Which of James Clavell's Asian Saga books should Shōgun producers adapt next?

Was FX's Shōgun a one-time fluke, or would audiences be interested in more limited series adapted from other books in author James Clavell's Asian Saga? The show was an absolute success, netting a 99% score on Rotten Tomatoes and spending 63 days in the Top 10 most watched shows, according to Television Stats. It generated a 72.71 engagement score, which is considered very high. Shōgun was undoubtedly a hit for FX and Hulu.

Clavell wrote five other books in this loosely connected series, each set in a different time with a different set of characters. In addition to Shōgun, they are:

• Tai-Pan (1966), set in 1841
• Gai-Jin (1993), set in 1862
• King Rat (1962), set in 1945
• Noble House (1981), set in 1963
• Whirlwind (1986), set in 1979

But which ones would be best to adapt next? The three most likely candidates would be Tai-pan, Gaijin, or Noble House.

These three are the most closely connected, as they trace the story of the same family at different points in time over about 120 years. Tai-pan and Noble House have both been adapted to TV before, as had Shōgun. Tai-pan was made into a not-so-great movie, and the latter was adapted as a TV mini-series.

If the producers behind Shōgun want to make another series, they should start with Tai-pan. It is the most exciting and adventuresome of the trio, and it lays backstory groundwork for the story to continue on afterward.

What is Tai-Pan about?

Dirk Struan, the protagonist in Tai-Pan, is the best overall character in any of Clavell's novels after Shōgun. The story is about the founding of Hong Kong and how it came to be in British hands for a century and a half. While it has plenty of action, there is also a lot of intrigue that will feel familiar to fans of Shōgun.

Gai-jin is set in Japan, but about 260 years after Shōgun and 25 after Tai-Pan. It follows the families of some of the characters established in Tai-Pan and covers the opening of Japan to European countries after two-and-a-half centuries of isolation.

Noble House is set yet another 100 years later, taking place in the early 1960s. We're back in Hong Kong, still following the descendants of the characters from Tai-Pan. This book returns to the intrigue, mystery, and manipulation that was portrayed so well in Shōgun.

Tai-Pan could probably be brought to life in a much better, more detailed fashion with a limited series rather than a movie. The Tai-Pan movie from 1986 didn't do the source material justice. The book is also quite a bit smaller than Shogun, so that story could probably be told in eight episodes rather than 10.

Gai-Jin would probably need eight to 10 episodes to tell the whole story. With no previous adaptations to compare it to, the producers would be working on a clean slate.

Noble House is a massive book and features approximately two dozen intertwining plots. It would need AT LEAST 10 episodes to adapt this book. They could pick and choose which plots they want to cover and which might be jettisoned. There is enough material here to make an incredible series if done correctly.

After seeing the latest version of Shōgun brought to life, fans probably wouldn't mind seeing all three of these books getting turned into a well-made limited series. Producers should strike while the iron is blazing hot.

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