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

At the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards featured a well-rounded ensemble of winners with FX’s feudal Japan period drama Shogun, HBO Max’s biting comedy Hacks and Netflix’s disturbing limited series Baby Reindeer winning big

The 2024 Emmy Awards, held on September 15 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, turned out to be quite the spectacle of television’s brightest and boldest. The return to the traditional fall schedule, after a strike-induced delay, gave delivered some much-needed freshness of  perspective on the medium’s current trends and successes.The ceremony, hosted by father-son duo Eugene and Dan Levy offered up a snapshot of television’s current landscape over the last year, defined by both remarkable firsts and unexpected shifts in fortune.

Leading the charge was FX’s Japanese tidal wave, Shogun. For the first time in Emmy history, the show broke the mold by becoming the first majority non-English language series to snag the Best Drama Series award. It didn’t stop there, amassing an unprecedented 18 Emmys in total. 

The show’s sweeping success extended beyond acting accolades, with victories in cinematography, visual effects, production design, picture editing, sound mixing & 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 capture the Best Actress trophy. Director Frederick E. O. Toye rounded out the night’s wins, bagging the Emmy for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series for the episode, “Crimson Sky’.

Comedy took an unexpected turn with Hacks stepping into the spotlight. The HBO Max series, previously seen as a contender but not a frontrunner, pulled off a major upset. It managed to wrestle the Best Comedy Series award from the grasp of The Bear.

Jean Smart was honored with Best Actress in a Comedy Series, and the show’s writers — Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, and Jen Statsky — were recognized for their sharp work on the episode “Bulletproof.” 

The victory was a real David vs. Goliath moment, as The Bear had been expected to dominate. Despite this, The Bear still had a night to remember, clinching 11 Emmys 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 a record for the most Emmys won by a comedy series in a single year, surpassing its own previous record of 10 wins.