine balance between old faves and new faces but was ultimately a battle between "Hacks" and newbie "The Studio", 2 shows about the whirlwind world of showbiz, and as we know, there's nothing Hollywood loves more than, well, itself!

The dynamic duo of "Hacks", Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder, both shared accolades in the Actress categories, with the latter finally getting her flowers for the first time while the former celebrated an incredible 7th Emmy win. But the night ultimately belonged to "The Studio".

Even before the ceremony began, "The Studio" had already broken the record for the most wins by a freshman comedy series thanks to multiple victories at last weekend's Creative Emmys, and they added 4 more trophies to their mantel thanks to Seth Rogen's wins for Lead Actor, Directing, and Writing, and, of course, Best Comedy Series.

Even still, there was at least one surprise to be had: Jeff Hiller, one of the stars of HBO's irreverent comedy "Somebody Somewhere" shocked everyone by being named Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, beating out the likes of Harrison Ford, Colman Domingo, Ike Barinholtz, Michael Urie, Bowen Yang, and last year's winner Ebon Moss-Bachrach.

Everyone (Still) Loves a Medical Drama

Early in the evening, it felt like Apple TV's uber-original "Severance" would be the show to beat for the night, with Britt Lower and Tramell Tillman winning Supporting Actress and Actor, respectively, early on. However, "The Pitt" stars Noah Wyle and Katherine LaNasa's matching wins for Lead Actor and Actress evened the playing field, leaving the shows neck-in-neck. But ultimately, Academy voters decided to go with the ol' reliable medical procedural for Best Drama Series.

Wyle, no stranger to this drama, finally gets his flowers after 5 previous nominations for "ER" back in the '90s. Meanwhile, Tillman becomes the first Black man to win in this category, which is honestly a crazy statistic for 2025.

An Incredible Streak Remains Unbroken

John Oliver and his weekly HBO series "Last Week Tonight" extended its insane 9-year streak in the Scripted Variety Series categories!

A Half-Century Milestone

"Saturday Night Live" won for Best Live Variety Special for their "SNL 50" show, which took on an extra poignant meaning this year -- no, not because it beat out both Kendrick Lamar and Beyoncé but because it was 50 years ago when the show won its very first Emmy, with creator/producer Lorne Michaels reminiscing about how he had dreamed, way back on that fateful night in 1975, that he'd still be doing the some show 50 years later. Dream big, kids!

Some Love In A Galaxy Far, Far Away

Disney+'s smash-hit "Andor", the prequel to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, made a cameo appearance last night when Dan Gilroy won Best Writing for a Drama Series, adding to the 4 Emmys the show collected at last weekend's Creative Emmys. Could this mark a slow shift in voters' acceptance of the legitimacy of genre TV? Here's hoping!

Shrinking Flowers?

Despite its viral success and multiple nominations in the supporting acting categories this year, the super popular anthology series "The White Lotus" -- competing in the main Drama Series category -- came away empty-handed. I suspect that having so many strong actors from a single show likely split the vote, allowing for other deserving performers from other shows to squeak in there. Perhaps next time around, voters will be a little more conservative with the amount of actors they nominate from that one show... 

Apple TV's "Shrinking" also came away with the goose egg despite multiple nominations across all Comedy categories. Apparently there is room for only one flagpole comedy at Apple!

Colbert's Last Laugh

After receiving a rousing standing ovation at the beginning of the show in response to his "Late Show" getting unceremoniously canceled a few months ago, Stephen Colbert ultimately had the last laugh, winning Best Talk Show on the very network that canceled him. Revenge is a dish best served with a shiny Emmy Award...

Check out the full list of winners here. Until next year!