'Shogun' dominates Emmys, 'Hacks' surprises

'Shogun' won a record 18 Emmys and 'Hacks' beat 'The Bear' in a surprise upset

Cast of "Shogun" show off Emmys
'Shogun' stars Hiroyuki Sanada and Anna Sawai took best lead actor awards in a drama
(Image credit: Gilbert Flores / Variety via Getty Images)

What happened

"Shogun," a big-budget FX show about feudal Japan, won a record 18 Emmys on Sunday night, including for best drama, beating the 13 awards HBO's "John Adams" miniseries took in 2008. In a surprise upset, "Hacks" beat "The Bear" for best comedy. "Shogun" stars Hiroyuki Sanada and Anna Sawai took best lead actor awards in a drama, while "Hacks" star Jean Smart won best actress in a comedy.

Who said what

"Shogun" co-creator and showrunner Justin Marks "expressed awe" in his acceptance speech, Variety said, marveling that Disney's FX "green-lit a very expensive, subtitled Japanese period piece whose central climax revolves around a poetry competition." But the only "major" surprise at the Emmys was the "Hacks" win, The New York Times said. After "The Bear" season three set a record for most nominations in Emmy history in July, there was "mounting frustration" that a "tense workplace series that takes place in a Chicago's dining scene was even eligible in the comedy awards."

"In the true spirit of 'The Bear,' we will not be making any jokes," host Eugene Levy quipped at the top of the ceremony. The series still won 11 awards, topping the 10 comedy wins it notched at the last Emmys — held only eight months ago due to the Hollywood strikes.

What next?

The Emmys in January had "just over 4 million viewers, the lowest ever recorded," the Times said. The producers of Sunday's broadcast "were hopeful for a turnaround."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
Explore More
Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.