Big-budget epic Shogun is set to become a historic winner at this weekend’s Emmy Awards, a ceremony that is also making history.
It’s the second Emmys in the same year, an unprecedented and costly challenge for the industry, which last year caused traffic jams due to twin strikes that led to the postponement.
January’s rescheduled Emmys saw big wins for The Bear and the final season of Heirs , but without the latter, all eyes are on who the next big drama contender will be.
Shogun leads the way with 25 nominations, making the long-running historical epic the first Japanese-language show to receive a nomination for Best Drama Series, and the second non-English-language show since Squid Game. At last weekend’s Creative Arts Emmys, where technical and some minor acting awards were handed out, the show took home 14 awards, with no show ever winning at the ceremony.
“It’s absolutely surreal to imagine that after the last five, six years, this show is a show that so many people have recognized,” co-creator Justin Marks said. The Hollywood Reporter. “Because we’ve all been trying to keep it together, trying to figure out how to do it — there’s not really a mold for it.”
The series is the favorite to win more awards this Sunday, which will see historic wins for actors at a ceremony that has not previously presented awards to artists of Asian descent. In January, Beef star Ali Wong became the first woman of Asian descent to win a leading Emmy.
There is still work to be done on gender equality at the TV Academy, with women still underrepresented in non-acting categories, receiving just 34% of this year’s nominations, according to a report by the Women’s Media Center.
Netflix’s hit Baby Reindeer , about Richard Cott’s experience with a stalker, is expected to win in its limited series category with 11 nominations. The ceremony comes in the same week as the date of the defamation trial, which will begin in May 2025, was announced. The streamer was sued for $170 million after God stalker Fiona Harvey said the show was “pushing the biggest lie” in television history.”
After picking up a total of 10 awards for its first season, the restaurant-based hit The Bear is expected to dominate the comedy categories once again, beating out Only Murders in a Building and Abbott Elementary. Last weekend had seven hits, including guest star Jamie Lee Curtis. “I’m the luckiest girl in the world,” she said of her first Emmy.
Producers of this weekend’s awards have promised to continue this January’s upbeat theme, staying away from the mean cheer and snark. They’ve added father-son duo and Shit’s Creek co-stars Eugene and Dan Levy as “related” hosts.
“For two Canadians who won our Emmys in an isolated tent, the idea of being asked to host them in a real theater this year is inspiring enough,” they said in a statement.
The evening will see cast members from shows including Happy Days, The West Wing and Saturday Night Live celebrating its 50th year on stage making major reunions.
Producers are also hoping for an increase in viewers, as the most recent broadcast drew just 4.3 million viewers, a new low for the awards show.
