In case you missed it, the first season of the anticipated FX samurai miniseries, Shōgun has been released. If you're wondering how to watch it and if it's worth watching (spoiler: it definitely is based on our 10/10 Shogun review)— see all the info you need to know about the new historical drama series below.
How to Watch Shōgun
You will need a Hulu account or Disney+ account bundled with Hulu to watch this miniseries. Hulu and Disney+ bundle starts at $9.99/month, with a current Hulu deal on the duo bundle option (with ads).
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Shōgun Episode Release Dates
Shōgun's miniseries includes 10 total episodes. New episodes debuted on Hulu and FX each Tuesday from February 27 to April 23.
Here are the episode titles and their release dates:
- Episode 1: “Anjin” (February 27)
- Episode 2: “Servants of Two Masters” (February 27)
- Episode 3: “Tomorrow is Tomorrow" (March 5)
- Episode 4: “The Eightfold Fence” (March 12)
- Episode 5: “Broken to the Fist” (March 19)
- Episode 6: “Ladies of the Willow World” (March 26)
- Episode 7: “A Stick of Time" (April 2)
- Episode 8: “The Abyss of Life” (April 9)
- Episode 9: “Crimson Sky” (April 16)
- Episode 10: “A Dream of a Dream” (April 23)
Shōgun Streaming Status
For non-cable viewers, the FX Shōgun series is streaming on Hulu now. You can also watch the series on Disney+ if you have the Disney+ and Hulu bundle.
What's Shōgun About?
Faithful to James Clavell's best-selling historical novel from 1975, Shōgun is based off real political events in Japan from the year 1600. Shōgun details the events leading up to the creation of the Tokugawa Shōgunate – an isolationist government that lasted more than 250 years. A fragile peace built on ritual and bureaucracy threatens to crack and plunge the country into a new era of bloody wars of conquest.
Shōgun Cast
As mentioned in our review, the samurai miniseries places characters over combat; one of the reasons it is a masterpiece:
...with an extremely talented cast performing in Japanese and English to tell a fascinating story about faith, sacrifice, and ambition. Creators Justin Marks and Rachel Kondo have crafted a version of feudal Japan filled with visual splendor, brutality, and intrigue, avoiding the temptation of big-budget spectacle in favor of keeping the focus firmly on the writing and characters.
Read our interview with the Shōgun showrunners for more on how Christianity Affected Feudal Japan.
- Hiroyuki Sanada as Lord Yoshii Toranaga
- Cosmo Jarvis as Pilot-Major John Blackthorne
- Anna Sawai as Toda Mariko
- Tadanobu Asano as Kashigi Yabushige
- Takehiro Hira as Ishido Kazunari
- Tommy Bastow as Father Martin Alvito
- Fumi Nikaido as Ochiba No Kata
Will There Be A Shōgun Season 2?
Unfortunately, there is no more story left to tell from Shōgun, other than one that would potentially continue the real historical events that continued after the book. Therefore, the creative team behind the show has made a decision to not produce a season 2.
For more information about this, check out our article.
Lindsey (she/her) is the Senior Audience Development Manager for IGN since 2021. Find her on Twitter at @LindseySalzer.
