On September 15, 2024, history was made. Racking up a total of 18 Emmy awards, the highly acclaimed television series, Shogun has broken the record for Emmy awards won for a single season. There was an array of other series that were highly praised as well, including Hacks winning “Outstanding Comedy Series”, The Traitors winning “Outstanding Reality Competition Program,” Last Week Tonight with John Oliver winning “Outstanding Scripted Variety Series,” The Daily Show winning “Outstanding Talk Series,” Baby Reindeer winning “Outstanding Limited Or Anthropology Series,” and of course, Shogun winning “Outstanding Drama Series.”
Winning “Outstanding Lead Actor And Actress” (Hiroyuki Sanata, and Anna Sawai), “Outstanding Directing For Drama Series” (Fredrick E.O. Toye), and many more, A story about friendship, rivalry, and new, mysterious experiences, Shogun follows a young Englishman named John Blackthorne who ends up shipwrecked in Japan. Blackthorne, thrown into an unfamiliar land with no knowledge of Japanese culture or language has to learn to survive in this strange environment. This story takes place in 1600. The main character Blackthorne is loosely based on the historical English navigator, William Adams. In 1600, Adams sailed on a Dutch fleet to Japan. There, he became a vassal under the shogun, Tokogawa Leyasu, and later became the first English samurai.
Winning “Outstanding Comedy Series,” “Outstanding Lead Actress” (Jean Smart), and “Outstanding Writing For Comedy Series” (Paul W. Downs, and Jen Statsky), the award-winning series Hacks follows the story of Deborah Vance and Ava Daniels. Deborah Vance is a stand-up comedian at risk of losing her residency at the Palmetto Casino. Ava Daniels is a self-centered comedy writer who can’t find a job due to an insensitive tweet that she posted. Ava’s agent sends her to work for Deborah as her new head writer, the two are forced to work around their clashing personalities. This comedy-rich story perfectly showcases how two people can work together despite their differences.
Winning “Outstanding Reality Competition,” The Traitors, is a competition based on the Dutch series Der Verraders. This series features a handful of contestants who arrive at a castle in the Scottish highlands hoping to win a large sum of money. This amount of money will be built up over the course of the game through missions. There will be a specific group of contestants chosen by the host to be the “traitors” while the rest are the “faithfuls.” The goal of the Traitors is to eliminate all faithfuls and claim the prize for themselves. Every night, the traitors decide on one faithful to “murder.” this person will be immediately sent home and the other faithfuls will not know this until the next morning. Players participate in challenges, and whoever wins will be granted immunity from being “murdered.”
Winning “Outstanding Scripted Variety Series,” Last Week with John Oliver is a series that covers world events, politics, and other issues. The host John Oliver brings a lighthearted and satirical approach to these topics while simultaneously informing the audience. Streaming on HBO; Max, these 30-minute episodes cover not only popular topics but also lesser-known ones. John Oliver meticulously researches each topic, being sure to not only entertain but also inform the audience.
Winning “Outstanding Talk Series,” The Daily Show features host Jon Stewart who brings an interesting and humorous take on recent events. Airing Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central, this series covers different pop culture topics, news stories, and political figures. Extended episodes are released on Paramount+ shortly after airing. This show started in 1996, and there have been many different hosts over the years. The current host recently returned in 2024 after leaving in 2015. Other hosts include Craig Kilborn (1996-1998), Jon Stewart (1999-2015), Trevor Noah (2015-2022), and once again, Jon Stewart in 2024.
Winning “Outstanding Limited Or Anthology Series,” “Outstanding Supporting Actress In Limited Or Anthology Series” (Jessica Gunning), “Outstanding Writing For Limited Or Anthology Series” (Richard Gadd), “Outstanding Lead Actor For Limited Or Anthology Series (Richard Gadd), Baby Reindeer is based on a true story about being stalked. This story follows struggling comedian Donny Dunn and his complicated relationship with a woman named Martha. While friendly at first, Martha’s demeanor changes as she begins to stalk Donny.
The tradition of honoring people’s creativity with the Emmy Awards has been ongoing since 1950. Over the years, the Emmys have demonstrated the impressive talent of people in the entertainment industry. The 2024 Emmy Awards have not only made history but paved the way for future achievements in this industry.
