77th Primetime Emmy Awards nominations: Surprising entries that turned the most heads

The award season is finally upon us with the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards. The Academy members have done their final binge-watching and cast their respective votes for their favorite picks.

While the 2025 Emmy Awards will be held on September 14, 2025, at the Peacock Theater in downtown Los Angeles, the nominations are finally here, and it’s time to check whether your favorite show, movie, or talent made the cut.

With veteran and new faces giving their best, television has been a melting pot of talent this season, and the anticipation is already running high over who will win this race to the 2025 Emmy Awards. While shows like The Bear and Severance are back to rule the red carpet, new entries like The Studio are just in line to make their mark.

In addition to some highly predictable entries, some shows made wild-card appearances and turned quite a few heads. It’s always fun to root for the underdogs, and the 2025 Primetime Emmy Awards are filled with them.

Here are all the surprising entries in the 2025 Emmy Awards in each category.

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77th Primetime Emmy Awards nominations: Surprising entries in each category

1) Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series

Meghann Fahy in Netflix's Sirens

Fahy's entry in this category was totally unexpected, but given the buzz this series created on Netflix, it is surely deserving.

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2) Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series

Brian Tyree Henry in Apple TV+'s Dope Thief

Henry's performance as a recovering drug addict and former drug dealer, Ray Driscoll, was surely praiseworthy, and the actor totally deserves this nomination.

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3) Lead Actor in a Drama Series

Sterling K. Brown in Hulu's Paradise

While Paradise was surely a strong dystopian contender, Brown's nomination for the Primetime Emmy 2025 was a sweet surprise.

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4) Lead Actress in a Drama Series

Sharon Horgan in Apple TV+'s Bad Sisters

The Primetime Emmy nomination that nobody saw coming in 2025 was Horgan in Irish black comedy television, Bad Sisters, and her fans are already rooting for her win.

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5) Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

Uzo Aduba in Netflix's The Residence

Uzo Aduba's Cordelia Cupp, the bird-watching and highly observational detective, was a memorable character, but this nomination was surely a pleasant surprise for Cupp's fans.

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6) Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

James Marsden in Hulu's Paradise

The second Paradise surprise was Marsden's nomination, who silently came and swooped in the nod for Supporting Actor.

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7) Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Julianne Nicholson in Paradise

We clearly underestimated Hulu's Paradise because while all the eyes were on The White Lotus Season 3's supporting actresses, Nicholson rightfully got the nomination for the supporting actress in a drama series.

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8) Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Colman Domingo in The Four Seasons

Domingo was a revelation in Netflix's The Four Seasons, but this entry in the nomination was surely surprising.

Harrison Ford in Shrinking

The veteran actor finally landed a Primetime Emmy Nomination for Apple TV+'s Shrinking.

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9) Supporting Actor in a Limited Series

Ashley Walters in Adolescence

Netflix’s British psychological crime drama series was sure to take home many Primetime Emmy nominations, but Walters’ was a big surprise.

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With the nominations locked in for the 2025 Primetime Emmy Awards, it is time to place your bets and pick favorites in every category. While the roster of highly deserving shows is set, these surprise entries can surely change the game.

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