这是NHK的第38部大河剧。以忠臣藏故事做题材的大河剧有1964年的赤穗浪士、1975年的元禄太平记、1982年的山顶的群像，而本剧是第四度将忠臣藏搬上大河剧系列的作品。

The 38th NHK Taiga Drama is Genroku Ryoran. The "Forty-seven Loyal Samurai" is one of the most enduring and best loved stories of Japan's history. Generations have grown up hearing the stirring tale of Oishi Kuranosuke, chief councillor of the Ako clan who leads his men through suffering and hardship to ultimately avenge their lord after he is unjustly forced to commit harakiri. NHK's 38th Taiga Drama "Genroku Ryoran" is the ambitious remake of this classic epic and boasts a cast that reads like a Who's Who in Japanese entertainment.

華やかな文化が生まれた反面、たがが緩んだ元禄時代の世相と政治経済が乱れた五代将軍・徳川綱吉の治世への抗議をもくろむ大石内蔵助。赤穂浪士の討ち入りまでの日々を中心に、策略と陰謀の中で繰り広げられる人間模様を描いた。