It premiered in February 2024 and has left a lasting impression in the hearts and minds of all those who saw it. Originally only planned as a limited series, FX’s Shōgun emerged from the shadows and took the globe by storm. Starring Hiroyuki Sanada in the lead role of Lord Yoshii Toranaga, Shōgun is an epic tale of navigating the deadly waters of politics in feudal Japan. The hit period series is based on James Clavell’s original novel and a remake of the 1980 miniseries of the same name. Following the show’s monumental success, including earning a record 25 Emmy nominations at the Television Academy Awards, it was not a surprise that Shōgun is returning for a second season, by popular demand. However, Season 1 of the show has exhausted the material in Clavell’s novel, begging the question regarding how the series might proceed.
Bringing to life Clavell’s 1975 novel are the creative duo of Justin Marks and Rachel Kondo. While the prospect of taking the story of feudal Japan further with a second and a third season of Shōgun, the opportunity also offers a breeding ground for creative chaos regarding which turns the story might take without the guiding compass of the source material. Speaking on the challenge at hand, Marks and Kondo discussed its difficulty and how the opportunity to explore new characters and plots offers a solution. “It’s so much harder,” Marks said, regarding crafting a second season of Shōgun. Co-showrunner Kondo adds:
“Thank goodness we’re doing this more difficult part for the second season, because what we’re more comfortable with this time around is the creative chaos of it all. Whereas in the beginning, that chaos was disorienting and daunting. We’re still daunted, but we know at some point, things fall into place. We hope.”
While Sanada’s Toranaga was the focus of much of the first season of Shōgun, other characters, including those played by Anna Sawai and Cosmo Jarvis, offered their own intriguing and gripping stories. Showrunner Marks goes on to add that there exists an idea of how Season 2 ends, but the extension of the story is likely built on fleshing out new characters and ideas from Clavell’s original work. Marks adds:
“We’re almost done with our first real break to the end of what the story is. I’m so grateful for the foundation that Clavell established. There are always these moments where we’re like, “What are we missing?” You just pick up the book and it’s like, “Oh, this guy. I forgot about this guy. We never used this guy in the first season.” I am so excited by what we’ve been coming up with.”
There Is a Plan for ‘Shōgun’
The 2024 Emmy Awards, for all intents and purposes, belonged to Shōgun as the series shined the brightest among its peers. Sanada won Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series with Sawai claiming the win for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series for her own stellar performance. As excitement builds regarding what comes next for Shōgun,FX Chairperson John Landgraf is equally as invested, saying in September:
“[Seasons 2 and 3 are] separate narratives. They’re all part of one continuous narrative with continuing characters, but they’re separate narratives. I don’t know that we’re certain there will be three seasons, but in really looking at the characters in the history that’s being depicted here, albeit in a fictionalized manner, it still feels to us like three is the right number of seasons to really do it justice.”
Shōgun Season 1 is now available to stream on Hulu. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.
When a mysterious European ship is found marooned in a nearby fishing village, Lord Yoshii Toranaga discovers secrets that could tip the scales of power and devastate his enemies.
- Release Date
- February 27, 2024
- Seasons
- 1
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