Earlier this year, Disney’s FX released a brand-new series called “Shogun”, which is based on James Clavell’s novel and is set in Japan in the year 1600 at the dawn of a century-defining civil war. Lord Yoshii Toranaga is fighting for his life as his enemies on the Council of Regents unite against him, when a mysterious European ship is found marooned in a nearby fishing village.

“Shogun” was released on Disney’s streaming services, including Hulu and Hulu On Disney+ in the United States and Disney+ around the world.   The show has been a huge success on many levels, including ratings, reviews, and awards, which has resulted in this limited series being extended to two more seasons.

The success of “Shogun” highlights why FX is such an important part of the larger Disney Television division, as it is one of the main studios creating content specifically aimed at adults. 

“Shogun” was also one of the rare shows from FX that received a global launch across all of Disney’s streaming services, and during a recent interview with Variety, FX Entertainment president Gina Balian said:

“We proved to ourselves that we can do it.  With all the marketing and the publicity planning and a real worldwide launch – our teams figured out how to navigate this huge system that has so much to offer in terms of support. We learned a lot about how to market and launch a show like that.”

With FX Chairman, John Landgraf adding:

“You couldn’t make ‘Shōgun’ for anything other than a global streaming platform. You need a global audience to amortize the cost,” Landgraf says. “We proved that Disney should be making this kind of programming. But we didn’t do it without them. We made it with them, and we distributed it with them. And it worked.”

Other popular recent releases from FX include “The Bear,” “What We Do in the Shadows,” “American Sports Story”, “English Teacher”, “Reservation Dogs”, “American Horror Story,” “Fargo”, and “Feud.”

The next major tentpole release from FX will be “Alien: Earth”, which will hit Hulu and Disney+ in 2025.  Disney will also be hoping this FX show, which will also be the first series in the “Alien” franchise history, hits similar highs as “Shogun”.

In the past decade, we’ve seen Disney drastically shift its focus to streaming, which is why Disney went after 20th Century Fox, as John Landgraf explained:

“Disney made a really bold choice to pivot a century-old company into streaming and the direct-to-consumer business.  And they decided that they wanted to be as excellent in general entertainment as they are in family entertainment and sports.”

Roger’s Take:   FX is, without a doubt, one of the best assets acquired by Disney for its television business in recent years.  While Marvel and Star Wars often get the headline spot, FX is quietly (and usually cheaply) putting out strong drama and comedy series one after another.  The studio is often compared to HBO, in terms of quality over quantity.  I just hope that after the success of “Shogun”, Disney and FX start thinking more like a global studio than they have in the past.  “Shogun” shows they can do it, but for many recent releases, international releases have been a bit erratic. 

Have you checked out FX’s shows on Disney+ or Hulu?  What’s been your favourite so far?  Let me know on social media!

Roger Palmer

Roger has been a Disney fan since he was a kid and this interest has grown over the years. He has visited Disney Parks around the globe and has a vast collection of Disney movies and collectibles. He is the owner of What's On Disney Plus & DisKingdom. Email: Roger@WhatsOnDisneyPlus.com Twitter: Twitter.com/RogPalmerUK Facebook: Facebook.com/rogpalmeruk

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