Walt Disney Co. claimed the top prize at the 2024 Emmy Awards, winning best drama for ‘Shogun’, an adaptation of James Clavell’s 1975 novel and the first series in a language other than English to claim that prize.

Filmed primarily in Japanese, ‘Shogun set a record for the most wins by a single show in one year, with 18 across the prime-time Emmys and the prior week’s Creative Arts awards. It won four awards at Sunday night’s ceremony, including for acting and directing, a Bloomberg report stated.

The show debuted on the FX cable network and streamed on Hulu, making it the first program from a Disney network to win best drama since ‘Lost’ in 2005.

“You greenlit a very expensive, subtitled Japanese period piece,” co-creator Justin Marks said from the stage, addressing top Disney executives in the audience. “I have no idea why you did that, but thank you.”

Disney won nine awards on the night in all, including four for the dark comedy ‘The Bear’, outpacing Netflix Inc. and Warner Bros. Discovery Inc. Netflix took home the Emmy for best limited series for ‘Baby Reindeer’, while Warner Bros.’ HBO landed the best comedy series for ‘Hacks’.

Dominating the TV industry’s biggest night will boost Disney as it tries to grow its streaming services. While the company has the largest paid streaming video business after Netflix, it is still working to sustain a profit and increase its share of viewership.

The company accounted for more than half of the nominees for best comedy with ‘The Bear, ‘What We Do in the Shadows’, ‘Only Murders in the Building’, ‘Abbott Elementary’ and ‘Reservation Dogs’.

Companies such as Disney, Netflix and Amazon.com Inc. spend millions of dollars on campaigns to win awards, which boost their networks in the eyes of Hollywood creative talent and viewers. While less popular than the Oscars, the Emmys still draw millions of viewers each year, the Bloomberg report added.

Disney acquired FX as part of its deal for Rupert Murdoch’s Fox entertainment assets. ‘Shogun’, which follows an English sailor in his dealings with a Japanese feudal lord and one of his top deputies, was in development before Disney acquired FX. The show was first adapted for TV in 1980 when NBC made a five-part miniseries that won best limited series.

The latest take on the novel was created by the husband and wife team of Marks and Rachel Kondo. The show was initially supposed to be a limited series. But its popularity with critics and viewers convinced FX and the creators to cook up a second season. ‘Shogun’ beat out seven other shows for best drama, including ‘Slow Horses’, ‘Fallout’ and ‘The Crown’.

Amazon was the only major entertainment studio or streaming service to not win any prime-time awards, the Bloomberg report concluded.

(Image courtesy Disney official website)