The Shōgun finale is fast approaching, which means the hit series is gearing up for an epic conclusion; but will there be more to explore after the season’s last moments? Up until this point, the historical drama has traced the power struggle between warring regents in 1600 feudal Japan, bringing James Clavell’s bestselling novel to life with a distinctly Japanese lens. Created by Justin Marks and Rachel Kondo, and produced by lead actor and all-around legend Hiroyuki Sanada, the series is steeped in history, tradition, and loads of extensive research.
The FX show has been touted as a limited series long before its premiere in February, but we’ve previously seen such titles get expanded and continue for more seasons after debuting to immense success (which Shōgun has certainly achieved). More on that below.
Has Shōgun been renewed for season 2?
FX hasn’t announced plans for a renewal, but the crew has addressed whether the series could (or should) continue.
Marks told The Hollywood Reporter that episode 10 marks a definitive ending for the show, mirroring Clavell’s novel. “We took the story to the end of the book and put a period at the end of that sentence. 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,” he said.
He also told Town & Country, “We’re very proud of that because the book ends so beautifully and boldly in this very unexpected and meditative kind of way. So, the story is complete.”
There’s also the amount of time and effort that went into creating this single season to consider. Marks explained that they “spent five years on this and it [felt] like 30 in terms of just that level of detail that you have to put in every single day.” He even told THR that one of their producers created a “nearly 900-page instruction manual for how we do this show.”
Shōgun editor Maria Gonzales also said a second season would be unlikely. “At the time of completing, when we were done cutting, there wasn’t really any mention of, or any serious plans about a season 2. And I think that’s kind of where we’re at still. I’m not sure if it will happen. Obviously, it’s out of our hands [laughs]; we’re the last people [to know],” she told ComicBook.com.
However, when asked whether season 2 was completely out of the cards, Marks told T&C, “It’s gonna take some some recovery to think about what will be next. But honestly, it’s hard because you don’t have a master storyteller to set the map for you. So that would be a tough one.”
Forbes notes that Clavell wrote six books in his “Asian Saga;” aside from Shōgun, the five other books are set in different eras in Japan, Hong Kong, and Iran. Perhaps these could serve as source material for spinoffs, if the team decides to choose that route.