After claiming a record 14 awards for a single season at the recent Creative Arts Emmy Awards ceremony, Shogun proved why it’s among the favorites to win best drama at the main Primetime Emmys ceremony this Sunday. Breaking the previous record of 13 set by the 2008 limited series John Adams, Shogun won in all but two of the categories it was nominated for.
If Shogun wins out over contenders like The Crown and The Morning Show, it will mark a handful of firsts for primetime Emmy wins. It would be:
- The first win for a show based outside of the U.S. or the U.K.
- The first win for a drama series that is not in English.
- The first win since 1972 for a show set before the 20th century.
In addition to these three firsts, a Shogun win would be the third outstanding drama series win this century for a show adapted from a book (Game of Thrones and The Handmaid’s Tale were the other two).
Despite the show’s uniqueness from previous outstanding drama series winners, Shogun has many similarities with previous winners. An analysis of the program’s underlying characteristics using Gracenote Video Descriptors highlights how many of its program traits line up with many that have come before it, including some that have taken place in the modern era, some that have involved strikingly different plot lines and some that are now revered as landmark TV shows.
Across the many characteristics of Shogun, it has the most in common with Game of Thrones, for which it shares several character, scenario, setting, theme and mood characteristics with. But some of its underlying characteristics are also in line with those from a handful of modern, less fantasy-focused 21st century Emmy winners, including The Sopranos, Homeland, Succession, Breaking Bad, Mad Men and The West Wing.
In addition to having an array of content characteristics in common with previous drama winners, Shogun shares its category-leading Emmy nominations (25) with The Bear, another FX production that has been nominated for a record-breaking 23 nominations for a comedy series. This year’s surge from FX makes it the second-most nominated network with 93 nominations, trailing only Netflix with 107.
If Shogun and The Bear win the two main awards, it would be the fourth time a single production company did so in this century:
- The West Wing and Will & Grace (NBC) won in 2000
- The West Wing and Friends (NBC) won in 2002 Game of Thrones and Veep (HBO) won in both 2015 and 2016
From a content perspective, the current and previous Emmy nominations and winners highlight the power of smart storytelling as well as the longstanding appeal of scenarios involving power struggles, moral dilemmas, deception, conflict and intricate personal relationships.
To learn more about how Gracenote’s Video Descriptors can help create captivating, personalized user experiences, please visit our Advanced Discovery page.
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