Japanese actor Hiroyuki Sanada in 'Shogun', which has garnered 25 nominations in this year's Emmy Awards. Photos: HAndout
Historical drama Shogun, the sweeping story of a struggle for power in feudal Japan, racked up 25 nominations on July 17 to lead this year’s contenders for television’s Emmy Awards.
The first season of the FX network series will compete for best drama – the top Emmy trophy – with the final instalment of Netflix’s British royal saga The Crown and The Morning Show from Apple TV+, among others.
Another FX show, nail-biting restaurant tale The Bear, earned 23 nominations, a record for a comedy.
Its second season – which explores the quest to turn a Chicago sandwich shop into a world-class dining destination – will compete again for best comedy, a category it won at the last Emmys.
Ricky Staffieri (left) and Bob Odenkirk in a scene from 'The Bear'.
Other comedy nominees included ABC’s Abbott Elementary, set in an underfunded Philadelphia school, and HBO’s Hacks, about a septuagenarian comedienne and a millennial writer.
Baby Reindeer, the Netflix series about a bartender stalked by a customer, was nominated for best limited series, one of its 11 nods. Creator and star Richard Gadd has said the tale reflects a true story, though a defamation lawsuit argues its portrayal of the stalker is exaggerated.
Competitors for limited series include Netflix’s psychological thriller Ripley, FX’s Fargo and HBO’s True Detective: Night Country.
Netflix topped all networks with 107 nominations, including 18 for The Crown. FX followed with 93 nods, just ahead of the 91 for Warner Bros Discovery’s HBO and streaming service Max.
Winners of the Emmys, the highest honours in television, will be announced at a red-carpet ceremony broadcast live on Walt Disney’s ABC on Sept 15. The honorees will be chosen by the nearly 22,000 performers, directors, producers and other members of the Television Academy.
The last Emmys were held just six months ago, in January, when strikes by Hollywood writers and actors prompted a delay in the 2023 ceremony.
Diversity among nominees
For the upcoming awards, 36 performers vying for trophies are first-time nominees
They include five Shogun actors, including Japanese stars Hiroyuki Sanada and Anna Sawai in the lead drama actor and actress categories. The series, a remake of a 1980 miniseries, is set in the year 1600, with dialogue in English and Japanese.
“We saw increases in representation across the board this year,” said Angelique Jackson, senior entertainment writer for Variety magazine.
For the first time, women of colour dominate the comedy actress field, Jackson said.
The nominees include Quinta Brunson for Abbott Elementary, Ayo Edebiri for The Bear, Selena Gomez for Only Murders In The Building and Maya Rudolph for Loot.
Da'Vine Joy Randolph in a scene from 'Only Murders In The Building'.
Indigenous actresses Lily Gladstone, a supporting actress in Under The Bridge, and Kali Reis of True Detective also were nominated. Reservation Dogs, about four indigenous teenagers in Oklahoma, earned a best comedy nod.
Oscar winner Jodie Foster scored her first Emmy nomination as an actress for True Detective, a series set in Alaska and filmed in Iceland. Foster thanked the team that brought the series to the screen.
“We couldn’t love and trust one another more, after holding on for dear life through the snow, finding our way in the dark,” she said in a statement.
Carrie Coon, star of best drama nominee The Gilded Age, praised the crew members who brought the period drama to life.
“The industry’s really been struggling since the strike,” said Coon, a best drama actress nominee. “It was hard on everybody, I would say, especially our sort of utility players behind the scenes. The hours they work are so unbelievable.”
Other acting nominees include The Bear star Jeremy Allen White, Jean Smart for Hacks and Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon for The Morning Show.
Curb Your Enthusiasm star Larry David, who plays a curmudgeon unafraid to deliver blunt critiques of bothersome behaviour, was nominated for lead comedy actor and the series for best comedy.
“It warms my heart to see that misanthropy is finally being recognised as an art form,” David said, in a statement. – Reuters
The Emmys will be handed out in a televised ceremony on Sept 15 in Los Angeles, making it the second Emmy Awards of 2024 due to the dual writers and actors strikes of 2023.
Following is a list of nominees in key categories.
Best Drama Series
The Crown
Fallout
The Gilded Age
The Morning Show
Mr & Mrs Smith
Shogun
Slow Horses
3 Body Problem
Best Comedy Series
Abbott Elementary
The Bear
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Hacks
Only Murders In The Building
Palm Royale
Reservation Dogs
What We Do In The Shadows
Best Limited or Anthology Series
Baby Reindeer
Fargo
Lessons In Chemistry
Ripley
True Detective: Night Country
Best Comedy Actor
Matt Berry, What We Do In The Shadows
Larry David, Curb Your Enthusiasm
Steve Martin, Only Murders In The Building
Martin Short, Only Murders In The Building
Jeremy Allen White, The Bear
D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Reservation Dogs
Best Comedy Actress
Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary
Ayo Edebiri, The Bear
Selena Gomez, Only Murders In The Building
Maya Rudolph, Loot
Jean Smart, Hacks
Kristen Wiig, Palm Royale
Best Drama Actor
Idris Elba, Hijack
Donald Glover, Mr & Mrs Smith
Walton Goggins, Fallout
Gary Oldman, Slow Horses
Hiroyuki Sanada, Shogun
Dominic West, The Crown
Best Drama Actress
Jennifer Aniston, The Morning Show
Carrie Coon, The Gilded Age
Maya Erskine, Mr & Mrs Smith
Anna Sawai, Shogun
Imelda Staunton, The Crown
Reese Witherspoon, The Morning Show
Best Actor, Limited Series or Movie
Matt Bomer, Fellow Travelers
Richard Gadd, Baby Reindeer
Jon Hamm, Fargo
Tom Hollander, Feud: Capote vs. The Swans
Andrew Scott, Ripley
Best Actress, Limited Series or Movie
Jodie Foster, True Detective: Night Country
Brie Larson, Lessons in Chemistry
Juno Temple, Fargo
Sofia Vergara, Griselda
Naomi Watts, Feud: Capote vs. The Swans
