"Thanks to a host who kept badgering winners to keep the speeches short and a production team that seemed determined to drown out the awards with classic-TV reunions and country music, it took a while for the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards to tell a coherent story about the state of television in 2025. We finally got there, but only with the final few awards, when HBO Max's surpassed the overall nomination leader, , to take Best Actor for Noah Wyle and ultimately Best Drama Series. In doing so, The Pitt denied Apple TV+ two of the biggest awards of the night ( took Outstanding Comedy Series), which would have been a first for the streamer and a clear signifier that the tech company could hang. Instead, The Pitt rode its throwback procedural appeal to an upset victory that feels like the TV industry placing a vote for streaming shows that behave a bit more like the network dramas of old."
"To be fair, this wasn't a sweeping mandate. The Pitt won three awards in total tonight - Drama Series, Best Actor, and a somewhat surprising win for Katherine LaNasa in Supporting Actress - but Severance scored two acting wins, for Tramell Tillman in Supporting Actor and Britt Lower, who knocked off the heavily favored Kathy Bates in Lead Actress."
"Meanwhile, the writing and directing awards provided no help in reading the tea leaves: Outstanding Directing for a Drama went to Slow Horses, while Disney+'s Andor was the welcome upset winner in Writing. But given that Severance was the overall nomination leader with 27 nods, a loss in Outstanding Drama Seriesgives the impression that voters got cold feet about naming it TV's top drama. For as impressive an undertaking as Severance is, it's hard not to have misgivings about the way it paces its plot and keeps its characters running in loops until the three or four moments per season when something big happens."
The 77th Primetime Emmy Awards produced an uneven presentation, with a host and production choices that delayed a clear narrative about television in 2025. HBO Max's The Pitt won Best Drama Series and Best Actor for Noah Wyle, and also earned a Supporting Actress win for Katherine LaNasa. Apple TV+'s Severance, despite leading with 27 nominations, won key acting awards for Tramell Tillman and Britt Lower but lost Outstanding Drama. Writing and directing honors went to Andor and Slow Horses, respectively. The results suggest a preference for streaming dramas with classic procedural appeal while raising questions about Severance's pacing and structure.
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