Fans of the 2024 series Shogun on Hulu/FX would be remiss to skip the original series from 1980. Fear not! Jim and A.Ron are here to cover it for your edification. This version of Shogun has all the charm of 1980s television, some differences in production quality, and an appearance from John Rhys-Davies. Does this show hold the same excitement? Let’s find out!
Special thanks to Bobby Z for commissioning this 1983 classic piece of original televised cinematic history; V: The Miniseries. A.Ron had fond memories of this series from his childhood, while Jim experienced it for the first time. We discuss 80’s fashion, television tropes, heavy handed allegory, the plausibility of this as a first contact scenario, and the abject horror of prominent matte lines. Oh, and some pets get eaten and people get their faces torn off. That’s pretty scary too, I guess.