The Studio’s fictional Continental Studios would kill for the success of The Studio itself, which walked away with 23 Emmy nominations — the most of any comedy show this year and beating the Ted Lasso freshman-season awards noms — on July 15. That The Studio would translate to potential awards success is no big surprise: Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s starry, expensive show lampooning the entertainment industry is Hollywood catnip. Yes, The Studio was often brutal and embarrassing in its depiction of producer bigwigs, but it was also just silly and lovable enough to not bite the proverbial hand that feeds it. The big question remains — will Seth Rogen have to thank Ted Sarandos (who cameos in the show’s Golden Globes episode) in his acceptance speech should he win?

The Studio came away with nominations for its directing and writing, as well as one for Outstanding Comedy Series (to say nothing of a ton of craft categories it scooped up nominations in — casting, costumes, editing, cinematography, and hair), but a lot of people on the show also got nominations. Seth Rogen got a nod for Lead Actor, with Supporting noms going to Ike Barinholtz, Catherine O’Hara, and Kathryn Hahn. (It’s a shame that Chase Sui Wonders, who plays beleaguered assistant Quinn, could not crack into the stacked Supporting Actress category.) It’s in the guest-star categories, however, that The Studio’s dominance starts to feel as absurd as the show itself. Bryan Cranston got a Guest Actor nomination for his fictional character, the former Continental head Griffin Mill, but Dave Franco, Ron Howard, Anthony Mackie, Martin Scorsese, and Zoë Kravitz all got nominated for playing themselves. Five out of six nominated male guest stars are guys from The Studio. It’s them and Jon Bernthal in noted comedy The Bear. This is also Ron Howard’s first acting nomination! And he was on Happy Days! While Scorsese has three Emmys already (for Outstanding Directing, of course), it’s possible he’ll go home with his first acting award. Imagine you see all those guys nominated and you vote for someone who’s not Scorsese? He looks so sad in The Studio when they tell him they won’t be making his Jonestown movie.

The Studio’s success in Emmy nominations speaks to the industry’s possible frustration with itself — the show is mostly about how ineffective producers are in the process of making art — but also an endorsement of the show’s nontraditional form of telling that story. With its dizzying long takes and frantic pacing, The Studio quickly set itself apart as not just a mere riff on The Player but a slick and artful send-up — a continuation and expansion of Robert Altman’s ’90s industry satire. Hollywood may not be able to see its own worst tendencies, but The Studio nominations prove, if anything, that it loves to be in on the joke.

Related

• The 2025 Emmy Nominations
• The Biggest Snubs and Surprises From the 2025 Emmy Nominations
• The Studio Laughs to Keep From Crying

 Martin Scorsese got nominated for playing himself — and he’s got to win, right?