The Primetime Emmys haven’t even happened yet and ‘Shogun’ has already broken a major record
FX’s incredible period drama Shogun was a favorite heading into the 2024 Emmy Awards. But there’s a huge difference between being a favorite and eviscerating everyone else in a landslide. The Primetime Emmys ceremony hasn’t even happened yet, and Shogun has already broken a major all-time Emmy record.
The two-night Creative Arts Emmys were held this weekend at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, California. If you didn’t know that was happening, it’s because the Creative Arts Emmys don’t usually make headlines. This is the ceremony where the awards that don’t make the cut for the Primetime Emmys are handed out.
But over the course of the Creative Arts Emmys, Shogun reached a historic milestone. With 14 wins already in the bag, Shogun broke the Emmy record for most wins for a single season of television.
Shogun is nominated for 25 awards in total—more than any other series this year, with The Bear in second at 23 nominations. So the margin of Shogun‘s record could, and likely will, get even bigger when the Primetime Emmys air next Sunday, September 15.
Why Shogun‘s record matters
Here are the awards Shogun won during the Creative Arts Emmys:
- Best Sound Editing
- Best Sound Mixing
- Best Picture Editing
- Best Main Title Design
- Best Cinematography
- Best Production Design
- Best Special Visual Effects
- Best Prosthetic Makeup
- Best Period/Fantasy Hairstyling
- Best Period/Fantasy Makeup
- Best Period Costumes
- Best Stunt Performance
- Best Casting for a Drama
- Best Guest Actor in a Drama (Néstor Carbonell)
There’s a whole laundry list of reasons why Shogun‘s wins are exciting. It’s a U.S. production (and based on a book by a Western author) but was made with sizable input and collaboration from Japanese creatives. It’s a win for diversity in Hollywood.
Hell, a sizable chunk of the series is not just in Japanese, but period Japanese. In a world where “foreign films” are squished into a single category in the Oscars, I’m rather chuffed at the positive precedent this creates for including more subtitle-needing foreign language dialogue in mainstream productions.
The previous record for the most Emmys won for a single season of TV was held by HBO’s Paul Giamatti-led John Adams miniseries in 2008. It’s worth noting that Game of Thrones won 12 Emmys in 2019 for its final season. Which, you’ll be pained to remember, was bad. It’s high time for a new big kid on the block.
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