‘Shōgun’ wins big at 2024 Emmys, ‘Hacks’ upsets ‘The Bear’

Before the red carpet unfurled for the 2024 Emmys, there was little suspense about which shows would come out on top on television’s biggest night.

Though “Shōgun” won for best drama series as expected, the end of the night delivered a little surprise with Max’s “Hacks” besting “The Bear” for best comedy series in the show’s final moments.

Disney’s FX on Hulu walked into Sunday’s awards ceremony — which aired on Disney-owned ABC — with its series “Shōgun” and “The Bear” boasting record-breaking nominations in the drama and comedy categories, respectively.

The former, a reimagining of James Clavell’s epic set in feudal Japan, held 25 nominations, the most any drama has ever received, and already won 14 at last weekend’s Creative Arts ceremony.

“We haven’t given out a single award tonight and yet Shogun has already made Emmys history,” said co-host Dan Levy during the opening monologue.

“Shōgun” took home several more Sunday including best drama series, and nods for its lead actor, Hiroyuki Sanada, and lead actress Anna Sawai. Her victory was a historic one, as she is the first actress of Asian descent to win in the lead actress in a drama series category.

Joking that she “was crying before my name was announced,” Sawai thanked her mother for embodying the “stoicism” that she used to portray her character of Toda Mariko.

“The Bear,” which began the evening with seven wins, including a first-time Emmy for guest star Jamie Lee Curtis, continued its winning streak, even if it did not achieve a complete shutout.

“Hacks” star Jean Smart won her sixth Emmy — and second for the Max series — when she took home lead actress (comedy), The upset resulted in the first loss for “The Bear” whose star Ayo Edebiri was also nominated in a cohort that also included Quinta Brunson, Selena Gomez, Maya Rudolph and Kristen Wiig.

“I really appreciate this, ’cause I just don’t get enough attention,” said Smart, and then, as the audience laughed, “I’m serious.”

Earlier in the evening, co-host Eugene Levy acknowledged the notably somber nature of “The Bear” despite being categorized as a comedy, quipping, “Some of you might be expecting us to joke about whether ‘The Bear’ is really a comedy. But in the spirit of ‘The Bear,’ we will not be making any jokes.”

The “Schitt’s Creek” co-creators, while always very funny, didn’t shock viewers. The father-son duo, hailing from Canada, were possibly selected to limit the political undertones that often tinge awards ceremonies during a presidential election year.

But that doesn’t mean some recipients didn’t take the opportunity to speak their mind. (This year’s Emmys took place just hours after the second assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump in as many months.)

Billy Crudup, after winning for his supporting role in “The Morning Show,” appeared to reference Trump’s many anti-immigrant remarks, shouting out wife Naomi Watts “who also happens to be an immigrant.” And Liza Colón-Zayas of “The Bear” dedicated her award to her fellow Latinos, who she told to “vote for your rights.”

“Baby Reindeer” also won big in the limited series categories. Jessica Gunning won her first Emmy for her supporting role in the Netflix sensation, based on creator and star Richard Gadd’s real-life incident with a bar patron-turned-alleged stalker. Gunning was played off as she thanked fellow nominee Gadd “for trusting me to be your Martha.”

Gadd also won his first career Emmys — three of them — for writing, lead actor and outstanding limited or anthology series. He concluded by noting that intellectual property (IP) was not necessary “to have a hit … the only constant across any success in television is good storytelling, good storytelling that speaks to our times. … Dare to fail in order to achieve.”

Perhaps the most exciting part of the evening was not any of the winners, but the presenters — bringing together TV dads, moms, doctors, coaches, cops and lawyers throughout small screen history.

Ron Howard and Henry Winkler also reunited to celebrate the 50th anniversary of ABC classic, “Happy Days,” to present the award for directing (comedy series) — which went to “The Bear” creator Christopher Storer.

Emmy winner John Leguizamo honored the start of Hispanic Heritage Month by introducing Cris Abrego, the first-ever Latino chair of the Television Academy, and praised the diversity in the room.

Dubbing himself one of the night’s “DEI hires,” Leguizamo reclaimed the label not to mean diversity, equity and inclusion but “diligence, excellence and imagination,” qualities he said were possessed by everyone in the room.

Ahead of Emmys nominations in June, Leguizamo took out a New York Times ad in which he called on the Academy to make this “the year we truly find Equity, and see artists of color represented across not just one category but ALL categories.”

Ultimately, on Sunday, Leguizamo called on Hollywood to keep making room for “more stories” from underrepresented groups, including those who are Black, Latinx, Jewish and Arab.

Jelly Roll performed for the In Memoriam segment, which included the likes of Dr. Ruth Westheimer, Dabney Coleman, Gena Rowlands, James Earl Jones and Bob Newhart — the latter of whom was afterwards also honored by Jimmy Kimmel.

Jodie Foster received a standing ovation as she took the stage to accept her first-ever Emmy for lead actress (limited or anthology series or movie) for “True Detective: Night Country,” which the two-time Oscar winner called “an incredibly emotional moment.”

“The West Wing” also took the stage Sunday, when the political hit’s stars reunited to present the award for drama series, which went to “Shōgun,” winning its fourth award of the night.

“Schitt’s Creek” stars Annie Murphy and Catherine O’Hara reunited with the Levys to introduce the final award of the night, presenting “Hacks” with the award for comedy series — in its most shocking but rewarding upset of “The Bear.”

Downs, who was also nominated for supporting actor (comedy), called on Hollywood to create more roles for older actors, noting he “would like to see more of them … I’m a great young supporting actor, but I really want to be a good old lead.”