Nominations for the 2025 Primetime Emmy Awards showcase a heavy presence of British and Irish performers and creators, with actors from the U.K. and Ireland appearing across major acting, writing and directing categories. Period dramas, prestige limited series and a cluster of star-studded comedies also secured multiple nominations.
Among the British and Irish nominees are Owen Cooper for Adolescence, Aimee Lou Wood for The White Lotus, Stephen Graham for Adolescence and Colin Farrell for The Penguin. The Penguin emerged as one of the most-nominated programmes this year with 24 total nominations, while Mike White’s The White Lotus followed closely with 23 nominations.
The ceremony’s Best Drama Series category includes Andor, The Diplomat, The Last of Us, Paradise, The Pitt, Severance, Slow Horses and The White Lotus. British talent figures prominently among drama nominees: Gary Oldman earned a Best Actor in a Drama Series nomination for Slow Horses, and Jason Isaacs and Sam Rockwell received supporting nominations for roles in The White Lotus. Bella Ramsey was nominated for Best Actress in a Drama Series for The Last of Us.
In the limited or anthology categories, Adolescence, Black Mirror, Dying For Sex, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story and The Penguin are contenders. That lineup generated several U.K. and Irish acting nods: Stephen Graham and Owen Cooper were nominated in lead and supporting categories for Adolescence, while Ruth Negga and Bill Camp received nominations for Presumed Innocent. Colin Farrell was nominated for Best Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for his turn in The Penguin.
Comedy categories also included British nominees. Olivia Colman and Jamie Lee Curtis were nominated as guest actresses in The Bear, and British writers and directors were represented among nominees for writing and directing in both comedy and limited series. Charlie Brooker received a writing nomination for Black Mirror, and British directors were among those vying in the limited series directing field.
Veteran performers and first-time nominees were notable across the slate. Kathy Bates, nominated for Best Actress in a Drama Series for Matlock, is the oldest acting nominee this year at 77. Hollywood figures who do not usually seek acting awards also appeared on the ballots: filmmakers Ron Howard and Martin Scorsese scored their first acting Emmy nominations for guest appearances on The Studio, and Harrison Ford received his first Emmy nomination for his supporting role in Shrinking.
Reality and variety categories included long-running staples. The Amazing Race, RuPaul’s Drag Race, Survivor, Top Chef and The Traitors were nominated for Best Reality Competition Program, while The Daily Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live! and The Late Show With Stephen Colbert were among the nominees for Best Talk Series. Last Week Tonight With John Oliver and Saturday Night Live were nominated in the Best Scripted Variety Series category.
Nominations for technical and creative awards spread across a wide array of programmes. Best Writing for a Drama Series nominees included Dan Gilroy for Andor and Mike White for The White Lotus. In comedy writing, Quinta Brunson earned a nomination for Abbott Elementary, while the writing team behind Seth Rogen’s The Studio secured recognition. Directing nominations for drama and limited series included names such as Janus Metz for Andor, Ben Stiller for Severance and Philip Barantini for Adolescence.
The broad representation of British and Irish talent this year reflects the growing international footprint of high-profile U.S. and streaming productions that cast and recruit from the U.K. and Ireland. Shows with international ensembles and co-productions have translated that casting into awards-season visibility, with both established stars and emerging performers recognized across categories.
Nominees will be contenders when the winners are announced later this year. The full list of nominees spans a wide range of networks and streaming platforms, underlining the continued fragmentation of television and the Emmys’ effort to recognize work across multiple formats and global talent pools.