Contrary to what was previously thought, FX’s smash-hit historical limited series Shōgun may be getting a second season after all.
According to Deadline, Shōgun star and producer Hiroyuki Sanada has signed a deal to reprise his role as Yoshii Toranaga. Although the particulars of the deal are still being hashed out, Deadline says a major contribution to FX pursuing a second season stems from the show’s overwhelming critical and commercial success. Chief among Shōgun’s accolades include amassing nine million views in its first six days across streaming platforms like Hulu and Disney+ — making it the number one FX premiere and international entertainment series of all time.
Variety also reported today that Shōgun is "near a Season 2 renewal." IGN has reached out to FX for comment.
Despite its success, Shōgun's renewal for a second season comes as something of a surprise, as it's been regarded as a prime example of a limited series done right. Plus, the creative team's own comments on the matter basically put Season 2 speculation to bed. Prior to today’s news, series co-creator and showrunner Justin Marks told The Hollywood Reporter there were seemingly no plans to extend the 10-episode limited series beyond the bounds of James Clavell's 1152-page book.
"We took the story to the end of the book and put a period at the end of that sentence," Clavell said. “We love how the book ends; it was one of the reasons why we both knew we wanted to do it—and we ended in exactly that place."
Shōgun’s tentative season 2 deal also has ramifications for early Emmy 2024 submission purposes. Should Shōgun officially move toward a second season, the series would transform from a limited series to a drama show, much like Downton Abbey and The White Lotus did.
In our review, we gave the series a 10 out of 10, saying, “FX’s adaptation of James Clavell’s Shōgun places characters over combat for a complex and beautiful tale of intrigue set in feudal Japan.”
