Historical epic "Shogun" smashed all-time records and was named best drama at television's Emmy Awards on Sunday, as "Hacks" and "Baby Reindeer" racked up big wins at the glitzy gala in Los Angeles.

"Shogun", the tale of warring dynasties in feudal Japan, ended the night with an astounding 18 statuettes, becoming the first ever non-English-language winner of the highly coveted award for best drama series.

The previous record for any season of a television show was 13.

"It was an East-meets-West dream project, with respect," said veteran leading man Hiroyuki Sanada, who became the first Japanese actor to win an Emmy.

Anna Sawai followed him onto the Emmys stage minutes later with a best actress win, before the cast and producers of "Shogun" returned for the overall best drama award.

The series from Disney-owned FX, based on James Clavell's historical fiction, had led the nominations with 25 overall.

Shot in Canada, it features a primarily Japanese cast and subtitles.

Showrunner Justin Marks thanked producers for commissioning "a very expensive, subtitled, Japanese period piece, whose central climax revolves around a poetry competition."

"Shogun is a show about translation – not what is lost, but what is found, when you do safety meetings in two languages, and you learn not to walk on tatami mats with your utility boots," he said.

It also won the Emmy for best directing of a drama series, in addition to the 14 won in minor categories at a separate gala last weekend.

In the night's biggest surprise, the final award for best comedy series went to "Hacks".

The show – starring Jean Smart as a diva comedienne who repeatedly locks horns with her dysfunctional millennial assistant – fended off previous winner and hot favourite "The Bear".

"The Bear" still managed a whopping 11 awards, including Jeremy Allen White and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as best lead and supporting actor in the comedy category.

Sunday's other big winner was Netflix's word-of-mouth smash "Baby Reindeer," based on a relatively unknown Scottish comedian's harrowing one-man show about sexual abuse.

It won best limited series – a prestigious category for shows that end in a single season. (AFP)