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Shogun won 18 Emmy awards – here’s how to watch the series for £1.99

The historical drama won a record-breaking number of Emmys

Sarah Jones
Monday 16 September 2024 11:34 BST
The period drama, set in feudal Japan, has been hailed as the next Game of Thrones
The period drama, set in feudal Japan, has been hailed as the next Game of Thrones (The Independent/FX/Disney+)

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Disney+ is home to an array of award-nominated shows and films such as The BearElementalStar Wars: Andor and The Mandalorian, to name a few.

But, the latest hit that has grabbed the attention of viewers everywhere is bloody epic Shōgun, which recently won the most Emmys ever for a single season of a television series, taking home 14 accolades at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards.

Having been described as the next Game of Thrones, the historical drama is an adaptation of the classic 1975 novel by James Clavell (£11.55, Amazon.co.uk) and was overseen by husband-and-wife creative team Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks, the latter of whom was a co-writer of Top Gun: Maverick.

“With more sex and violence than the service’s usual fare, it’s an ambitious deviation. But this well-paced and considered saga will reward grown-up viewers and prove there’s still room for a historical epic among the elves, dragons and zombies of big-budget telly,” The Independent’s chief TV critic Nick Hilton said in his review. “The Rings of PowerThe Wheel of TimeThe Last of Us: many shows in the past few years have shot for the title of ‘the next Game of Thrones’. In Shōgun, Disney+ might just have picked a winner.”

Yet to watch the historical epic? Read on for everything you need to know about Shōgun.

Where to watch ‘Shōgun’

Shōgun trailer

You can watch Shōgun in the UK on Disney+. The show is an exclusive release to the streaming platform, which is home to all FX shows.

The series premiered with its first two episodes on 27 February and there are a total of 10 episodes of the mesmerising drama to watch, meaning you can binge the entire show in one sitting, should you so wish.

A subscription to Disney+ starts from £4.99 per month for the ad-supported tier. Instead of a monthly subscription, there is also the option to pay per year on the two higher tiers, which brings the price down to £79.90 for the standard tier, which lets you download content for offline viewing, and £109.90 for the premium tier, which lets you watch on four devices simultaneously and gives you access to ultra HD content.

What is ‘Shōgun’ about?

Set in the early 1600s, the series follows English pilot John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) who is shipwrecked off the coast of Japan, which is on the brink of a civil war.

Alongside his crew, Blackthorne becomes embroiled in the war after being taken in by Lord Yoshii Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada) – a feudal lord who is fighting for power, an uprising against rulership and facing enemies at every corner.

Want more inspiration? From Netflix to Apple TV+, we round up the best streaming services

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