Hot & Not in Hollywood

The 2025 Emmy nominations don’t just celebrate standout shows; they spotlight what the industry truly values right now: a genre remix. From Severance’s record-setting nods to bold picks like The Studio and Adolescence, this post decodes the stories reshaping Hollywood’s definition of prestige.

The 77th Primetime Emmy nominations just dropped, and if you’re still catching your breath from last year’s Shōgun sweep, buckle up. This year’s lineup is a mood board for the industry’s identity crisis. Prestige dramas are playing musical chairs and comedy is having a midlife crisis. And, Reality TV? Well, it’s quietly becoming the most honest genre on screen.

Drama: The Return of the Emotionally Repressed

Severance leads the pack with 27 nominations, earned 27 Emmy nominations, showing that stories about harsh work lives and controlling companies are still a favorite on TV. But the real twist is that The White Lotus is back, and it’s bringing Parker Posey, Leslie Bibb, and Carrie Coon into the mix like a chaotic brunch you can’t look away from. Meanwhile, Slow Horses and The Last of Us are holding steady, but Shōgun, which was last year’s heavyweight, is nowhere to be found. A snub or a strategic retreat?

Comedy: The Studio vs. The Bear vs. Hacks—Who’s the Real Alpha?

Seth Rogen’s The Studio is the new disruptor, skewering Hollywood with the kind of satire that makes insiders squirm and viewers cheer. But The Bear and Hacks aren’t giving up their crowns without a fight. Jean Smart’s reign continues, and Liza Colón-Zayas is quietly becoming the MVP of ensemble acting. Abbott Elementary and Only Murders in the Building round out the category, proving that network TV still has teeth.

Limited Series: Adolescence and The Pitt Are the New Prestige

Forget the usual suspects. Netflix’s one-take thriller Adolescence and HBO Max’s breakout The Pitt are redefining what “limited” means. These aren’t just shows; they’re cinematic gut punches. And while Succession is gone, Jesse Armstrong’s HBO film Mountainhead is here to remind us that prestige never dies; it just changes format.

Snubs & Surprises: Where’s the Love?

• Squid Game Season 2? Completely shut out. A bold move or a quiet acknowledgment that lightning rarely strikes twice.

• La Máquina, Hulu’s weirdly brilliant boxing conspiracy series, got ghosted. Emmy voters, blink twice if you’re okay.

• Pachinko continues to be the most beautiful show no one votes for. Apple TV+, maybe spend less on billboards and more on reminding people it exists?

Talk & Reality: The Real Real

The Daily Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live, and Stephen Colbert are the only talk shows nominated. That’s not a shortlist; it’s a cry for reinvention. Meanwhile, The Traitors is back to defend its crown in reality competition, joined by RuPaul’s Drag Race, Survivor, and Top Chef. But the real tea? A Housewives-style Mormon docusoap from Hulu just got nominated. Reality TV is no longer guilty pleasure; it’s cultural commentary.

Emmy Vibes

Here’s a quick visual breakdown of the Emmy energy this year:

Final Take: The Emmys Are a Mirror… And Hollywood’s Checking Its Reflection

What this year’s nominations reveal isn’t just which series resonated; it’s how television is redefining what cultural relevance means on-screen. Prestige is no longer tied to period wigs or grayscale melancholia; it’s fluid, genre-bending, and unapologetically personal. Whether it’s Severance dissecting corporate dread, The Studio poking through Hollywood’s facade, or Adolescence giving chaos its own crown, the message is clear: storytelling that dares, lands.

And if that’s the new bar for excellence? Hollywood better keep it up.

~ * ~ Stay tuned, stay savage, stay sparkly — Holly out. ~ * ~