This past 2024 Emmy season saw the constant nomination and victory of the hit television series, Shōgun, created by Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks. Winning big awards like Outstanding Drama Series, Best Lead, and Supporting Actor and Actress to name just a few wins.

Let me tell you, these awards were truly deserved. This show contains some of the greatest writing, pacing, storytelling, and acting performances in television history. It is a must-watch for both history lovers and samurai lovers and who doesn’t like samurai? 

But what is this legendary story that reigned in 18 Emmys and gave them a 99% on Rotten Tomatoes?

Shōgun (2023) Follows a catholic sailor and captain of his ship named John Blackthorne, played by Cosmo Jarvis, who shipwrecks on the shores of Japan in a time of Japanese history when it was illegal to be a Catholic. He and his crew are captured and jailed by the village they landed near as they wait for orders from their territories regent, Yoshi Toranaga.

Toranaga is in control of foreign relations in Japan and in turn, is one of the most powerful members of the Council of Regents. He has ambitions to stop the infighting brought by the other four regents and restore a one-party state becoming the Shōgun of Japan. The other regents on the council however sense his growing power and ambition for the spot of shōgun and plot to kill or stop him by any means. 

Toranaga decides to separate Blackthorne from his crew as the addition of a catholic could help him overcome the other regents as they now have a man who knows the true secrets of the protestant superpower in Japan. Blackthorne, unfamiliar with the culture of Japan, is now thrusted into the middle of a long standing civil war where he becomes a key piece to victory for both sides of the war. 

I enjoyed the historical fiction and extremely well-done acting performances in this show. I found it easy to like the characters and appreciate the life brought by the camera work, writing, and character arcs. However, some people might be turned off by it as the Japanese characters truly only speak Japanese except for a few English translators, so it’s a lot of closed caption reading or reliance on translators in scenes. However, there is an English dubbing. Don’t be afraid to watch this show in its original language and see the beauty and immersion that another dialect brings to scenes in the television show. 

You can watch Shōgun now on both Hulu and Disney Plus.