It seems that Shōgun is likely getting another season.
Deadline reports that FX has signed a deal with producer and star Hiroyuki Sanada, who played the lead role of Lord Yoshii Toranaga, to return for a potential second season of Shōgun. While the publication notes that this is an early move to secure Sanada’s involvement, it still signals FX’s intent to pursue more of the Vancouver-shot series.
On the one hand, this makes sense from a business perspective, given how the historical samurai drama has been even more popular than fellow FX shows The Kardashians and The Bear and is generating significant awards buzz. Shōgun also ends with many years left to Toranaga’s story, leaving the door open for more material.
On the other hand, viewers were quick to respond to Deadline‘s post on social media to argue that a second season of the series isn’t necessary, given how well it ended. Shōgun was also always billed as a miniseries, and creators Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks have — at least publicly — been non-committal about wanting to do more with it. What’s more, FX has plenty of other historical fiction to mine from Shōgun author James Clavell, who penned five other loosely connected novels in his ‘Asian Saga.’
But of course, there’s power in a name, and so FX seemingly hoping to continue with the Shōgun branding, rather than something only spiritually similar, is a logical business move.
It remains to be seen whether Shōgun will ultimately get a second season and, if so, whether Kondo and Marks will return alongside Sanada. For now, all 10 episodes of the series are streaming on Disney+ Canada.
In related news, the third season of FX’s The Bear hits Disney+ Canada in June, the same time it premieres on Hulu in the U.S.
Image credit: FX
Source: Deadline
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