Shōgun is just the thing for lovers of epic tales and historical drama. The new show knocked it out of the park for the entire first season, but are 10 episodes really it? What are the chances for a potential season 2?
With a mind-blowing score on Rotten Tomatoes even pre-debut, the new series Shōgun on FX and Hulu hit the sweet spot for fans of intense and epic TV shows. The historical drama by showrunners Justin Marks and Rachel Kondo takes place in feudal Japan and follows the story of English sailor John Blackthorne who finds himself in unfamiliar terrain. He falls under the service of Lord Yoshii Toranaga, who has his own battles to fight for the future of Japan – but I'm not here to spoil the story.
The show is based on the novel by James Clavell, feel free to check it out. But beware: there are different versions to get. Clavell wrote one hell of a novel back in 1975, so if you want to test the waters first, you might want to get the first part of the book . But I won't tell you how to live your life if you're committed enough to get the over 1300-pages-long novel!
But let's get to the more important stuff – are ten episodes everything we're going to get, or is there a chance for Shogun Season 2?
Is Shōgun Season 2 Happening?
Currently, a potential second season for Shōgun seems unlikely. Shōgun is listed as a "limited series" and it looks like Marks and Kondo want to keep it that way. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the duo talked about their plans for the series and how they went about adapting the original book into a show.
Both John Blackthorne and Lord Toranaga are loosely based on real people: William Adams and Tokugawa Ieyasu, respectively.
In the interview, Justin Marks confirmed that they "took the story to the end of the book" and that the show ends "in exactly that place". Squeezing such a long and complex story into a single season seems like an impossible task, especially if you compare Shōgun to other high quality shows like Game of Thrones. However, it seems like they nailed it.
The entire season, including the finale, was massively popular and established Shogun as the TV highlight of 2024. But people of course want more, especially after the tantalizing end of the first season. And while it seemed unlikely before, there's new hope for a Shogun Season 2.
Showrunners "Would Be Open" To Another Season
After the finale, Marks and Kondo were again asked about making another season, and the answer was once more not definitive. However, Marks admits that the showrunners wouldn't say no, so long as they found the right story to tell.
I think if we had a story, if we could find a story, we would be open to it. But I don’t think that anyone ever wants to be out over their skis without a roadmap and everything. And it’s also just about, do people want more of it?
Of course, people want more! However, there isn't any more of the original material that was adapted for the show.
The series concludes where the book ends, so a new season would have to be mostly, if not entirely, original material. Marks admits he "doesn't know if it's possible" to reach the high quality mark of Clavell's book.
But it seems like that the idea of a Shogun season 2 is at least something the showrunners and key creatives, like series star and producer Hiroyuki Sanada, are thinking about. He also admitted he was potentially interested in taking the show further, but didn't commit to it yet. Let's hope the creatives find a way to continue Shogun and have it be as good as the brilliant first season.