TV Review: Shogun

As this website proves, I watch many movies/TV shows; too many by some standards. I will review damn near any movie, but to get me to review a TV show is more challenging. While fun, entertaining, or even great, many of the shows I watch are not worth spending my precious free time writing about. So when I tell you that FX/Hulu's "Shōgun" is one of the best things I have ever seen, it means something.

Based on James Clavell's book of the same name, "Shōgun" follows pirate John Blackthorn (Cosmo Jarvis) as he finds himself captured and a pawn in a power struggle among the lords of a region in Japan.

This is easily the best show I have watched in the last five to ten years. First and foremost, it is a compelling story that is well told. The first episode gives a clear picture of the world, and it never gets so messy that it is hard to follow. Jarvis is an audience surrogate, so as he learns about the culture, the audience does, helping ease us into the complex world shown on screen.

It is also a beautiful show. The sets are incredible and feel lived in. You can tell this was shot on location and not on some soundstage (even if it is, it doesn't look like it). This makes the show feel epic and is something that many shows try to emulate (I'm looking at you, most Disney+ shows) but fail more often than not.

I have heard many comparisons to "Game of Thrones," and rightfully so. It is a large, sweeping, epic story with fantastic world-building and a large cast. This is a special show, and I am excited to watch it every week. I can only hope that since it is based on a single book (over one thousand pages long), it will not suffer the same fate as "Game of Thrones," where it limps toward a conclusion. About half the season has aired, and it remains as compelling as it was when it began.