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
Only three seasons into “The White Lotus,” and the show already has a legacy of leading the majority of its principal cast toward Emmy nominations. Though it first competed as a limited series, it won the Supporting Actor category for Season 1 star Murray Bartlett. In Season 2, it took up four of the eight nomination slots for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, with the other half going to “Succession” actors in a year where the fellow HBO show won Outstanding Drama Series.
Together, HBO and Max are once again set to dominate the Drama categories, with at least three shows that feel like safe bets to be nominated across categories. Starting again with “The White Lotus,” assuming it takes up half the category (again), given the actors’ stature in the industry, and how their performances were received, the four candidates for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series would probably be Sam Rockwell, Jason Isaacs, Patrick Schwarzenegger, and recent Emmy nominee Walton Goggins. For the latter, it’s especially notable that, despite just about every show he stars in receiving wide critical acclaim and awards buzz, the “Justified” and “Fallout” actor has never won an Emmy. This year seems like his moment, especially after his character’s arc in the Season 3 finale.
If four nominations isn’t enough recognition for “The White Lotus,” there’s a chance voters gravitate toward Sam Nivola and/or Tayme Thapthimthong, but the Drama Series races are so tight this year that the final lineups for the supporting races will inevitably disappoint fans of at least one show.
For example, Max series “The Pitt” is now a major word-of-mouth hit, but is there room for more than one supporting actor to be nominated? The main guess would be Patrick Ball as Dr. Langdon, a character that functionally alludes to “E.R.,” playing on the Noah Wyle connection. Gerran Howell as Dr. Whitaker has also won the hearts of fans, but is mostly a tertiary part of the interesting interpersonal relationships on the show. TV veteran Shawn Hatosy as Dr. Abbott arguably has the leg up, though which category he will submit in is still unclear. He only appears in one third of Season 1.
Lastly, “The Last of Us” Season 1 had most of its supporting cast in the guest acting categories, since the lead characters were constantly moving through towns, but Season 2 sees Joel and Ellie start off in a more sedentary place. HBO has been very withholding about previews of the new season, and anyone who has played the video games that the show is based off would know why, but for the time being recent addition Jeffrey Wright already feels like the main entrant for Supporting Actor, as he narrates the show even before his character actually appears.
Moving on to the one non-HBO/Max show that people believe will net multiple Supporting Actor nominations, “Severance” has become Apple TV+’s biggest hit this season, which means that star John Turturro is likely due for another nomination, but there is another big push for Tramell Tillman in his turn as the mysterious Milchick.
“Severance” and “Squid Game” actually premiered in the same TV season, so Emmy voters have had to wait just as long to consider the second season of both shows. The latter series actually earned two nods to the one for “Severance,” but with “Squid Game” Season 2 being less well-received than its record-shattering first run, only antagonist Lee Byung-hun feels like a plausible nominee this time. And that is even more of an uphill battle when thinking about how past Emmy winners like Damian Lewis, returning to his Emmy nominated role as Henry VIII in “Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light,” and recent Emmy nominees like “Paradise” star James Marsden are also in the mix.
Current Contenders (In Alphabetical Order):
Patrick Ball, “The Pitt” (Max)
Walton Goggins, “The White Lotus” (HBO)
Jason Isaacs, “The White Lotus” (HBO)
Lee Byung-hun, “Squid Game” (Netflix)
Damian Lewis, “Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light” (PBS)
Jack Lowden, “Slow Horses” (Apple TV+)
James Marsden, “Paradise” (Hulu)
Young Mazino, “The Last of Us” (HBO)
Sam Nivola, “The White Lotus” (HBO)
Sam Reid, “Interview with the Vampire” (AMC)
Sam Rockwell, “The White Lotus” (HBO)
Patrick Schwarzenegger, “The White Lotus” (HBO)
Tramell Tillman, “Severance” (Apple TV+)
John Turturro, “Severance” (Apple TV+)
Jeffrey Wright, “The Last of Us” (HBO)
More Drama Category Predictions:
Outstanding Drama Series
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
View IndieWire’s full set of predictions for the 77th Emmy Awards.
Last Year’s Winner: Billy Crudup, “The Morning Show”
Still Eligible: No.
Hot Streak: “The Morning Show” may not be back in the race this season, but Apple TV+ itself still is. If one of the “Severance” supporting actors can win the Emmy, then it would set up a streak for the streamer in this category.
Notable Ineligible Series: Jonathan Pryce, “The Crown” (ended); Billy Crudup and Mark Duplass, “The Morning Show” (Season 4 is not eligible); Tadanobu Asano and Takehiro Hira, “Shōgun” (Season 2 is not eligible).
