Ahead of the 2025 Emmy Awards this Monday, we round up this year\u2019s most nominated TV shows.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Roll out the red carpet and chuck on your fanciest bow-tie, because the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards kicks off this Monday night. From 6.30pm (NZT), the glitziest night in television will be broadcast exclusively in New Zealand on Sky\u2019s Rialto channel, as the television industry celebrates the best shows on our screens over the past year. More than 60 shows have been nominated for an Emmy, including What We Do in the Shadows, The Rehearsal, Nobody Wants This, Only Murders in the Building, Slow Horses and The Diplomat.<\/p>\n
But what are the shows that have swept the nominations this year, and what makes them so good? From Andor to The White Lotus, we round up this year\u2019s top 10 most Emmy-nominated TV shows and reveal where you can watch them in Aotearoa.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Severance (27 Nominations)<\/p>\n
Apple TV+\u2019s award-winning drama tops the 2025 nominations with a whopping 27 nods, including outstanding drama series, outstanding lead actor and outstanding production design. Severance stan Toby Manhire reckoned season one<\/a> was some of the most compelling television of the century, and season two was also critically acclaimed<\/a>. \u201cThis is a majestic meditation on memory, grief, loneliness, friendship, personality, the role of work and HR piffle,\u201d Manhire wrote. \u201cInsofar as it\u2019s sci-fi, this is the offspring of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind rather than Star Trek. In atmosphere and mischief there is a discernible debt to the late, great David Lynch. If you haven\u2019t watched it, do give it a chance.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Where to watch: Apple TV+.<\/p>\n The Penguin (24 nominations)<\/p>\n The Penguin was one of The Spinoff\u2019s favorite shows of 2024<\/a>, with Anna Rawhiti-Connell calling the HBO DC Studios superhero series \u201creally, unexpectedly good\u201d. The spinoff series to 2022\u2019s The Batman follows Oswald Cobb\u2019s rise in Gotham City\u2019s criminal underworld, and stars a well-disguised Colin Farrell as Oz. \u201cI knew Colin Farrell had been cast as Cobb, but he was so unrecognisable that I still exclaimed \u2018oh my God, it\u2019s Colin Farrell\u2019 halfway through the first episode,\u201d Rawhiti-Connell wrote. \u201cWhile Oz is definitely not a good guy, Farrell\u2019s rich and layered performance puts him among the great TV antiheroes of our time.\u201d The Emmys clearly agreed, with Farrell earning a nomination for best actor in a limited anthology series.<\/p>\n Where to watch: Neon<\/p>\n The Studio (23 Nominations)<\/p>\n Sharp satire The Studio sees Seth Rogan play the boss of a Hollywood movie studio, who must navigate the demands of corporate Hollywood while also trying to make cinematic art that pulls in the big bucks. The show pokes fun at modern-day Hollywood, and season one featured an all-star cast that included Katherine Hahn, Steve Buscemi and Catherine O\u2019Hara and guest stars like Martin Scorsese and Charlize Theron. The series scored 23 Emmy nominations \u2013 the most ever for a comedy in its first season \u2013 including outstanding comedy series and lead actor in a comedy. It\u2019s already pulling in the awards, with Bryan Cranston winning an early Emmy<\/a> for best guest appearance in a comedy.<\/p>\n Where to watch: Apple TV+<\/p>\n The White Lotus (23 nominations)\u00a0<\/p>\n Season three of The White Lotus was one of the most talked about shows of this year, and its 23 nominations prove it was also one of the best. Created and written by Mike White, the social satire follows the lives of the wealthy guests visiting a luxury hotel and the hotel staff who cater to their every demand. Season three gave us more unforgettable characters<\/a> and a finale that kept us guessing<\/a>, as well as the chance to see New Zealand actor Morgana O\u2019Reilly<\/a> play \u201chealth butler\u201d Pam. The quality of the cast has been recognised by the Emmys, with acting nominations going to Parker Posey, Aimee Lou Wood, Walter Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Sam Rockwell, Carrie Coon and Natasha Rothwell.<\/p>\n Where to watch: Neon<\/p>\n The Last of Us (16 nominations)<\/p>\n \u201cThe Last of Us flipped the script on the unsuspecting,\u201d Anna Rawhiti-Connell wrote<\/a> about the dystopian drama, which returned this year for a second season. Originally a video game about two strangers making their way across a post-apocalyptic landscape, The Last of Us continued to impress viewers with its gutsy and thoughtful<\/a> portrayal of human survival in the most desperate of circumstances. The show\u2019s 16 Emmy nominations include acting nods to both Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal, while guest stars Catherine O\u2019Hara, Jeffrey Wright and Kathryn Dever are also nominated for their performances.\u00a0<\/p>\n Where to watch: Neon<\/p>\n Andor (14 nominations)<\/p>\n This science fiction thriller is described by The Spinoff\u2019s Catherine McGregor as \u201cStar Wars for grown-ups<\/a>\u201d, and it\u2019s up for 14 Emmy awards including outstanding drama series, outstanding writing and outstanding directing. Set in the Star Wars universe, the series is a prequel to Rogue One and follows thief-turned-spy Cassian Andor as he becomes radicalised against the Galactic Empire. \u201cThe brilliant thing about Andor is that its more mature approach doesn\u2019t come at the expense of humour, or shootouts, or general Star Wars weirdness,\u201d McGregor wrote when the show premiered in 2022. \u201cIt\u2019s all still there, but with so much more besides. Andor is not just a great Star Wars show. Andor is great, full stop.\u201d<\/p>\n Where to watch: Disney+<\/p>\n Hacks (14 nominations)<\/p>\n \u201cTake one cynical millennial comedy writer, cast aside from the industry after doing a dodgy tweet, and pair her up with a cynical Boomer Vegas comedian hanging onto relevance for dear life. What do you get? Perhaps the best onscreen pair of misfit women in recent years,\u201d Alex Casey wrote<\/a> about the award-winning comedy Hacks. Now in its fourth season, Hacks follows the complicated relationship between a legendary stand-up comedian and her younger comedy writer. It\u2019s a wickedly funny series that\u2019s full of flawed characters and plenty of heart, with both lead actors Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder up for acting awards.\u00a0<\/p>\n Where to watch: TVNZ+ has season three \u2013 according to the Herald\u2019s Media Insider<\/a>\u00a0they have \u201copted not to buy season four\u201d<\/p>\n Adolescence (13 Nominations)<\/p>\n This four-part British drama pulled in five-star reviews and broke Netflix viewing records<\/a> when it debuted in March this year. That critical success has seen it nominated for 14 awards, including outstanding limited or anthology series, best writing, and outstanding lead actor for Stephen Graham. 15-year-old Owen Cooper is nominated for his breakthrough performance as troubled teenager Jamie, making him the Emmys\u2019 youngest supporting actor nominee. As we wrote in March<\/a>, Adolescence is a rare feat in television. \u201cThere is no weak point here: the acting fills you with awe while also breaking your heart, the writing is authentic, and the one-shot format grabs you, pulls you in and refuses to let you go.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Where to watch: Netflix<\/p>\n The Pitt (13 nominations)<\/p>\n If you\u2019re looking for a stress-filled drama that plays out in real time and will speak to your deepest hypochondriac tendencies, don\u2019t go past American medical drama The Pitt. ER\u2019s Noah Wyle returns to the emergency room to play a doctor leading a team of medical professionals through an arduous 15-hour shift, with each episode unfolding across one tense, unpredictable hour of his day. The Pitt is an addictive portrayal of what it\u2019s like to be on the frontline of a system cracking under relentless pressure, and has been called the most realistic medical drama ever made<\/a>. The show\u2019s 13 nominations include a best actor nod for Wyle, as well as outstanding drama series.\u00a0<\/p>\n Where to watch: Neon<\/p>\n The Bear (13 nominations)<\/p>\n