Shogun

As soon as Game of Thrones ended in 2019, conversation turned to what could succeed it – cue many fantasy series, including Amazon's Lord of the Rings spin-off and HBO's own official Thrones prequel House of the Dragon, vying to take its place.

But five years on, its most convincing successor has turned out to be “Shogun” - a show without any fantasy credentials whatsoever – but rather a historical drama about real-life 17th Century Japan that nevertheless channels Thrones' harsh worldview, epic visuals and keen interest in the business of political manoeuvring.

Based on the historical novel by James Clavell, which was already made into a hugely successful miniseries back in the 1980s, Shogun centres on John Blackthorne (played by the Richard Burton-esque Cosmo Jarvis), a British sailor who is shipwrecked on the Japanese coast and gets wrapped up in a battle for power between members of the country's ruling council.

What follows is at once gorgeously shot, brilliantly acted, and unflinchingly brutal, the characters' various machinations occasionally erupting in violence that pulls no punches.

The cast, too, are uniformly brilliant, from Hiroyuki Sanada as embattled council member Lord Yoshii Toranaga to Anna Sawai as Blackthorne's translator, and lover, Mariko.

And while it was originally intended as a limited series, such has been its success, FX has announced plans for two further seasons. Let's hope they can live up to the standards set by this one.