After six years of development and production delays, Shōgun finally premiered on FX and Hulu in late February — and based on the reception just four episodes in, it was well worth the long wait.

The series, based on James Clavell’s 1975 novel (which is, in turn, based loosely on real events in feudal Japan), debuted to over 9 million views in its first six days streaming internationally across Hulu, Disney+, and Star+.

According to Disney, that is a larger streaming debut than The Bear Season 2 in June 2023.

Bigger than The Bear? Yeah, we’d say Shōgun is a pretty big deal right now!

The series, set in 1600s Japan, follows Lord Yoshii Toranaga as his enemies unite against him. Elsewhere, an English sailor washes up on the shores of Japan. This character is loosely inspired by William Adams, an English navigator who became a powerful samurai under a powerful daimyō (like Toranaga). The third main character Shōgun follows is Lady Mariko, a mysterious female samurai.

Related: Shōgun on FX Review: A Dark and Dazzling Epic for 2024

Not on the Shōgun train yet? Trust us: If you like watching shows with power struggles, political intrigue, clandestine love affairs, mysterious strangers, and epic world-building, this is one you won’t want to miss. You shouldn’t wait to catch up, either.

According to Decider’s Meghan O’Keefe, “Shōgun fully immerses modern audiences in the labyrinthine politics of 1600 Japan while also serving up some intense drama.”

“The new adaptation of James Clavell’s beloved 1975 novel is an absolute banger, full of thrilling moments, exquisite cinematography, and an idiosyncratic ‘hero’ in Cosmo Jarvis’s John Blackthorne,” she wrote.

Five episodes of the series have aired, and five remain — catching up on Shōgun now ensures you’ll be able to watch future episodes (including the finale) live and participate in real-time conversations about the show on social media and beyond.

The best part? Thanks to Hulu’s free trial, you can catch up and keep watching Shōgun at no cost.

New Hulu subscribers can take advantage of a 30-day free trial on either plan before payment kicks in, so you can catch up on Shōgun before you pay a single penny!

Hulu has two subscription plans, both of which include Shōgun: with ads ($7.99/month) or ad-free ($17.99/month). Once your free month is up, monthly payments will begin, but you can cancel any time before the free trial period ends.

In addition to the episodes as they air on FX, you can stream all episodes with an English dub on Hulu.

New episodes of Shōgun drop Tuesdays at midnight ET on Hulu. The episodes also air on Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on FX.

Shōgun Season 1 will have ten episodes, and as of this writing, five have aired on FX and Hulu.

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