Two new limited series take politics as starting points and move in quite different directions. Shōgun is based on the giant James Clavell novel, while The Regime is about Kate Winslett, the unhinged ruler of a fictitious European country.

Shōgun (FX on Disney+) - Thankfully, this FX production of Clavell’s Shōgun novel is more of a reinvention than a mere adaptation. We saw that adaptation approach decades ago when Richard Chamberlain and Toshiro Mifune took on the roles of John Blackthorne and Lord Yoshii Toranaga, respectively. Now we have Cosmo Jarvis and the always great Hiroyuki Sanada taking on the roles. Why I refer to this 10-episode series as a reinvention is how the POV is no longer that solely of the European ‘pirate’; but we’re immersed in a Japanese POV and are treated to a detailed exposition of feudal Japan, and the search in 1600 for a Shōgun, one supreme ruler. The 10 episodes do follow the novel as it travels through Japan, but it’s not Blackthorne acting as our central guide.

The warfare and feuding between the Japanese clans, the order and hierarchy that prevailed, and how custom and rules dominated are now part of the presentation that evokes history in an exhausting but satisfactory manner. And, of course, the overriding concept of honor, such that taking one’s own life to avoid shame or dishonor, is a natural thing to consider. Anna Sawai takes on the role of Lady Mariko, and she’s a revelation. The history of Portuguese Catholics trying to ‘hide’ Japan to keep it from themselves to the exclusion of other European powers is one of the themes taken up by the series. It’s great watching the Japanese see these disputes between white people acted out in public and how it amuses the Japanese. There is a stately, serious approach to this, an attempt to make things epic - and it works!

The Regime (HBO Max) - Think of a contemporary East European country that loves its despots and rulers, and you know that even if this series is presented as fiction, it’s not that far from what we witness in real life. The people behind this political satire are trying to make a point. While we can surmise it comes from a liberal viewpoint, there’s no denying that they’re also examining what makes these egotistical rulers so attractive to the public who first voted them in. They are often happy to see these rulers perpetuate themselves in their positions of power. Kate Winslett is the star of this six-episode series and the Chancellor of this European country. When we first meet her, we’re made to understand that it’s a country badly in need of foreign investment and that the USA has come courting for their cobalt.

Kate Winslett in Mare of Easttown played to perfection a police investigator in a small Pennsylvania town, trying to keep it together while her life is falling apart. Here, she’s Chancellor Elena Vernham, and Winslett reminds us just how great she is in doing deadpan comedy. I loved the scene in the first episode when, as Chancellor, she gives a state reception and opens by proudly singing out of tune onstage. It’s like she’s daring anyone to stand up and say she is a lousy singer, which no one will dare utter. Again, she’s perfect in the role, and it’s scary but hilarious at the same time. Vernham is charismatic but unhinged. She’s a megalomaniac, a hypochondriac, a woman who gets what she wants no matter the cost, and ready to step on anyone’s private parts to get her way. Unfortunately, this works more as a comedy than political satire.