‘Shōgun,’ ‘Expats,’ ‘The Sympathizer,’ Greta Lee, and Bowen Yang Top Inaugural Gold List Honors for TV

Erik Anderson June 13, 2024

Gold House debuted its inaugural Gold List to honor outstanding achievements in television by Asian creatives in the past year, as the voting period for the 76th Emmy Awards opens. The Gold List winners were voted on by Asian Pacific leaders in entertainment. Notable honorees include Shōgun (including wins for Hiroyuki Sanada and Anna Sawai), Expats, The Sympathizer, Greta Lee, and Bowen Yang.

In the 75-year history of the Primetime Emmy Awards, only 1.1% of awards have been awarded to Asian creatives or Asian-led projects. Over the past year, however, television projects led by Asian creatives in front of and behind the cameras have skyrocketed in popularity with audiences and critics alike. Asian-led shows broke records for the most-watched Netflix show globally in the second half of 2023 (One Piece) and the most-watched FX premiere ever on Hulu (Shōgun), while Beef swept at the 75th Emmy Awards with historic wins for creator Lee Sung Jin and stars Ali Wong and Steven Yeun.

After years of success advocating for due recognition for Asian Pacific creativity in film via the Gold List—which spotlighted films including Everything Everywhere All At Once, The Boy and the Heron, RRR, Minari, Parasite and many more that went on to historic wins and nominations at the Academy Awards—Gold House is thrilled to expand this movement to bring attention to Asian Pacific excellence in television. In its first edition, the Gold List for television spans 7 categories, focused on select categories to honor outstanding shows, creators, and performances.

Shōgun dominated across categories, winning for Outstanding Series, Outstanding Lead Performance (Anna Sawai and Hiroyuki Sanada), Outstanding Directing (Hiromi Kamata, Takeshi Fukunaga), and Outstanding Writing (Rachel Kondo, Emily Yoshida, Maegan Houang, Justin Marks) and receiving honorable mentions of supporting performances from Fumi Nikaido, Moeka Hoshi, and Tadanobu Asano.

“I am deeply honored to be selected in the inaugural TV Gold List for my role in Shōgun,” said Sanada, star and producer of Shōgun. He continued, “This recognition is particularly special as it marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter in celebrating excellence in television. Working on Shōgun has been a profound and enriching experience, and I am incredibly proud of the dedication and passion that everyone involved has brought to this project. It is a privilege to share our culture with the world and I am grateful for the opportunity to bring such a significant story to life.”

Other winners include fan favorites Greta Lee and Bowen Yang for Outstanding Supporting Performance in The Morning Show and SNL, respectively. Blue Eye Samurai won for Outstanding Animated Program, and Quiz Lady received top honors for Outstanding Made for Television Movie.

The Sympathizer and Expats both received the second-highest number of accolades, including for The Sympathizer, Honorable Mentions for Outstanding Television Show, Outstanding Directing (Park Chan-wook), Outstanding Lead Performance (Hoa Xuande), Outstanding Supporting Performance (Sandra Oh); and for Expats, Honorable Mentions for Outstanding Television Show, Outstanding Directing (Lulu Wang), Outstanding Writing (Lulu Wang, Vera Miao, Gursimran Sandhu, Janice Y.K. Lee), and Outstanding Supporting Performance (Sarayu Blue).

In addition to Xuande, a number of rising Asian stars received Honorable Mentions in the acting categories, including Ambika Mod (One Day) and Ji-young Yoo (Expats), demonstrating the incredible opportunity for future canon-defining performances. As well, luminaries from the Asian community received recognition for their leading roles—Maya Erksine in Mr. and Mrs. Smith and Utkarsh Ambudkar in Ghosts—and supporting performances—Academy Award winner Ke Huy Quan in Loki and Sarayu Blue in Expats.

Other television shows and movies that were honored on the Gold List include 3 Body Problem, Invincible, Love in Taipei, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Under the Bridge, and World’s Best.

“Asian stories and talent have undeniably taken center stage this year, showcasing a remarkable breadth of narratives and performances that resonate across broad audiences. With an array of outstanding shows gracing our screens, the expansion of the Gold List to television categories is a testament to the rich diversity and excellence within the industry. We’re excited to honor both established icons and rising stars, and hope that all receive deserved recognition from the wider industry for their work,” said Tiffany Chao, Head of Entertainment and Media at Gold House.

Spotlighting Asian talent during the awards race serves as an extension of the critical cultural consultation and research, next-generation talent fellowships, and groundbreaking #GoldOpen movement from Gold House to ensure due recognition for affirming an authentic portrayal of Asian Pacific stories, in addition to record-breaking successes.

The full list of Gold List selections are below:

Outstanding Series

Winner: Shōgun

Honorable Mentions: 3 Body Problem, Expats, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, The Sympathizer, Under the Bridge

Outstanding Directing

Winner: Shōgun (Hiromi Kamata, Takeshi Fukunaga)

Honorable Mentions: Expats (Lulu Wang), The Sympathizer (Park Chan-wook)

Outstanding Writing

Winner: Shōgun (Rachel Kondo, Emily Yoshida, Maegan Houang, Justin Marks)

Honorable Mentions: 3 Body Problem (Alexander Woo, Madhuri Shekar, David Benioff, DB Weiss), Expats (Lulu Wang, Vera Miao, Gursimran Sandhu, Janice Y.K. Lee)

Outstanding Lead Performance

Winners: Anna Sawai (Shōgun); Hiroyuki Sanada (Shōgun)

Honorable Mentions: Ambika Mod (One Day); Hoa Xuande (The Sympathizer); Ji-Young Yoo (Expats); Maya Erskine (Mr. And Mrs. Smith); Utkarsh Ambudkar (Ghosts)

Outstanding Supporting Performance

Winners: Bowen Yang (SNL); Greta Lee (The Morning Show)

Honorable Mentions: Fumi Nikaido (Shōgun); Ke Huy Quan (Loki); Moeka Hoshi (Shōgun); Sandra Oh (The Sympathizer); Sarayu Blue (Expats); Tadanobu Asano (Shōgun)

Outstanding Animated Program

Winner: Blue Eye Samurai

Honorable Mentions: Invincible

Outstanding Made for Television Movie

Winner: Quiz Lady

Honorable Mentions: Love in Taipei; World’s Best

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Erik Anderson

Erik Anderson is the founder/owner and Editor-in-Chief of AwardsWatch and has always loved all things Oscar, having watched the Academy Awards since he was in single digits; making lists, rankings and predictions throughout the show. This led him down the path to obsessing about awards. Much later, he found himself in film school and the film forums of GoldDerby, and then migrated over to the former Oscarwatch (now AwardsDaily), before breaking off to create AwardsWatch in 2013.

He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Hollywood Critics Association (HCA) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.