HBO Max's spin-off series about the Batman villain, "The Penguin," came in second with 24 nominations, according to AFP.

HBO Max's "The White Lotus" and Apple's "The Studio" tied for third place with 23 nominations each.

"Hacks" led the nominations for comedy series with 14, while "The Bear" came in second with 13.

The Television Academy's announcement marked the official start of the race for the 77th Emmy Awards, which will take place on September 14 in Los Angeles.

After a record 18 Emmy Awards for the historical epic "Shogun," set in Japan, competition in the drama category looks more heated this year.

Severance, in which employees of biotech company Lumon undergo surgery that separates their memories of their "inner" work life from their "outer" personal life, is the clear favorite, with star Adam Scott nominated for best actor.

But he will be competing against ER veteran Noah Wyle, who plays the lead role in The Pitt, HBO Max's take on the struggles of a Pittsburgh emergency room team during a 15-hour shift, effectively shown in real time.

"It's ER on steroids!" awards expert Pete Hammond told AFP about the series, which received 13 nominations.

They will compete for the award for best drama series with Andor, a spin-off of Disney+'s Star Wars,

Netflix's "The Diplomat," HBO's apocalyptic adaptation of the video game "The Last of Us," Hulu's political thriller "Paradise," Apple's spy drama "Slow Horses," and HBO's "The White Lotus."

Scott and Wyle have serious competition for the award for best actor: Oscar nominee Gary Oldman in "Slow Horses," Pedro Pascal ("The Last of Us") and Sterling K. Brown ("Paradise").

The Penguin is competing for the best miniseries award against Dying for Sex (FX) and three Netflix productions: the popular teen murder saga Adolescence, Black Mirror, and the true crime saga Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.

In the comedy categories, the clear favorites are HBO Max's Hacks, starring Jean Smart as a stand-up comedian who clashes with her dysfunctional millennial assistant, and The Bear, a dark satire set in the Chicago restaurant world.

Hacks won the awards for best comedy and best actress last September, while The Bear took the top prize at the previous ceremony (held in January 2024 due to strikes in Hollywood), and its star Jeremy Allen White has two statuettes for best actor.

Other nominees for best comedy series include ABC's perennial nominee "Abbott Elementary," the romantic comedy "Nobody Wants This" (Netflix), Hulu's "Only Murders in the Building," Apple's "Shrinking" and "The Studio," and FX's vampire comedy "What We Do in the Shadows."

Harvey Guillen ("What We Do in the Shadows") and Brenda Song ("Running Point") announced the major nominations during a live ceremony.

Voting members of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences will have a month to catch up on viewing before the final round of voting begins in mid-August.

The gala ceremony on September 14 will be hosted by comedian Nate Bargatze. | BGNES