15 Best TV Shows Of 2024 (So Far)
2. Shōgun
Based on the seminal 1975 novel by James Cavell (the third book in his influential Asian Saga), Shōgun may be the most focussed and meticulous piece of TV storytelling of the decade so far.
An epic tale of political intrigue, national identity, faith and destiny, the drama follows a host of embattled characters - from powerful lords to a shipwrecked sailor from England - as they work to secure power, survival and connection in a Japan undergoing seismic change.
Boasting gorgeous cinematography, magnificent set pieces and bracing action, Shōgun moves with great care to unravel the lives and secrets of its primary characters, each of whom are brought powerfully to life by the likes of Hiroyuki Sanada, Cosmo Jarvis, and a devastating Anna Sawai.
A stunning exercise in patient storytelling, Shōgun is dryly amusing at times, heartbreaking at others, and never anything less than genuinely surprising. It covers a lot of ground, from its discussions of religion to its looming battles, and emerges a rare TV masterpiece that wastes not a single frame.