THE JAPAN-set historical series Shogun broke records at the Emmy Awards on Sunday, taking home the top prize for Best Drama.
Shogun, which tells the story of warring dynasties in feudal Japan, ended the night with 18 wins, becoming the first non-English-language show to win the Best Drama Series award.
The previous record for most wins by a television series in one season was 13.
"It was an East-meets-West dream project, with respect," said Hiroyuki Sanada, who became the first Japanese actor to win an Emmy for his role in the series.
Shortly after Sanada’s win, Anna Sawai took the stage to accept the Best Actress award, followed by the cast and producers of Shogun, who returned to collect the Best Drama Series award.
The show, produced by FX and based on James Clavell's historical novel, had led the nominations with 25. Shot in Canada, it features a largely Japanese cast and subtitles.
Showrunner Justin Marks thanked producers for backing "a very expensive, subtitled, Japanese period piece." He added, "Shogun is a show about translation -- not what is lost, but what is found."
The show also won the Emmy for Best Directing in a Drama Series, in addition to the 14 awards it received during a separate event last weekend.
This breaks the record held by miniseries John Adams, which won 13 awards in 2008. Game of Thrones had the previous record for dramas with 12 wins.
Hacks takes comedy prize
In a surprising turn, the award for Best Comedy Series went to Hacks. The show, which stars Jean Smart as a comedian clashing with her assistant, beat the favoured The Bear.
Smart won her third Emmy for Best Lead Actress, commenting: "I appreciate this, because I just don't get enough attention."
Despite missing out on the top prize, The Bear won 11 awards, including Best Lead and Supporting Actor for Jeremy Allen White and Ebon Moss-Bachrach, respectively.
Co-star Liza Colon-Zayas won Best Supporting Actress, surprising many by beating Meryl Streep. "To all the Latinas who are looking at me, keep believing. And vote -- vote for your rights," she said, in one of the night’s more political moments.
Baby Reindeer earns limited series award
The other major winner of the night was Netflix’s Baby Reindeer, a show based on a one-man play about sexual abuse. The series won Best Limited Series, a prestigious award for single-season shows.
Creator Richard Gadd, who also won Best Actor and a writing award, reflected on his journey: "Ten years ago, I was down and out... I never thought I'd get back on my feet again."
Jessica Gunning, who played the stalker in the series, won Best Supporting Actress for her role. She said, "Thank you for trusting me to be your Martha -- I will never ever forget her, or you," addressing Gadd in her speech.
Jodie Foster won her first Emmy for Best Actress for her role as an Alaskan cop in True Detective: Night Country.
Other wins in drama
While Shogun dominated the night, other dramas also won key prizes. Elizabeth Debicki won Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Princess Diana in Netflix’s The Crown. Billy Crudup took home Best Supporting Actor for his role in Apple’s The Morning Show.
(With inputs from AFP)
