Summary:
- “Shōgun” will extend its journey with seasons 2 and 3 on FX, with much of the original creative team, including co-creators Justin Marks and Rachel Kondo, returning.
- While a production start date is yet to be announced, writing is set to begin this summer.
Though conceived as a limited series, FX has renewed “Shōgun” for multiple seasons. The limited series is based on the best-selling novel by James Clavell and tells the story of political unrest in 17th-century Japan as seen through the eyes of nobleman Lord Toranaga, played by Hiroyuki Sanada, who must maneuver through a united council.
Shōgun” quickly set records on FX, becoming the highest-rated new series and one of the highest-rated dramas. It also scored with critics, earning a 99% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, while audiences are rating it at 90%. A week ago, insiders tell me that a renewal of production on the follow-up had not been approved. Now, FX has officially ordered it, committing to two more seasons of “Shōgun.”
Original creators, executive producers, and writers Justin Marks and Rachel Kondo will return for the new seasons, as will Sanada in his role as a producer and star. While a timeline for production on the order is not yet available, the writing room is slated to open this summer.
With this two-season order, “Shōgun” goes from its prior limited series categorization into the drama series competition at the Emmy Awards.
What’s Next for Shōgun: Story Continuation in Seasons 2 & 3
Now as much as Shōgun was planned as a miniseries, there are plenty of ways in which its story could have gone forward.
The season 1 finale finally shows us what the intentions of Lord Toranaga are and what his elaborate plan is to emerge as the Shōgun of Japan, but his inevitable rise to the title is not established.
Both seasons 2 and 3 could further explain the rise to power of Toranaga and the much-anticipated showdown with the opposing council, particularly on how reality betrays his intentions or not.
Then there is plenty of mileage left in further exploring the journey of John Blackthorne — who is settled in Japan, he finds a new lease on life by helping to build a fleet for Toranaga.
Unbeknownst to Blackthorne, Toranaga sees him more as an amusement and distraction. The interplay between Toranaga and Blackthorne could well remain the core of Shōgun, and this theoretically might even lead to an actual confrontation between the two should Blackthorne come to uncover the troubling truth behind what Toranaga is really up to.
Another possibility for expanding the series is for it to be based on another book by Clavell from the Asian Saga. Shōgun is actually one of six historical fiction novels, but each is the story of a European and its encounter with a different Asian culture and time.
Adapting a different work would give the series plenty of material to draw from and new faces and stories to depict in a new location, thereby risking less overextension than if it continued indefinitely, yet it could still keep viewers fascinated by the wonder of the Orient and the meeting of East and West.
