We will update this article throughout the season, along with all our predictions, so make sure to keep checking IndieWire for the latest news from the 2025 Emmys race. The nomination round of voting takes place from June 12 to June 23, with the official Emmy nominations announced Tuesday, July 15. Afterwards, final voting commences on August 18 and ends the night of August 27. The 77th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards are set to take place on Sunday, September 14, and air live on CBS at 8:00 p.m. ET/ 5:00 p.m. PT.
The State of the Race
Although there wasn’t a blockbuster Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series contender this TV season like “The Last Dance,” “The Beatles: Get Back,” or “Beckham,” the series that are presently vying for the Emmy are mostly very strong.
For example, “100 Foot Wave” on HBO has been nominated twice already, and is surely hoping that the third season is the charm. “Chef’s Table” has been nominated several times, but has never won. However, this Emmys season, the Netflix series has multiple volumes eligible, including “Chef’s Table: Legends,” so there is plenty for voters to take into consideration this time around.
And “Simone Biles Rising” won the same PGA Award for sports programs that helped propel the aforementioned “Beckham” toward winning more awards.
But in terms of what series captured the zeitgeist, the closest would be “Chimp Crazy” on HBO, which serves as the best evidence for not keeping primates as pets, and features fascinating subjects akin to the people on “Tiger King.”
The other series would be “SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night,” which is widely considered to be a skillfully executed lead-up to the long-anticipated variety special. Should it make the cut, it would be the first nomination for Peacock in this category.
Though true crime documentaries are often criticized for rarely being up to par qualitatively with the rest of the docuseries landscape, it is the genre that generates the highest viewership, so even a show like “The Fall of Diddy” on ID is not to be counted out, especially when the network earned a nomination for “Quiet On Set: The Dark Side Of Kids TV” last year.
The other notable thing that happened with nominations in this category last year is that voters unexpectedly gravitated toward some of the hipper, less traditional contenders, like “Telemarketers.” That HBO series was actually produced by the Safdie brothers’ company Elara Pictures, which are already back in the race with “Ren Faire” from documentary wunderkind Lance Oppenheim.
“Social Studies,” which sees influential documentarian Lauren Greenfield receive access to a group of LA teenagers’ phones to see how social media has reshaped people’s adolescence, would also be another inspired choice. The series was already nominated for Indie Spirit and Gotham Awards.
Current Contenders (In Alphabetical Order):
“100 Foot Wave” (HBO)
“American Murder: Gabby Petito” (Netflix)
“The Americas” (NBC)
“Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing” (Netflix)
“Chef’s Table” (Netflix)
“Chimp Crazy” (HBO)
“The Class” (PBS)
“The Fall of Diddy” (ID)
“Gone Girls: The Long Island Serial Killer” (Netflix)
“Light & Magic” (Disney+)
“Our Oceans” (Netflix)
“Ren Faire” (HBO)
“Simone Biles Rising” (Netflix)
“SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night” (Peacock)
“Social Studies” (FX)
More Category Predictions:
Outstanding Animated Program
Outstanding Talk Series
Outstanding Scripted Variety Series
Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special
View IndieWire’s full set of predictions for the 77th Emmy Awards.
Last Year’s Winner: “Beckham”
Still Eligible: No.
Hot Streak: With Netflix having the multiple major contenders like “Chef’s Table” and “Simone Biles Rising,” it is entirely possible for the streaming service to win the Emmy two years in a row.
Notable Ineligible Series: “Hollywood Black” (submitted for News & Documentary Emmys); “America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys” (the series will not premiere in time to be eligible); “Katrina: Come Hell and High Water” (the series will not premiere in time to be eligible); “Surviving Black Hawk Down” (the series will not premiere in time to be eligible); Victoria Beckham Documentary Series (the series will not premiere in time to be eligible); “The Yogurt Shop Murders” (the series will not premiere in time to be eligible); “Into the Void” (the series will not premiere in time to be eligible).
