Shogun makes history, Debicki claims crown at The Emmys
FX’s sweeping adaptation of James Clavell’s novel, set in 17th-century feudal Japan, has set a single-year record of 18 Emmy wins.
ShÅgun, FX’s thrilling adaptation of James Clavell’s novel set in 17th-century Japan, was the big winner at the 76th Emmy Awards, taking home a record-breaking 18 awards.
The series won Best Drama, Best Actor for Hiroyuki Sanada, Best Actress for Anna Sawai, and Best Director for Frederick E.O. Toye.
It is the first non-English language series to win Best Drama, and stars Sanada and Sawai are the first Japanese actors to win their respective awards. Last week, Shōgun secured 14 technical and acting awards at the Creative Arts Emmys, surpassing the previous record of 13 Emmys set by HBO’s John Adams in 2008.
“You guys greenlit a very expensive, subtitled Japanese period piece whose central climax revolves around a poetry competition,” showrunner Justin Marks said while accepting the Best Drama award. “Shōgun is a show about translation … not what is lost but what is found.”
Australian Elizabeth Debicki took home the Best Supporting Actress Emmy for her turn as Princess Diana in the final season of The Crown. “Playing this part based on this unparalleled, incredible human being has been a real privilege. It has been a gift,” she said.
If you’re feeling déjà vu, it’s not just you — this was the second Emmy ceremony of the year, following the rescheduling of the original 2023 event due to Hollywood labour strikes.Naomi Watts, the other Australian contender, lost Best Lead Actress in a Limited Series to Jodie Foster, who took home her first Emmy for True Detective: Night Country. And really, is a loss to Jodie Foster ever truly a loss? Watts’ husband, Billy Crudup, did win Best Supporting Actor in a Drama for The Morning Show, dedicating his speech to his “immigrant” wife.
No, you’re not going barmy — it is indeed The Emmys again. This is the second ceremony of the year, after the Hollywood labour strikes pushed 2023’s event to January.
The FX comedy The Bear entered the night as the second-most-nominated series with 23, and was favoured to claim Best Comedy for the second year running. But it wasn’t to be. Hacks, the culture war comedy about the unlikely, intergenerational pairing of a septuagenarian comedian (played by Jean Smart, who won Best Actress in a Comedy) and a Gen Z writer (Hannah Einbinder), pulled off a great upset — nabbing the top comedy prize. A win for jokes!
Hacks co-creator Paul W. Downs used his Best Comedy acceptance speech to highlight the importance of having elder representation on screen: “Twenty per cent of our population is over 60, but only 3% of our characters on screen,” he said. “I am a great young supporting actor,” Downs, who also stars in the show as a sarky and basically useless talent agent, said. “But I really want to be a good old lead.”
The Bear — the second-most-nominated series of the night with 23 — did not go home empty-handed. Jeremy Allen White, who plays the driven but emotionally volatile chef Carmen ‘Carmy’ Berzatto, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach respectively took home Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy for the second straight year. A delightful surprise was a first Emmy for Liza Colón-Zayas, who was visibly shocked and tearful as she thanked the show’s creators for “giving me a new life,” while accepting her trophy for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy. She ended her speech with an encouragement to “all the Latinas”: “Keep believing and vote — vote for your rights.”
Coming off six Emmy wins for its first season, The Bear was the frontrunner to take out the Best Comedy gong. However, middling reviews for its third season, which came out around the time the Television Academy began voting for The Bear’s second season, coupled with rave reviews for Hacks’ third season, sent The Bear packing.
The ceremony was not without its political digs, with Republican vice-presidential candidate JD Vance and his “childless cat ladies” comment becoming the evening’s most sought-after punching bag. Presenters Candice Bergen and Selena Gomez both took low-stakes swings at Vance.
Bergen, referencing her iconic role in the sitcom Murphy Brown, quipped: “In one classic moment, my character was attacked by Vice President Dan Quayle when Murphy became pregnant and decided to raise the baby as a single mother. Oh, how far we’ve come. Today, a Republican candidate for vice president would never attack a woman for having kids,” she said. “Meow!”
The other big winner of the night was Netflix’s out-of-nowhere hit Baby Reindeer, which received 11 nominations and won Best Limited Series. The seven-episode autobiographical series, based on creator and star Richard Gadd’s experience with a stalker, premiered with no prior fanfare and a cast of unknowns on Netflix in April. It became an overnight word-of-mouth sensation, racking up over 56 million views in a month. “If ‘Baby Reindeer’ has proved anything it’s that there is no set formula to this — that you don’t need big stars, proven I.P., long-running series, catch-all storytelling to have a hit,” Gadd said in accepting the award for Best Limited Series. “Really, really, the only constant across any success in television is good storytelling — good storytelling that speaks to our times.”
Jessica Gunning, who starred in the show, won her first-ever Emmy for Best Supporting Actress for her extraordinary portrayal of Martha, the stalker. “Oh my goodness me, blinking heckers!” she exclaimed upon receiving her trophy. She then turned to creator and co-star Gadd, saying, “Thank you for trusting me to be your Martha. I will never, ever forget her, or you, or this.”
Gadd also took home the award for Best Writing in a Limited Series, calling the prize “the stuff of dreams.”
“Ten years ago, I was down and out; I never thought I’d get my life together. But here I am, just over a decade later, picking up one of the biggest writing awards in TV.” “I don’t mean that to sound arrogant,” he added. “I mean it as encouragement. I don’t know much about life, but I know that nothing lasts forever. No matter how bad it gets, it always gets better. If you’re struggling, please keep going!” He later won Best Lead Actor in a Limited Series.
The Baby Reindeer wins will be a morale boost for Netflix. The streamer is being sued in the US by Fiona Harvey, a woman who claims that she is the inspiration for Gunning’s character Martha, and alleges she has been innacurately depicted as a stalker.
Slow Horses finally got its flowers. The Apple TV+ spy series, now in its fourth season (and at its very best), has been largely overlooked by the Academy. That changed tonight, with writer Will Smith (no, not that one) winning Best Writing for a Drama Series for the episode “Negotiating with Tigers.” “First of all, relax. Despite my name, I come in peace,” the writer quipped, referencing that Oscars moment involving the other Will Smith.
2024 Emmy Award Nominees
Outstanding Drama Series
The Crown — Netflix
Fallout — Prime Video
The Gilded Age — HBO
The Morning Show — Apple TV+
Mr & Mrs. Smith — Prime Video
WINNER: Shōgun — FX
Slow Horses — Apple TV+
3 Body Problem — Netflix
Outstanding Comedy Series
Abbott Elementary — ABC
The Bear — FX
Curb Your Enthusiasm — HBO
WINNER: Hacks — HBO
Only Murders in the Building — Hulu
Palm Royale — Apple TV+
Reservation Dogs — FX
What We Do in the Shadows — FX
Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series
WINNER: Baby Reindeer — Netflix
Fargo — FX
Lessons in Chemistry — Apple TV+
Ripley — Netflix
True Detective: Night Country — HBO
Outstanding Television Movie
Mr Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie — Peacock
Quiz Lady — Hulu
Red, White & Royal Blue — Prime Video
Scoop — Netflix
Unfrosted — Netflix
Outstanding Reality Competition Program
The Amazing Race — CBS
RuPaul’s Drag Race — MTV
Top Chef — Bravo
WINNER: The Traitors — Peacock
The Voice — NBC
Outstanding Talk Series
WINNER: The Daily Show — Comedy Central
Jimmy Kimmel Live! — ABC
Late Night with Seth Meyers — NBC
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert — CBS
Outstanding Scripted Variety Series
WINNER:Last Week Tonight with John Oliver — HBO
Saturday Night Live — NBC
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Idris Elba, Hijack
Donald Glover, Mr. & Mrs. Smith
Walton Goggins, Fallout
Gary Oldman, Slow Horses
WINNER: Hiroyuki Sanada, Shōgun
Dominic West, The Crown
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Jennifer Aniston, The Morning Show
Carrie Coon, The Gilded Age
Maya Erskine, Mr. & Mrs. Smith
WINNER: Anna Sawai, Shōgun
Imelda Staunton, The Crown
Reese Witherspoon, The Morning Show
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Matt Berry, What We Do in the Shadows
Larry David, Curb Your Enthusiasm
Steve Martin, Only Murders in the Building
Martin Short, Only Murders in the Building
WINNER: Jeremy Allen White, The Bear
D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Reservation Dogs
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary
Ayo Edebiri, The Bear
Selena Gomez, Only Murders in the Building
Maya Rudolph, Loot
WINNER: Jean Smart, Hacks
Kristen Wiig, Palm Royale
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Matt Bomer, Fellow Travelers
Richard Gadd, Baby Reindeer
Jon Hamm, Fargo
Tom Hollander, Feud: Capote vs. the Swans
Andrew Scott, Ripley
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
WINNER: Jodie Foster, True Detective: Night Country
Brie Larson, Lessons in Chemistry
Juno Temple, Fargo
Sofía Vergara, Griselda
Naomi Watts, Feud: Capote vs. the Swans
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Tadanobu Asano, Shōgun
WINNER: Billy Crudup, The Morning Show
Mark Duplass, The Morning Show
Jon Hamm, The Morning Show
Takehiro Hira, Shōgun
Jack Lowden, Slow Horses
Jonathan Pryce, The Crown
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Christine Baranski, The Gilded Age
Nicole Beharie, The Morning Show
WINNER: Elizabeth Debicki, The Crown
Greta Lee, The Morning Show
Lesley Manville, The Crown
Karen Pittman, The Morning Show
Holland Taylor, The Morning Show
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Lionel Boyce, The Bear
Paul W. Downs, Hacks
WINNER: Ebon Moss-Bachrach, The Bear
Paul Rudd, Only Murders in the Building
Tyler James Williams, Abbott Elementary
Bowen Yang, Saturday Night Live
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Carol Burnett, Palm Royale
WINNER: Liza Colón-Zayas, The Bear
Hannah Einbinder, Hacks
Janelle James, Abbott Elementary
Sheryl Lee Ralph, Abbott Elementary
Meryl Streep, Only Murders in the Building
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Jonathan Bailey, Fellow Travelers
Robert Downey Jr., The Sympathizer
Tom Goodman-Hill, Baby Reindeer
John Hawkes, True Detective: Night Country
WINNER: Lamorne Morris, Fargo
Lewis Pullman, Lessons in Chemistry
Treat Williams, Feud: Capote vs. the Swans
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Dakota Fanning, Ripley
Lily Gladstone, Under the Bridge
WINNER: Jessica Gunning, Baby Reindeer
Aja Naomi King, Lessons in Chemistry
Diane Lane, Feud: Capote vs. the Swans
Nava Mau, Baby Reindeer
Kali Reis, True Detective: Night Country
Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series
The Crown, Stephen Daldry (episode: “Sleep, Dearie Sleep”)
The Morning Show, Mimi Leder (episode: “The Overview Effect”)
Mr & Mrs. Smith, Hiro Murai (episode: “First Date”)
WINNER: Shōgun, Frederick E.O. Tone (episode: “Crimson Sky”)
Slow Horses, Saul Metzstein (episode: “Strange Games”)
Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, Salli Richardson-Whitfield (episode: “Beat L.A.”)
Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series
Abbott Elementary, Randall Einhorn (episode: “Party”)
WINNER: The Bear, Christopher Storer (episode: “Fishes”)
The Bear, Ramy Youssef (episode: “Honeydew”)
The Gentlemen, Guy Ritchie (episode: “Refined Aggression”)
Hacks, Lucia Aniello (episode: “Bulletproof”)
The Ms. Pat Show, Mary Lou Belli (episode: “I’m the Pappy”)
Outstanding Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Baby Reindeer, Weronika Tofilska (episode: “Episode 4 “)
Fargo, Noah Hawley (episode: “The Tragedy of the Commons”)
WINNER: Feud: Capote vs. the Swans, Gus Van Sant (episode: “Pilot”)
Lessons in Chemistry, Millicent Shelton (episode: “Poirot”)
Ripley, Steven Zaillian (series)
True Detective: Night Country, Issa López (series)
Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
The Crown, Peter Morgan & Meriel Sheibani-Clare (episode: “Ritz”)
Fallout, Geneva Robertson-Dworet & Graham Wagner (episode: “The End”)
Mr & Mrs. Smith, Francesca Sloane & Donald Glover (episode: “First Date”)
Shōgun, Rachel Kondo & Justin Marks (episode: “Anjin”)
Shōgun, Rachel Kondo & Caitlin Puente (episode: “Crimson Sky”)
WINNER: Slow Horses, Will Smith (episode: “Negotiating with Tigers”)
Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series
Abbott Elementary, Quinta Brunson (episode: “Career Day”)
The Bear, Christopher Storer & Joanna Calo (episode: “Fishes”)
Girls5eva, Meredith Scardino & Sam Means (episode: “Orlando”)
WINNER: Hacks, Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs & Jen Statsky (episode: “Bulletproof”)
The Other Two, Chris Kelly & Sarah Schneider (episode: “Brooke Hosts a Night of Undeniable Good”)
What We Do in the Shadows, Jake Bender & Zach Dunn (episode: “Pride Parade”)
Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
WINNER: Baby Reindeer, Richard Gadd (series)
Black Mirror, Charlie Brooker (episode: “Joan is Awful”)
Fargo, Noah Hawley (episode: “The Tragedy of the Commons”)
Fellow Travelers, Ron Nyswaner (episode: “You’re Wonderful”)
Ripley, Steven Zaillian (series)
True Detective: Night Country, Issa López (episode: “Part 6 “)
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