What is Shogun, the series about ancient Japan that won the 2024 Emmys?

At the 2024 Emmys, Shogun was the most awarded TV series for a single season in the history of the awards, when the major honors had not yet been handed out. Last weekend, at the Creative Arts ceremonies, the FX epic set in feudal Japan took home a whopping 14 trophies, breaking the record previously held by the HBO miniseries John Adams and solidifying its place as the clear favorite heading into the 2024 Emmys main ceremony. The astonishing ride of Shogun from its debut in February to its triumphant conclusion tonight, with further victories, including Best Drama Series.

Shogun is a series of the American broadcaster FX, owned by Walt Disney, and available in our country on Disney+. It is probably the best series ever made on Ancient Japan. Created by Justin Marks And Rachel Kondohas received rave reviews in the United States and set record ratings for the network. At the Emmys, the show was up for eight other awards, including lead actor (Hiroyuki Sanada), leading actress (Anna Sawai) and directing, all of which it won. Although it lost in a few categories, including supporting actor and writing, it had one of the most triumphant showings in Emmy history.

«Shogun “It’s a show about translation, not about what’s lost but about what’s found,” Marks said in his acceptance speech for best drama series, before passing the trophy to Sanada, another soul of the project, as star and producer.

The American media are emphasizing how the recognition for this series that tells the story of feudal Japan has a considerable weight. In the past, in fact, the Emmys have been notoriously reluctant to reward non-English language series, until Squid Game of 2021 changed everything. With so many actors winning, however, it required the Academy to venture into uncharted territory. The list includes Hollywood legend Sanada, one of the most iconic faces of samurai cinema, who was only now up for his first major American award. There’s also newcomer Sawai, who earns what can be assumed to be the first of many nominations in a new, more inclusive and global environment of cinematic storytelling.

“I hope this series changes things,” Sanada said before the premiere of Shogun to Vanity Fair America. “Before I accepted the role, I asked the scriptwriters, director, and producers: How do you want to show our culture to the world? I told them that if I accepted the role, I needed a few things, including that if you don’t hire Japanese actors for a Japanese role, I can’t be involved in this project. I made it clear. I had some conditions.”

The other unique element of the presence of Shogun at the Emmys was its positioning. FX ordered and promoted the series as a limited series, and it was assumed that it would compete in those categories for awards. The massive success that followed, however, has led both the network and the show’s producers to reconsider, with a second season now in development. This means that Shogun had to compete with several returning series, including The Morning Show And Slow Horses, rather than with a completely new programming. Especially in this context, Shogun he felt fresh. This probably made the voters’ choice even easier.

Perhaps Sanada said it best in his closing speech: “We can create a better future together.”