John Wick star Hiroyuki Sanada's new series Shōgun has debuted with a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Based on James Clavell’s 1975 novel of the same name, the 10-episode limited series is set in the year 1600 at the start of a feudal Japanese civil war.
After English sailor John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) is shipwrecked on Japan's shores, he becomes entangled in the lives of daimyo Lord Yoshi Toranaga (Sanada) and samurai Toda Mariko (Anna Sawai).
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The ensemble cast also includes Tadanobu Asano, Hiroto Kanai, Takehiro Hira, Moeka Hoshi and Tokuma Nishioka.
The series, which dropped its first two episodes on Disney+ today (February 20), has received glowing reviews from critics and currently sits at a 100% fresh rating from 17 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes (at the time of writing).
Here's what some of the critics have been saying:
Empire
"Shōgun makes for gripping television. Look past the knotty bureaucracy and you’ll find striking performances and stunning visuals."
TIME
"It’s an epic of war, love, faith, honour, culture clash, and political intrigue. And at a time when so many of TV’s biggest swings, from Amazon’s The Rings of Power and Citadel to Netflix’s Stranger Things and The Crown, have yielded at least partial misses, FX’s Shōgun stands apart as a genuine masterpiece."
Related: 13 great movies with 100% Rotten Tomatoes rating
The Wrap
"Shōgun stands to be one of the most engaging, impressive shows of the year. It’s a work of such grand ambition and confident execution that one can only hand-wring so much over its limitations; it’s hard to get too mad, in other words, at simply wanting more of a show by its shortened end."
TV Guide
"There's a lot going on in Shōgun — thematically, historically, and dramatically — even before factoring in the complex relationships of a dozen-plus supporting characters. This adaptation handles it all adeptly without ever surrendering the forward momentum of its compelling plot."
London Evening Standard
"Shōgun is prestige drama writ large. Lush locations (it’s impossible to tell that this 16th century Japan was all recreated in Vancouver), superb performances and an engaging story that may take its time but inexorably draws the viewer in."
The first two episodes of Shōgun are now available to watch on Disney+, with new episodes dropping every week.
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Social Executive, Entertainment Portfolio After completing her joint honours degree in Journalism and English Literature at Cardiff University, Iona joined Digital Spy as a Content Production Intern in 2022, where she wrote across both news and features, specialising in TV and movies. Following her internship, Iona continued contributing to the site as a freelance reporter, becoming social executive for the Hearst UK entertainment portfolio in summer 2025. Iona now leads the DS social channels, covering red carpets with stars such as Paul Mescal, Austin Butler, and more.
