Shogun 2024 Review: The Best TV Show of the Year

Every few years a TV show arrives that reshapes the conversation about what television can do. FX's Shogun, which premiered on Hulu in February 2024, is that show. A 10-episode adaptation of James Clavell's 1975 doorstopper novel about feudal Japan and the English navigator who blunders into its civil wars, Shogun could have been a stiff prestige period piece. It is, instead, the most breathtaking television experience of the year — a show that respects its source material while completely reinventing it for a generation that doesn't want a white savior story.

The Verdict

Shogun is a near-perfect 10 hours of television. Score: 9.8/10. Co-creators Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks made the inspired decision to keep approximately 70% of dialogue in subtitled Japanese, centering the Japanese characters as the story's protagonists rather than supporting players to John Blackthorne's foreign-eyes journey. The result is a sweeping political epic that rewards patient, attentive viewing — and earns every one of its 18 Emmy wins.

Plot & Premise

Japan, 1600. The realm is fractured between five regents vying for control following the Taiko's death. Lord Yoshii Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada, in the role of his career) is the most cunning. When an English ship runs aground carrying its hardened pilot John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis), Toranaga sees a wild card — and a way to break Catholic Portugal's stranglehold on Japanese trade. Caught between them is Lady Mariko (Anna Sawai), a noblewoman whose Catholic conversion and tragic past make her the linchpin of an unfolding war. What follows is 10 hours of political maneuvering, betrayal, courtly violence, and the most beautifully staged battle sequences ever produced for streaming.

What Works

The performances. Hiroyuki Sanada doesn't act so much as simply exist on screen — every glance, pause, and tea ceremony is laden with meaning. Anna Sawai's Mariko is the season's emotional core; her arc through the final two episodes is some of the most powerful acting on TV all decade. Cosmo Jarvis turns Blackthorne — easily the trickiest role — into a vivid, vulnerable, often comically unaware outsider.

The production. Shot on practical sets in British Columbia and Japan, Shogun's production design, costuming, and cinematography are reference-quality work. Episode 9, a near-bottle episode in the besieged Osaka castle, is a masterpiece of sustained tension. The score by Atticus Ross, Leopold Ross, and Nick Chuba ranks among the best of the streaming era.

The writing. Marks and Kondo refuse the genre's usual exposition dumps. Viewers learn the political stakes through behavior, not lectures. Honor, duty, and language barriers become organic plot engines.

What Doesn't

Episode 1 is dense. The show drops viewers into a world of clan names, court hierarchies, and unfamiliar etiquette without holding hands. Some viewers bounce off. Persist past the 90-minute opener and the rewards multiply. Also — fairly — Blackthorne's third-act marginalization works thematically but means Cosmo Jarvis disappears for stretches when his POV would help.

Who Should Watch

Anyone who loved Game of Thrones for its political maneuvering rather than its dragons. Fans of Mad Men's emotional restraint. History buffs willing to read subtitles. Skip if you want fast-paced action and English-language convenience.

Where to Watch

Shogun streams exclusively on Hulu in the US (where it's an FX on Hulu original) and Disney+ internationally. It's also available to buy on Amazon Prime Video episode-by-episode or as a complete season in HD and 4K — recommended for anyone who plans to revisit it (and you will). A 10-episode Season 2 has been officially confirmed by FX.

Final Score

9.8/10 — Shogun is a once-in-a-decade prestige TV achievement. Patient, beautiful, devastating, and completely unwilling to compromise its vision for Western convenience. The best TV show of 2024 and one of the best of the modern era.