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Summary In feudal Japan, Lord Yoshii Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada), British captain John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) and translator Toda Mariko (Anna Sawai) are brought together as a civil war looms in this limited series adaptation from Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks of James Clavell's novel of the same name (that was also made into a 1980 miniserie...
Shogun (2024)
Season 1 Premiere: Feb 27, 2024
8.6
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Summary In feudal Japan, Lord Yoshii Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada), British captain John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) and translator Toda Mariko (Anna Sawai) are brought together as a civil war looms in this limited series adaptation from Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks of James Clavell's novel of the same name (that was also made into a 1980 miniserie...
Where to Watch
Coming Soon
Not available in your country?
ExpressVPN
Get 3 Extra months free
$6.67/mth
Top Cast
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 41 Critic Reviews
85
95% Positive
39 Reviews
39 Reviews
5% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 41 Critic Reviews
85
95% Positive
39 Reviews
39 Reviews
5% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Majestic. .... I never wanted to leave this world. Please, FX, never stop aiming this high. [11 - 31 Mar 2024, p.4]
Shōgun is television at its best, using its budget to create a gorgeous, immersive world but never letting spectacle detract from its emphasis on complex character arcs. The performances are compelling, aided by writing that flows from crude humor to poetic drama in a way that brings depth to protagonists and even minor characters. The series seamlessly blends intrigue, humor, romance and action in a beautifully executed limited series that keeps delivering surprises until its perfect ending.
User Score
Universal Acclaim
Based on 560 User Ratings
8.6
93% Positive
519 Ratings
519 Ratings
4% Mixed
21 Ratings
21 Ratings
4% Negative
20 Ratings
20 Ratings
User Score
Universal Acclaim
Based on 560 User Ratings
8.6
93% Positive
519 Ratings
519 Ratings
4% Mixed
21 Ratings
21 Ratings
4% Negative
20 Ratings
20 Ratings
Best show of 2024. You get a proper homage to Japanese history with a twist of an ending.
Report
The long-gestating production — first announced in 2018 — was worth the wait. Gorgeous and immersive from the very first frame, the new Shōgun is a stunning epic that never lets big-budget set pieces overshadow the human drama at its core.
The love story is perhaps the least convincing aspect of this iteration of “Shōgun,” but the rest of it feels impressive in its scope, attention to detail and storytelling that sucks viewers in by the end of episode two and holds their attention from then on.
If you come here expecting the Battle of Sekigahara, you’ll be disappointed. But subtlety and cleverness can be exciting too.
Shōgun makes for gripping television. Look past the knotty bureaucracy and you’ll find striking performances and stunning visuals.
By Jake Cunningham
FULL REVIEW
His [Blackthorne's] journey toward “enlightenment” and his unconvincing affair with Mariko are thinly sketched—and, because “Shōgun” is at pains to foreground the regents’ war, he has more to offer the narrative as a source of discord and of new martial technology than as a romantic hero. In theory, elevating Mariko and Toranaga to primary characters is the “correct” update, helping to avoid another “whitewashed” tale about Japan. But both are so bound by repression and secrecy that they’re almost doomed to be dramatically inert.
Episode 1 & 2 were decent. But the show falls off a cliff in episode 3. Doesn’t even feel like the same show. Hopefully it can get back on track but yikes. Episode 3 was shockingly bad.
Report
I don’t trust metacritic anymore. How on earth this show’s score is so high. You were supposed to be the clever ones. How is it possible for such an unstructured product with an incomplete narrative to have such a score when at best it is a shallow copy of the West from Japan?
Report
Production Company:
- DNA Films
- FX Productions
- Gate 34 Productions
- Michael De Luca Productions
Initial Release Date: Feb 27, 2024
Number of seasons: 3 Seasons
Rating: TV-MA
Awards
Golden Globes, USA
• 4 Wins & 4 Nominations
Primetime Emmy Awards
• 18 Wins & 25 Nominations
Online Film & Television Association
• 17 Wins & 22 Nominations