‘Adolescence,’ ‘Penguin,’ ‘Black Mirror,’ ‘Dying for Sex’: Here are the front-runners, potential spoilers, and long shots for Best Limited/Movie Writing Emmy nominations

Who will have the write stuff at the Emmys? When it comes to Best Limited Series/Movie Writing, it becomes a bit of a numbers game.

With 71 submissions, this year's Best Limited Series/Movie Writing category will have just five finalists when the nominations are announced Tuesday. This is only the second time since the expansion to the popular vote that this category will result in five nominees; the first since 2020. Last year, for example, there were six nominees, with Baby Reindeer ultimately prevailing.

In the limited-series race, there are several shows with writers who scripted all their episodes and thus must enter their entire series: Adolescence by Jack Thorne and star Stephen Graham, Disclaimer by Alfonso Cuarón, and Dope Thief by Peter Craig. With Adolescence being the front-runner to win Best Limited since its premiere, the Netflix psychological crime drama is a lock for a writing bid. The other two, however, face a more challenging path to a nomination as there is less passion for them. And while four-time Oscar winner Cuarón is the most famous of the three, that recognition won't help, since scribes' names are not on the ballot.

For the shows that had the option of putting up individual episodes, all major contenders went for either their premiere or finale. These installments feature gripping elements of suspense and twists as they either introduce pivotal characters or wrap up intense storylines.  

Those opting for the opening episode included Dying for Sex, Presumed Innocent, and Apple Cider Vinegar, while The Penguin, Say Nothing, and Clipped went with their closer. Due to the timing of their releases, The Penguin and Say Nothing were both eligible and cited at the 2025 Writers Guild of America Awards, with the former winning, effectively guaranteeing it a nomination and a face-off with Adolescence.

And then there is Black Mirror, which has been a staple for the writers' branch, winning this category two consecutive years in 2017 and 2018. Having made its way back in last year after a series of genre shifts, this time the anthology has two tragic episodes on the ballot — both cowritten by showrunner Charlie Brooker. "Eulogy" is headlined by Paul Giamatti as a man reminiscing a past relationship when his ex-girlfriend passes away. "Common People" stars Rashida Jones and Chris O’Dowd as a couple who uses a subscription service for one to survive a terminal diagnosis. 

Television movies took up half this category two years ago, so we never know what the writers' branch has up its sleeve. Be on the lookout for WGA nominee Rebel Ridge by Jeremy Saulnier, which is also the frontrunner to win Best Television Movie, or Mountainhead penned by Jesse Armstrong, who was undefeated in the drama-series writing category for the four-season run of Succession. 

The only other double submitter in contention is Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, with its premiere and fifth episode. The latter episode, "The Hurt Man," is heavy with dialogue and takes place in one room between only two people as Erik Menendez (Cooper Koch) reflects on his childhood abuse to his lawyer (Ari Graynor).

Here is how we see the 2025 Best Limited/Movie Writing Emmy category shaking out:

Front-runners

Adolescence (Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham)
The Penguin (Lauren LeFranc, “A Great or Little Thing”)
Black Mirror (Charlie Brooker and Ella Road, “Eulogy”)
Dying for Sex (Kim Rosenstock and Elizabeth Meriwether, “Good Value Diet Soda”)
Say Nothing (Joshua Zetumer, “The People in the Dirt”)

Potential Spoilers

Disclaimer (Alfonso Cuarón)
Presumed Innocent (David E. Kelley, “Bases Loaded”)
Black Mirror (Charlie Brooker and Bisha K. Ali, “Common People”)
Rebel Ridge (Jeremy Saulnier)

Long-shots

Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story (Ian Brennan, “The Hurt Man”)
Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story  (Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan, “Blame It On The Rain”)
Dope Thief (Peter Craig)
Mountainhead (Jesse Armstrong)
Clipped (Rembert Brown and Gina Welch, “Keep Smiling”)
Apple Cider Vinegar (Samantha Strauss, “Toxic”)