In the wake of Emmy nominations Tuesday, Netflix is having a good day. HBO and Disney may have led the pack with 142 nominations and 137 nominations, respectively, but Netflix wasn’t far behind with 120 nominations. And unlike the headache of not know what qualifies as an HBO and/or Max original or Disney’s plethora of brands, all of Netflix’s nominations can be found under the same name on the same platform.
“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.
