Historical drama "Shogun", the sweeping story of a struggle for power in feudal Japan, racked up 25 nominations on Wednesday (July 17) to lead this year's contenders for television's Emmy Awards.

The first season of the FX network series will compete for best drama, the top Emmy trophy, with the final instalment of Netflix's British royal saga "The Crown", and "The Morning Show" from Apple TV+ among others.

Another FX show, nail-biting restaurant tale "The Bear", earned 23 nominations, a record for a comedy. Its second season - which explores the quest to turn a Chicago sandwich shop into a world-class dining destination - will compete again for best comedy, a category it won at the last Emmys.

Other comedy nominees included ABC's "Abbott Elementary", set in an underfunded Philadelphia school, and HBO's "Hacks" about a septuagenarian comedienne and a millennial writer.

"Baby Reindeer", the Netflix series about a bartender stalked by a customer, was nominated for best limited series, one of its 11 nods. Creator and star Richard Gadd has said the tale reflects a true story, though a defamation lawsuit argues its portrayal of the stalker is exaggerated.

Competitors for limited series include Netflix's psychological thriller "Ripley", FX's "Fargo", and HBO's "True Detective: Night Country".

Netflix topped all networks with 107 nominations, including 18 for "The Crown". FX followed with 93 nods, just ahead of the 91 for Warner Bros Discovery's, HBO and streaming service Max.

Winners of the Emmys, the highest honours in television, will be announced at a red-carpet ceremony broadcast live on Walt Disney's ABC on September 15. 

The honourees will be chosen by the nearly 22,000 performers, directors, producers and other members of the Television Academy.

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The last Emmys was held just six months ago, in January, when strikes by Hollywood writers and actors prompted a delay in last year's ceremony.