This is going to be one of FX/Hulu's biggest shows of the year. One of my most anticipated. 10 episode limited series premieres 2/27. Based on James Clavell's landmark 1975 historical fiction novel, which in turn was previously adapted in a TV miniseries in 1980. Based on true historical events, Set in early 17th century feudal Japan near the end of the Sengoku Period, a shipwrecked English sailor (based on William Adams) finds himself held as a captive of a powerful regional Daimyo (based on Tokugawa Ieyasu). He and the daimyo form a bond as they find themselves at odds with both rival samurai warlords vying for power, and of the Catholic Portuguese missionaries and merchants that have their own plans for Japan. This sets off a chain of events that starts the dawn of the Edo Period.
In the hold line on Libby for the book that this is based on. Plan on reading Clavell's whole Asian Saga, which Shogun is the first book in.
So far a lot of the big event series of Q1 2024 have been kind of disappointing ( Masters of the Air, True Detective), this one though I am pretty optimistic they'll knock it out of the park.
The Netflix samurai docudrama from a couple years ago is good to watch before this. Goes into the backstory of a few decades before this and shows the rise of Ieyasu (Toranaga in this novel/show)
I am on a waiting list on Libby for a digital copy of it, only issue is there is only one of the 4 depositories that I have access to that has it. They then only have one copy and I was not the first one to think to read it before it came out. Hoping maybe more copies pop up once the show gets released.
Stoked for this. I'd mention that it currently has 100% on RT with 17 reviews, but I'm guessing RT consensus hold less weight after all the True Detective stuff (I liked it). Don't know anything about the original series other than my parents had a DVD box set lol.
Everything I have seen has me optimistic and hyped, but I admit there is a part of me thinking "Oh god I hope this doesn't turn out like the Netflix Marco Polo show"
Apparently this will be on Disney+ in Asia Pacific, so I'll be watching it there. Looking forward to it. I thought Sawai was great in Monarch. Excited to see what she does with this.