Owen Cooper joined Adolescence co-stars Erin Doherty and Ashley Walters on the red carpet at the 2025 Emmy Awards as the Netflix limited series took its place among the night’s most-nominated shows.
The series arrived at the ceremony with nominations across the limited or anthology categories, including Best Limited or Anthology Series and several acting nods: Cooper and Walters were both shortlisted in the supporting actor category, and Doherty was nominated in the supporting actress category. Adolescence was also part of a crowded slate of prestige television that drew attention from voters and viewers alike.
Among the evening’s most-nominated programs, The Penguin received 24 nominations while HBO’s The White Lotus followed closely with 23. Other high-profile drama contenders included Andor, The Diplomat, The Last of Us, Paradise, The Pitt, Severance and Slow Horses, all vying in the Best Drama Series category. Severance, The White Lotus and The Penguin also scored nominations across writing, directing and ensemble categories.
Acting categories reflected a mix of established film and television stars and newer faces. Nominees for Best Actor in a Drama Series included Sterling K. Brown for Paradise, Gary Oldman for Slow Horses, Pedro Pascal for The Last of Us, Adam Scott for Severance and Noah Wyle for The Pitt, with Wyle among those representing a series that drew nominations across drama and writing. Best Actress in a Drama Series nominees ranged from Kathy Bates — the oldest acting nominee this year at 77, for Matlock — to Sharon Horgan, Britt Lower, Bella Ramsey and Keri Russell.
In limited and anthology categories, Colin Farrell was nominated for his turn in The Penguin, Stephen Graham and Jack Thorne received nominations tied to Adolescence, and Cristin Milioti and Cate Blanchett were among the nominees in the leading limited-series acting field. Writers and directors from a broad set of shows were recognized as well, with credits for Jack Thorne, Charlie Brooker and others noted in the Best Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series category.
The ceremony also handed out a number of wins in guest and comedy categories. Shawn Hatosy won Best Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his role in The Pitt, and Merritt Wever took Best Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her work on Severance. In comedy, Jean Smart won Best Actress in a Comedy Series, and Seth Rogen won Best Actor in a Comedy Series for his role on The Studio. Bryan Cranston earned Best Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for a guest appearance on The Studio, and Julianne Nicholson won Best Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for Hacks.
Reality and variety categories drew their own winners. Alan Cumming was honored as Host for a Reality or Reality Competition Program for The Traitors, Queer Eye won for Structured Reality Program, and Love on the Spectrum won Unstructured Reality Program. The ceremony also recognized game-show talent, with Who Wants to Be a Millionaire — hosted by Jimmy Kimmel for the special — receiving the award in the game-show hosting field.
The awards underscored continued industry attention on limited-series storytelling and ensemble-driven dramas, as streaming platforms and cable networks competed for top honors. Several programs that dominated nomination tallies — including The Penguin, The White Lotus and Severance — saw recognition across technical, writing and acting categories, while newer entries such as Adolescence carved out notable presence in the limited-series races.
Producers, showrunners and performers cited at the ceremony reflected a mix of veteran creators and emerging talents. The nominations and wins highlighted both long-running franchises and fresh anthology projects, illustrating the Emmys’ ongoing emphasis on both serialized prestige drama and succinct, high-profile limited series.
As the industry moves into the next television season, networks and streamers will likely point to nomination and award outcomes as part of campaigns for renewals, streaming promotion and awards-season momentum. For now, cast members from Adolescence, including Cooper, Doherty and Walters, left the ceremony having marked the series’ impact with high-profile nominations and an onstage presence alongside many of television’s most celebrated productions.