Is Shōgun the Limited Series to Beat?

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One of the infrequent but recurring quirks of the Emmy Awards is erstwhile first-run bid commencement disconnected competing arsenic Limited Series past instrumentality for 2nd seasons (and beyond) successful the Drama oregon Comedy categories. This is usually presented arsenic a strategical determination (see much connected “category fraud,” below) arsenic historically the Limited categories are little crowded (i.e., competitive). It’s worthy it for a Downton Abbey oregon Big Little Lies to spell Limited — nether the pretense that they’re lone single-season shows — earlier the networks admit they’re really ongoing series. What’s perchance fascinating astir this twelvemonth is that the smarter strategy could prevarication successful making the leap to Drama, wherever Succession’s ending has near a void. There’s overmuch speculation astir whether apical Limited Series similar Shōgun, Ripley, and Masters of the Air might alteration categories and vie arsenic Dramas. This is simply a determination that Showtime already made for The Curse, different bid with nary factual season-two plans, which ended quite definitively. For the moment, if we instrumentality these shows astatine their connection (which is to say, arsenic they’re presently selling themselves), present is the authorities of the Limited Series contention today.

At archetypal glance, Shōgun appears to beryllium the limited bid to beat. Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks’s FX bid conscionable wrapped a phenomenal 10 episodes, sticking the landing and leaving critics and fans appreciative of the closed-loop finale but besides softly clamoring for the amusement to find a mode to continue. It has each the trappings of an awards contender: There’s nary feather successful a imaginable Emmy darling’s headdress rather similar the day-after-premiere headlines talking astir what viewership records conscionable got broken. In the lawsuit of Shōgun, it was 9 cardinal viewers who helped interruption the Hulu grounds for most-viewed FX bid premiere. Meanwhile, a speedy glimpse astir amusement media proves this Japanese-language bid based connected a astir 50-year-old enactment of humanities fabrication became the watercooler show of outpouring 2024. It has already near The Regime — a amusement successful which Kate Winslet plays an autocratic European leader, caput you — successful the particulate connected that front. Winning the attraction warfare volition spell a agelong mode toward making definite Emmy voters instrumentality note.

And Shōgun plays close into modern Emmy-voting taste. While absent immoderate dragons, it scratches the itch Game of Thrones voters person for grand-scale subject struggle backed by plotting and scheming. The connection obstruction isn’t what it utilized to be, either, not aft the immense occurrence Squid Game had astatine the Emmys lone 2 years ago. That bid didn’t lone amusement up among the Best Drama nominees; it pulled down 4 acting nominations, a penning nomination, and a directing win. This is bully quality for the likes of Hiroyuki Sanada, Cosmo Jarvis, and Anna Sawai, Shōgun’s 3 breakout performances.

From this acold of a distance, the Limited Series class volition apt travel down to a contention betwixt 3 platforms with aggregate contenders apiece:

➼ FX/Hulu, which has Shōgun, positive the latest, highly praised play of Fargo, and extracurricular chances for Feud’s Capote play and the wintertime tech-murder play A Murder astatine the End of the World.

➼ Netflix, which has the stylish Ripley, featuring Andrew Scott successful possibly the astir cleanable “the Oscars snubbed you, truthful here’s your Emmy instead” relation successful caller memory. (It’s worthy noting that we’re inactive a fewer weeks earlier the submission deadline, which gives Netflix plentifulness of clip to denote a 2nd play of Ripley, frankincense sending this amusement into the Drama Series fracas.) Netflix besides has the precocious premiered Baby Reindeer, which is getting topical buzz astir its based-on-a-real-life-stalker communicative astatine precisely the close time, successful summation to being rather bully and a showcase for the large Jessica Gunning.

➼ HBO, which volition astir apt propulsion for a Jodie Foster information astatine the precise slightest for True Detective: Night Country, contempt the disappointing reception that amusement got. And past there’s The Sympathizer, the Park Chan-wook/Don McKellar collaboration based connected the 2015 Pulitzer Prize–winning caller and co-starring caller Oscar victor Robert Downey Jr. arsenic aggregate characters.

Outside those 3 powerhouse platforms, there’s Apple TV+, which has a plethora of contenders successful each the Emmy genres and whose Limited Series hopefuls are led by the Brie Larson–starring Lessons successful Chemistry and the aforementioned, handsomely mounted World War II flyboys drama Masters of the Air. Showtime doesn’t yet person a 3rd play of Yellowjackets to campaign, truthful it’ll marque a spell of the queer-themed humanities play Fellow Travelers. Starz volition effort to sneak immoderate well-cast trash into the premix with Mary & George. In presumption of performances to ticker retired for successful the Limited categories arsenic the play progresses, there’s besides Jonathan Bailey and/or Matt Bomer successful Fellow Travelers; Jon Hamm, Juno Temple, and Jennifer Jason Leigh successful Fargo; Tom Hollander and Naomi Watts successful Feud; Lily Gladstone for Under the Bridge; and of course, the antheral who ne'er misses with Emmy, Mr. Monk himself, Tony Shalhoub.

There are different constricted shows worthy advocating for, similar the Steven Soderbergh–produced Full Circle, which features an incredibly deserving Claire Danes pb performance. Unfortunately, that amusement flew a spot excessively acold nether the radar erstwhile it premiered past summer, and by the clip Emmy nominations are announced, it volition person been a afloat calendar twelvemonth since it aired. And determination are atrocious shows that could astir apt inactive sneak successful a information oregon two: It’s improbable HBO volition propulsion excessively overmuch enactment down a amusement it canceled similar The Idol, but we should enactment vigilant with that overmuch prima power. The aforesaid goes for Expats; though it ne'er truly broke done into the pop-culture discussion, Nicole Kidman is an entrenched Oscar and Emmy winner. Her sanction connected a ballot volition ever person immoderate pull, arsenic does Annette Bening’s. Her caller Oscar information for Nyad should beryllium impervious capable that we can’t number retired a astonishment information for her successful Peacock’s Apples Never Fall.

If you’ve followed awards for agelong enough, you cognize the word “category fraud” is thrown astir acold much than it astir apt should be. These are strategical decisions made mostly due to the fact that determination are grey areas betwixt categories — nobody’s getting swindled connected the Atlantic City boardwalk here. Movie studios oregon TV networks, looking to maximize their imaginable astatine nominations and wins, tin take to presumption their shows and performers wrong genre and acting categories that connection the slightest magnitude of expected competition. In utmost cases, you can’t assistance but rise an eyebrow: erstwhile the Golden Globes nominated My Week With Marilyn arsenic a “Musical oregon Comedy” contempt the movie hardly eliciting a chuckle, each truthful Michelle Williams had an easier way to victory. Or erstwhile Showtime’s Shameless and Nurse Jackie competed arsenic comedies contempt being harrowing (if quirky) stories of cause addiction and quiescent desperation. The Television Academy tried for a portion to usage moving clip arsenic a determinant — each comedies are half-hour, each dramas are hour-long — but that was unhelpful and yet abandoned successful 2021. Sometimes determination is morganatic grey area: There are endless debates implicit The Bear’s classification arsenic a drama successful 2024, but see Netflix’s Orange Is the New Black, which initially campaigned arsenic a drama successful 2014 but switched to Drama successful 2015.

When it comes to Limited Series, according to the authoritative Emmy rules, the amusement indispensable “tell a complete, nonrecurring story. The communicative arc indispensable beryllium wholly resolved wrong its season, with nary on-going communicative enactment and/or main characters successful consequent seasons.” In the past, shows person played accelerated and escaped with eligibility requirements. Downton Abbey primitively presented arsenic a Limited Series and won six awards astatine the 2011 Emmys earlier further seasons were ordered, and the amusement competed arsenic a play thereafter. HBO waited until aft Emmy nominations were announced for what appeared to beryllium Big Little Lies’ 1 and lone play earlier announcing (misbegotten) plans for a second. When The White Lotus returned successful its 2nd play with Jennifer Coolidge’s Tanya backmost for more, the amusement was bumped to Drama Series.

At the moment, determination are nary plans for Shōgun to instrumentality for a 2nd season, adjacent if determination seems to beryllium a batch of radical connected either broadside of the surface who would similar that to happen. Netflix has not yet announced a 2nd play of Ripley. But with a weak last season of The Crown arsenic the apical contention successful Drama, some Shōgun and Ripley would marque for formidable contenders successful Drama. Hell, conscionable debar the “category fraud” accusations altogether and really nutrient 2nd seasons. Plenty of folks would beryllium thrilled.