Emmy highlights: ‘Shōgun’ makes history, surprises and a ‘meow’ heard ‘round the world

If you had “historical night” on your Emmy predictions, congratulations.

If you had “historical night” on your Emmy predictions, congratulations. It was, indeed, a night for the history books and one for people who love teary acceptance speeches with a side of subtle, mostly scripted zingers. From historic winners to mentions of cats and dogs, here are the highlights from the 76th Emmy Awards: The music began to play off the cast and producers of the acclaimed period drama “Shōgun” after their win for best drama but stopped as soon as star and new Emmy winner Hiroyuki Sanada took the mic and expressed his intention to say his short address in Japanese. In his native tongue, he thanked the crew, directors and masters “who have inherited and supported our Samurai period dramas until now.” He added: “The passion and dreams that we have inherited from you have crossed oceans and borders.” So, too, has “Shōgun” itself in many ways. The show’s success, the first non-English language program to win best drama and only the second to be nominated in the category (the first was “Squid Game” was the first in 2022), hammers home the point many creatives shout from rooftops (and award show stages) any chance they can: Take risks. If the story is compelling, viewers and success will come. In all, the series picked up four awards, including history-making individual acting honors for its two stars Sanada and Anna Sawai.