Winners

Shogun: At first glance, it might seem that the most-nominated show this year had largely missed out until that late dash. But in truth, that was purely an effect of the order in which the awards were presented. Shogun was in fact a stayer, collecting 18 awards from its 25 nominations. The big ones include lead actor (Hiroyuki Sanada) and actress (Anna Sawai), outstanding director (Frederick Toye for the Crimson Sky episode), production design, and the biggest of all, outstanding drama series. With season two and three already commissioned, you can expect it to be back in the hunt next year too.

The Bear: It may have dubious credentials as a comedy, but as an Emmy contender, The Bear demands to be taken seriously. The kitchen drama (OK, we’ll stretch and call it a dramedy) collected 11 wins from 23 noms. It lost best comedy to Hacks, but won in five of the main acting categories (for Jeremy Allen White and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as warring cousins, Liza Colon-Zayas as sous chef Tina, and Jamie Lee Curtis and Jon Bernthal as guest actors). That’s no laughing matter.

Baby Reindeer: The imminent defamation suit, in which Netflix faces a $US170 million damages claim from Scottish woman Fiona Harvey, didn’t do much harm to Richard Gadd’s autobiographical drama. It won him best actor and writer awards, best supporting actress in a limited or anthology series or movie went to Jessica Gunning (who plays Martha, the character Harvey claims is based on her), and outstanding limited or anthology series. If it weren’t for that pesky lawsuit, you can bet Netflix would be desperately trying to work out how to spin a sequel from this true-life tale. Six wins from 11 nominations is a sterling return, and guarantees that Gadd won’t be able to use the descriptor “struggling comedian” on his CV any longer.

Losers

Only Murders in the Building: Up for 21 awards, the Disney+ comedy murder mystery took home just three, two of them for the hilarious musical number Which of the Pickwick Triplets Did It? Still, the telecast did feature an extended and very funny bit with the three main cast members – Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez – on stage, so you couldn’t quite say the show was a loser on the night (even though, on the numbers, it kinda was).

Hacks: Up for 16 awards, season three won three, including best comedy, best writing and best actress for Jean Smart. Her acceptance speech probably deserved an award of its own though.

The Crown: After six seasons, the heat has largely gone out of The Crown, though it was still in the hunt in seven categories. And that makes Elizabeth Debicki’s win as supporting actress in a drama series (as Princess Diana) all the more remarkable.

Slow Horses: If there was any justice in the world, a category would be invented just for Gary Oldman – Most Dishevelled, perhaps, or Most Flatulent – but this is Hollywood, so fans of the British spy dramedy will just have to settle for Will Smith’s writing award, its one win from five nominations.