Yes, we kinda talk a lot about our Most Anticipated Film & TV features each year; a lot of work goes into them. But more to the point, they house a lot of things that can seem a bit abstract to people at first, but when you see the goods, you get thrilled. Maybe that’s the case with FX’s “Shōgun,” a long-awaited, much-anticipated original adaptation of James Clavell’s bestselling novel, which was famously adapted into a 1980s mini-series starring Richard Chamberlain. And yes, it’s on our list of The 70 Most Anticipated TV Shows & Mini-Series Of 2024. And man, it looks spectacular.
Set in Japan in the year 1600 at the dawn of a century-defining civil war,  the series was created by Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks, the writer of 2016’s “The Jungle Book” and, more recently, “Top Gun: Maverick.”
READ MORE: The 70 Most Anticipated TV Shows & Mini-Series Of 2024
The series stars Hiroyuki Sanada, also a producer on the project, and he’s a veteran actor who has been around seemingly forever but has risen to prominence lately thanks to notable roles in “Avengers: Endgame” (2019), “Army of the Dead” (2021), “Bullet Train” (2022), and “John Wick: Chapter 4.” He stars as Lord Yoshii Toranaga, who is fighting for his life as his enemies on the Council of Regents unite against him. When a mysterious European ship is found marooned in a nearby fishing village, its English pilot, John Blackthorne, comes bearing secrets that could help Toranaga tip the scales of power and devastate the formidable influence of Blackthorne’s own enemies — the Jesuit priests and Portuguese merchants.
Blackthorne is played by Cosmo Jarvis, an actor we’ve been talking about for years as poised to be a breakout star. He’s had memorable roles in “Lady Macbeth,” “Calm with Horses,” “Funny Face,” and “Shōgun” just might be the thing that breaks him into the mainstream.
 Toranaga’s and Blackthorne’s fates become inextricably tied to their translator, Toda Mariko (Anna Sawai, coming off a big role in “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters”), a mysterious Christian noblewoman and the last of a disgraced line. While serving her lord amidst this fraught political landscape, Mariko must reconcile her newfound companionship with Blackthorne, her commitment to the faith that saved her, and her duty to her late father.
The ten-episode limited series features an acclaimed Japanese cast, unprecedented for an American production, including Tadanobu Asano as “Kashigi Yabushige,” a notorious backstabber and close ally of Toranaga; Hiroto Kanai as “Kashigi Omi,” the young leader of the fishing village where Blackthorne’s ship was found; Takehiro Hira as “Ishido Kazunari,” a powerful bureaucrat who is Toranaga’s chief rival; Moeka Hoshi as “Usami Fuji,” a widow who must find new purpose amidst her lord’s fight; Tokuma Nishioka as “Toda Hiromatsu,” Toranaga’s trusted general and closest friend; Shinnosuke Abe as “Buntaro” (“Toda Hirokatsu”), Mariko’s jealous husband; Yuki Kura as “Yoshii Nagakado,” the brash son of Toranaga with a strong desire to prove himself; Yuka Kouri as “Kiku,” a courtesan renowned for her artistry throughout Japan; and Fumi Nikaido as “Ochiba no Kata,” the revered mother of the heir who will stop at nothing to put an end to Toranaga and his threat to her son’s power.
“Shōgun” is created for television by Rachel Kondo & Justin Marks, with Marks serving as showrunner and executive producer alongside Michaela Clavell, Edward L. McDonnell, Michael De Luca, and Kondo. The series is produced by FX Productions.
Directors on the series include Jonathan van Tulleken, Charlotte Brändström, Hiromi Kamata, Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour and Takeshi Fukunaga. “Shōgun” premieres February 27, 2024, on Hulu via FX, and a new bloody and wild R-rated trailer has been released. Check it out below and let your anticipation grow.