How some Emmy categories lost and others gained nomination slots
Since then, some of the lead categories across drama, comedy, and limited/TV movie have gotten six slots. Last year, drama and comedy leads had six, while limited leads had five. This year, however, barring a tie, all of the lead categories will have five slots for the first time ever under this system.
More from GoldDerby
Peter Straughan breaks down the power plays and personal tragedy in 'Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light'
'House of the Dragon' director and cinematographer on the 'spontaneous creativity' of the fan-fave 'The Red Sowing'
Golden Reel Awards: MPSE bans generative A.I. sound from awards eligibility to 'keep artists at the forefront'
The lead races are the only categories that saw the number of submissions dip from last year. The limited/TV movie supporting categories will drop to six from seven. Best Limited/TV Movie Writing will shrink to five. Best Talk Series will go from four to three slots, due to just 13 submissions this year. And while the number of slots is unaffected — still five — Best Limited Series only had 33 entries this year compared to 49 in 2024.
On the other hand, some categories gained slots: The comedy supporting races will go from six to seven. The drama guest ones will increase from five to six. And drama directing will bump up to seven. The other major categories will have the same number of slots as last year.
So how did some categories lose a slot and others gain?
SEE 2025 Emmy nominations voting: Here's the number of slots in the major categories
Overall, there are 600 submissions across all the program categories this year, 14 fewer than last year. In just drama, comedy, and limited series, there are 228 entries, one fewer than last year. It doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure out this had led to the decrease in slots. The submission decline isn't surprising as we're now in the second post-strikes Emmy cycle, and lots of productions are still recovering from the industry shutdown or were just shut down altogether. In 2023, there were 309 submissions across drama, comedy, and limited series.
In terms of leads, there will always be fewer leads of shows in general compared to supporting cast members. The comedy lead categories last year were supposed to have five slots, but they ended up with six due to a tie. Some shows might have one true lead but a big supporting cast. And with fewer shows, there are fewer leads. This season, some of the biggest shows also have large ensembles or supporting casts, like The White Lotus, which has always submitted its actors in supporting, or The Pitt, which only counts Noah Wyle as a lead. The Last of Us is also fielding supporting players for the first time alongside its leads Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal (and don't forget, lots of fans don't think he should submit in lead due to his diminished presence in Season 2).
The drama lead categories came very close to scoring six slots. You need at least 81 submissions, and drama actor had 77, while drama actress had 75 (only one category needs to hit the threshold because of a parity rule). It might make one wonder why don't studios submit as many performers as possible or why don't more performers (or their reps) pay the fee and self-submit to try to clear the thresholds and get as many slots as possible. But if a show is canceled, it's a tough call to make, for networks at least, whether to invest in submissions, let alone a campaign. Some do, some don't. Starz, for example, did not submit the canceled The Serpent Queen, and none of the actors self-submitted either.
Comedy Central
The roughest drop is arguably Best Talk Series only getting three slots, but it's also reflective of the waning number of late-night shows over the years and the end of such shows as Conan and The Late Late Show with James Corden. Per TV Academy rules, for categories with eight to 19 submissions, the number of slots is determined by dividing the number of submissions by four and rounding to the nearest whole number. Thirteen submissions means three slots. Had there been 14 submissions like last year, there would be four slots. It's another blow to the late-night community, which in 2022 successfully lobbied for the category to retain a fifth slot.
Last year, The Daily Show won Best Talk Series over Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Late Night with Seth Meyers, and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. So one of these shows will now be boxed out.
This year's talk series submissions are The Daily Show, Everybody's Live with John Mulaney, Hart to Heart, Have I Got News For You, Hot Ones, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Late Night with Seth Meyers, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Midnight Snack with Julie Chan, Real Time with Bill Maher, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Very Important People, and Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen.
In 2023, the TV Academy rejiggered the variety categories and moved seven-time champ Last Week Tonight with John Oliver from variety talk series to the revamped Best Scripted Variety Series category, where it beat Saturday Night Live and A Black Lady Sketch Show. Last year, Last Week Tonight and SNL were the only nominees in scripted variety series, which is likely to be the case again this year. There are only six submissions, sending the category to peer group review. Those with 70 percent approval will get a nomination.
The comedy supporting categories gained a slot, but it nearly didn't happen. Best Comedy Supporting Actor had 163 submissions, barely surpassing the 161-entry threshold for seven slots. Had it not done so, there would've been six slots again in the comedy supporting categories as supporting actress only had 141 submissions.
Best Drama Directing is also getting seven slots, which is not that surprising. First, there was also a rule tweak this year that paved the way for more directing submissions. A director or directing team can now enter multiple submissions per category if they're for different shows. Previously, they could only submit one entry per category. Now, they will be able to submit an episode from each show they directed per category.
Second, a bunch of shows over-submitted here. If you're nomination-competitive, it's best to be conservative with submissions — one or two episodes, maybe three if you're a top-tier show — as to not vote-split. Numerous dramas submitted four or more episodes in directing, including The Boys (five), House of the Dragon (five), Yellowjackets (five), Your Friends & Neighbors (four), Will Trent (six), and Doctor Odyssey with a whopping 11. These shows will probably not get a directing bid, but they did their greater part in ensuring more slots for everyone. Maybe other categories will take note next year?
Best of GoldDerby
Tina Fey on 'The Four Seasons': 'It was a challenge to be restrained about where we put jokes'
'The best job I ever had': 'From 'Supernatural' to 'The Boys,' Eric Kripke talks his biggest hits — and miss (ahem, 'Tarzan')
'Cross' star Aldis Hodge on building an aspirational hero — who's not a superhero
Click here to read the full article.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Los Angeles Times
27 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
Malcolm-Jamal Warner's ‘Cosby' sister Keshia Knight Pulliam pays tribute: ‘I gained an angel'
Keshia Knight Pulliam, who shared the screen with Malcolm-Jamal Warner on 'The Cosby Show,' highlighted the Emmy-nominated actor's musical talents as she broke her silence on his death. Pulliam on Sunday shared an Instagram video of Warner playing the bass at Atlanta's City Winery. She shared the video of Warner, best known for his portrayal of clean-cut Theodore Huxtable, a week after he drowned while swimming in the Caribbean off Costa Rica. He was 54. 'A week ago I lost my big brother but I gained an angel,' Pulliam captioned her video. She played Rudy Huxtable, the youngest of the TV family's children. 'I love you... I miss you,' she added, before referencing the other Huxtable children. 'We got our girls.' 'House of Payne' star Pulliam, 46, is the latest 'Cosby Show' star to mourn Warner. As news of the actor-musician's death spread last week, co-stars including Bill Cosby, Geoffrey Owens and Raven-Symoné paid tribute. Cosby told CBS News last week he and co-star Phylicia Rashad were 'embracing each other over the phone' when they learned of Warner's death. 'He was never afraid to go to his room and study. He knew his lines and that he was quite comfortable even with the growing pains of a being a teenager,' Cosby said of Warner. Owens, who appeared as Warner's on-screen brother-in-law, Elvin Tibideaux, said in a statement shared with Deadline that his co-star's death had left him speechless. 'Malcolm was a lovely man; a sweet and sensitive soul. I respected him for many reasons, including the fact that he genuinely loved the act of creation,' he said. Warner, also a TV director and a Grammy-winning musician, was on vacation with his family at the time of his death. He was swimming when a current pulled him deeper into the ocean. The Red Cross in Costa Rica confirmed to The Times last week that its first responders also tended to another man in the same drowning incident that claimed Warner's life. The patient, whose identity was not disclosed, survived. First responders found Warner without vital signs, and he was taken to the morgue. As news of his death spread last week, his Hollywood peers, including Morris Chestnut, Tracee Ellis Ross, Viola Davis and Niecy Nash also paid tribute on social media. Beyoncé honored the actor, briefly updating her website to include a tribute to the TV star. Pulliam also thanked fans on Sunday for their support as she mourned. 'Thank you for every text, call and all the love that you have sent my way,' she said in an Instagram story. 'I've just needed a moment.' City Winery in Atlanta, the venue from Pulliam's video, will host an event in Warner's honor on Wednesday. 'This tribute is our communal offering to say: Thank you. For the way he gave, for the work he created, for the bridges he built between TV, poetry, music, and love,' says the event website. According to the site, all profits will go to Warner's family. He is survived by his wife and daughter.
New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
The ‘real s–ty way' Charles Barkley found out ‘Inside the NBA' was moving to ESPN
Charles Barkley is furious with how he learned TNT lost 'Inside the NBA' to ESPN. 'I thought TNT, our bosses, did a s–ty job, they did an awful job of keeping us abreast,' said on Monday's 'Pardon My Take' podcast. 'We were playing golf during the playoffs and we were reading the internet, finding out if we were going to get fired or not. And I was like TNT, our bosses, they sucked, plain and simple. Like yo man, just tell us…shoot us straight. In the end, ESPN acquired the rights to 'Inside the NBA' from TNT as part of the NBA's new media deal, but Barkley said those involved with the show were in the dark until everything was official. Advertisement 'TNT never came to us like grown folks and said, 'Hey guys, we're probably gonna lose the NBA,' which we could've understood,' Barkley added. 'But I thought they sucked, I told them they sucked, because there's a way you treat people.' The Hall of Famer and analyst went on to note that he first learned the show's rights had been acquired by ESPN when he received texts from employees Scott Van Pelt, Brian Windhorst, Elle Duncan and Bob Myers welcoming him 'to the family.' Advertisement Charles Barkley on Monday's 'Pardon My Take' podcast. @VivaLaStool/X 'I'm like, 'What family? What are you talking about?' Then about an hour and a half later I get a call from TNT like, 'Well, the story broke,'' Barkley added. 'I said, 'Well, you probably could've given us a heads up.' 'You traded us to ESPN and we had to hear about it on the internet. That's just not the way you do business.' The 'Inside the NBA' crew on June 25, 2018. Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP Advertisement The Emmy-winning 'Inside the NBA' aired on TNT from 1989-2025, and the quartet of Barkley, Shaquille O'Neal, Kenny Smith and host Ernie Johnson had been together for 14 years. Barkley himself joined the show in 2000 after the conclusion of his legendary playing career. The cast, which has become beloved by NBA fans for its chemistry and balance of analysis and humor, will remain together. The show will continue to be produced by TNT Sports in its Atlanta studios, but it will be broadcast by ESPN.
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Yahoo
Frankie Muniz latest actor-turned-driver out to prove he can compete in high-level racing
Frankie Muniz may be the only actor who has been nominated for an Emmy award and driven in a NASCAR event at Daytona. But if Muniz had been old enough to get a driver's license before he moved to Hollywood, there may never have been a "Malcolm in the Middle." 'When I'm in that race car and I put my visor down and I drive out of that pit lane, I feel like I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be,' he said. 'That's what I'm supposed to do and that's what I'm doing.' And acting? 'I don't feel like I'm a good actor,' he said. 'I know I can act. But when I look at good acting, I go 'dang, I could never do that'.' That's not true, of course. Muniz, who started acting when he was 12, has been credited in 26 films and 37 TV shows, including the title role in 'Malcolm in the Middle,' which earned him two Golden Globe nominations and one Emmy nod during its seven-year run on Fox. But acting was a profession. Racing is a passion. 'Excitement and all the emotions. That's what I love about racing,' he said. 'The highs are so high and the lows are unbelievably low. It's awesome.' Muniz placed 28th in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Indianapolis Raceway Park on Friday. He is 23rd among the 64 drivers listed in the series points standings, with his one top-10 finish coming in the season opener at Daytona. Muniz, 39, isn't the first actor to try racing. Paul Newman was a four-time SCCA national champion who finished second in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1979 while Patrick Dempsey ('Grey's Anatomy,' 'Can't Buy Me Love') has driven sports cars at Le Mans and in the Rolex 24 at Daytona, in addition to other series. But driving isn't a side hustle for Muniz, who last October signed with North Carolina-based Reaume Brothers Racing to be the full-time driver of the team's No. 33 Ford in the truck series. Muniz also raced twice last year in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. 'When I originally started racing, I was kind of at the height of my [acting] career. I had tons of offers to do movies and shows and all that,' said Muniz, who made his stock-car debut in the fall of 2021 in Bakersfield, then accepted an offer to drive full time in the ARCA Menards Series in 2023. 'Very easily could have stayed in that business. But I wanted to give racing a try. And to compete at the top level, you have to put in the time and effort that professional race car drivers are doing, right? You can't do it halfway.' Muniz was into racing before he even thought about acting. Growing up in North Carolina, he remembers waking early on the weekend to watch IndyCar and NASCAR races on TV. No one else in his family shared his interest in motorsports, so when his parents divorced shortly after Muniz was discovered acting in a talent show at age 8, his mother moved to Burbank, where he made his film debut alongside Louis Gossett Jr. in 1997's 'To Dance With Olivia.' Two years later he was cast as the gifted middle child of a dysfunctional working-class family in the successful sitcom 'Malcolm in the Middle.' Motorsports continued to tug at him so after running in a few celebrity events, Muniz twice put his acting career on hold to race, first in 2007 — shortly after 'Malcolm' ended after seven seasons and 151 episodes — when he started a three-season run in the open-wheel Atlantic Championship series. Read more: NASCAR announces race on U.S. Navy base in Coronado scheduled for 2026 Still, Muniz, who lives with his wife Paige and 4-year-old son Mauz in Scottsdale, Ariz., is dogged by criticism he is little more than a weekend warrior who is using his substantial Hollywood reputation and earnings to live out his racing fantasies. 'I don't spend any of my money going racing,' he said. 'I made a promise to my wife that I would not do that. So I can kill that rumor right there.' But those whispers persist partly because Muniz hasn't completely cut ties with acting. Because the truck series doesn't run every weekend, racing 25 times between Valentine's Day and Halloween, Muniz had time to tape a 'Malcolm in the Middle' reunion miniseries that is scheduled to air on Disney+ in December. He has also appeared in two other TV projects and two films since turning to racing full time. But his focus, he insists, is on driving. 'If I wanted to go racing for fun,' he said, 'I would not be racing in the truck series. I'd be racing at my local track or I'd be racing some SCCA club events. I want to be one of the top drivers there are. I want to make it as high up in NASCAR as I can. And I'm doing everything I can to do that.' Fame outside of racing can be a double-edged sword in the high-cost world of NASCAR. It can open doors to a ride and sponsorships others can't get, but it can also cause jealousy in the garage, with drivers crediting that fame and not talent for a rival's success. And Muniz isn't the only rookie driver who has had to deal with that. Toni Breidinger, who finished 27th in Friday's race and is one place and eight points ahead of Muniz in the season standings with nine races left, is a model who has posed for Victoria's Secret and been featured in the pages of Glamour, GQ and Sports Illustrated's swimsuit edition. She's also a good driver who has been going fast on a racetrack far longer than she's been walking slowly down a catwalk. 'I was definitely a racer before anything. That was definitely my passion,' said Breidinger, who started driving go-karts in Northern California when she was 9. 'I've been lucky enough to be able to do modeling to help support that passion. But at the end of the day, I definitely consider myself a racer. That's what I grew up doing and that's the career I've always wanted do to.' Still, she sees the two pursuits as being complementary. When Breidinger appears on a red carpet, as she did before this month's ESPY Awards in Los Angeles, it helps her modeling career while at the same time giving the sponsors of her racing team — which includes 818 Tequila, Dave & Buster's and the fashion brand Coach — added value. 'It's all part of the business. It all goes back into my racing,' said Breidinger, 26, who is of German and Lebanese descent. 'The side hustles, I like to call them. I don't think that takes away from me being a race car driver.' Breidinger, who won the USAC western asphalt midget series title as a teenager, raced in the ARCA Menards Series for five years before stepping up to truck series in 2021, making NASCAR history in 2023 when she finished 15th in her first race, the best-ever debut by a female driver. That helped her land a full-time ride this season with Tricon Garage, Toyota's flagship team in the truck series. Like Muniz, Breidinger sees the truck series, the third tier of NASCAR's national racing series, as a steppingstone to a seat in a Cup car. 'I want to climb the national ladder. That's what I'm here to do,' she said. 'I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't have long-term plans and long-term goals. I'm a very competitive person, especially with myself.' Kyle Larson, who climbed to the top of that ladder, running his first NASCAR national series race in a truck in 2012, then winning the 2021 Cup championship nine years later, said the path he took — and the one Muniz and Breidinger are following — is a well-worn one. Read more: NASCAR figuring out if building new track in Fontana is the 'right thing to do' 'Anybody racing in any of the three series has talent and ability enough to be there,' he said. Funding, Larson said, and not talent and ability, often determines how fast a driver can make that climb and that might be a problem for Muniz since Josh Reaume, the owner of the small three-truck team Muniz drives for, has complained about the price of racing. It can cost more than $3.5 million a year to field one competitive truck in the 25-race series — and that cost is rising, threatening to price many out of the sport. But having drivers like Muniz and Breidinger in NASCAR will help everyone in the series, Larson said, because it will bring in fans and sponsors that might not have been attracted to the sport otherwise. 'I just hope that he can get into a situation someday where you can really see his talent from being in a car or a truck that is better equipped to go run towards the front,' Larson said of Muniz. 'You want to see him succeed because if he does succeed, it's only going to do good things for our sport.' And if it works out the way Muniz hopes, perhaps he'll someday be the answer to another trivia question: Name the NASCAR champion who once worked in Hollywood. Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
