Skip to main content

If you have to watch one Hulu show this May, stream this one

A man aims two guns in Shogun.
Hulu

While it doesn’t get as much love as Netflix, Hulu’s library of content is every bit as rich as its competitor’s. The best shows on Hulu are among the best shows you can watch anywhere, but if you’re trying to narrow in on one to watch, that choice can be difficult.

If you’re looking for something to binge in the month of May, Shōgun may be perfect. Adapted from a decades-old James Clavell novel of the same name and loosely based on actual Japanese history, the limited series is one of the best to come along in several years. The show, which tells the story of a British sea captain who becomes an ally to a powerful Japanese lord, is riveting from its first moment. Here are three reasons you should check it out.

Recommended Videos

It’s an easy way to overcome the subtitle barrier

Shōgun - New Extended Trailer | Hiroyuki Sanada, Cosmo Jarvis, Anna Sawai | FX

In an era where second-screening is everywhere, it can be hard to watch stuff in a different language. The beauty of Shōgun, though, is that it’s incredibly accessible even though more than half of the dialogue is in Japanese. Every scene moves at a brisk pace, and it forces you to pay attention because you have to read what the characters are saying.

Watching things in another language can be challenging, to be sure, but if you’re looking for a gateway, there are few things that are going to be easier to start with. By episode 4, you’ll forget they’re even there.

It features an emerging star and a legend

A samurai drawing in a sword, a crowd behind him in a scene from Shogun on Hulu.
FX
Shōgunis essentially a three-hander. The central characters are John Blackthorne, the English sailor, Yoshii Toranaga, the Japanese lord, and Toda Mariko, a high-born woman who serves as Backthorne’s translator. Hiroyuki Sanada, who is already a legend to both Japanese and American audiences, plays Toranaga, and is brilliant in his precision and his unwillingness to totally reveal his hand.
Anna Sawai kneels in a crowded room in Shōgun.
Mariko, meanwhile, is played by Anna Sawai, a relative unknown who delivers a genuinely heartbreaking performance that proves to be the emotional center of the entire show. These two performances are both terrific, and central to the show’s ultimate success.

It totally sticks the landing

Cosmo Jarvis wears a yukata in Shōgun.
Katie Yu / FX

The show is built around a coming war that will transform the landscape of Japanese political history, but it finds the exact right moment in that story to stop everything. Like Game of Thrones at its best, Shōgun is more interested in its central characters and the dynamics between them than it is in extended battle sequences for their own sakes.

While the show does look impressive and was clearly filmed on actual sets, what may be most impressive about Shōgun is that it seems to understand perfectly what story it wants to tell, and it tells it to perfection.

Joe Allen
Joe Allen is a freelance writer at Digital Trends, where he covers Movies and TV. He frequently writes streaming…
What’s new on Hulu in November 2024 and what’s leaving soon
An elf looks at a man and woman at a desk in Elf.

You can really tell when it's November on Hulu, because that's when the Christmas movies start coming in for their seasonal visit. That means flicks like Elf, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, A Christmas Carol, The Polar Express, Four Christmases, and a bunch of made-for-TV movies that you've never heard of are coming throughout the month. One of those films is amusingly titled The Santa Stakeout, but we can't say whether it's good until we actually see it.

What we can vouch for are returning favorites like La La Land, National Treasure, The Last Duel, Aliens, and Predators. FX is also debuting a new miniseries called Say Nothing. If you've ever wanted to see Robert Downey Jr. during his first comeback attempt, Ally McBeal is also coming to Hulu.

Read more
The 50 best shows on Netflix in November 2024
A woman sits in the middle of another woman and man.

The beginning of the month isn't often Netflix's strong suit for original shows, but the end of the month is another matter. The Diplomat season 2 and Territory debuted at the end of October and have raced to the top of the list of the most popular shows on Netflix to kick off November. Both shows may have the momentum to carry Netflix through the early part of November.

Recent arrivals Escape at Dannemora and Outer Banks season 4 have also done well, while Netflix has already renewed the animated series Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft for a second season. That's a strong start for the penultimate month of the year. But if you want more fresh options, check out our full list of the best shows on Netflix right now. We update this list on Friday mornings with the newest shows, so you'll always have something fresh to watch on the weekend.

Read more
5 great TV shows to watch after Halloween
Mark walking down the bright white hallway at work looking angry, carrying a bunch of bright blue balloons in Severance.

You’re probably all Halloween-ed out by now, bellies filled with mini chocolate bars and candy corn and exhaustion setting in after dealing with dozens of trick-or-treaters. Thankfully, you can get back to your regularly scheduled programming. You might be looking for something less intense to help you unwind. But maybe you want to keep the thrilling momentum going and still have an inkling for something a bit darker than usual.

We have you covered with five great TV shows to watch after Halloween that are a nice blend of both. These are lighter than the horror movies or shows you probably watched over the last month but still have some thrills to keep you sufficiently entertained.

Read more