Emmy Shock: The Pitt Stuns Hollywood by Winning Best Drama Series in 2025—But It’s Their Emotional Tribute to Healthcare Workers That Has Everyone Talking! Why Did the Cast Risk Their Careers With a Controversial Speech? The Hidden Story Behind ‘Respect Them, Protect Them’ Will Leave You Breathless!

‘Andor’, ‘The Diplomat,’ ‘The Last of Us,’ ‘Paradise’, ‘Severance,’ ‘Slow Horses’ and ‘The White Lotus’ were also nominated

And the most dramatic show of the year is…The Pitt.

The series took home the big prize for Outstanding Drama Series at the 2025 Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 14.

“This is insane. Thank you so much to the Academy,”  the series’ creator and showrunner R. Scott Gemmillsaid on stage before thanking the team behind the show at Warner Bros and HBO Max, adding, “We wouldn’t be out here without you guys.”

“I have the best practicing partners and friends in the world,” he added before giving a nod to executive producer John Wells and star Noah Wyle.

“I want to dedicate this on behalf of everyone, to all the healthcare workers, frontline first responders,” he concluded. “Respect them, protect them, trust them. Thank you!”

Andor, The Diplomat, The Last of Us, Paradise, Severance, Slow Horses and The White Lotus were also nominated in the category.

The Pitt was another of the year’s biggest hits, and earned a whopping 13 nominations. The medical drama led by Noah Wyle follows Dr. Robby and took place over the course of one shift in the emergency department, where he’s joined by Shawn Hatosy, Katherine LaNasa, Taylor Dearden and Fiona Dourif.

R. Scott Gemmill holds the Outstanding Drama Series award for “The Pitt” during the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards at the Peacock Theatre at LA Live in Los Angeles on September 14, 2025.VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty

Wyle told PEOPLE he was “overwhelmed” by his own nomination — for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series — and the overall recognition for the show as someone who’s “been around now for 30 years and done a lot of different things.”

“I gave up hope that this was going to be something that my career was going to be part of again,” he said. “It’s really amazing.”

From left: Taylor Dearden, Noah Wyle and Shawn Hatosy in ‘The Pitt’.John Johnson/Max

The second and final season of the hit Disney+ Star Wars prequel series Andor concluded in May and earned 14 Emmy nominations this year, totaling 22 over its two-season run.

The prequel series followed Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor, who fans first met in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story in 2022, as he was recruited by the Rebel Alliance to become a spy. Adria Arjona starred alongside Luna as Bix Caleen, the love interest to Cassian.

In a post on Instagram, Luna, 45, celebrated the news of the nominations, writing, “Congratulations to the entire #Andor team!!! So proud of these 14 nominations!! Including Outstanding Drama Series!! Qué chingón!!!”

Bix Caleen (Adria Arjona) and Andor (Diego Luna) in season 2 of ‘Andor’.Lucasfilm Ltd

The Diplomat was once again recognized this year for its second season, which saw Keri Russell and Rufus Sewell’s Kate and Hal Wyler reckon with the fallout from an attack on their own in the season 1 finale.

Russell was also nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series at this year’s show, her second nomination following one in 2023 for season 1.

The Netflix series is one of the actress’ “most favorite jobs I’ve ever worked on,” she told Deadline, so the recognition means a lot.

“To be acknowledged for something that is so fun to make is just such a rare bird.”

Keri Russell as Kate Wyler, Rufus Sewell as Hal Wyler in ‘The Diplomat’ season 3.Liam Daniel/Netflix

Similarly to The Diplomat, the second season of The Last of Us also brought in a heap of nominations for the HBO series. With 16 nominations in total, including nods for Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey, Kaitlyn Dever, Catherine O’Hara, Jeffrey Wright and Joe Pantoliano, the series, which is adapted from the bestselling video game of the same name, was among the most-nominated this year.

Season 2 of the hit series brought heartbreak for fans as Pascal’s character, Joel, was killed by a vengeful Abby (Dever), which wasn’t exactly unexpected, given it takes place in the video game, but was devastating nonetheless — for the actor, too.

“It was just a matter of how and when,” he told Entertainment Weekly of his fate, which he knew was coming. “I’m in active denial.”

Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey in ‘The Last of Us’.Liane Hentscher/HBO

Paradise was one of the year’s biggest breakout hits, and scored four nominations for its first season. Stars Sterling K. Brown, James Marsden and Julianne Nicholson were all recognized for their roles as Agent Xavier Collins, Cal Bradford and Sinatra, respectively, in the twisty Hulu thriller.

Days before the awards show, Brown revealed he’d torn his Achilles heel in an Instagram video, but was postponing surgery to make sure he could attend the Emmys.

Given that the “recovery can take a little bit of time,” Brown said he’s planning surgery for “after the Emmys, so I can motivate myself and go and try to celebrate with my cast and the producers of Paradise, because we got recognized.”

Sterling K. Brown (left) and James Marsden in ‘Paradise’.Disney/Ser Baffo

The long-awaited second season of Apple TV+’s Severance premiered in January, close to three years after season 1 concluded.

The return was met with rave reviews as Adam Scott, John Turturro, Zach Cherry and Britt Lower were back inside Lumon after their innies experienced life as their outies in the dramatic season 1 finale.

Season 2 earned an impressive 27 nominations, including nods for Scott, Turturro, Cherry and Lower, along with Tramell Tillman, Gwendoline Christie, Patricia Arquette, Jane Alexander and Merritt Wever.

Adam Scott as Mark, Zach Cherry as Dylan, John Turturro as Irving and Britt Lower Helly in ‘Severance’.Atsushi Nishijima/Apple TV+

Slow Horses, the Gary Oldman-led spy thriller series, was nominated for Outstanding Drama Series for the second time this year, and the actor himself was also nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his portrayal of M15 boss Jackson Lamb.

Oldman, 67, told the L.A. Times that the show’s success — its fifth season premieres this fall and it’s already been renewed for season 6 — has reached as far as Buckingham Palace.

“The Queen said to me, ‘Are there any more?’ I’m led to believe that they like Slow Horses,” he told the outlet of Queen Camilla.

“I feel so privileged, so bloody lucky that at 67 years old, I’m in a show of this caliber, that people have really actually embraced,” he added of the show. “I’m so very, very blessed, and it’s also nice to know that you’re going to be working.”

Gary Oldman in ‘Slow Horses’.Apple TV+

The third season of Mike White’s cult classic, The White Lotus, earned 23 nominations this year, with a majority of the cast being recognized.

Natasha Rothwell, Carrie Coon, Parker Posey, Aimee Lou Wood, Walton Goggins, Sam Rockwell, Scott Glenn and Jason Isaacs were all nominated in various categories, along with the show itself receiving several nods.

Season 3 of the series followed a family (Posey, Isaacs, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Sam Nivola and Sarah Catherine Hook), a trio of friends (Coon, Leslie Bibb and Michelle Monaghan) and a couple (Wood and Goggins) as they enjoyed a week away at a luxury resort in Thailand.

In previous seasons, the show has walked away with tons of awards and recognition. The series received a season 4 renewal in January 2025, nearly a month before the season 3 premiere.

On Sept. 4, Deadline reported that creator Mike White had “zeroed in” on the season 4 location: France. HBO did not comment when reached by PEOPLE.

Sam Nivola, Sarah Catherine Hook, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Jason Isaacs, Parker Posey, Morgana O’Reilly in ‘The White Lotus’ season 3.Fabio Lovino/HBO

See PEOPLE’s full coverage of the 77th annual Primetime Emmy Awards as they’re broadcasting live on CBS and Paramount+ from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.