The samurai-era period piece Shōgun swept this week’s 76th Emmy Award nominations, according to Vanity Fair. And it seems AAPI actors and actresses did, too.
In the announcement’s livestream, past Emmy winners Sheryl Lee Ralph and Tony Hale presented the nominees on Wednesday. Television Academy Chair Cris Abrego said the awards represented shows that ran between June 2023 and May 2024.
Here are the nominations presented to AAPI professionals in television this year:
D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, an Indigenous Canadian actor of Chinese-Guyanese descent, secured his first Emmy nomination as an Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for his role as Bear Smallhill in Reservation Dogs.
Bowen Yang, who is Chinese American, was nominated as an Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy series for his various roles on Saturday Night Live. He was nominated in 2021 and 2022 for the same award, as well as in 2019 for his writing on the show.
Maya Erskine, who is Japanese American, was nominated as an Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Jane Smith in Mr. & Mrs. Smith. She was previously nominated for her writing on Pen15 in 2019 and 2021, as well as her producing on the same show in 2021.
Many Japanese actors and actresses also made their Emmy debuts through Shōgun this year, likely due in part to the show’s dialogue being largely carried out in Japanese.
Hiroyuki Sanada was nominated as an Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his role as Yoshii Toranaga in Shōgun.
Anna Sawai was nominated as an Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Toda Mariko in Shōgun.
Tadanobu Asano and Takehiro Hira were each nominated as an Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for their roles in Shōgun as Kashigi Yabushige and Ishido Kazunari, respectively.
Asian Americans saw wins in non-acting roles this year as well.
Rachel Kondo, who is Japanese American, was nominated for her first Emmy — a double nomination in Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series for two episodes of Shōgun.
Kristen Kish, who is Korean American, also earned her first Emmy nomination as an Outstanding Reality Host for her role on Top Chef. She won the show’s 10th season as a contestant before being brought on as a judge after Padma Lakshmi left, according to Bravo.
Hiro Murai, a decorated Japanese American filmmaker, received his seventh Emmy nomination — this year in Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series for his directing work on Mr. & Mrs. Smith. He won the award for Outstanding Comedy Series for his producing credits on The Bear last year.
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suggested slug: AAPI talents earned many accolades for this year’s Primetime Emmy Awards
suggested pic: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Emmy_Awards_1997.jpg
