This year, he and his team earned nods for Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup (for the Timothée Chalamet-hosted episode) and Outstanding Makeup for a Variety, Nonfiction or Reality Program (for “SNL50: The Anniversary Special“). Prosthetic dog noses, superfluous AI appendages, a mimicry of Donald Trump’s neck, numerous callback characters from “SNL” history and makeup for dozens of anniversary-related guests helped bring Zakarian’s crew the cross-category recognition.

In the prosthetics realm, his team is competing against effects-heavy contenders like “The Last of Us” and “The Penguin.” This is the first time in eight years that “SNL” has muscled its way in alongside the kind of large-scale dramas that almost always dominate the category.

It’s hardly new territory for Zakarian, though. Over roughly three decades, the makeup artist scored 10 Emmy wins from 18 total nominations. He noted that his workload ebbs and flows through the years, especially when it comes to prosthetics. While some seasons end up being lighter on makeup, others push his department to find new and creative ways to turn the actors into zany characters while following Lorne Michaels’ request to keep them recognizable.

Zakarian called this happy medium one of the toughest parts of his job, adding that, without this rule, he would have the actors “covered in so much rubber and silicone that you couldn’t see who they are.” The steady turnover in writers and cast members can significantly affect the outlandish designs the makeup team must create. “A cast member like [body-horror fanatic] Sarah Sherman comes in and she’s just like, ‘Whatever we can do, we want more,’” Zakarian explained.

Through concepts like the return of Will Ferrell’s Robert Goulet and a sketch based on “if a bunch of dumb little dogs talked and acted like people,” these makeup artists help make “SNL’s” comedy a reality.

Once scripts are selected after Wednesday’s table read, Zakarian and his team must bring their makeup to life in a matter of days. “Trying to build all that in the two days that we have is always kind of daunting,” he said. “We had to do the dogs, but then we also had to do Sarah as an old lady that gets resuscitated in an interesting kind of way.” Altogether, they made dog prosthetics for 10 cast members, all of whom required speedy costume changes between sketches.

“Every one is sculpted or molded to fit them,” Zakarian added. “That same episode had the AI sketch, where Bowen [Yang] and Timothée Chalamet had extra digits on their hands that we had to make as well. A lot of people didn’t even realize that they had extra digits, but sometimes it’s that little extra thing to help sell the sketch.”

Fan-favorite “SNL” characters can also make frequent appearances on the show. The team has begun naming iterations of James Austin Johnson’s Donald Trump makeup as if they were Iron Man suits (the current iteration of his presidential look is Mark VI). The anniversary special, for instance, had stars from the past return to characters they hadn’t played in years.

Recent highlights for Zakarian were Kristen Wiig’s big-foreheaded, tiny-handed Dooneese Maharelle (who, for one brief shot, has a third hand that inexplicably but deliberately pops into the frame) and Will Ferrell’s Robert Goulet. “Will Ferrell as Goulet again was really great,” he shared. “When he’s in the chair, as soon as that mustache goes on him, he’s Goulet. It’s kind of amazing.”

For the “SNL50” special, the makeup crew needed to prepare a lengthy list of celebrities for their various appearances. In the “New York 50th Musical” production number alone, more than two dozen actors shared the stage. Zakarian said the three-hour episode “was like doing two ‘SNLs’ in one week, and we did the Friday concert series as well that same week, so it was just nonstop back-to-back-to-back-to-back excitement, from one adrenaline rush to another.”

Even in a normal week, Zakarian’s team — and other “SNL” crews — must operate as a well-oiled machine to get the cast members ready for each sketch. “I have friends that come from L.A. that are makeup artists that work on huge-budget movies,” he said. “They want to come backstage and just watch the pit crew in action, try to see how it all happens.”

This story first ran in the Comedy issue of TheWrap’s awards magazine. Read more from the Down to the Wire Comedy issue here.

The post Louie Zakarian Breaks Down the ‘Back-to-Back-to-Back-to-Back Excitement’ of ‘SNL’ and ‘SNL50’ Emmy Noms appeared first on TheWrap.

The pop superstar is one of six credited designers who won for the Christmas Day special “Beyoncé Bowl” on Netflix. She won in was one of four juried categories whose winners were announced by the Television Academy on Tuesday.

The Emmy win was the first for Beyoncé in 11 nominations.

The biggest winner in the juried categories was “Love, Death + Robots,” which won Emmys in four designations: Character Animation, Character Design, Production Design and Storyboard. This animated series was trailed by “Aracne,” which picked up two Emmys (one for Background Design, and another for Color). All six of these trophies fell under the umbrella category Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation.

There were three single winners announced among the juried categories on Tuesday. One was “Beyoncé Bowl,” the Christmas Day Halftime Show headlined by Beyoncé on Netflix. This took home an Emmy in Outstanding Costumes For Variety, Nonfiction Or Reality Programming.

Other single winners were “White Rabbit,” which won Outstanding Innovation In Emerging Media Programming, and “Octopus!,” which won Outstanding Motion Design.

The Television Academy’s juried categories have no nominees. Entrants are evaluated by a panel of individuals in the peer groups that pertain to each award. This panel may select a single winner, multiple winners or no winners at all for each category. Those selected by the panel skip the nomination process and go straight to the Emmy win.

You can see the full list of winners below.

Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation

Background Design
“Arcane” — “The Dirt Under Your Nails” (Netflix)
A Riot Games and Fortiche Production for Netflix
Bruno Couchinho, Background Designer

Color
“Arcane” — “The Message Hidden Within the Pattern” (Netflix)
A Riot Games and Fortiche Production for Netflix
Faustine Dumontier, Colorscript and Color Keys Artist

Character Animation
“Love, Death + Robots” — “400 Boys” (Netflix)
Blur Studio for Netflix
Daryl Graham, 2D Animation Supervisor

Character Design
“Love, Death + Robots” — “400 Boys” (Netflix)
Blur Studio for Netflix
Robert Valley, Character Design

Production Design
“Love, Death + Robots” — “How Zeke Got Religion” (Netflix)
Blur Studio for Netflix
Gigi Cavenago, Art Director

Storyboard
“Love, Death + Robots” — “How Zeke Got Religion” (Netflix)
Blur Studio for Netflix
Edgar Martins, Storyboard Artist

Outstanding Motion Design
“Octopus!” (Prime Video)
Amazon MGM Studios, Jigsaw Productions, Wells Street Films
Minkyung Chung, Designer
Michaela Olsen, Creative Director
Hayley Morris, Art Director
Julie Gratz, Art Director
Anthony Galante, Cinematographer
Sabrina Chaney, Compositor

Outstanding Innovation In Emerging Media Programming
“White Rabbit” (Shibuya.Film)
Shibuya
Maciej Kuciara, Director/Writer/Production Designer
Emily Yang, Director/Writer
Shibuya

Outstanding Costumes For Variety, Nonfiction Or Reality Programming
“Beyoncé Bowl” (Netflix)
Jesse Collins Entertainment and Parkwood Entertainment for Netflix
Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, Costume Designer
Shiona Turini, Costume Designer
Erica Rice, Assistant Costume Designer
Molly Peters, Assistant Costume Designer
Chelsea Staebell, Costume Supervisor
Timothy White, Head of Workroom

All of the six Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation winners will be presented at the 77th Creative Arts Emmy Awards ceremony on Saturday, Sept. 6. Outstanding Motion Design will be presented on this night as well. The other two winners, “White Rabbit” and “Beyoncé Bowl,” will receive their awards at the Creative Arts Emmys ceremony on Sunday, Sept. 7.

An edited version of the two-night Creative Arts Emmy Awards will air on FXX Saturday, Sept. 13, at 8:00 PM PDT.

The post Beyoncé Wins Her First Emmy – For Designing Her ‘Beyoncé Bowl’ Costumes appeared first on TheWrap.

But the pair persisted, with Wolf’s team digging through a vast archive of footage and photos, as well as conducting new interviews. This yielded an in-depth, unflinching look at the performer’s life and career. Reubens, who died of cancer in July 2023, wouldn’t live to see the completed project himself.

Tell me about the day that you met Paul.

There was a moment of sort of starstruck silence for me, but that pretty quickly faded. I just started to have a normal conversation with him, but right out of the gate, it was intense. He said, “I want to direct a documentary myself, but everybody is advising me against it, and I don’t understand why.” So I said back, “Well, I’m here to talk to you about me directing a documentary. So why don’t we have a conversation to see if there might be a way for us to collaborate and develop a process that works for you?” That began what would become
hundreds of hours of conversations.

Part of this project involves the relationship between you and Paul. He wanted to direct his own thing, and you had to step in as a director and find a way to get your vision across. Can you talk about that relationship?

I could talk to you for 20 hours about this. I think that the film shows it. There was a power struggle between us, and I think, while Paul felt he had a strong perspective on his story, the larger issue was that he had lost control of his personal narrative in the media. So there was a lot of trepidation and anxiety about allowing a documentary filmmaker like myself, particularly a younger person, to take the reins and be at the helm of telling his story. That premise unto itself was very confounding to Paul. That said, I think he was a smart and savvy enough person to know that somebody else may have had a unique perspective to tell his story, and that he chose me. Paul wanted to be involved in a very comprehensive way—I don’t think because he even had a particular vision of the film, but because the idea of losing control was terrifying to him.

You open Part 2 on this topic, with a very fun scene of Paul essentially pranking you by FaceTiming you and saying, “I want to be in the room helping dictate the interviews with people who aren’t myself.” Before you knew this was a bit, what exactly was running through your head?

That was not unlike many conversations I had with Paul that weren’t a joke. So, you know, you see me laughing, but it’s not because I think it’s funny. It’s because that was sort of my way of dealing with curveballs that were coming to me every day. Paul definitely tested boundaries and tested the limits, and I had to roll with it. I had to engage with him every day and to field requests that were sometimes outside of the realm of what I was comfortable with as a documentary filmmaker. So, you know, at the same time, Paul had an incredible sense of humor. He was the funniest person I ever met, and we had a lot of fun together.

One of the things that really stood out to me in Part 1 is your love
for these ragtag productions of art that people make. I know
that you studied under Kelly Reichardt and grew up watching
queer and independent cinema. How do you think those interests fit into the Pee-wee project you made?

What appeals to me about Pee-wee Herman, and Paul as an artist, is that he was a world-builder. And I think that people can still be world-builders in really scrappy ways. We might call that sensibility punk, do-it-yourself, work with what you have, learn by doing. That’s just one way to look at it, and it was the kind of cultural moment of punk. I think that the way “The Pee-wee Herman Show” came together is deeply inspiring to me. It was a bunch of people who are really talented and had diverse skills and interests who came together and brought their talents to do something unprecedented.

What would Paul think about the reception to this documentary?

Paul’s not here to speak for himself, so I’ve always been vigilant about not speaking for him. But you know, Paul’s a posthumous nominee. He was an executive producer on the film, and he’s nominated. I’m fairly confident that that would be so meaningful to him. I mean, Paul is one of the greatest artists ever in the medium of television. He used television as an artistic medium, and to be recognized by peers, I know how much that meant to Paul, and I think being nominated would have been really important to him. I don’t know what he would have thought of the film. I don’t know how the film would have come out if the circumstances were different, but I know that what’s happening with the film now is something that would be meaningful to Paul.

A version of this story originally appeared in the comedy issue of TheWrap’s awards magazine.

The post Matt Wolf on the ‘Power Struggle’ With Paul Reubens That Created ‘Pee-Wee As Himself’: ‘One of the Greatest Artists Ever’ appeared first on TheWrap.

The TV Academy began giving out the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award in 2002. The Board of Governors recognizes individuals from the industry “whose deeds and actions have a lasting impact on communities and whose philanthropic efforts exemplify Bob Hope’s decades-long altruism and positive impact on society,” according to a press release from the Academy.

The Bob Hope Humanitarian Award has only been given out five times in the history of the Academy. Past recipients include Oprah Winfrey (who was given the first award), George Clooney and Sean Penn. Danny Thomas received the award posthumously in 2004. Danson and Steenburgen will become the first couple bestowed with the honor.

The TV Academy cited a litany of reasons for which the spouses earned this recognition. Danson’s environmentalism and ocean conservation efforts, like the co-founding of the American Oceans Campaign, were evoked, as were Steenburgen’s collaborations with organizations such as Artists for a Free South Africa, the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, Heifer International and No Kid Hungry. Together, the couple was recognized for their work with the nonprofit Angels at Risk and efforts as allies of the LGBTQ community.

“Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen have long used their voices — and their hearts — to champion causes that uplift the planet and its people,” said Television Academy chair Cris Abrego in a statement. “From environmental advocacy to humanitarian relief, they lead with grace, integrity and purpose. The Television Academy is proud to honor their extraordinary legacy of service with the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award.”

Danson and Steenburgen will receive the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award during the 77th Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 14. The ceremony will air on CBS and Paramount+ at 5 p.m. PDT/8 p.m. EDT.

The post Ted Danson, Mary Steenburgen to Receive Bob Hope Humanitarian Award from Television Academy appeared first on TheWrap.

“Andor’s” second season, which takes place in the five years that lead up to 2016’s “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” which itself is set directly before the events of 1977’s “Star Wars,” had more nominations than Emmy powerhouses like “The Bear” (also part of the far-reaching Disney galactic republic). This is the final season of “Andor,” and it is very clearly going out on top.

Gilroy himself was nominated two times – for Outstanding Drama Series (as an executive producer of the series) and Original Music and Lyrics (as a songwriter), for “We are the Ghor (Planetary Anthem)” from the episode “Who Are You?” Now that’s range. “There’s been a lot of amusement on the on our texts today about that. But yes, it does please me greatly that I’m nominated as a songwriter. It’s very amazing and pleasing. I want to win now,” Gilroy said.

What was strange was how few acting nominations were among the 14. There were only two nominations, for Forest Whitaker (who plays Saw Gerrera, an uncompromising Rebel leader) and Alan Tudyk (for his performance capture work as K-2SO, a reprogrammed Imperial droid). The voters wholly ignored some of the very best performances, from this or any other year, including Diego Luna in the title role of Cassian Andor, who eventually leads the mission to retrieve the plans for the Death Star; Stellan Skarsgård as Luthen Rael, a Rebel agent; Adria Arjona as Bix Caleen, a mechanic who becomes radicalized alongside Cassian; Genevieve O’Reilly as Mon Mothma, a central figure in “Star Wars” lore who is given so much depth and personality here. And the list goes on and on and on.

“We worked as hard as we could work. We had a couple messages that we were really trying to sell for a couple months – one was that you don’t have to know anything about ‘Star Wars’ to watch the show. Yeah. Another one is, we have a dozen performances in our show that are not just dazzling moment-to-moment, but really have a substantial arc and foundation to them,” Gilroy said. “And they’re really something special.”

Gilroy said that he had a two-hour meeting about what the Emmys are, how the voters tend to lean, and how things were likely to shake out. “It’s a complicated process but I don’t understand it,” Gilroy said, even after all that explanation. Still, he’s heartened by the work that they produced. “I do think that there’s a bunch of performances in here that people are going to be talking about and discussing and thinking about for decades to come. I think that will be a victory,” Gilroy said.

The power of “Andor” too, spilled out into the real world, when during the #NoKingsDay protests, many participants came with “Andor”-related signs, quoting from the show and sporting the iconography of the Rebellion. “I wish people didn’t have to have those signs and I wish we didn’t have to go out and do all that. But it’s, I can’t lie and say that it doesn’t feel good when I see it,” Gilroy explained. “It’s really easy to feel disconnected right now. I have access to more connection, just on a daily basis, than a lot of people get in a month, and even I feel disconnected. And so to go out and see that and feel like you’re part of something, like you’re not losing your mind.”

Up next for Gilroy is a movie called “Behemoth!,” his first film as a writer/director since “The Bourne Legacy,” back in 2012. It stars Oscar Isaac as a cellist. (“There’s a lot of things on my desk that I’m supposed to be doing today,” Gilroy joked.) He’s deep in prep, which he said is “really great.” But he admitted that he is scared about returning to the director’s chair. “It’s good to be afraid. I am always afraid,” Gilroy said. “In the making of the things, if you’re not anxious along the way, you’re doing something wrong.”

A number of key team members from “Andor” are coming along with him to “Behemoth!,” among them producer John Gilroy, executive producer Sanne Wohlenberg and cinematographer Damián García. But more than that, he’s taking the system that they developed to make “Andor” and is looking to apply it to a feature. He describes it as “the workflow and how we how we don’t let anything fester for more than a moment, how we deal with everything as it comes in and how everybody knows everything.” It’s a “highly communicative, spiritual approach to making things” that he wants to bring along from “Andor” the most. He said that the model that they made on “Andor” will be used on “all projects going forward.” “How to make things with other people are lessons that I will carry with me for the rest of my life, no matter what I’m making,” Gilroy said.

Oh, and if there’s any country or planet out there that needs a national anthem, Gilroy is available. “Anybody who’s tired of their national anthem, I want to say that I’m available,” Gilroy joked.

The post ‘Andor’ Creator Tony Gilroy on His Emmy Nominations and Overcoming Those Snubs: ‘It’s a Complicated Process’ appeared first on TheWrap.

“Severance” led the Emmys as the most-nominated series with a total of 27 nominations, while Seth Rogen’s “The Studio” made history as the most-nominated freshman comedy with a total of 23 Emmy nominations.

Meanwhile, Bill Lawrence’s “Shrinking” received seven nominations, including firsts for Outstanding Comedy Series and Harrison Ford as Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, while “Slow Horses” and “Presumed Innocent” saw five and four nominations, respectively.

“It feels great, especially on behalf of all of the talent. They work so hard on the shows,” Apple TV+ head of programming Matt Cherniss told TheWrap in an interview. “They put their faith in us as a home for those series and to see that leap of faith rewarded and so well deserved for all of the talent on all of the series is just really gratifying.” 

The nominations are the latest sign of the tech giant’s growing acceptance in Hollywood since first launching the streaming service in 2019.

“In my mind, we’re still a young service, we’ve been at this five years. A lot of that had been impacted by COVID and the strikes. It’s really taken us a bit of time to get to the place where I think we have the rhythm and the momentum that we had always envisioned,” he added. “We really aim for shows that have a humanity to them, a resonance and an originality and an aspiration to their storytelling and an ambition. I think that has been consistent and the audience has certainly been taking note over the past year or so, as we’ve seen the momentum just continue to grow. And I think that that’s reflected in the nominations.”

When asked about updates on upcoming seasons of “The Studio,” “Shrinking” and “Severance,” Cherniss said their respective futures are “very bright.”

“The Studio” is in the process of “figuring out how to up the ante” in Season 2 and “continuing to find interesting ways to tell stories about the world and Matt Remick and all the other characters,” he said.

Cherniss said he’s seen a “fair amount” of “Shrinking” Season 3 and “couldn’t be more excited about where that’s going.”

“It’s such a heartfelt show and so resonant and timely as it relates to how we care about each other, how we care about ourselves and take care of ourselves and take care of our families,” he said. “Seeing Harrison Ford get a nomination is just the cherry on top for everyone involved in it. I think Bill, Jason and the entire team on that show do an incredible job.”

Additionally, Cherniss praised “Severance” as one of the most ambitious shows on television, which he acknowledged “takes time” to produce.

“Every detail is curated, every plot point is considered and Dan and Ben do an amazing job,” he said. “It does take a little longer than maybe we’d all like for that to all come together, but I think the show has a lot of momentum and I’m excited for the audience to see what they have in store in Season 3 and beyond.”

He added that David E Kelley has a “great plan” for “Presumed Innocent” and said Season 2, which will star Rachel Brosnahan, is in the “early writing stages.”

As for other projects in the works, Cherniss said he’s “really excited” about thriller “Cape Fear,” based on John D. MacDonald’s novel “The Executioners,” adding that it “looks fantastic.” Meanwhile, “Neuromancer” is in its “early days” of production.

“I think it’s incredibly ambitious,” he said. “Like a lot of the shows in that genre and on our slate, [Neuromancer] is really seeking to take a classic story and do justice to the source material and I think they’re well on their way.”

Additionally, he teased that Apple TV+ would have more updates on the untitled sci-fi series from Vince Gilligan soon. “It’s unlike anything on television right now and I’m very excited for you and the audience to see what’s in store.”

The post Apple’s Matt Cherniss Teases ‘Very Bright’ Future for ‘Severance,’ ‘The Studio’ and ‘Shrinking’ After Record Emmy Noms appeared first on TheWrap.

Of the 92 total performers nominated in the acting categories, 24 of them are people of color, a dip from 2024, when Asian, Latino and Black actors made significant strides, with 30 nominees.

This year, members of the LGBTQ community did well across all categories. Bella Ramsey picked up their second Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for HBO’s “The Last of Us,” becoming the only nonbinary performer to be twice nominated for acting Emmys. This bit of history builds on Ramsey’s own milestone from 2023, when they became the first openly nonbinary actor to be nominated in a lead acting category. (In 2021, non-binary performer Carl Clemons Hopkins was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for “Hacks.” That same year, Emma Corrin earned a nod for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for “The Crown,” though they were not publicly known as nonbinary at the time of the nomination.)

Queer actors were particularly well represented in the supporting actor in a comedy series category, where Colman Domingo, Jeff Hiller, Michael Urie and Bowen Yang took up more than half of slots. In comparison, Hannah Einbinder — who identifies as bisexual — is the only openly queer nominee in supporting actress in a comedy series. Cynthia Erivo earned her third Emmy nomination (this time for guest actress in a comedy series for “Poker Face”), while queer performer Robby Hoffman earned her first Primetime Emmy nomination for her guest work on “Hacks.”

Queer stars RuPaul and Alan Cumming are again nominated for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Competition Program for “Drag Race” and “The Traitors” respectively. Now on his record-setting 10th nomination, RuPaul surpasses Heidi Klum (“Project Runway”) and Tom Bergeron (“Dancing with the Stars”) for the most nominated reality host of all time.

In 2022, Domingo became the first gay Black man to win an Emmy for guest actor in a drama for HBO’s “Euphoria.” If he wins this year, for supporting actor in a comedy series for Netflix’s “Four Seasons,” he will become the first Black actor to win the category since it was established in 1984. (In previous years, supporting actors competed in a “Comedy or Musical or Variety Series.”) Likewise, he would become the first gay Black actor to take home two acting Emmys. Back in 2019, Billy Porter made history as the first openly gay Black man to win an acting Emmy, earning recognition for his leading work on “Pose.”

“Severance” star Tramell Tillman is similarly positioned to make history. If he wins Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, he will become the first Black man to win this category in the 21st century; he could also become the first openly gay Black man to earn an Emmy in the category and the third openly gay Black man to win an acting Emmy at all.

Ayo Edebiri, who won Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2023 for FX’s “The Bear,” scored an Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for the second year in a row. The queer performer is also nominated for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series for “Napkins,” the sixth episode of the third season of “The Bear.” This makes Edebiri the first woman to be nominated for these two categories in the same year since Lena Dunham was recognized in 2013 for “Girls.” Edebiri is the first Black woman to be nominated in the two categories in the same year.

Joining Edebiri in Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series are fellow Black actresses Quinta Brunson and Uzo Aduba, who was one of this morning’s surprise nominees. At the 74th Annual Emmys, Brunson became the first Black woman to be nominated for three comedy categories at the same ceremony (series, lead actress and writing) for ABC’s “Abbott Elementary.” At the 75th Emmys, she became the first Black woman to win Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in more than 40 years. Now Brunson is again nominated for writing, this time for the “Abbott” episode “Back to School.”

The only other acting category that is not filled with predominantly white nominees is Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. Last year, “The Bear”‘s Liza Colón-Zayas became the first Latina woman to win here, and she’s back in the running for 2025. Janelle James and Sheryl Lee Ralph (who won in 2022) both scored repeat nods for “Abbott Elementary.” And “Shrinking” supporting star Jessica Williams followed up her 2024 nomination with another one.

In the acting categories, Black actors and actresses are the second most represented group (after white performers). Other nominees include Jeffrey Wright (Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series, “The Last of Us”), Forest Whitaker (Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series, “Andor”), Brian Tyree Henry (Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series, “Dope Thief”), Zoë Kravitz (Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series, “The Studio”) and Natasha Rothwell (Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, “The White Lotus”).

Compared to 2023, when Pedro Pascal became just the second Latino nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series (after Jimmy Smits in 1999), for “The Last of Us” and “Wednesday” star Jenna Ortega became the first Latina to nab a lead actress in a comedy series spot since America Ferrera in 2008, representation for Latinos is down this year. Other than Pascal, once again nominated for lead actor in a drama series, Selena Gomez is the only other member of the community who made the cut, earning her fourth consecutive nod for Outstanding Comedy Series as an exec producer and solidifying her status as the most Emmy-nominated Latina producer ever. (She was nominated for lead comedy actress in 2024, but not in 2025.)

Asian representation in above-the-line categories also took a hit. With his fourth acting nomination for NBC’s “Saturday Night Live,” Bowen Yang is now the most nominated Asian male performer in Emmys history. “Top Chef” host Kristen Kish is the only other Asian performer nominated for a Primetime Emmy.

This is a massive dip from the past few years, when “Shōgun,” “Beef” and “Squid Game” scored slews of nods and wins. “Squid Game” failed to garner a single nomination this year.

Indigenous representation took an even bigger hit, with zero above-the-line nominations just one year after the history-making recognition for Lily Gladstone, Kali Reis and D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Ta.

The post Emmys Diversity Report 2025: LGBTQ and Black Performers Thrive, but Overall POC Representation Is Down appeared first on TheWrap.

“Being recognized in drama, comedy, scripted, documentary, live, limited, stand-up and all the other ones, that’s so rewarding,” Bela Bajaria, chief content officer for Netflix, told TheWrap. The executive noted that altogether, Netflix was nominated across 14 different program categories and 44 titles. “We care so much about making great television across all of these different areas because we know that audiences love TV.”

Netflix has been an Emmys leader for years now. Back in 2020, the streamer even set an awards record, scoring the most nominations of any network in a single year. But what’s notable about Netflix’s flowers in 2025 is that they indicate the platform’s awards strategy is working.

Other than the 13 noms for “Adolescence” and the 10 for “Black Mirror,” there are few big players carrying the streamer like what “Severance” and “The Studio” are doing for Apple TV+. Instead, the main categories include nominations all across the map from the sweet rom-com “Nobody Wants This” to the harrowing limited series “Monsters: The Erik and Lyle Menendez Story.” Similarly, while many of Netflix’s noms come from often ignored categories like variety and documentary, the streamer doesn’t seem as dependent on these nominations as it has in the past. Netflix’s promise has long been to offer something for everyone, and that goal is what this year’s Emmy nominations list reflects.

But being all things to all audiences doesn’t come without its challenges. In a wide-ranging article, Bajaria revealed that Netflix has no plans to renew “The Residence” despite its nominations, praised the success of the Beyoncé Bowl and “Black Mirror” and spoke about the future of the currently Emmy-less “Squid Game.”

TheWrap: What a good day for you guys — 120 nominations. Congratulations. Were there any that surprised you?

Bela Bajaria: It’s not really so much surprise. There’s a few different things that I love. I’d say first that we always aim for excellence in television across so many different kinds of programming categories, and that’s what’s reflected in the nominations. This morning, that’s really across 14 different program categories and 44 titles. Being recognized in drama, comedy, scripted, documentary, live, limited, stand up and all the other ones, that’s so rewarding. We care so much about making great television across all of these different areas, because we know that audiences love TV and all of these different areas.

The other thing — and it’s not a surprise — but what I think is really amazing is having first-time nominees in the acting category for either somebody who’s new and literally this is his first role with Owen Cooper [in “Adolescence”]. But also first time nominations for people like Adam Brody and Kristen Bell [for “Nobody Wants This”], who have been in television and entertaining people for decades, and for somebody with an incredible body work, like Javier Bardem getting his first nomination [for “Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story”]. That’s another really interesting part, to look at those first-time Emmys for us.

Yeah. I’ve been covering you guys for years, and this is a very impressive slate.

I appreciate that. The other thing to also note [is the four nominations for the Beyoncé Bowl], which I’m not surprised because Beyoncé will always come through and deliver. What’s fun is that our foray into live is only like a year to two old. To really see her dominate with the Beyoncé Bowl, as far as viewership and Emmy noms, is exciting.

There were a few nominations for “The Residence,” and that has already been canceled. When you make these decisions and then get and a nomination, does that make you reconsider anything? How do you balance that from your side of things?

We love Uzo [Aduba] and she’s been part of the Netflix family for a long time, and she’s been recognized in the past. Her performance is amazing, and she’s such a gifted actor that we thought she would get nominated. But, no, that doesn’t make us change the decision on its cancellation. We’re just so happy that show was made. People loved it. She was incredible in it, and that she gets recognized for it is amazing.

There was a very strong showing for “Black Mirror.” I’m a personal “Black Mirror” fan, and I’m very happy to see that getting recognized so far. Does that make you want to continue your relationship with Charlie Brooker and Annabel Jones?

Oh, yes. “Black Mirror” has 10 Emmy nominations, and we’ve had an incredible season, but we are continuing our relationship … Charlie is doing new things with a new entity. But we continue to do the next few shows with Charlie, so that hasn’t changed. “Black Mirror,” every time Charlie and Annabel have made that it’s taken on such interesting subject matters in such a provocative way, and this season was so strong.

[Note: It was recently reported that Brooker and Jones were stepping away from the Netflix-owned Broke & Bones]

I also wanted to touch on “Adolescence.” It’s so beautiful and horrifying, and I mean that in a complimentary way. You’ve worked with Jack Thorne before; he was behind the “Stranger Things” Broadway show. Do you plan on working more with Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham? How is your relationship with them changed in light of this mass critical success?

What’s really interesting about “Adolescence” is it’s amazing to be rewarded for the incredible storytelling but also to be able to see 142.6 million views. It’s our second largest English-language show ever. And on top of that, it’s had a cultural impact and there are conversations of even changing laws in the U.K. To have that kind of impact — to have amazing, groundbreaking television and having the awards and the views and the cultural impact — is really a powerful thing that show has done.

But we love Stephen Graham. Jack Thorne has done many things with us, and with the U.K. team we continue to have projects with him. He did a few things for us last year. We continue to have relationships with him, and Stephen Graham is an exquisite actor and writer. And you know Philip Barantini, who also directed it. We work with them all the time, and they just are so gifted in point of view and storytelling. We have a great relationship and continue to work with them.

My last question is about “Squid Game.” There were no nominations. As a personal “Squid Game” fan, I was shocked. What was your reaction to that?

“Squid Game” is so incredibly well written and directed. If you, again, look at the actual impact of audiences and how big that show is in the world — not on Netflix, just in the world — the amount of audiences that love it and connected with it, and that was for Season 2 and 3. So I do think it’s disappointing that it wasn’t recognized. But if you really look at the amount of people who watched it and loved it and connected with it, it’s always going to be really important for us to connect with an audience. First and foremost, we love that it exists, and we love that our audience loves the show. It’s still the world’s most popular show. It’s also a cultural icon. Obviously, it made history at the Emmys for being the first non-English nominated for Best Drama. So we’re very proud of the show, disappointed, for sure, for the cast and for director Hwang [Dong-hyuk] because they actually delivered complete, absolute excellence in writing, acting, directing and storytelling. But first and foremost, we love that the audiences embraced it.

One quick follow up. I know “Squid Game: The Challenge” is coming back. Are you having any conversations about extending this IP?

No. I mean, “Squid Game: The Challenge” is coming back. I just watched the first like five cuts. It’s so good. I can’t wait for people to see it, and I love that it’s sort of a natural extension of [“Squid Game”].

It’s always one of those open things that if there is an amazing, great vision or reason, if somebody really has a great take on it. It’s a Netflix crown jewel. So we’re always going to be taking care of it very carefully and thoughtfully. We’ll see if that ever happens. But, you know, right now we’re excited for “Squid Game: The Challenge.”

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

The post Netflix’s Bela Bajaria Dishes on History-Making ‘Adolescence’ Emmy Noms and ‘Squid Game’ Snub appeared first on TheWrap.

But for the HBO boss, it’s the spread of recognition across both prestige series like “The White Lotus,” “The Last of Us” and “The Penguin” — with “The White Lotus” and “The Penguin” bringing in 24 nods a piece while “The Last of Us” scored 17 nominations — as well as the platform’s other offerings — including “Hacks,” which scored 15 nods for its fourth season, and newcomer “The Pitt,” which joined the pack with 13 nominations — that is the most rewarding.

“It’s always a nice recognition of all the creative people that we get to work with and the teams internally, but what was really nice is the nominations were spread across so many shows and so many genres — the dramas, comedies, late nights, documentaries. It was a great showing across the board,” Bloys told TheWrap on Tuesday morning.

Bloys said he’s especially proud of “The Pitt” for breaking through to Emmy voters in its freshman season, especially when compared to more prestige titles in the drama category, which includes “The White Lotus,” “The Last of Us,” “Severance,” “Andor,” “The Diplomat,” “Paradise” and “Slow Horses.”

“That is a format that is hard … when you say we’re going to set out to do 15 episodes, we’re going to do it with a contained budget,” Bloys said. “For any first-season show to break through is difficult, but for a show to break through along with shows that are made in a very different way — seven, eight episodes every 18 months … [while] Season 2 of ‘The Pitt’ is in production now and it’s airing in January … a little bit old fashioned television. — I think it’s great that a show that was made that way was able to break through.”

Bloys recognizes the value of balancing HBO’s slate with both shows on an annual cycle, like “The Pitt” and “Hacks,” as well as more prestige series that are on a two-year cycle, saying “I’m not looking to do any sort of show just one way or the other … There’s a lot of different approaches to making great television.”

Below, Bloys provides updates on “The White Lotus” Season 4, gives his two cents to Neil Druckmann stepping away from “The Last of Us” Season 3 and shares what else is coming up in the pipeline.

TheWrap: “The White Lotus” once again got its flowers. Do you have an update on Season 4?

Bloys: Mike [White] pitched a little — I know the general outline of what Season 4 is going to be. He’s going to be scouting, seeing what location he gets inspired by, and then giving us more of an update of what he’s thinking, but it’s percolating in his head.

“The Last of Us” also made a strong showing, and will have a shakeup next season as Neil Druckmann steps away. How do you expect the change will impact the next season?

I am not worried about it at all. We’ve been, obviously, very fortunate to have the person who created the game work on the show, and Neil is still an executive producer … but people do forget that he has a full time job as being one of the biggest video game creators, and runs a company called Naughty Dog, so he’s got a lot going on. I certainly understand that he has to spend more time doing that, but I think he and Craig [Mazin] have built up a really good blueprint. And obviously the game is a great guide for where to go.

What can you tease about “The Pitt” Season 2?

John [Wells] already said that it does take place over the July 4 holiday. Nothing good happens on July 4 — lots of firework disasters and all sorts of things. That’s all I can really say, but you don’t want to be in an emergency room on July 4.

Are you frustrated that “House of the Dragon” hasn’t seemed to catch on with Emmy voters the same way “Game of Thrones” did?

You know with the Emmys, you take what you get. It’s a nice recognition, but it’s not the reason why we do shows. Obviously, I would like to see everybody recognized, but it just doesn’t always work that way, so you just have to keep trying.

“Lanterns” comes out early next year and “Superman” looks to have successfully launched DC. What can you tease about that show? Is that an Emmy contender?

If there’s wood, I’m going to knock on it, because I’m superstitious, so I’ll just say I feel good about it. I’m not sure with the Emmy window where it falls, but in whatever window it falls in, I do believe it’ll be an Emmy contender.

You have several comedies in the pipeline. What are you excited about there?

Tim Robinson’s “The Chair Company” is great. Rachel Sennott has an amazing series for us. Those two are coming out this fall. Bill Lawrence and Steve Carell are working on a half hour for us that’ll clear 26. “The Comeback” is coming back, which we’re excited about. Sharon Horgan, who I think is terrific, has a half hour that she is creating and starring in. So we’ve got a lot of great stuff coming out.

Is Bill Hader’s Jonestown series close to an order?

I haven’t seen anything yet. They’re still hard at work on that, but I’ll be excited to get it when they’re ready.

We were happy to see more love for “Hacks” as well. What’s it been like nurturing that comedy? I know there’s potentially a five-season plan there.

They are a dream to work with — the creators, and also Jean [Smart] and Hannah [Einbinder]. They’re delights, I’m thrilled for the show to be recognized. In terms of … the seasons, we tend to leave that up to the creators, and they’ll tell us when they when they’ve told the story they want to tell. So they will let us know.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

The post Casey Bloys on HBO’s Emmys Haul, ‘The Pitt’ Breakthrough and the Future of ‘White Lotus’ and ‘The Last of Us’ appeared first on TheWrap.

The long-running comedy series went into this year’s nominations already holding the record as the most nominated program in Primetime Emmy Awards history, with its 341 total nominations far surpassing second place show “Game of Thrones.” It added an additional 31 noms on Tuesday, giving it a new record total of 372.

“SNL” also topped its previous record of 22 nominations in 2017. This haul comes after a relative slump that faced in the comedy variety show in the early 2020s.

“SNL’s” 31 nods consist of nominations across their various ventures and specials in the show’s 50th anniversary season. Entries like “SNL50: The Anniversary Special” and “SNL50: The Homecoming Concert” were recognized in various categories like Outstanding Production Design for a Variety Special and Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special. This allowed “Saturday Night Live” to spread out with competitive entries in both the special and series divisions of the variety categories. “SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night” also allowed Lorne Michaels’ brand to gain recognition in categories like Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series.

Also among the 31 nominations was Bowen Yang, who is now a four-time nominee in the Outstanding Supporting Actor for a Comedy Series category. Yang was also nominated in 2019 for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series. The touching and earnest “Adam Sandler’s Song: 50 Years” from the 50th anniversary special gained recognition in Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics. “Saturday Night Live” was also nominated for Outstanding Scripted Variety Series, competing only against “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.”

The show’s celebration of its 50th season helped bring “SNL’s” nomination haul across the finish line on Tuesday. The show submitted a staggering 43 performers for nominations, including the season’s 20 hosts and five election-related recurring guests. With series like “The Studio” and “The Bear” crowding the guest acting categories, however, Yang stands alone as the series’ only performance nom. It’s a departure from pervious record-breaking seasons (particularly those in election years) where guest performances would help take the show’s hauls over the top.

“SNL” wasn’t always an awards juggernaut. In fact, Lorne Michaels’ comedy mainstay only averaged a little over three nominations per year for its first 33 seasons. From 1975 to 2008, “SNL” earned a total of 101 nominations.

In 2009, the show broke into the double digits for the first time, picking up a then-record of 13 nods. This season saw the Television Academy allow “SNL” cast members and hosts to enter the Supporting and Guest Acting in a Comedy Series categories for the first time. It also coincided with the 2008 election, with Tina Fey winning Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for portraying Sarah Palin. Justin Timberlake won Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for hosting the same year.

The series reached a peak of 22 nominations in 2017, a record for any variety program. Like this year, the 2017 Emmys directly followed an election year, a time when “SNL” generally ramps up political commentary and stunt casting. That year, among other winners, Dave Chappelle took home the Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series Emmy for hosting the show’s post-election episode (directly following Donald Trump’s first presidential victory), and Alec Baldwin won Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for his work portraying Trump. In 2017, “SNL” also joined the Emmys Hall of Fame alongside its original seven-person cast.

The series fell off at the Emmys in the early 2020s, with 2022 and 2023 each seeing “SNL” only pick up nine nominations. The show only received five total acting nominations across both years. From 2017 to 2021, the variety show annually earned between seven and 11 acting nods.

The last time “SNL” broke its nomination record, it also broke its win record. In 2017, the series took home nine trophies in the wake of Trump’s election. With eight more nominations than the show had back then, only time will tell if “SNL50” will break the show’s win record as well.

The 77th annual Primetime Emmy Awards will air live Sunday, Sept. 14 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on CBS and Paramount+. Comedian Nate Bargatze will host.

The post ‘SNL’ Breaks Its Own Emmys Record Following 50th Season appeared first on TheWrap.