The 77th Emmy Awards are in the books. Going into the ceremony with several narratives up in the air (could Apple TV+ topple HBO as the king of prestige TV, or could a traditional medical drama supplant ambitious streaming shows?), this year’s awards seemed destined to show us where television is going depending on which series took home the hardware. But the actual results were … kind of a draw! The Pitt and The Studio came out on top, but neither was a clean sweep. Trophies were sprinkled out among the streamers, with no distributor in particular appearing particularly dominant. Maybe that’s what TV at its best can offer us: a little bit of everything. Still, some came away from the evening looking better than others. (How the mighty—ahem, The Bear—have fallen.) Let’s pass out some awards of our own and honor the night’s winners and losers.
Winner: The Old School
Heading into the Emmys, the prevailing wisdom was that Outstanding Drama Series would be a two-horse race between The Pitt and Severance. And while both shows hail from streamers, The Pitt prides itself on being a throwback to the network-style medical dramas that used to compete for these kinds of awards. (The Pitt did emerge from an attempt to revive ER, so it’s no surprise that series alum Noah Wyle was cast as the lead.) To see the Television Academy lavish The Pitt with three high-profile Emmys—Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series (Wyle), and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series (Katherine LaNasa)—is worth celebrating in and of itself, but it could also portend the green-lighting of more streaming shows with an old-school sensibility. HBO chairman and CEO Casey Bloys said in an interview with Vulture earlier this year that the network is looking into green-lighting other procedural series; Netflix, meanwhile, just renewed a network-style sitcom with a live studio audience. HBO has famously branded itself as “not TV,” but with The Pitt’s Emmys coronation, it’s clear that tradition counts for something.
The cast of ‘The Pitt’ after the Emmys
Winner: The New School
Yes, The Pitt was a major winner, but the boundary-shifting streaming hits did well for themselves, too. If The Pitt is a throwback, shows like Severance and Adolescence speak to how television has evolved: The former is a big-budget series with major stars at the helm, while the latter is a bold technical achievement in which every episode is one continuous take. (The Studio was another series that was stylistically ambitious; more on that later.) While The Pitt bested Severance for Outstanding Drama Series, the Apple TV+ show still nabbed two acting wins for Britt Lower (Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series) and Tramell Tillman (Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series). As for Adolescence, it absolutely dominated the Limited or Anthology Series or Movie—boy, that’s a mouthful—categories, including winning the top prize. (Adolescence star, cocreator, and writer Stephen Graham was the biggest beneficiary.) As much as the Emmys will look to the past, Severance and Adolescence underline that the Academy will always have one eye toward the medium’s future.
Loser: Donation Countdowns
With all due respect to Nate Bargatze, the bestselling stand-up of 2024, his stint as Emmys host just didn’t cut it. Toward the beginning of the show, Bargatze announced that he was going to donate $100,000 to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and that, for every second a speech went over the 45 seconds allotted to every winner, $1,000 would be subtracted from it (and vice versa). Maybe it sounded fun in theory, and awards shows certainly have a reputation for going long. But if we’re going to trim the fat at the Emmys, why not look elsewhere? Could we not omit the extended bits from presenters that, more often than not, land with a thud? (Ray Romano and Brad Garrett innocent.) If we aren’t watching people deliver speeches at the highlight of their professional careers, what are we doing here? And for those keeping score at home, Bargatze’s threat to deny money to the children of America was ineffective, and the ticker landed in the negative before the comedian revealed—to the surprise of no one—that he and CBS would donate $350,000 combined. I’ll donate whatever it takes to make sure Bargatze doesn’t host the Emmys again.
Winner: Owen Cooper
Speaking of Adolescence, star Owen Cooper—who seems much more chill in real life than the murderous teen he portrayed—made history. By coming home with Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, Cooper became the youngest male actor to ever win an Emmy. Not bad for someone appearing in their first on-screen role; keep an eye out for Cooper in Emerald Fennell's adaptation of Wuthering Heights next year. For now, I don’t think anyone would blame the 15-year-old if he partook in a celebratory glass of champagne.
Owen Cooper, star of ‘Adolescence,’ at the Emmys
Loser: The Bear
Ah, The Bear. Remember when everyone thought this show was cooking with gas? Yes, The Bear managed 10 Emmys in 2023, including Outstanding Comedy Series, but that feels like a lifetime ago. Fast-forward to 2025, and The Bear might as well have stayed in the kitchen: not a single Emmy win, and host Nate Bargatze took some shots in his opening sketch about how deeply serious this former comedy winner is. That’s what happens when you release one undercooked season that audiences turn their noses up at, like you left out a bowl of durians. Have I delivered far too many culinary puns? Yes. Should The Bear just accept its role in category fraud and compete with other dramas? Also yes.
Winner: Apple TV+
HBO may be synonymous with prestige, but Apple TV+ is making plenty of noise six years into its existence. On the movie front, the company etched a place in history when Coda became the first film distributed by a streaming service to win the Best Picture Oscar. But it’s in the world of television where Apple has continued to shine. While Severance is no slouch at the Emmys, The Studio’s lauded debut season has arguably made it the streamer’s crown jewel. After a record-breaking 23 Emmy nominations, The Studio managed to win 13 Emmys, including Outstanding Comedy Series. That’s more than any other comedy, surpassing The Bear’s total of 11 wins from 2024. HBO’s reputation hasn’t taken a serious hit yet, but of all the nascent streamers, Apple has the best chance to grow into a legitimate challenger.
Loser: HBO Drama Returnees
While The Pitt was surprisingly, endearingly triumphant for its first season, the returning HBO drama series didn’t make any waves. (Jean Smart winning an Emmy for Hacks has become as reliable as the sun rising every morning, however.) I’m not a betting man, but between The White Lotus and The Last of Us, you’d think these shows could come away with a win or two. Alas, the Television Academy has punished the HBO series for what were deemed underwhelming seasons, and both left empty-handed. (Personally, I don’t think The White Lotus Season 3 deserves this much flak; Parker Posey’s Southern accent, you will always be famous.) Is this a case of Emmy voters no longer being unquestioningly loyal to anything with HBO’s prestigious branding, or is the competition (Apple especially) getting better? My take: It’s a bit of both.
Bittersweet: Stephen Colbert’s Send-off
In case anyone’s been living under a rock—lucky you; best stay under there—then you’ll know that CBS has quite controversially canceled The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. Even if Colbert’s tenure as a basic-cable late-night host doesn’t compare to his acerbic, iconic conservative persona from The Daily Show, the implication that CBS ended the series to placate the Trump administration left a sour taste in many people’s mouths, especially those within the industry. And so, in a nice show of solidarity, the other nominees for Outstanding Talk Series went out of their way to campaign for Colbert; Jimmy Kimmel went so far as to create a billboard in West Hollywood supporting him. As expected, Colbert did win the award, accepting it with the trademark grace and wit that will be sorely missed from late night.
Winner: Committing to the Bit
Severance is a mystery-box thriller that rewards eagle-eyed viewers picking up every little detail about what’s really going on at Lumon Industries. It’s only fitting, then, that Britt Lower’s win for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series had a little Easter egg for anyone who took a good look at what was written on the back of her acceptance speech.
Unfortunately, this rebellious display probably earned Helly R. some time in the Break Room.
