Shōgun Review: FX’s Epic Adaptation Boasts Extraordinary Scale, But Is Saddled With an Ordinary Story

Even by Peak TV standards, where TV shows routinely look every bit as good as big-budget blockbusters, FX’s Shōgun is flat-out breathtaking. Admirably ambitious and epic in scope, the limited series set in feudal Japan (premiering next Tuesday at 10/9c; I’ve seen the first four episodes) boasts exquisite period detail and grandly staged action sequences that are so stunning, it’s almost worth watching just to lay eyes on them. But the story it tells is less impressive, bogged down by too many plotlines and an unconvincing central romance. Shōgun is still a worthwhile watch, all things considered, but the writing never fully measures up to the visuals.

Based on the James Clavell bestseller that also inspired a hit 1980 NBC miniseries, Shōgun takes us back to 1600s Japan, unfolding its tale in a novelistic style that is literally divided into chapters. Lord Toranaga (played by Lost and Westworld vet Hiroyuki Sanada) faces a challenge from his fellow lords that leaves him isolated and in grave danger, so he needs help — and he gets it when English sailor John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) crash-lands on his shores, sparking an unlikely alliance that may give Toranaga the upper hand on his enemies. To bridge the gap between the two men, a young woman named Mariko (Anna Sawai) serves as translator, eventually forming a bond with the stranger from a far-off land.

More from TVLine

• Ryan Murphy Reveals Grotesquerie FX Horror Drama With Niecy Nash-Betts, Courtney B. Vance - Watch Teaser

• FEUD: Capote Vs. The Swans Dedicates Episode to the Late Treat Williams

• Ethan Hawke to Star in FX Drama Pilot From Reservation Dogs Showrunner

Watching Shōgun is a fully immersive experience, with a vividly realized setting, a majority Japanese cast and the majority of dialogue spoken in Japanese, with subtitles. It’s very densely plotted as well, with a bewildering array of characters and conflicts: not just the Japanese versus the English, who consider each other barbarians, but also the internal battles between Japanese lords and religious strife between the English Protestants and the Portuguese Catholics who already have a foothold of influence in Japan. With all the lords and ladies jockeying for power, it’s tough to keep everyone straight, and some of the many plotlines begin to blur together. Shōgun asks for your patience and demands your full attention — but it’s not always clear it rewards it.

Between Shōgun and Apple TV+’s equally dazzling Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, Sawai is clearly having a moment right now, and she’s mesmerizing here as Mariko, anchoring the series with grace and closely guarded emotion. (Mariko’s husband Buntaro, though, is disappointingly one-note: outrageously chauvinistic in a transparent attempt to tee up a romance with Blackthorne.) Sanada has a lot to live up to playing a role originated by the great Toshiro Mifune, the legendary star of Akira Kurosawa’s films, but his steely gaze and serene confidence make Toranaga a compelling lead.

The key dynamic, though, is between Mariko and Blackthorne, and unfortunately, Blackthorne is the weak link here, with Jarvis giving a theatrical performance that’s mostly growling and bellowing. A romance between Blackthorne and Mariko is inevitable from the start, but once it arrives, it feels forced and therefore falls flat. I get that Blackthorne is meant to serve as our entry to this foreign land, but he’s actually the least interesting part of this story. Instead, I wanted to see more of characters like scruffy rogue Yabushige, played splendidly by Tadanobu Asano in a turn reminiscent of Mifune’s finest work.

Plus, a word of warning: The world of Shōgun is harsh, and so is this show, with lots of graphic hacking, slashing and throat-slitting. (In the premiere alone, a baby is murdered, albeit off-screen, and a man is boiled to death.) But we’re also treated to rousing action sequences — like a dizzying storm at sea, a daring cliffside rescue and a nighttime assault of flaming arrows — that rival anything you’ll see in theaters. Plus, the sets and costumes are gorgeous throughout; it’s clear that plenty of care has been put in here to make feudal Japan come to vivid life. (This series has been in the works at FX for more than five years, and that passion is right there on the screen.) The scale is unquestionably spectacular… it’s just a shame that the story is considerably less so.

THE TVLINE BOTTOM LINE: FX’s Shōgun adaptation is a feast for the eyes with dazzling action sequences, but the muddled story falls short.

Get more from TVLine.com: Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Newsletter