Original “Shōgun” director Jerry London just took a samurai sword to FX’s acclaimed remake series.

London, who helmed episodes of “The Brady Bunch,” “The Bob Newhart Show,” and “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” before directing the nine-hour “Shōgun” limited series in 1980, told The Hollywood Reporter that the FX/Hulu version was not made for an “American audience.” London was baffled by “Shōgun” making awards history: The series set the record for most Emmys wins in a single season with 18 total, and also became the first Japanese-language series to win for Best Drama Series. Anna Sawai became the first Asian winner of Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.

London’s “Shōgun,” which aired on NBC in September 1980, earned 14 Emmy nominations including Best Limited Series (or Special). The five-episode miniseries later won the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Drama. Both “Shōgun” series are based on James Clavell’s bestselling 1975 novel.

“It’s completely different from the one I did,” London said about the 2024 version. “Mine was based on the love story of ‘Shōgun’ between [characters] Blackthorne and Mariko, and this new one is based on Japanese history, and it’s more about Toranaga, who was the Shōgun.”

He continued, “It’s very technical and very difficult for an American audience to get their grips into it. I’ve talked to many people that have watched it, and they said, ‘I had to turn it off because I don’t understand it.’ So the filmmakers of the new one really didn’t care about the American audience. They made it basically for Japan, and I was happy about it because I didn’t want my show to be copied. … The new one is funny because everybody I talked to said, ‘I don’t understand it. What’s it all about?’ I watched the whole thing. It’s very difficult to stick with.”

London added that the FX “Shōgun” is “not entertaining for an American audience,” and only swept awards season due to a light year of low competition. “It won all the [Emmy] awards because there were no big shows against it,” London said. “There was not too much competition.”

And London was miffed that the 2024 “Shōgun” press did not reference his original adaptation, despite the difference in story emphases. “I think I did such a great job, and it won so many accolades,” London said of his version, “that I didn’t want them to copy it, which they didn’t do.”

He added that it was “disappointing” his series was not revisited amid the new “Shōgun.” “There wasn’t too much said about mine,” he said. “Also, the new one has basically just one British actor [Jarvis] in it, and frankly, he didn’t have the charisma that [my actor] Richard Chamberlain had.”