Hulu’s 10-Part Historical Epic Miniseries Is So Good, It’s Becoming A Full Series

May 24, 2026

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Many TV series have been presented as “the next Game of Thrones” since the groundbreaking TV show ended, in the hope of recreating the same magic and spectacle. Unfortunately, the shows we thought would be the next Game of Thrones have often fallen flat, without the epic source material or budget to convey the story onscreen. One of the central themes of the series is the way in which the best candidates for leaders are often the people who are not trying to be, and this perfectly describes a historical drama that could fit the description.

Hulu’s historical drama miniseries, Shōgun, has just ten episodes and can be binged over a weekend, yet it carries the visual spectacle and layered storytelling usually found in a much longer series. Unlike shows that have been designed with a long run in mind, Shōgun did not appear to be written with the intention of being the successor to Game of Thrones. This, combined with career-making acting performances, allowed the show to have its own identity, prioritizing the story and cinematography over fan service, and this has paid off.

The miniseries is an adaptation of James Clavell’s historical novel of the same name, which is a fictionalized account of the life of a real English sailor named Will Adams, who arrived half-dead in Japan in the middle of a massive power struggle. Shōgun makes some changes from the book, but is largely a faithful adaptation, which will likely please fans of historical TV shows. While the show has earned a well-deserved 99% positive Rotten Tomatoes rating from critics, this is far from its greatest achievement.

In 2024, Shōgun became the first Japanese-language series to win a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series, and as the winner of 18 categories at the 76th Primetime and Creative Arts Emmy Awards, the show set a new record as the most awarded single season of television in Emmy history. With such an impressive legacy, it is hardly surprising that audiences and critics alike want to see more of Shōgun, and the series has been renewed for two more seasons.

Viewers May Have A Long Wait For Shōgun’s Return, But It Will Be Worth It

On April 17th, Rotten Tomatoes shared a cast video on X, which confirmed that the production of Shōgun season 2 was already beginning. This would usually be a promising sign, but when taking the timeline of the development of the miniseries into account, that could indicate a long waiting period. Shōgun was announced in 2018 and began filming in 2021, which took nine months. After development wrapped, the series did not air until 2024.

Part of the delay can be attributed to lingering issues after the COVID-19 pandemic, but other factors delayed production too. These included painstaking attention to detail and cultural representation, resulting in a visually stunning masterpiece of a show, but one that took a long time to achieve. As the second season is now beginning principal photography, a similar timeline could mean that Shōgun will not return until 2028. Still, with so few TV shows like Shōgun, season 2 will be worth the wait if it lives up to the miniseries.

The book closely followed history, and it can be assumed that the next seasons of the epic drama will continue to do. It has been confirmed that season 2 of Sho gun will confirm John Blackthorne’s fate, and will take place a decade after the events of the first season, which implied that Blackthorne stayed in Japan in the end. It has been suggested that Shōgun will return in 2027, but if not, this could mean that the series has learned from Game of Thrones rushed last season, with the creators understanding that good things are worth the wait.

Source: X via Rotten Tomatoes