We already know the nominees for the last major award of the year — the “Oscars of Television,” aka the Emmys. The awards, which will be handed out on September 14, celebrate the best of what aired or premiered between June 2024 and May 2025. And let’s be honest: the competition is fierce.

As always, there’s some predictability. Now we’ll hear about snubs, surprises, records, injustices, and so on. That’s inevitable when the finalist list is so short.

I have my personal favorites and my predictions — which, of course, don’t always match.

Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series

• Cate Blanchett, Disclaimer
• Cristin Miliotti, The Penguin
• Meghan Fahy, Sirens
• Rashina Jones, Black Mirror
• Michelle Williams, Dying for Sex

This one’s a tough race, but my favorite is Cristin Miliotti. If it doesn’t go to her, it’ll be plain unfair. Even with great performances from the others — especially Cate Blanchett — I haven’t made a final prediction yet because Michelle Williams is a past winner and her role was bold. I believe it’ll be between Cristin and Cate.

Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series

• Brian Tyree Henry, Dope Thief
• Colin Farrell, The Penguin
• Cooper Koch, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story
• Jake Gyllenhaal, Presumed Innocence
• Stephen Graham, Adolescence

Oof, this one’s complicated. My personal favorite — and arguably the front-runner — is Colin Farrell, who already won the SAG. But we can’t underestimate the impact of Adolescence’s success.

Limited or Anthology Series

• Adolescence
• Black Mirror
• Dying for Sex
• Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story
• The Penguin
• Sirens

I’m amazed that Sirens made it into the best of the year, but fine. Even though I love The Penguin, this one should go to Adolescence.

Lead Actor in a Drama Series

• Adam Scott, Severance
• Gary Oldman, Slow Horses
• Noah Wyle, The Pitt
• Pedro Pascal, The Last of Us
• Sterling K. Brown, Paradise

This is the most predictable list of the year. I love Gary Oldman in Slow Horses, but the favorite here isn’t the ever-popular Pedro Pascal — it’s Adam Scott.

Lead Actress in a Drama Series

• Bella Ramsey, The Last of Us
• Britt Lower, Severance
• Kathy Bates, Matlock
• Keri Russell, The Diplomat
• Sharon Hogan, Bad Sisters

Somewhere out there, haters are screaming over Bella Ramsey being in the top five of the year. But that in itself is already a win for her. The actual winner will likely be Kathy Bates, with Britt Lower being the only real threat. Speaking of oddities: I still don’t get the awards hype around The Diplomat, especially when it comes to Keri Russell. But moving on!

Drama Series

• Andor
• The Diplomat
• The Last of Us
• Paradise
• The Pitt
• Severance
• Slow Horses
• The White Lotus

This is the toughest category of the year, with so many outstanding series. But I won’t hide my vote: ANDOR, ANDOR, and ANDOR! My fear is that it’s not the favorite. All signs point to this being Severance’s year.

Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

• Adam Brody, Nobody Wants This
• Jason Segel, Shrinking
• Jeremy Allen White, The Bear
• Martin Short, Only Murders in the Building
• Seth Rogen, The Studio

My favorite and hopeful winner is the SAG champ: Martin Short. No debate here.

Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

• Ayo Edebiri, The Bear
• Jean Smart, Hacks
• Kristen Bell, Nobody Wants This
• Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary
• Uzo Aduba, The Residence

Honestly, this category is a bit strange. Jean Smart has won for the past few years and is the likely winner again. Deserved? Hard to argue against it. But Ayo Edebiri is the only main Bear cast member yet to win an Emmy — and even though she lost the SAG, she has a strong shot here. If I could, I’d give it to all of them because I enjoyed every series, but it’s down to Jean or Ayo.

Comedy Series

• Abbott Elementary
• The Bear
• Hacks
• Nobody Wants This
• Only Murders in the Building
• Shrinking
• The Studio
• What We Do in the Shadows

Another heartbreaking category. The Bear isn’t really a comedy anymore and is no longer the favorite. Hacks, last year’s winner, isn’t exactly a comedy either — but it’s strong. My vote? You know it: ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING. But the favorite is clearly Hacks…

Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Zach Cherry, Severance
Walton Goggins, The White Lotus
Jason Isaacs, The White Lotus
James Marsden, Paradise
Sam Rockwell, The White Lotus
Tramell Tillman, Severance
John Turturro, Severance

Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Patricia Arquette, Severance
Carrie Coon, The White Lotus
Katherine LaNasa, The Pitt
Julianne Nicholson, Paradise
Parker Posey, The White Lotus
Natasha Rothwell, The White Lotus
Aimee Lou Wood, The White Lotus

Best Guest Actor in a Drama Series

Giancarlo Esposito, The Boys
Scott Glenn, The White Lotus
Shawn Hatosy, The Pitt
Joe Pantoliano, The Last of Us
Forest Whitaker, Andor
Jeffrey Wright, The Last of Us

Best Guest Actress in a Drama Series

Jane Alexander, Severance
Gwendoline Christie, Severance
Kaitlyn Dever, The Last of Us
Cherry Jones, The Handmaid’s Tale
Catherine O’Hara, The Last of Us
Merritt Wever, Severance

Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Ike Barinholtz, The Studio
Colman Domingo, The Four Seasons
Harrison Ford, Shrinking
Jeff Hiller, Somebody Somewhere
Ebon Moss-Bachrach, The Bear
Michael Urie, Shrinking
Bowen Yang, Saturday Night Live

Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Liza Colón-Zayas, The Bear
Hannah Einbinder, Hacks
Kathryn Hahn, The Studio
Janelle James, Abbott Elementary
Catherine O’Hara, The Studio
Sheryl Lee Ralph, Abbott Elementary
Jessica Williams, Shrinking

Best Guest Actor in a Comedy Series

Jon Bernthal, The Bear
Bryan Cranston, The Studio
Dave Franco, The Studio
Ron Howard, The Studio
Anthony Mackie, The Studio
Martin Scorsese, The Studio

Best Guest Actress in a Comedy Series

Olivia Colman, The Bear
Jamie Lee Curtis, The Bear
Cynthia Erivo, Poker Face
Robby Hoffman, Hacks
Zoë Kravitz, The Studio
Julianne Nicholson, Hacks

Best Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

Javier Bardem, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story
Bill Camp, Presumed Innocent
Owen Cooper, Adolescence
Rob Delaney, Dying for Sex
Peter Sarsgaard, Presumed Innocent
Ashley Walters, Adolescence

Best Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

Erin Doherty, Adolescence
Ruth Negga, Presumed Innocent
Deirdre O’Connell, The Penguin
Chloë Sevigny, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story
Jenny Slate, Dying for Sex
Christine Tremarco, Adolescence

Best Writing for a Comedy Series

Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary
Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, Jen Statsky, Hacks
Nathan Fielder, Carrie Kemper, Adam Locke-Norton, Eric Notarnicola, The Rehearsal
Hannah Bos, Paul Thureen, Bridget Everett, Somebody Somewhere
Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Peter Huyck, Alex Gregory, Frida Perez, The Studio
Sam Johnson, Sarah Naftalis, Paul Simms, What We Do in the Shadows

Best Writing for a Drama Series

Dan Gilroy, Andor
Joe Sachs, The Pitt
R. Scott Gemmill, The Pitt
Dan Erickson, Severance
Will Smith, Slow Horses
Mike White, The White Lotus

Best Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

Jack Thorne, Stephen Graham, Adolescence
Charlie Brooker, Bisha K. Ali, Black Mirror
Kim Rosenstock, Elizabeth Meriwether, Dying for Sex
Lauren LeFranc, The Penguin
Joshua Zetumer, Say Nothing

Best Directing for a Comedy Series

Ayo Edebiri, The Bear
Lucia Aniello, Hacks
James Burrows, Mid-Century Modern
Nathan Fielder, The Rehearsal
Seth Rogen, The Studio

Best Directing for a Drama Series

Janus Metz, Andor
Amanda Marsalis, The Pitt
John Wells, The Pitt
Jessica Lee Gagné, Severance
Ben Stiller, Severance
Adam Randall, Slow Horses
Mike White, The White Lotus

Best Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

Philip Barantini, Adolescence
Shannon Murphy, Dying for Sex
Helen Shaver, The Penguin
Jennifer Getzinger, The Penguin
Nicole Kassell, Sirens
Lesli Linka Glatter, Zero Day