“Shōgun” is the new Emmy standard.
The FX drama extended its record for most Emmys won by a series in a single year at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards by picking up four more wins, bringing its total to a staggering 18. “Shōgun” already made history last weekend at the Creative Arts Emmys when it collected 14 awards, easily surpassing the previous record for a drama series set in 2015 and 2019 by “Game of Thrones,” when it won 12. The HBO limited series “John Adams” took home 13 Emmys in 2008 and held first place for the TV show — comedy, drama or limited series — with the biggest haul…until “Shōgun” breezed onto the scene.
During the main ceremony, “Shōgun” picked up several top awards, though not nearly as many or as quickly and steadily as some had predicted. After a slow start, it won Emmys for drama series, lead drama actress for Anna Sawai, lead drama actor for Hiroyuki Sanada and directing. Both Sawai and Sanada became first-time Emmy winners, joining Nestor Carbonell, who took home the guest drama actor award at the Creative Arts Emmys.
Coming into Sunday, “Shōgun” was up for eight nominations in six categories. It had dual nominations in two of those categories: supporting actor (Tadanobu Asano and Takehiro Hira) and writing (“Anjin” and “Crimson Sky”). It lost in both categories.
The new hardware adds to the impressive milestone set by “Shōgun” at the Creative Arts Emmys, where it dominated the competition, winning 14 out of the 16 categories it was competing for. Showcasing its mastery in almost all facets of the production, the series was victorious in guest acting, casting, costumes, makeup (non-prosthetic and prosthetic), hairstyling, stunt performance, production design, editing, visual effects, main title design, sound editing, sound mixing and cinematography.
The remarkable Emmy haul for “Shōgun’s” critically acclaimed first season, which topped all shows with 25 nominations, cements it as the drama to beat in coming years. With FX and Hulu in early development on Seasons 2 and 3 with core members of the creative team in place, including co-creators Rachel Kondo, Justin Marks and star/producer Sanada, “Shōgun” is in prime position to be the heavy favorite in any awards race it’s in contention for.
