Shogun is FX’s highest performing series ever in terms of viewership, and is likely headed to a slate of Emmy nominations this year. And as such, it seems that despite it hitting a logical endpoint, adapting the entirety of the book it was based on, there really may be a season 2 coming after all.
Deadline reports that Shogun star Hiroyuki Sanada has signed a deal to return for season 2, a move that would change the series from a limited series to a normal drama. Very few people thought this would happen given that it took the better part of a decade to get even this season assembled and released, and with the book adapted, they would be heading into uncharted waters with a new storyline with the surviving characters.
There are, of course, some surviving characters in the end (spoilers), given the execution of Toranaga’s plan which did not involve a war of mass slaughter. But Anna Sawai’s Mariko was killed, sparking Toranaga’s eventual victory, and Tadanobu Asao’s Yabushige was executed for treason, which were two of the show’s best characters. So the main returning cast would be Sanada and then Cosmo Jarvis as John Blackthorne, no doubt. And Takehiro Hira’s Ishido would likely still be around.
It’s hard to state just how much of a creative risk this would be, as they are losing half their talented cast and flying without a compass here. Again, this was all they had from James Clavell’s original book. While he wrote other books in a related “Asian Saga,” those were in different locations and time periods and none of them continued the story of Shogun. Clavell also died in 1994, so it’s not like he can be creatively consulted for future storylines.
On the other hand, it’s somewhat predictable that FX wants to take its biggest, most acclaimed hit every and try to extract more from it. We’ve seen this happen with a few limited series from time to time, White Lotus comes to mind, but it has to be a megahit to spur that sort of action. Which Shogun certainly is.
I do want to see more of these characters and actors, but only if a second season can live up to the first, which seems like an exceptionally tall order. And the show would need to stay interesting now that Toranaga is finally on top, and the titular Shogun in question. I do wonder if they might do a dramatic time skip forward so things like the heir coming of age would be a factor.
We’ll see if this does take shape as things are finalized, but right now, it’s looking likely based on this new information.
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