Unexpected Results at the 2025 Emmys: ‘Paradise’ Scores a Nomination While ‘Landman’ Misses Out

The 77th Emmy nominations are here and they are chock-full of snubs and surprises!

This year, established series such as Yellowjackets and Poker Face unexpectedly fell short, whereas new arrivals like Paradise managed the impressive feat of displacing Emmy front-runners like Squid Game.

As is the case every year, many talented actors and actresses went unrecognized for their remarkable performances on television. This includes some previous nominees who were anticipated to be nominated again. The Emmy Awards never fail to surprise us.

If you missed this morning’s livestream of the nominations announcement (did you have something more important to do?), don’t worry. We’ve posted the entire list for you to check out here. As for the unexpected omissions and shockers, continue reading to see what has left us astonished.

EMMYS 2025 SNUBS:

Marisa Abela (Industry)

Anyone who watches HBO’s criminally underrated series about professional traders in London knows that this show is gold. Not only does it have some of the best writing and storytelling on TV at the moment, it has killer performances like that of Marisa Abela, who plays the wealthy and privileged Yasmin Kara-Hanani. Each season, Abela — who starred as Amy Winehouse in the Back to Black biopic — just gets better and better, with Season 3 being ostensibly her best. It’s a crying shame that the Television Academy chose to overlook her performance and her co-stars’ performances, too, because the entire cast deserves much better.

Landman

I know Taylor Sheridan pretty consistently goes overlooked at the Emmy Awards — and honestly, most awards ceremonies — but I thought for sure that with the decent reviews and the fan buzz, Landman would sneak into at least a few of the major categories. I do think it’s still one of those shows and he is one of those creators that people think is for an older generation, but it’s so surprising given that Slow Horses is still raking in the noms. I think both shows lean a little more mature with their demographic, but I guess it doesn’t translate come time for the Emmys. One day, Sheridan will get his critical recognition. Although, with all his shows and success in other ways, I doubt he’s losing sleep.

Say Nothing

I cannot remember the last time a limited series had me hooked like Say Nothing had me hooked. The series, a retelling of Dolours and Marian Price’s story as members of the Irish Republican Army, was one of the most horrifyingly brilliant shows to come out of 2024 and left me in awe of just how little buzz it was receiving. In that, it shouldn’t be a surprise that it didn’t make the grade alongside shows like Adolescence and Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, which were talked about in every corner of the internet for months. Still, I can typically put my faith in the Emmy voters to acknowledge shows that are criminally underrated, but I think it’s a sign of the times that these voters are no longer the ones leading the charge on taste in television shows.

2025 EMMYS SURPRISES:

Meghann Fahy (Sirens) & Uzo Aduba (The Residence)

I probably shouldn’t be lumping these two together, but I have two other distinct surprises to write about, so just let me live! It’s always a pleasant surprise to see someone deserving receive a surprise nomination and both Uzo Aduba and Meghann Fahy fall into this category. While their shows were good, their respective performances were the clear shining stars of the projects, and it’s good to see the Television Academy Members agree. I honestly would have sooner predicted Kaitlyn Dever for Apple Cider Vinegar over Fahy or Kathryn Hahn for Agatha All Along over Aduba, but here we are. For all my talk of snubs, it is nice to know that some voters are actually watching the things they claim to be watching and recognizing great work.

Paradise

I don’t think I shouted louder at my TV this morning than seeing the back-to-back moments of Sterling K. Brown being nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series and for Paradise receiving an Emmy nom for Best Drama Series. Imagine my surprise, however, when I went online to see the rest of the nominations and found out that James Marsden and Julianne Nicholson — who I previously wrote a whole 1000-word story about how much she deserves a nomination — both received nods for the Hulu series, as well. The only reason this show is counted in the surprise category is because of just how many returning series and actors it was up against. I wanted so badly to say that it would be nominated, but I hesitated with shows like Squid Game and The Last of Us also in the bunch. Turns out Emmy voters took note.

Harrison Ford & Michael Urie (Shrinking)

Harrison Ford and Michael Urie for Shrinking is not only a surprise, it’s what the kids on TikTok call “a slay.” After Harrison Ford was shockingly omitted from the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series category in 2024 — mind you, I predicted that between his sardonic wit as Paul and his name recognition, he would win the whole award — I was feeling pessimistic about his odds this year. As for Urie, I wanted so badly to see him receive a nomination but felt that if Emmy voters weren’t going to recognize Ford, he might also be a lost cause. Alas, we live to hope for another day because both men received their deserved nominations. I still maintain that Shrinking is criminally underrated but these nominations help to hopefully turn more people onto the series and have them fall in love with the entire cast and show. On that note, check out what is now an Emmy-nominated bit from Urie in the player below…

This year, the event is hosted by up-and-coming comedian Nate Bargatze, who has been on a hot streak with his two hosting appearances on Saturday Night Live within a year, as well as his latest Netflix special, Your Friend, Nate Bargatze.

The 77th Primetime Emmy Awards will air on CBS Sunday, September 14, live from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, California. Congratulations to all the nominees!