One of the biggest TV hits of 2024 was Shōgun, the adaptation of James Clavell’s same-named novel that can be streamed with a Hulu subscription. However, this wasn’t the first time this epic story had been translated for the small screen, as Shōgun was previously brought to NBC in 1980, just five years after the book was published. Jerry London, who directed all five episodes of that first miniseries, recently shared the big issue he had with Hulu’s take on the source material, and I can’t help but disagree with him on this opinion.
London, whose extensive TV movie directing work also includes Chiefs and Ellis Island, told THR that because of the great lengths that Hulu’s Shōgun went to differentiate itself from the miniseries he made over 40 years ago, he felt that the final product “is not entertaining for an American audience.” He elaborated:
It’s completely different from the one I did. Mine was based on the love story of Shogun between Blackthorne and Mariko, and this new one is based on Japanese history, and it’s more about Toranaga, who was the Shogun. It’s very technical and very difficult for an American audience to get their grips into it. I’ve talked to many people that have watched it, and they said, ‘I had to turn it off because I don’t understand it.’ So the filmmakers of the new one really didn’t care about the American audience.
Look, everyone’s entitled to their own opinion, but to say that the new Shōgun didn’t care about the American audience is missing the point. This series was meant to be enjoyed globally, as it’s easier than ever for people around the world to enjoy the same kind of programming compared to in 1980. Plus, considering that Hulu’s Shōgun was met with widespread critical acclaim from professional reviewers stateside, not to mention is well reviewed by fans on various sites (for instance, it boasts an 86% Popcornmeter on Rotten Tomatoes), clearly this show’s not lacking in American fans.
Also, while I do agree that Toranaga’s clash with his political rivals was very much at the center of Hulu’s Shōgun, it’s not as though John Blackthorne and Toda Mariko had been shoved to the side, and that includes the exploration of their relationship. London also had this to say about the miniseries’ quality:
They made it basically for Japan, and I was happy about it because I didn’t want my show to be copied. I think I did such a great job, and it won so many accolades, that I didn’t want them to copy it, which they didn’t do. But the new one is funny because everybody I talked to said, ‘I don’t understand it. What’s it all about?’ I watched the whole thing. It’s very difficult to stick with. It won all the [Emmy] awards because there were no big shows against it. There was not too much competition.
Considering that this is a Japanese-based story comprised almost entirely of Japanese actors, I agree it was wise for creators Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks to go in this direction. I’m curious about the people who Jerry London was speaking to that didn’t care for Shōgun since they’re clearly in the minority. And while Shōgun did indeed clean up at the Emmys, which included performance wins for Hiroyuki Sanada and Anna Sawai, I wouldn’t go so far as to say all the other drama programming it went up against weren’t worthy competition.
Regardless, even Jerry London wasn’t that impressed with Hulu’s Shōgun, there’s more than enough love to pass around for this piece of prestige television. In fact, while it was initially conceived as a miniseries just like its predecessor, Shōgun Seasons 2 and 3 entered development last May. As of January, when Shōgun also crushed at the Golden Globes, the writers room was roughly six weeks from finishing their work on Season 2, so we’ll keep you apprised in when specific information about the next batch of episodes is shared.
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