FX spent years developing their adaptation of James Clavell’s Shōgun, which ranks as the most expensive scripted show the studio has ever done, but it all paid off big time with rave reviews and an impressively large audience. Despite being billed as a limited series, it’s possible that Shōgun season 2 could happen.
Deadline reports that Hiroyuki Sanada, who starred as Lord Yoshii Toranaga and also produced the series, has closed a deal to return for a potential second season. Nothing is set in stone, but FX hopes to get their ducks in a row for more Shōgun. THR added that there are “other extenuating circumstances” to overcome before FX can formally greenlight a second season. The show was the network’s biggest Hulu premiere, with 9 million streaming views globally spread across Hulu, Disney+ and Star+ in its first six days of availability.
Another indication of whether Shōgun season 2 will happen could actually come down to which Emmy Award category FX submitted the series in. The deadline for Emmy category submissions was yesterday, but it’s not clear if the show was submitted in the limited or drama categories. We have seen other shows switch categories during their runs, such as Big Little Lies, The White Lotus, and Downton Abbey, which were initially submitted in the limited category before moving to drama with their subsequent seasons.
The official synopsis for Shōgun: “The 10-episode limited series is set in Japan in the year 1600, at the dawn of a century-defining civil war. Producer Hiroyuki Sanada stars as Lord Yoshii Toranaga who is fighting for his life as his enemies on the Council of Regents unite against him. When a mysterious European ship is found marooned in a nearby fishing village, its English pilot, John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis), comes bearing secrets that could help Toranaga tip the scales of power and devastate the formidable influence of Blackthorne’s own enemies — the Jesuit priests and Portuguese merchants. Toranaga’s and Blackthorne’s fates become inextricably tied to their translator, Toda Mariko (Anna Sawai), a mysterious Christian noblewoman and the last of a disgraced line. While serving her lord amidst this fraught political landscape, Mariko must reconcile her newfound companionship with Blackthorne, her commitment to the faith that saved her and her duty to her late father.” You can check out a review of Shōgun from our own Alex Maidy right here.
Would you like to see Shōgun season 2?