The premiere of FX's Shogun has made a significant impact, drawing a substantial streaming audience globally and solid on-air viewership in the United States. Based on James Clavell's renowned 1975 novel, the limited series' first episode garnered 9 million streaming views worldwide across platforms such as Hulu, Disney+, and Star+ within its initial six days of release. This impressive figure marks the best worldwide debut for a Disney General Entertainment scripted series, excluding properties under the Marvel, Star Wars, Disney Branded TV, Pixar, or National Geographic umbrellas.
Domestically, Shogun's premiere episode also achieved the highest streaming debut for an FX show on Hulu, surpassing the season two opener of The Bear. Internationally, Shogun outperformed the premiere of The Kardashians, establishing itself as the top Disney General Entertainment series debut. The 9 million streaming views translate to approximately 630 million minutes (or 10.5 million hours) of viewing time for the 70-minute episode.
Following its strong streaming performance, Shogun's on-air debut on FX on February 27 was equally promising. The first episode attracted an average of 764,000 same-day viewers, with the second episode drawing 442,000 viewers despite its late-night premiere time. These numbers surpass recent season premieres of popular FX shows like Fargo and American Horror Story.
Shogun features a talented ensemble cast including Hiroyuki Sanada, Anna Sawai, Cosmo Jarvis, Tadanobu Asano, and others. The series was created by Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks, with Marks also serving as the showrunner. Executive producers include Michaela Clavell, Edward L. McDonnell, and Michael De Luca.
