The best epic series of 2024 repeats a disturbing TV trend

In 1980, a television event caught America's attention. From September 15th to 19th, viewers tuned in for a sweeping adaptation of James Clavell's 1975 novel Shogun. The series won a Golden Globe, an Emmy and even a Peabody, but a week later the story was over. The miniseries was recut for a theatrical release, but it was no surprise that it ended up setting up the Anjin's further adventures.

Forty-four years later, that will change. And while it can make for good television, it's still a problem Shoguns History – and television as a whole.

FX is new Shogun The adaptation was just as successful as its predecessor, and because it aired weekly, it was able to captivate viewers for longer. However, it was still an adaptation of a single novel and was promoted as a limited series from the start, meaning it was a one-off story that was meant to stand on its own.

That changed last week when deadline I reported that Shogun Star Hiroyuki Sanada had signed a deal with FX to return for a second season. The timing is particularly strange since the news came just before the Emmy Awards submission deadline diversity reports that the series can be included in the “Drama Series” category and not in the “Limited Series” category.

Going beyond the novel is a big decision, even if it's not entirely unprecedented. The most relevant example is the year 2017 Big little lies: The HBO series was also based on a novel and was billed as a miniseries, but when it proved popular, the author of the book wrote a novella that would serve as the basis for Season 2.

The method gave fans more of a beloved series, but the finality of the original ending was difficult to overcome. Shogun is preparing for a similar problem. The series ended right where the book left off, so any further adventures may feel like the story is being stretched beyond its natural boundaries, potentially affecting its quality.

Although Clavell has written several novels in his Asian Saga, it doesn't look like they could inspire a direct sequel. Shogun is set in 1600 Japan, while the next book in the timeline Tai Pan, set during the Opium Wars almost 250 years later. With Hiroyuki Sanada already signed on for the second season, it would be difficult to move the plot to a completely different era – and a completely different country. Lord Toranaga is probably not a time traveler, although that would be quite a twist.

Shogun Over 1000 pages of historical epic and political drama captured in 10 episodes. Most heroes' stories came to a final end. It was a great adventure, but is it worth returning to without further source material? Most television shows meet their demise as either Guardian Season 1 or live long enough to become one game of Thrones Season 8. We can only hope Shogun escapes his fate.