Original Shōgun director takes dig at FX version

No other drama has taken this year’s awards circuit like Shōgun. And while James Clavell’s novel had already been adapted in 1980 and that version was widely hailed as one of the greatest miniseries ever, Hulu/FX’s version is on a tear that maybe no one could have predicted. But if you ask original Shōgun director Jerry London, American audiences still don’t care.

No doubt Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks’ telling of Shōgun is quite different than Jerry London’s – and it’s those key differences than London thinks push American viewers away…you know, despite it winning Emmys, Golden Globes, you name it. “It’s completely different from the one I did. Mine was based on the love story of Shogun between Blackthorne and Mariko, and this new one is based on Japanese history, and it’s more about Toranaga, who was the Shogun. It’s very technical and very difficult for an American audience to get their grips into it. I’ve talked to many people that have watched it, and they said, ‘I had to turn it off because I don’t understand it.’ So the filmmakers of the new one really didn’t care about the American audience.”

Jerry London would go on to elaborate on his take on the latest Shōgun, saying that while he was relieved it took a unique approach, viewers still have a fear of subtitles (which we know is very much a thing). “They made it basically for Japan, and I was happy about it because I didn’t want my show to be copied. I think I did such a great job, and it won so many accolades, that I didn’t want them to copy it, which they didn’t do. But the new one is funny because everybody I talked to said, ‘I don’t understand it. What’s it all about?’ I watched the whole thing. It’s very difficult to stick with. It won all the [Emmy] awards because there were no big shows against it. There was not too much competition.”

Jerry London’s Shōgun was an awards behemoth itself, winning the Outstanding Limited Series Emmy (along with two others from its 12 total nominations), as well as a trio of Golden Globes and even a Peabody Award.

Unlike Jerry London’s original – which aired over five nights in September 1980 – this version of Shōgun is actually getting a full-blown continuation, as season two and three have already been confirmed.

How would you compare both versions of Shōgun?