On the “Not A Blog” portion of his website, George R.R. Martin shared a lengthy post praising FX’s Shōgun following the comparisons to Game of Thrones. After sharing his general thoughts on adaptations of literary works into films and TV series, the author went on to praise FX’s Shōgun, which he considers a superb adaptation of Clavell’s novel, while comparing it favorably to the 1980 miniseries starring Richard Chamberlain. Read his full post below:
Everywhere you look, there are more screenwriters and producers eager to take great stories and “make them their own.” It does not seem to matter whether the source material was written by Stan Lee, Charles Dickens, Ian Fleming, Roald Dahl, Ursula K. Le Guin, J.R.R. Tolkien, Mark Twain, Raymond Chandler, Jane Austen, or… well, anyone. No matter how major a writer it is, no matter how great the book, there always seems to be someone on hand who thinks he can do better, eager to take the story and “improve” on it. “The book is the book, the film is the film,” they will tell you, as if they were saying something profound. Then they make the story their own.
They never make it better, though. Nine hundred ninety-nine times out of a thousand, they make it worse.
Once in a while, though, we do get a really good adaptation of a really good book, and when that happens , it deserves applause.
I can came across one of those instances recently, when I binged the new FX version of SHOGUN.
Must confess, I was dubious when I first heard they were making another version of the Clavell novel. It has been a long time, a long long LONG time, but I read the book when it first came out in the late 70s and was mightily impressed. (I really need to give it a reread one of these days, but there are so many books, so little time). And the 1980 miniseries starring Richard Chamberlain as the Anjin was a landmark of long form television, right up with with ROOTS; why do it over again, when that version was so good?
I am glad they did, though. The new SHOGUN is superb. Better than Chamberlain’s version, you ask? Hmmm, I don’t know. I have not watched the 1980 miniseries since, well, 1980. That one was great too. The fascinating thing is that while the old and new versions have some significant differences — the subtitles that make the Japanese dialogue intelligible to English speaking viewers being the biggest — they are both faithful to the Clavell novel in their own way. I think the author would have been pleased. Both old and new screenwriters did honor to the source material, and gave us terrific adaptations, resisting the impulse to “make it their own.”
But don’t take my word for it. Watch it yourself.
Acting, directing, set design, costume… it’s all splendid here. Along with the writing.
And if SHOGUN is a big enough hit, maybe the same team will adapt some of Clavell’s other novels.
What Others Have Said About Shōgun
Shōgun Has Become One Of The Most Acclaimed Shows Of 2024
Martin is far from the only one who has praised FX’s Shōgun, which has garnered extensive acclaim for its direction, scripts, visuals, production quality, performances, and adherence to its source material. In February 2024, the first Shōgun reviews were published, and before its premiere, FX’s epic historical drama was proclaimed a Game of Thrones-level “masterpiece,” with many praising the show’s slow-burn politics, similar to HBO’s adaptation of Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire.
As a result of its Game of Thrones-level reviews, FX’s Shōgun debuted with a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, where its Critics Consensus calls it a “visually sumptuous” and “epic adaptation” that is “enriched with cultural verisimilitude” and “outdoes the original.” However, its score has dipped to 99% since then. Also, its audience score is 90% with over 1,000 ratings from users. Martin is now the latest, but perhaps the most famous figure to praise FX’s Shōgun.
While the author criticizes Hollywood’s tendency to change source material and “make the story their own,” which often results in a worse product compared to the original, Martin acknowledges that FX’s Shōgun is one of the occasionally good adaptations that deserves applause. This is in addition to the 1980 miniseries. Even though they have some significant differences, such as the use of subtitles for Japanese dialogue, they both remain faithful to Clavell’s novel. Like many others, Martin also praises Shōgun‘s superb acting, directing, set design, costumes, and writing.
