Emmys 2024: ‘Shogun’ completes record-breaking sweep as ‘Hacks’ pulls off big upset over ‘The Bear’

Anna Sawai, Hiroyuki Sanada, Paul W. Downs, and Lucia Aniello pose with their awards. Photo credit: Reuters

The 2024 Emmy Awards, held on September 15 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, turned out to be television’s brightest and boldest show. Returning to a traditional fall schedule after a strike-induced delay, offers some much-needed refreshment given the medium’s current trends and successes. Hosted by father-son duo Eugene and Dan Levy, the event offered a snapshot. The current landscape of television in the past year, defined by both notable firsts and unexpected turns of fortune.

FX’s Japanese tidal wave was led by, the shogun. For the first time in Emmy history, the show broke the mold by becoming the first majority non-English language series to take home the award for Outstanding Drama Series. It didn’t stop there, collecting an unprecedented 18 Emmys in total.

Justin Marks, center left, and Hiroyuki Sanada, center right, and the cast of ‘Shogun’ accept the award for Outstanding Drama Series during the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards. Photo credit: Chris Pizzello

The show’s massive success extended beyond acting accolades, with wins in cinematography, visual effects, production design, picture editing, sound mixing and editing, and more.

Meanwhile, Japanese film veteran, Hiroyuki Sanada, made a historic mark as the first Japanese actor to win Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, while Anna Sawai became the first actress of Asian descent to win the Best Actress trophy. Rounding out the night’s wins was director Frederic Yeo Toye, who won an Emmy for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series for the episode “Crimson Sky.

Comedy has taken an unexpected turn Hacks Step into the spotlight. The HBO Max series, previously seen as a contender but not a pioneer, has been a major disaster. It managed to wrestle the best comedy series award from Occupy the bear.

Carl Clemons-Hopkins, Mark Indelicato, Rose Abdu, Gene Smart, Hannah Einbinder, Paul W. Downs and Christopher McDonald, winner of the Outstanding Comedy Series Award for ‘Hacks,’ pose at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards | Photo credit: Mike Blake

Jean Smart was honored for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series, and the show’s writers — Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downes and Jane Statsky – recognized for their sharp work in the episode “Bulletproof”.

The victory was a real David vs. Goliath moment, as it were the bear Dominance was expected. Despite this, the bear It was still a night to remember, with 11 Emmy wins including back-to-back wins for Jeremy Allen White and Ebon Moss-Bachrach, a first-time win for Liza Colon-Zayas and the award for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series for Christopher Storer. This marks the record for most Emmy wins by a comedy series in a single year, surpassing its own previous record of 10 wins.

Baby reindeer It ended its run with a sweep of the Limited/Anthology Series categories with four Emmys, including Best Limited Series. Richard Gadd and Jessica Gunning won awards for their lead and supporting roles, respectively, while Gadd’s writing was also recognized.

Jessica Gunning, left, winner of the award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie and Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series and Richard Gadd, winner of the award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or a Movie, and Outstanding Limited for ‘Baby Reindeer’ or anthology series, poses in the press room during the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards Photo credit: JC Hong

Jodie Foster received her first Emmy for her role True Detective: The Night Countryadded a new chapter to his illustrious career. Elizabeth Debicki earned a notable first Emmy, winning Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her portrayal of Princess Diana. Crown. Her win marks the first time an Australian actress has won the category.