Shogun is one of the best new tv series I have seen in the last several years. IYKYK

Chernobyl as well

Really liking the new Shogun, but FPNI is right, Chernobyl maybe best thing I’ve seen in 10 years. Especially right after they ruined GoT

Resident Alien is my favorite show on TV right now. It's absolutely fucking hilarious.

I LOL'd at how one of the biggest issues in Feudal Japanese HR is keeping your valued retainers from committing ritual suicide....



Clavell (the author) spent time as a POW of the Japanese (which was kinda....rough, as you might imagine), but became a Japanophile afterwards.  Problem was, he never really learned to speak and read Japanese, so he had to rely on a lot of translated (and "translated") material and contemporary examples as he wrote Shogun.

One of these was the Hagakure, which is often held as the definitive "how to live as a Samurai" manual of life.....but was written over a century after the last permissible samurai conflict (circa 1715), by a guy who (despite being of the samurai social class) was essentially a government scribe and never drew his sword in combat, and in a time when samurai were mostly court functionaries.  It basically presents a misty-eyed nostalgia-fueled view* of the samurai, and "cut his head off!" and "cut your stomach!" is the default advice for responding to any insult or social faux pas.
In reality, things like seppuku (while a real thing) were much more limited (again, your boss would have to pretty mad at you to allow it, since he's out a valuable retainer), and generally didn't involve killing your kids, either.  It was something that happened when you just fucked up beyond any hope of repair.
Contemporary folks (1700s) in Japan dismissed it as a load of crap, and it was forgotten for 200 years, before being dug up and presented to the 1930's Imperial soldiers and sailors as a definitive guide to bushido......and was arguably a factor in the Japanese military's descent into barbarism.

The show also corrected Clavell's use of "modern" Japanese names (Fuji/Fujiko, etc).  Clavell used 1950's-style name conventions....which is like writing a book about the 1500s English Court with people addressing Elizabeth I as "Liz", to her face.



*-It's like if Taylor Sheridan wrote a manual about how to be a Cowboy.....and it was full of stuff like "Shoot anyone who touches your horse!", "Challenge the cops to a shootout, if they want to arrest you!", and "Hang any Indian you see inside the town limits after Dusk!".

Edit: Double tap.

It’s a great show, and fun subject material. It’s obviously not a documentary, it is a drama epic.

Agree 100%.  I will go so far as to state, it’s the best I’ve watched in my 49 years

What really shocks me about this show is that it's basically a japanese production. It'd be a horribly cringy, butchered cultural mess if americans were in charge of it.

I like Jarvis Cosmo’s Shakespearean delivery.

Shogun is good.

FX as a channel produces a ton of wonderfully good TV, from The Shield to Mr. InBetween to The Bear to Fargo...on and on.

They are 2nd only to HBO in my view, and it's a close 2nd.

You are not wrong.

I watched the original series in the '70's. Thought it was excellent. Did not see how it could be improved, figured it would only be worse/disappointing so have not watch current version. Good to hear people not only like it but are impressed with it.

I've only seen clips since we're far behind on our watch list but I've liked what I've seen.  

Based on the stills from the series, there really is no difference between theatre movies and streaming series. The production quality is that high now.

its good. but it cut a lot of stuff out of the book that was in the first series. like how blackthorne learned japanese while in prison and the jesuits where much more involved in the book and the original series.

as to fx being good. its ok, i think netflix produces better things and hbo was the king for a while, long long ago.

eta to say.. they have, at least for now completely removed blackthornes crew which were part of the book and the original series.

Visually it is very impressive but the original mini series had better actors and told the story better imo.  And there are times i can understand the japanese actors better than blackthorne, his accent .

Now that season 1 is complete, I still stand by my OP. Great series. Hope it doesn't go GOT route but instead The Wire route.

Shit don't forget Justified.

Shogun is a beautiful production, perfect pace, great actors, mysterious, etc.

I agree with OP

Wow, I never connected the dots.  Good for FX, those are great shows.

Started watching it with my daughter; only two episodes in but it's great so far.

It's done so don't think that will be a problem.

Sadly it was only one season. They’re in discussions for a second season because it did so well.

I enjoyed most of it.  I thought the last 2 episodes were lackluster.  Almost to the "did they run out of money for filming" type thing.  Won't include any spoilers but it seemed like a lot of build up and then just nothing.

Some smoking hot women in that series as well