An "incredible" historical drama series, hailed as some of the most ambitious television ever made, has been officially renewed for two additional seasons following its groundbreaking debut. The show, which premiered in 2024, has achieved a rare and coveted 99% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes and made Emmy Award history.
From Miniseries to Multi-Season Epic
Originally planned as a limited run, the ten-part series' first season was met with such overwhelming critical and audience acclaim that producers swiftly commissioned more. The drama, Shogun on Disney Plus, is a new adaptation of James Clavell's classic novel, following an earlier 1980 miniseries. Its success has paved the way for a continued story, with principal photography for the second season scheduled to begin in January 2026 in Vancouver.
Award-Winning and Record-Breaking Success
The series achieved a monumental milestone by becoming the first Japanese-language series to win the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series. It didn't stop there, setting a new record as the most awarded single season of television in Emmy history. Industry publication Deadline noted the show is "FX's most expensive series to date," with its success encouraging the network to invest in more large-scale projects.
The plot centres on two powerful figures: John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis), an English sailor shipwrecked in Japan in the year 1600, and the formidable Lord Yoshii Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada). Loosely based on the real English navigator William Adams and the shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu, the series is a work of historical fiction set at the dawn of a century-defining civil war.
Critical and Audience Acclaim
Beyond its trophy cabinet, the series has resonated deeply with viewers. It racked up a staggering nine million views across Hulu, Disney+, and Star+ in its first six days. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the critical consensus praises it as "visually sumptuous and enriched with cultural verisimilitude," an epic that outdoes the original adaptation.
Fans have flooded platforms with five-star reviews. One viewer on IMDb called it a "masterpiece of atmosphere, character and storytelling," while another declared it "television at its most ambitious and rewarding." Further praise highlighted the flawless acting, excellent cinematography, and the compelling, filler-free narrative.
With its renewal secured and production on the horizon, Shogun has cemented its place as a landmark television event, promising to continue its immersive journey into feudal Japan for years to come. The entire first season is available to stream exclusively on Disney Plus.
