2025 Emmy Nominations

This year's Emmy nominations are out, and it was a good year for familiar favorites like Hacks, The Bear, Abbott Elementary, The Last of Us and The White Lotus. There were also some newcomers that got some love as well including The Pitt, Adolescence, The Studio, The Penguin, and Paradise. We'll unpack this year's the notable nominees and make some predictions in the major categories. To access bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening for Pop Culture Happy Hour, subscribe to Pop Culture Happy Hour+ at plus.npr.org/happy. https://plus.npr.org/happy See pcm.adswizz.com https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy

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• 0:00Speaker 00

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• 0:19Speaker 01

  This year's Emmy nominations are out, and it was a good year for familiar favorites like Hacks, The Bear, Abbott Elementary, The Last of Us, and The White Lotus. But some newcomers got some love as well. Shows like Adolescence, The Studio, The Penguin, Paradise--really, Paradise? And of course, The Pit. The ceremony's in September, and the Emmy race has officially begun. Will Jean Smart outsmart Iowa Debré again? Will Uzo Aduba win for a show that has already been canceled? Will grizzled TV veteran Noah Wiley win his first-ever Emmy? I'm Glen Weldon, and we're unpacking this year's Emmy nominations on Pop Culture Happy Hour from NPR. Joining me today are my fellow co-hosts, first Linda Holmes. Hey, Linda.

• 1:01Linda Holmes?

  Hello, Glenn.

• 1:02Speaker 01

  Also with us is Aisha Harris. Hey, Ayesha.

• 1:04Linda Holmes?

  Hey, Glenn.

• 1:04Speaker 01

  All right, there's a lot to cover, so let's get right to it. We're going to stick to the major categories, beginning with outstanding drama series. First up, Severance, the Apple TV Plus series about employees of a sinister corporation who have undergone a process that separates their work life from their home life. That is the most nominated series this year with 27 nominations. Next up is The Pit, the Max hospital show that follows Noah Wiley and other doctors and nurses over the course of one long shift in a Pittsburgh emergency room. Then we got The White Lotus, the HBO anthology series, this time about a resort in Thailand with a cast including Walton Goggins, Parker Posey, and Carrie Coon. Next up is The Last of Us. The HBO series is a fungus-based twist on the zombie apocalypse.

• 1:48Speaker 01

  It tells the young girl, played by Bella Ramsey, who is mysteriously immune to the fungal infection and her gruff, taciturn protector-turned-father figure, played by Pedro Pascal. Next up is Slow Horses again, starring Gary Oldman. The Apple TV Plus series is about a disregarded division of MI-5, which serves as a dumping ground for British spies who've made huge mistakes. Next up is Andor, the Star Wars Disney Plus thriller that follows Diego Luna on his journey from scoundrel to rebel hero.

• 2:16Speaker 01

  Next up is The Diplomat, the Netflix political drama, stars Keri Russell as an ambassador who is under consideration for the vice presidency. And finally, Paradise, Hulu's drama series, follows a Secret Service agent played by Sterling K. Brown, who's caught up in a web of intrigue after the president is assassinated. Lynda, you wrote up your thoughts. What's your first impressions about this group here?

• 2:36Linda Holmes?

  I don't think there's anything on here that really shocks me, except like, maybe Paradise was a show that I thought started off pretty good and then kind of lost a lot of steam as it went along. But I know people really liked it and found it addictive. Sterling K. Brown is very beloved by the Emmys, I think, and for good reason. So I wasn't that surprised to see it there. I personally would vote for The Pit. I really thought that was an extraordinary season of TV. I sort of both enjoyed it and thought it was good and has something to say about healthcare and things like that. So out of these, I would pick that. I know the love for Andor. I'm not a big Disney Plus, Star Wars universe guy, but I know the love for that show and

• 3:20Linda Holmes?

  a lot of people who I know are have very good taste in TV have talked up that show to me. I loved the first season of The Diplomat, not as much this one. I think there are a bunch of good shows on here. I would go with The Pit, just because it's the most special to me.

• 3:33Aisha Harris?

  Yeah, I mean, put me down for The Pit as well. I think it's, as Lynda said, both entertaining and also, I think, very high quality. But I also think Paradise is a kind of silly show. Is it kind of ridiculous? Yeah, but I also am not at all surprised to see it here because it has gotten so much momentum and it is kind of a great sort of popcorn show. So, you know, I'm kind of not mad at it being here, to be honest.

• 4:00Speaker 01

  And as for me, I mean, I am happy to see Andor on here. I'm happy to see it get some love for its second season, which I thought was better, even better than the first, both for what it is and for what it represents, right? Because this is a genre story that delivers on every genre element you need it to, but it isn't content to do only that, which makes me sound like I'm talking about elevated science fiction. I'm not. I just like Andor a whole lot. But I do think, I agree with you, even though I don't watch The Pit, I got two ears and I hear the buzz and I see the buzz, The Pit, this is The Pit's year. This has the wind at its back. I mean, this year, The Pit has 13 nominations. It feels like a sweep. I'm just sensing that building.

• 4:35Linda Holmes?

  Could be, could be.

• 4:36Speaker 01

  All right, let's continue with outstanding lead actor in a drama series. First up, Noah Wiley for The Pit. Wiley plays Dr. Rabidovich, or Dr. Robbie, who runs an emergency room. Next up is Adam Scott for Severance. He plays Mark, one of the employees at Lumen, who has severed his work life from his home life. Next up is Gary Oldman for Slow Horses. Oldman plays the slovenly, burnt-out head of a rundown, disregarded division of MI5 that serves as a dumping ground for British spies. Next up is Pedro Pascal for The Last of Us. He plays Joel, briefly enough, the grizzled smuggler-turned-father figure responsible for protecting Bella Ramsey's character, Ellie. And finally, we've got Sterling K. Brown for Paradise. He plays a no-nonsense Secret Service agent Xavier Collins,

• 5:18Speaker 01

  who is investigating the death of the President of the United States. What do you guys think?

• 5:23Linda Holmes?

  There are a bunch of actors I like in this category. Some of them, I have liked them more either doing other things or in other seasons of these shows. I was not as hot on this season of Severance as I was previous Severance, but I love Adam Scott. I was not as hot on this season of The Last of Us as I was other ones, but I love Pedro Pascal. And I've spoken about Paradise, but I love Sterling K. Brown. So, but again, I go back to Noah Wiley. I know it's boring to do that, but I think he is really extraordinary in this part. I think he holds down that whole show. I think it's been fascinating to see him kind of expand on a kind of work that he did when he was a younger actor, obviously on ER, heard of it. And I just think there's a ton to recommend. I think he's excellent. I would pick him.

• 6:08Linda Holmes?

  But listen, a bunch of guys I like in this category.

• 6:10Aisha Harris?

  Yeah, I don't have anything to add to the Noah Wiley fan camp here, but I do think Sterling K. Brown, Paradise is kind of the closest thing, this and The Pit feel the closest to like an old-school network TV drama. And despite the fact that Paradise is kind of silly, I think he's doing something really interesting here that we don't usually see him get to do. We see him get to be kind of like- He gets into his like action hero mode and I've been wanting to see that for a while. I'm very happy to see that here. It's a flush category regardless of how I feel about some of the other shows or performances. I think it's a good assortment of performances, I would say.

• 6:48Speaker 01

  Yeah, because I react instinctively to things, I thought to myself, Noah Wiley does not get another bite of the apple, but he hasn't had any. It turns out this would be his first Emmy if he wins it. He was nominated five times for ER, but he never won. So that has transformed me. I'm now pulling for Noah Wiley, even though I don't watch the damn show, but he's got the best story.

• 7:08Aisha Harris?

  Nice, good job. Yes.

• 7:09Speaker 01

  All right. Next up, outstanding lead actress in a drama series. First up is Kathy Bates for CBS's reboot of Matlock. Bates plays Madeline Maddie Matlock, a 70 something woman who charms her way into working at a high powered law firm and quickly starts winning cases by capitalizing on the fact that she's widely underestimated and even ignored. Next up is Britt Lauer for Severance. She plays Helly, one of the employees at the corporation Lumen, who has undergone the severance process. Next up is Bella Ramsey for The Last of Us. Ramsey plays Ellie, who is immune to the mysterious plague and is seeking vengeance. And then Carrie Russell for The Diplomat. She plays Kate Wyler, a diplomat to the UK who was under consideration for the vice presidency. And finally, this surprised me, but I'm happy with it.

• 7:54Speaker 01

  Sharon Horgan for the Apple TV plus series Bad Sisters, which follows the aftermath of the death of her abusive brother in law. Ayesha, what do you make of this?

• 8:02Aisha Harris?

  I was also shocked by Sharon Horgan here. Look. This is for the second season, right? Yeah.

• 8:07Speaker 01

  It is the second season, yeah.

• 8:08Aisha Harris?

  Right, right. So Catastrophe to me is one of the best TV shows of the 21st century. I will say it right here, right now. I loved that show. I loved her in it and I also loved her in the first season of Bad Sisters. The second season, though, was rough and I didn't even finish it, to be honest. And I was kind of shocked to see her here, but I think, you know, it's always a toss up with these categories because. People who are voting on these categories are people in Hollywood who have presumably jobs that aren't like ours, which is to actually watch these things. So I'm always questioning how many people have actually seen these shows and how much of it is just goodwill or affection for previous performances. I'm not saying that Sharon Horgan isn't good in Bad Sisters, but most of my issue is with

• 8:52Aisha Harris?

  the writing and the plotting of that second season. But yeah, this is a strange category. I personally will root for Britt Lauer here just because, this is no fault of Bella Ramsey's, but I think the character of Ellie in the second season just kind of didn't go where I thought it should go. And so I think Britt Lauer is doing a lot with a very opaque season of Severance.

• 9:16Linda Holmes?

  Yeah.

• 9:17Speaker 01

  Yeah, but Lynda, this is Kathy Bates's to win, right?

• 9:19Linda Holmes?

  You know, that's the thing Ayesha was talking about, about, you know, you have to account for how much people have loved other performances by this person, which is not to say I don't think Kathy Bates is great in this show, because I do think she is. These are all performances I have liked, but not this season as much as the previous ones. Britt Lauer, too, a little bit. So I guess I would root for Kathy Bates, just because these are all performances I would have voted for in other seasons, but I don't know that I would vote for them for these seasons.

• 9:46Speaker 01

  That's a good point. I will just say that if Kathy Bates does win, she will at 77 be the oldest winner in this category. Which says a lot more about the state of roles for women on TV than it does necessarily say about Kathy Bates's performance, although it's a lot of fun. She is a lot of fun.

• 10:05Linda Holmes?

  Yeah.

• 10:06Speaker 01

  All right, next up is Outstanding Comedy Series, kicking off with Hacks, which follows the relationship of a legendary stand-up comic and the young writer she hires to freshen up her act. That one airs on HBO Max. Next up is The Studio, Apple TV Plus's funny, very funny satire, starring Seth Rogen as a Hollywood studio head desperately trying to do a job he's afraid of failing at, that led the comedies with 23 nominations. Next up is The Wacky Hijinks of the Bear, FX's intense and fast-paced series about a fine dining chef who takes over his family's Chicago Italian beef sandwich shop. Next up yet again is Only Murders in the Building. Martin Short, Steve Martin and Selena Gomez star as true crime fans who investigate a real murder and make a podcast about it. It's streaming on Hulu.

• 10:50Speaker 01

  Next up is Abbott Elementary, ABC's sitcom set in a Philadelphia public school created by the great Quinta Brunson. Next up is Nobody Wants This, a romantic comedy from Netflix that stars Kristen Bell as an agnostic podcast host and Adam Brody as a rabbi. I'm gonna ask if you guys saw that one coming. Next up is Shrinking, which a lot of people saw coming. Apple TV Plus's series with a big heart and lots of jokes, starring Jason Segel, Harrison Ford and Jessica Williams, all of whom play therapists, all of whom are nominated this year. And finally, always the dark bridesmaid, never the dark bride, What We Do in the Shadows, FX's satirical take on bloodthirsty vampires who also happen to be roommates. Lynda, what'd you make of this?

• 11:31Linda Holmes?

  Yeah, a lot of shows I love. Particularly, I would highlight The Studio, which I think is a very, very successful showbiz comedy. There's a reason why it made a tear through the guest actor category in particular, picking up all kinds of nominations for Ron Howard and Anthony Mackie and Martin Scorsese and, you know, people playing themselves in some cases. The Bear's not a comedy. I'm tired of talking about how The Bear's not a comedy. This in particular, these nominations are for its third season, not the fourth season that just came out, which had maybe a little more comedy. But the third, which was very grim, not a comedy.

• 12:04Aisha Harris?

  But the third had a lot more facts than...

• 12:07Linda Holmes?

  Well, that's the thing. The fact family, they kind of threw them in to try to be comedy. None of it felt integrated with the rest of the show. I love Abbott Elementary. I really, really love Shrinking. They did not nominate Shrinking in its first season for very much. They nominated just Jason Segel and Jessica Williams, who are both nominated again. But they nominated it for comedy series and I was so glad because I love the show and I think it's so good. This season, just getting into it, I think it's such a sturdy, solid comedy. So I think I'm gonna root for that, even though I think this is The Studio's year, probably. As for Nobody Wants This, I liked it. I thought it was a little slight.

• 12:48Linda Holmes?

  I was interested to see, when I looked up first time nominees, that this is the first time being nominated for both Kristen Bell and Adam Brody, who I feel like have been on television for a gazillion years. So I wonder how much of this is accumulated, kind of goodwill again toward people. People also, I think, really liked this show, liked how kind of laid back it was. I would have loved to see something like A Man on the Inside nominated. That was another show I really loved that I was sad was left out. There are a bunch of really good shows on this list. I liked this season of Only Murders. Hacks is hacks. I didn't think this season was as good as the last ones, but I mean, so many good shows on this list.

• 13:27Aisha Harris?

  Abbott Elementary and Shrinking. Granted, Abbott Elementary has a few more seasons or a couple more seasons on Shrinking, but I think they both came into their own and improved. And I was, it, it makes me happy to still see Abbott Elementary getting recognition. Granted, again, the way that Emmys work is like oftentimes, especially if you are, well, in the old days, especially if you were in a network sitcom or TV show, it's like, once you get in, you're, you're probably going to get nominated a lot of times. I do have to say, I really, really hope that the studio, to me, that is, it seems like the one that will probably be the big winner for comedy. Just because it is about Hollywood. It does have a lot of people involved who are beloved. It's really fun.

• 14:10Aisha Harris?

  And I think a lot of people are just excited to have like a fun show that can poke fun at Hollywood, but also still has a clear reverence for Hollywood at the end of the day.

• 14:19Speaker 01

  I love this list. I don't, I don't begrudge any of them. I do look at this list and just see three shows that I wish were on it. The Residents, which we will have a chance to talk about very soon.

• 14:29Aisha Harris?

  Yeah.

• 14:30Speaker 01

  Colin from Accounts and mostly Somebody Somewhere. Um, we talked about this show.

• 14:34Linda Holmes?

  All true.

• 14:35Speaker 01

  It has aired for three seasons on Max slash HBO slash Max. It has gotten only two nominations in its history. Both of them are this year. One is for writing and one is for supporting actor Jeff Hiller.

• 14:46Linda Holmes?

  Jeff Hiller.

• 14:48Speaker 01

  Yeah. Uh, he plays Joel and that's richly deserved, but that show, if it had gotten earlier major nominations, that show is exactly the kind of show that could benefit from an Emmy nomination, could have raised that show's profile, gotten more people to watch. Uh, that's what an Emmy nomination is for. I love when an Emmy nomination is useful.

• 15:05Linda Holmes?

  Yeah.

• 15:05Speaker 01

  But congratulations to that show, cause it did a great job. Uh, and we will miss it.

• 15:09Linda Holmes?

  Hear, hear. A hundred percent. Hear, hear. Amen.

• 15:11Speaker 01

  Next up is lead actress for a comedy series. Jean Smart for Hacks. Smart plays comedy legend Deborah Vance. Iowa Debris for The Bear. She plays Sydney, an ambitious young chef. Next up is Quinta Brunson for Abbott Elementary. Brunson plays Janine, an educator in the Philadelphia public school system. Next up, as you mentioned, is Kristen Bell for Netflix's Nobody Wants This. She plays an agnostic podcast host who faces obstacles to love when she meets a rabbi. And finally, Uzo Aduba for Netflix's Already Canceled The Residents. She plays detective and avid bird watcher Cordelia Cup, who's called to the White House to investigate a death. The Emmy sometimes does this. They nominate a show that it has already been axed. What do you guys make of this list?

• 15:55Aisha Harris?

  Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the nominations, or like the voting period happened before the show is officially canceled.

• 16:01Linda Holmes?

  Probably.

• 16:01Aisha Harris?

  But, but either way, Uzo Aduba, loved her in this. I very much enjoyed this show. We had a whole episode on it. I loved how it was a murder mystery, but it was a murder mystery that focused on, yes, it was in the White House, but it mostly focused on the people who work in the White House. So it was very much a upstairs, downstairs and downstairs is the focus. In a world where we have so many murder mysteries like The White Lotus, that are all about the rich and the insufferable. I love this turn and I want more of it. And I'm happy to see her here. I think she was so great, playing this sort of very nerdy, bird watching, bird lover detective. And everyone in this category is very talented. I enjoy them.

• 16:44Aisha Harris?

  But I'm rooting for Uza, even though now the show's canceled. So the chances of her winning, who knows? Who knows?

• 16:51Linda Holmes?

  This is a category with five performances I like very much. I would vote for Uzo Aduba easily for all the reasons Ayesha said. I love her wardrobe in this. I love her kind of whole style in this. I think there's so much to love about this performance, but most of it is just her particular skill at kind of getting into this character and figuring out how to make her both silly and kind of make sense.

• 17:20Speaker 01

  This category also illustrates the kind of slideness of some of these categories, because Iowa DeBree competed as supporting for the bear in the first season. She won that year. Then the next season, she competed as lead actress against Jean Smart. She lost to Jean Smart. This is the same. Set up this year, you know, Hacks has been around for a while. It maybe wasn't the bear's strongest season for Sydney's character. I'll be interested to see what happens here. I think the best thing that could happen is if Uzuba takes it home that night.

• 17:52Linda Holmes?

  Yeah.

• 17:53Speaker 01

  Next up is lead actor in a comedy series. First up is Seth Rogen for the studio. He plays Matt Remick, a Hollywood studio head desperately trying not to fail and failing at that. Martin Short for Olden Murders in the Building. Short plays Oliver, an ambitious Broadway director turned a true crime podcaster. Next up, her to him, Jeremy Allen White for The Bear. White plays Carmy, a hotshot chef who is transforming his family's sandwich shop into a fine dining restaurant. Adam Brody for Nobody Wants This. He plays a rabbi who sparks a relationship with Kristen Bell's agnostic podcast host. And finally, Jason Segel for the Apple TV plus series Shrinking. He plays a widowed therapist who adopts some unexpected methods for his therapy patients. Aisha, what'd you make of this?

• 18:35Aisha Harris?

  Well, podcast hosts having a moment at the end.

• 18:37Speaker 01

  Really? I didn't notice that, but you're absolutely right.

• 18:40Aisha Harris?

  Yeah, no, I mean, for me, it comes down to either Seth Rogen or Jason Segel, uh, which is funny because like they both kind of come from the same sort of Apatow universe.

• 18:51Linda Holmes?

  Yeah, that's true.

• 18:52Aisha Harris?

  Of course, they both starred in Freaks and Geeks together early on in their careers. I think these are two very different performances. I mean, Jason Segel, it's a comedy, but it's also very much a comedy about grief and trying to transcend grief. And he is so vulnerable and especially in the second season. I think he takes what can be easily like Guy mourns his dead wife, like blah, blah, blah, and very maudlin and kind of hacky and makes it something that just feels so beautiful and relatable, but also he's not perfect. And Seth Rogen is playing another, I think, hard to capture character, which is a self-absorbed, very ambitious guy who loves movies and claims to love art,

• 19:36Aisha Harris?

  but then also wants to, you know, be at the top of the chain. And that means having to deal with all the, the business side and the icky side and the compromise. And so I think they both do a really good job of. Giving these characters way more layers than I think you would ever expect them to have.

• 19:54Linda Holmes?

  Yeah.

• 19:54Aisha Harris?

  So I want either of them to win. I would be very happy for either of them to win.

• 19:57Linda Holmes?

  I sort of assume that this is going to be Jeremy Allen White again. That appears to be institutional at this point, which, listen, I love him. I admire and respect the work he does on this show. It is not a comedy performance.

• 20:08Aisha Harris?

  That's my thing. I'm not even on the, is the show a comedy? I'm like, he is not funny. He is not funny on this show.

• 20:14Linda Holmes?

  This is not a comedy performance. I won't say never, never, but almost never.

• 20:18Aisha Harris?

  Yeah.

• 20:18Linda Holmes?

  In my opinion. And that's not to say comedy performances can't have notes of drama. I'm talking about the balance of this performance. I do not think qualifies as comedy performance. I agree with Ayesha. I admire this Jason Segel performance so much. I can't remember if I already told you this, Ayesha, but I was at an event onstage that Jason Segel was at when he suddenly, it suddenly occurred to him that the second season should have been called How I Killed Your Mother. He's really great in this. I also just think Seth Rogen, the line that you have to draw to be that guy who, as Ayesha said, loves movies, really loves movies, and you have to have some sympathy for him or else the show doesn't work. But you also have to understand him to be completely cynical in a way.

• 21:00Aisha Harris?

  Yeah.

• 21:00Linda Holmes?

  Or else the show doesn't work. I think that balance is really quite tough. I think he's terrific in this. I think he's terrific in Platonic, which is the other show he's doing for Apple. Good for him. I think he's really hitting an interesting gear at this point in his career. So I'm happy to have it be Seth Rogen. I would be maybe a tiny bit happier if it was Segel, just on a personal level, but that's, I suspect it's going to be Jeremy Allen White again.

• 21:25Speaker 01

  Okay, we're going to take a break. When we come back, we're going to be hitting the weirdest category we'll be talking about today. Outstanding, limited, or anthology series, and in some cases, or movie.

• 21:36Speaker 04

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• 23:11Speaker 01

  And we're back. Okay, next up is Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series. No movies, we're talking about movies when it comes to acting. But for this, this is just Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series. First up is Adolescence from Netflix. This series tells the story of a 13-year-old boy who is accused of murdering a teenage girl at his school. Next up is The Penguin, HBO's spin-off of the movie The Batman, starring Colin Farrell as the ruthless mobster Oswald "Oz" Cobb. Next up is Dying for Sex, the FX on Hulu series starring Michelle Williams as a woman who attempts to finally own her sexuality following a terminal cancer diagnosis. Next up, The Odd Man Out Here, Monsters, the Lyle and Eric Menendez story, the latest installment of the anthology series, co-created by Ryan Murphy.

• 23:56Speaker 01

  And finally, Black Mirror, Netflix's latest installment of the terrifying speculative fiction anthology series about technology.

• 24:04Speaker 01

  Lynda, what do you think?

• 24:05Linda Holmes?

  I will say, I was really pleased to see Black Mirror here. I did think there were several strong episodes in this season. I think the one with Rashida Jones and Chris O'Dowd is very good. I think the one with Paul Giamatti is exceptional. So I was happy to see this kind of make a run back in here. And as to the rest of these, I will absolutely defer to you guys for that conversation.

• 24:25Aisha Harris?

  I completely forgot about The Penguin, even though I really liked The Penguin. We talked about it on the show. As a very much, I don't really care about superheroes or superhero adjacent things. I was delighted by Colin Farrell's performance and the whole vibe of that show. But this came out like months ago. So it does make me wonder, you know, it's here, it made it to the nominations. But I do think like recency bias canon will probably play a really big role in what actually winds up winning. Dying for Sex, I think, is probably the one that I root for the most here. I think it was such a, it is a very difficult subject, and it is a very difficult thing to get right. And I think it strikes

• 25:08Aisha Harris?

  the right tone between drama and comedy and the macabre. And, you know, Michelle Williams is so, so wonderful here. So I'm rooting for that.

• 25:19Speaker 01

  Look, I thought The Penguin was one of the best, if not the best, shows of the year so far. I was convinced that it was going to get a nomination, if not take it home. And then Adolescence dropped. And I was like, okay, show's over. People who haven't watched The Penguin are going to be comparing Adolescence, which is just so raw and powerful and quote unquote, real. It's such a singular accomplishment that people are going to go from that to The Penguin. They're going to look at the prosthetics. They're going to listen to Colin Farrell's these and those accent. And they're going to register the fact that this is, you know, a Batman villain. And they're just going to dismiss it as a comic book. And they're not going to watch the damn thing.

• 25:59Linda Holmes?

  Yeah.

• 26:00Speaker 01

  The wind is that Adolescence is back. I don't begrudge that. If it had landed next year, I think Penguin would have gotten some flowers. And I don't think it's going to get the flowers it deserves.

• 26:08Aisha Harris?

  Yeah.

• 26:09Speaker 01

  All right. One of the reasons I think the Penguin should get the flowers it deserves is because of the lead actress in it. So let's do outstanding lead actress in a limited or anthology series or movie. First up is, who I spoke about before, Christian Miliati for The Penguin. She plays Sophia Falcone, the daughter of a Gotham mob boss with some scores to settle in this Batman spinoff series, but it's more than that. Next up is Michelle Williams for Dying for Sex. She plays Molly, who after being diagnosed with stage four breast cancer, reevaluates the unsatisfying relationships in her life and her own sexuality. Next up is Cate Blanchett for Disclaimer. She plays a woman who is terrified when she's anonymously sent a novel that seems to be based on a chapter of her past that she's

• 26:50Speaker 01

  desperate to keep secret. Next up is Rashida Jones for Black Mirror. She plays a woman who, after falling into a coma, is kept alive by a procedure with a subscription model. And finally, Megan Fahey for Netflix's Sirens. In this mysterious dark comedy, she plays a woman trying to reconnect with her sister, who has an odd relationship with her socialite boss. Aisha, kick us off. What'd you think?

• 27:14Aisha Harris?

  Okay, so Christian Miliati was great. I agree with you, Glenn. For me, yes, Colin Farrell, also great, but I think she was just doing something very, very fun and dark and scary. I do think this could be Michelle Williams's to lose, just because I think it's such a, like, it's not personal to her, but it's a personal story based on a real person, and also deals with something so many people have had to deal with, which is cancer and death, and perhaps being a caretaker for someone who is very ill. I don't know. I feel like Michelle Williams, she also just has, people love her for, for good reason. She's great. And so I, I would not be sad at all if Michelle Williams was the winner here.

• 27:58Linda Holmes?

  Yeah. I think Cate Blanchett's very good in Disclaimer. I don't know how well that show holds up as a whole piece, but I think she's good in it. I am probably the only person in this conversation who has watched Sirens, I'm, I'm willing to guess. And listen, I love Megan Fahey. She's definitely the best thing about Sirens. I am a little baffled by this, just because I don't think the show is very good. But listen, if you want to like Megan Fahey, you know, watch her in Drop, watch her in The Perfect Couple, and, you know, there's a bunch of things to love Megan Fahey, and I don't know that I would pick this. But I also think she's good in this. It's very weird. This is just a group of actors who I have loved in various things. So who can be against

• 28:41Linda Holmes?

  Kristen Milliati? Nobody. So, you know, or Michelle Williams, who I also think has a very good chance at this, partly just because she's not in that many things. She doesn't show up constantly. So I think, you know, her goodwill kind of gets banked. So there's no one on this list where I'm like, I would be like, what? Like, no, they're all great actors.

• 29:01Speaker 01

  Yeah. My heart says Kristen Milliati. My Emmy spidey sense says Michelle Williams.

• 29:06Linda Holmes?

  Yeah.

• 29:07Speaker 01

  All right. We're going to close out here with lead actor in a limited or anthology series or movie. First up is Colin Farrell. For The Penguin, he plays ruthless monster Oswald Ozz cab, scheming to become kingpin by any means necessary. Next up is Stephen Graham for Adolescence. He's the father of a teenage boy accused of murdering his classmate. Graham is also one of the co-creators of the show. Next up is Cooper Koch for Monsters, the Lyle and Eric Menendez story. He plays Eric Menendez, who is convicted of murdering his parents with his brother Lyle. Next up is the great Brian Tyree Henry for Dope Thief. In this Apple TV plus series, he plays a man robbing small time drug dealers by posing as a DEA agent until he messes with the wrong house. And finally, Jake Gyllenhaal for Presumed

• 29:51Speaker 01

  Innocent. He plays Rusty, a Chicago prosecutor accused of the murder of a colleague he'd been having an affair with. It's a lot. I don't think people expected Presumed Innocent to be on this list in any capacity, but go.

• 30:04Aisha Harris?

  Again, it premiered over, I had to go back and look and it premiered over a year ago. So I was like, what?

• 30:09Linda Holmes?

  So, so here's the thing. I rarely find myself in the position of being too annoyed by Emmy nominations that happen because I am pretty good at, if I'm not covering it and I know it's probably not going to be my speed, I just kind of don't watch things, right? That's often what my approach is. However, I did watch Presumed Innocent because it should be my speed and I thought it was a mess and I do not even think his performance is very good in it. I must say, this is not a performance from him that I liked. I don't think he ever figured out this character. I am. baffled by this as anything other than, you know, people love Jake Gyllenhaal, Ruth Negga is also in this, people like her. I will say, Peter Sarsgaard was nominated for

• 30:52Linda Holmes?

  this and he was the one thing I liked about it. So, good for him, question mark? Other than that, these are not my things, so have at it. I would love to see Brian Tyree Henry win, just because I love him.

• 31:04Aisha Harris?

  And for me, I'm rooting for Brian Tyree Henry all the way. This was the one Emmy nomination that I have been constantly thinking about, because I don't really, like, there are Emmys, whatever. But like, unabashedly, this was his first lead role in a show. And so to see him be able to take that role, and it goes to a lot of places. It is both a very thoughtful drama, but then it also gets a little bit kind of, not supernatural, but like, kind of trippy in some parts of it. And so he has to hold it all together while he is, you know, dealing with a bunch of thugs and racists and skinheads and whatever. I just think he's so great. And it's his time, and I want him to take it. But I can also see the adolescence

• 31:46Aisha Harris?

  train chugging along here. So, yeah, I'm just glad he's nominated.

• 31:51Speaker 01

  Yeah, I think the adolescence train is pulling into the station. And I think it's what's gonna take it.

• 31:57Linda Holmes?

  Yeah.

• 31:58Speaker 01

  That's it for the major nominations. Is there anything that stuck up to you guys that kind of below the fold? Anything else you wanted to comment about this year's nominations?

• 32:04Linda Holmes?

  To me, what is always enjoyable about the Emmy nominations, and what I always try to keep my eye on, is all of those first time nominees. Sometimes really like famous people like Harrison Ford and Colin Farrell, and, you know, Javier Bardem and Chloe Sevigny, who are both nominated for Monsters, and it's their first Emmy nominations. But also like, Tramell Tillman and Zach Cherry from Severance, and Michael Urie for Shrinking, which I'm so excited about and so happy for him. He's been wonderful forever. Obviously, Kristen Milletti. So I do try to keep my mind on kind of the positive, which is you do always know that a bunch of people whose work that you admire are having a really good day, and that always makes me really happy.

• 32:48Speaker 01

  I take your point. That makes sense. We want to know what you think about this year's Emmy nominations. Find us at facebook.com slash PCHH. And that brings us to the end of our show. Aisha Harris, Linda Holmes, thank you so much for being here.

• 32:58Linda Holmes?

  Thank you, Glenn. Thank you, buddy.

• 33:00Speaker 01

  And just a reminder that signing up for Pop Culture Happy Hour Plus is a great way to support our show and public radio. Also, you get to listen to our episodes sponsor free, so please go find out more at plus.npr.org/happyhour or visit the link in our show notes. This episode was produced by Mike Katsev and edited by our showrunner Jessica Reedy. And Hello, Coming in provides our theme music. Thank you all for listening to Pop Culture Happy Hour from NPR. I'm Glen Weldon, and we'll see you all next time.

• 33:31Speaker 00

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