Shōgun Review: 11 Ups & 2 Downs

13. Down: It's Far Too Short

Whilst it's easy to say this about any great show that's struck a chord with its audience, it's not quite reductive to say Shōgun is simply too short. Well, perhaps "too short" is the wrong phrase: Over its ten-hour run, the FX drama tells its story flawlessly, with the pace of a studied procedural wasting not a lingering image nor line of dialogue. It is, in fact, the perfect length. 

The problem, then, is that it's a miniseries; these ten episodes are all we're getting, and the showrunners have all but guaranteed the prospect of another chapter or two is off the table. 

This is fine - more shows should probably quit whilst they're ahead, to be honest - but considering the scope of the series, and the amount of story left to tell about early Japanese history, it's easy to see Shōgun running for many more years to come, especially since there are five more novels in Clavell's Asian Saga. 

A minor gripe, but one worth mentioning. The lost potential here feels damn near limitless.