Shogun Shines at the Emmys: A Historic Performance Awaits

Shogun's Remarkable Journey to the Emmys

After Shogun spent many years in development, FX put out all the stops when it came time to finally launch the show cocreated by Justin Marks and Rachel Kondo. An expansive promotional campaign was backed up by some of the best reviews received by any new series this cycle, leading to record streaming ratings for its network. Going into Sunday’s Emmys, the show is up for another eight awards, including for Outstanding Drama Series, lead actor (Hiroyuki Sanada), lead actress (Anna Sawai), supporting actor (Tadanobu Asano), and both writing and directing.

It’s conceivable that the show could pull off wins in all of those categories, resulting in one of the most dominant showings at the Emmys on record.

A Cultural Milestone

In terms of awards, the recognition carries substantial weight. The Primetime Emmys have been notoriously resistant to honoring non-English-language performances, with 2021’s Squid Game marking a long-overdue breakthrough. To see this many actors winning, though, would require the Television Academy to push far further into uncharted territory. The list includes Hollywood legend Sanada, one of the most iconic faces of samurai cinema, who is only now up for his first major US acting award. It also has breakout Sawai, getting what one might assume is the first of many nominations in a new, more inclusive and global environment of screen storytelling.

“Hopefully this show will change things,” Sanada told me before Shogun’s premiere. “Before taking the role, I asked the writers and director and producers: How do you want to show our culture to the world? I told them if I [were to] take the role, I needed things—including, if you don’t hire Japanese actors for a Japanese role, I cannot be involved in this project. I clearly said that. I had conditions.”

Unique Positioning in the Awards Race

The other unique element of Shogun’s place at the Emmys is its positioning. FX ordered and promoted the show as a limited series, and the assumption was that it would compete in those categories for awards. However, the massive success that followed led both the network and the show’s producers to reconsider—with a season two now in development. This means Shogun is competing against several returning series, including The Morning Show and Slow Horses, rather than entirely new programming. In that context, especially, Shogun feels fresh. That should make voters’ choice even easier.