HBO’s GAME OF THRONES has been off the air for so long that it feels like—despite a few years of deep-searching—TV power-players have actually slowed down on the hunt for the next version of Game of Thrones. What a coincidence, then, that FX’s long-gestating adaptation of author James Clavell’s Shōgun may have turned out to be the unintentional winner of that show, bringing audiences a story of not fire-breathing dragons and magic, but political power plays, incredible production design, and top-notch samurai action.
The show has a wide cast of characters, each with their own motivations and ambitions, but it primarily focuses on two key men: a powerful lord named Yoshii Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada) who is one of the five daimyo regents ruling Japan (with the other four all conspiring against him), and an English sailor named John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) who washes ashore in that very Japan, at first only fighting for his survival.
Shōgun is a marvel to look at, clearly the product of a significant budget from FX (and parent company Disney); the fact that it’s also well-acted, well-written, and overall compelling isn’t necessarily a bonus, but it’s certainly what separates a good, watchable show from a truly great one. The early returns have been extremely strong: Shōgun currently sits with a 100% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, and the response has been universally strong.
If you’re ready to get sucked into what may just be TV’s next major phenomenon, you won’t want to miss an episode of Shōgun.
When is the next episode of Shōgun coming out?
The next episode of Shōgun will stream on Hulu on Tuesday, March 5, and air on FX that same night at 10 PM EST.
How many episodes of Shōgun are left?
Shōgun will be 10 episodes in total. That means there are 8 episodes—and eight weeks—of dynasty-shaping television epic remaining.
Here’s the complete release schedule for Shōgun:
Episodes release on Tuesdays, and air on Hulu that night at 10 PM EST.
Episode 1. “Anjin”: Now streaming as of February 27
Episode 2. “Servants of Two Masters”: Now streaming as of February 27
Episode 3. “Tomorrow is Tomorrow”: Streaming on March 5
Episode 4. “The Eightfold Fence”: Streaming on March 12
Episode 5. “Broken to the Fist”: Streaming on March 19
Episode 6. “”Ladies of the Willow World” Streaming on March 26
Episode 7. TBA, Streaming on April 2
Episode 8. TBA, Streaming on April 9
Episode 9. TBA, Streaming on April 16
Episode 10. TBA, Streaming on April 23
Evan is the culture editor for Men’s Health, with bylines in The New York Times, MTV News, Brooklyn Magazine, and VICE. He loves weird movies, watches too much TV, and listens to music more often than he doesn’t.