Shogun Breaks Record with 14 Wins at Creative Arts Emmys, Jamie Lee Curtis Wins for The Bear

“Shogun” set a historic milestone at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards on Sunday night, securing a record-breaking 14 Emmys for a single season of a television series. Meanwhile, “The Bear” garnered seven awards, including best guest actress in a comedy series for Jamie Lee Curtis.

Throughout the evening at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, presenters frequently announced wins for “Shogun” during the second night of the two-night Creative Arts Emmys. These awards are typically given for categories that do not make it to the main Primetime Emmys ceremony. By clinching 14 awards, the FX series, which revolves around political intrigue in feudal Japan, surpassed the previous record of 13 set by the 2008 limited series “John Adams.” With the Primetime Emmys yet to come on September 15, “Shogun” still has the potential to augment its tally by up to five more accolades.

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Out of the 16 possible trophies it could have won, “Shogun” secured all but two on Sunday night. The awards included recognition for costumes, makeup, editing, stunts, cinematography, and best guest actor in a drama series for Néstor Carbonell. Upon receiving his award, Carbonell acknowledged the crew and marveled at their presence in the audience. “You’re all here! You’re all nominated!” Carbonell exclaimed. “I love the team sport of this.”

Jamie Lee Curtis, visibly moved, took the stage to accept her first Emmy, approximately 18 months after winning her first Oscar for “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” Backstage, Curtis expressed her incredulity at her recent successes. “I’m the luckiest girl in the world,” she said. “I just never thought I would get to do work at this level of depth and complexity and intelligence. It’s been the thrill of my creative life these last couple of years.” When asked if she saw a possibility of achieving EGOT status, Curtis humorously dismissed the idea. “I can’t sing at all,” she explained, “and I’ve never been on stage.”

However, the songwriting duo Benj Pasek and Justin Paul did join the rarefied EGOT club, becoming its 20th and 21st members by winning their first Emmy for a song they co-wrote for “Only Murders in the Building.” They had previously collected an Oscar for “La La Land” and both a Grammy and a Tony for “Dear Evan Hansen.”

Curtis won her award for her role in the season two episode of “The Bear” titled “Fishes,” in which she portrayed the mother of Jeremy Allen White’s character during a tumultuous family gathering. Jon Bernthal, who played White’s brother in that episode, also won for best guest actor in a comedy. Michaela Coel picked up the award for best guest actress in a comedy series for her appearance on “Mr. and Mrs. Smith.”

“Shogun” stirred up the Emmy landscape when it transitioned from the limited series category to the drama series category in May. Leading the nominations with 25 when they were announced in July, it continued its winning momentum on Sunday night, only losing in two music-composition categories. Siddharta Khosa, who won best music composition for a series with “Only Murders in the Building,” humorously remarked, “I didn’t write a speech, because there was no way I was beating ‘Shogun’ tonight.” Eric André, when asked a single question in the media room after winning for his self-titled talk show, quipped, “Sorry I’m not on Shogun!” with feigned exasperation.

Saturday night’s Creative Arts awards ceremony, which focused on reality and variety TV, saw Maya Rudolph and Angela Bassett among the winners. Rudolph took home her sixth career Emmy for her voice-over performance in the animated series “Big Mouth,” while Bassett won her first Emmy for narrating the National Geographic wildlife documentary series “Queens.”

Both nights of the Creative Arts Emmy Awards will be compiled into a single 2 1/2 hour broadcast, set to air on FXX on September 14, with streaming available on Hulu the following day. Dan and Eugene Levy will host the Primetime Emmy Awards, which will also be held at the Peacock Theater and will air on ABC on September 15.