Shogun caps off historic Emmys night with best drama; Hacks upsets The Bear for best comedy

Historical epic Shogun won the prestigious best drama award at the Emmy Awards on Sunday, and Hacks upset favourite The Bear to win best comedy as Hollywood celebrated the best of television.

Shogun, a sweeping story about political machinations in 17th-century Japan, won a whopping 18 awards in total for its first season, setting a new record.

Among those awards were acting nods for stars Hiroyuki Sanada and Anna Sawai. The two became the first Japanese actors to win Emmys.

Hacks, about a 70-something comedian and a millennial writer, was the surprise winner of the best comedy series award for the first time, topping The Bear, which most had expected after four big wins earlier in the evening. 

Netflix's Baby Reindeer, a chilling story about a bartender stalked by a customer, was named best limited series

The Bear grabbed three of the four Emmy Awards for comedy acting on Sunday, yielding only to Jean Smart who claimed her third trophy for her starring role as an ambitious stand-up comic on Hacks.

Jeremy Allen White and Ebon Moss-Bachrach of The Bear won their second straight Emmys for comedy actor and supporting actor. White portrays Chef Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto, a man trying to turn his family's Chicago sandwich shop into a fine dining establishment.

"This show has changed my life and instilled a faith that change is possible," White said as he held his award on stage at the Peacock Theater in downtown Los Angeles.

Moss-Bachrach, Cousin Richie on The Bear, won supporting comedy actor for his role as a restaurant manager and father.

Both had won the same awards at the last Emmys, which was held in January after Hollywood labour strikes disrupted the normal schedule.

In a surprise, Liza Colón-Zayas landed a third Emmy for The Bear. She was named best supporting comedy actress for her role as chef Tina Marrero, winning in a field that included legends Meryl Streep and Carol Burnett.

"How could I have thought it would be possible to be in the presence of Meryl Streep and Carol Burnett," Colón-Zayas said as tears welled in her eyes as she accepted the award. She is the first Latina to win in the category.

"To all the Latinas who are looking at me," she said, "keep believing and vote."

Smart received a standing ovation when she won her third Emmy as the septuagenarian comedienne Deborah Vance on Hacks.

"I appreciate this because I just don't get enough attention," Smart joked on stage.

Canadian father-son duo and stars of CBC's Schitt's Creek Eugene and Dan Levy shared hosting duties at the red-carpet ceremony.

"If things go south, my name is pronounced Martin Short," Eugene Levy deadpanned, referring to the fellow Canadian and Only Murders in the Building star who was in the audience.

Dan Levy joked that the Emmys were known as "broadcast TV's biggest night for honouring movie stars on streaming services."

Winners were chosen by the nearly 22,000 performers, directors, producers and other members of Hollywood's Television Academy.