In case you missed it, the first season of the anticipated FX samurai miniseries, Shōgun was (and still is) an absolute smash hit. 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.
After winning an Emmy for best drama and various other awards, the hit series has already been renewed for a secon season.
How to Watch Shōgun Online
Shōgun is streaming exclusively on Hulu. You will need a Hulu account or Disney+ account bundled with Hulu to watch this miniseries. We recommend picking up a bundle as there is very little reason to get a solo Hulu subscription anymore. It's $9.99 for a basic plan, or $10.99 when you bundle with Disney+. This is one of the best streaming bundles currently available anywhere.
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, 2024.
Here are the episode titles and their release dates:
- Episode 1: “Anjin” (February 27, 2024)
- Episode 2: “Servants of Two Masters” (February 27, 2024)
- Episode 3: “Tomorrow is Tomorrow" (March 5, 2024)
- Episode 4: “The Eightfold Fence” (March 12, 2024)
- Episode 5: “Broken to the Fist” (March 19, 2024)
- Episode 6: “Ladies of the Willow World” (March 26, 2024)
- Episode 7: “A Stick of Time" (April 2, 2024)
- Episode 8: “The Abyss of Life” (April 9, 2024)
- Episode 9: “Crimson Sky” (April 16, 2024)
- Episode 10: “A Dream of a Dream” (April 23, 2024)
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?
While it was initially announced that the Shōgun show was over, having adapted the entire novel, we now know that Shogun will likely be returning for two more seasons. FX CEO John Landgraf has confirmed that Season 2 will enter production in early 2025. The most recent news we received about the upcoming season is that Cosmo Jarvis will be reprising his role as John Blackthorn.
Lindsey (she/her) is the Senior Audience Development Manager for IGN since 2021. Find her on Twitter at @LindseySalzer.
