鈥淪hogun鈥� had historic wins in an epic 18-Emmy first season, 鈥淗acks鈥� scored an upset for best comedy on what was still a four-trophy night for 鈥淭he Bear,鈥� and 鈥淏aby Reindeer鈥� had a holiday at an .
鈥淪hogun,鈥� the FX series about power struggles in feudal Japan, won best drama series, Hiroyuki Sanada won best actor in a drama, and Anna Sawai won best actress. Sanada was the first Japanese actor to win an Emmy. Sawai became the second just moments later.
鈥濃�楽hogun鈥� taught me when we work together, we can make miracles,鈥� Sanada said in his acceptance speech from the stage of the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.
Along with 14 Emmys it , it had an unmatched performance with 18 overall for one season.
鈥淗acks鈥� was the of its first best comedy series award, topping 鈥淭he Bear,鈥� which most had expected to take it after big wins earlier in the evening.
Jean Smart won her third best actress in a comedy award for the third season of Max鈥檚 鈥淗acks,鈥� in which her stand-up comic character Deborah Vance tries to make it in late-night TV. Smart has six Emmys overall.
Despite losing out on the night鈥檚 biggest comedy prize after winning it for its first season at January鈥檚 strike-delayed ceremony, FX鈥檚 鈥淭he Bear鈥� star Jeremy Allen White won best actor in a comedy for the second straight year, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach repeated as best supporting actor.
And Liza Col贸n-Zayas was the surprise best supporting actor winner over competition that included Meryl Streep, becoming the first Latina to win in the category.
鈥淭o all the Latinas who are looking at me,鈥� she said, her eyes welling with tears. 鈥渒eep believing, and vote.鈥�
Netflix鈥檚 darkly quirky 鈥淏aby Reindeer鈥� won best limited series. Creator and star Richard Gadd won for his lead acting and his writing and Jessica Gunning, who plays his tormentor, won best supporting actress.
Accepting the series award, Gadd urged the makers of television to take chances.
鈥淭he only constant across any success in television is good storytelling,鈥� he said. 鈥淕ood storytelling that speaks to our times. So take risks, push boundaries. Explore the uncomfortable. Dare to fail in order to achieve.鈥�
鈥淏aby Reindeer鈥� is based on a one man-stage show in which Gadd describes being sexually abused along with other emotional struggles.
Accepting that award, he said, 鈥渘o matter how bad it gets, it always gets better.鈥�
The Associated Press does not typically name people who say they have been sexually abused unless they come forward publicly as Gadd has.
Jodie Foster won her first Emmy to go with her two Oscars when she took best actress in a limited series for
Foster played a salty police chief investigating a mass killing in the round-the-clock dark of an Alaskan winter on the HBO show. While her castmate Kali Reis missed out on becoming the first Indigenous actor to win an Emmy in the supporting category, Foster praised her, and the show鈥檚 collaboration with Indigenous contributors.
鈥淭he Inupiaq and Inuit people of northern Alaska who told us their stories, and they allowed us to listen,鈥� Foster said. 鈥淭hat was just a blessing. It was love, love, love, and when you feel that, something amazing happens.鈥�
Greg Berlanti, a producer and writer on shows including 鈥淒awson鈥檚 Creek鈥� and 鈥淓verwood,鈥� received the Television Academy鈥檚 Governors Award for his career-long contributions to improving LGBTQ visibility on television. He talked about a childhood when there was little such visibility.
鈥淭here wasn鈥檛 a lot of gay characters on television back then, and I was a closeted gay kid,鈥� Berlanti said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 hard to describe how lonely that was at the time,鈥�
The long decline of traditional broadcast TV at the Emmys continued, with zero wins between the four broadcast networks.
In the monologue that opened the ABC telecast, , who hosted with his father and 鈥淪chitt鈥檚 Creek鈥� co-star Eugene Levy, called the Emmys 鈥渂roadcast TV鈥檚 biggest night for honoring movie stars on streaming services.鈥�
Though other than Foster, movie stars didn鈥檛 fare too well. Her fellow Oscar winners Streep and Robert Downey Jr. had been among the favorites, but came up empty.
鈥淩obert Downey Jr. I have a poster of you in my house!鈥� said Lamorne Morris, who beat Downey for best supporting actor in a limited series, said from the stage as he accepted his first Emmy.
The evening managed to meet many expectations but included several swerves like the win for 鈥淗acks.鈥�
鈥淲e were really shocked,鈥� 鈥淗acks co-creator Jen Statsky, who also won for writing, said after the show. 鈥漌e were truly, really surprised.鈥�
And 鈥淪hogun鈥� got off to a quiet start, missing on early awards and not getting its first trophy until past the halfway point.
Still, it shattered the record for Emmys for one season previously held by the 2008 limited series 鈥淛ohn Adams鈥� in 2008. And its acting wins would have been hard to imagine before the series became an acclaimed phenomenon.
Sanada is a 63-year-old longtime screen star whose name is little known outside Japan, even if his face is through Hollywood films like 鈥淭he Last Samurai鈥� and 鈥淛ohn Wick Chapter 4.鈥� Sawai, 32, who was born in New Zealand and moved to Japan as a child, is significantly less known in the U.S. She wept when she accepted best actress.
鈥淲hen you saw me cry on stage, it was probably the 12th time I cried today,鈥� Sawai said backstage. 鈥淚t was just mixed emotions, wanting everyone to win all that. I may cry again now.鈥�
鈥淭he Bear鈥� would finish second with 11 overall Emmys, including guest acting wins at the Creative Arts ceremony for Jamie Lee Curtis and Jon Bernthal.
The Levys in their opening monologue mocked the show being in the comedy category.
鈥淚n honor of 鈥楾he Bear鈥� we will be making no jokes,鈥� Eugene Levy said, to laughs.
Elizabeth Debicki took best supporting actress in a drama for playing Princess Diana at the end of her life in the sixth and final season of 鈥淭he Crown.鈥�
鈥淧laying this part, based on this unparalleled, incredible human being, has been my great privilege,鈥� Debicki said in her acceptance. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been a gift.鈥�
Several awards were presented by themed teams from TV history, including sitcom dads George Lopez, Damon Wayans and Jesse Tyler Ferguson and TV moms Meredith Baxter, Connie Britton, and Susan Kelechi Watson.
