If you follow the streaming space with even a remote interest, there’s a good chance you’ve heard about Shogun. The FX offering is the hottest property in town right now, and it’s not hard to see why. Shogun has taken the viewer base by storm with its bold storytelling, strong characters and Game of Thrones-like topsy-turvy plot. Set in feudal Japan, Shogun is technically a period drama – but it certainly doesn’t feel like one.
If you’ve binged the second season and want to know if there will be a second one, we have all the details here.
What is Shogun about?
Shogun is set during a time when Taiko (ruler) of Japan has left a Council of Regents in charge of the government. However, the council is divided — Lord Ishido has turned them against Lord Toranaga and eventually plans to give him the death penalty.
Toranaga comes from the Minowara bloodline — warriors who were called shogun; military dictators. He’s clever, cunning and always looking for what’s new. Right now he’s imprisoned in Osaka Castle by Ishido — while an Englishman named John Blackthorne washes up on Japanese shores with his crew. Unfortunately for Yabushige and Omi — loyal vassals to Toranaga — they don’t exactly roll out the red carpet for him. But fate pushes him into Toranaga’s path … then Mariko, which changes everything about this show.
Has Shogun been renewed for Season 2?
FX has yet to make an official decision regarding Shogun‘s future; as far as we’re aware at present writing, it hasn’t been renewed or canceled just yet. We imagine that it should be rather easy for them to make a decision on this, but there could be some stuff going on behind the scenes.
In an interview with Deadline, the co-creators detailed why in theory they could do another season, but also why it may not happen. They’ve spoken before about how they have essentially done the entire adaptation all at once and brought the world of the novel to screen — there isn’t much more material left to adapt after that. Tampering with a great source like this may prove itself foolish; speaking in a new interview with TVLine, Marks made it clear that he and Kondo are still “figuring out” if season 2 is possible or necessary:
“There’s no series as complete as Shogun. Every storyline, every character has been completely told. … We’re sitting here going, ‘We don’t know how you continue.’ One of my favorite things about Minowara is that its name means ‘the end.’”
What do we know about Shogun Season 2?
There is no information out there about when a potential second season could air — if it happens at all. Also, it’s hard to figure out just who would star in it given what happened over the course of season 1.
It was shown throughout season 1 that people died; therefore, many actors may not be available for future years. In general terms we’d envision another batch of episodes being produced — think around ten for starters. Yet, nothing is confirmed just yet…
FX may wait several months/years depending on what they hear back from Justin Marks and Rachel Kondo about their continued interest in doing more episodes.
If they get a sense that something else can be done creatively within this world then perhaps they will find a way.
But if everybody decides collectively that everything was said and done with one season then so be it — we have to live with whatever closure Shogun provides us!
That’s really where things stand at the moment: In a state of flux, uncertainty and general confusion. We’re just going to have to wait and see what happens moving forward here.
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