FX's Shogun Season 2 Looks Very Likely After A Huge Announcement

Well, while it was initially safe to assume that FX's "Shōgun" would not see a second season, it seems the winds have changed, with a major report suggesting that the series is gearing up to set sail once again. According to Deadline, the show's main star, Hiroyuki Sanada, who plays the calculating and iron-willed Lord Yoshii Toranaga, "has closed a deal to return" as the character. 

While the publication notes that getting "The Last Samurai" actor to return is a massive victory for a possible "Shōgun" Season 2, there are still other deals that need to be inked and hurdles to overcome. The reported work toward renewing the series comes off its outstanding success; upon its debut, critics and fans lavished "Shōgun" with absolute praise. However, from the very beginning, the show was advertised and released as a limited series. Deadline notes that should a Season 2 be officially greenlit, it would be a strategic move that would place "Shōgun" in the drama series category for the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards, a bracket the show could potentially thrive in due to there being limited output from networks during the last several months due to the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.

Assuming a second season is a done deal and only a matter of time, one has to wonder: While "Shōgun" certainly hit it out of the park during its first go round, did its dramatic and emphatic conclusion leave enough room for a second season?

"Shōgun," which is based on James Clavell's novel of the same name, is a pretty self-contained story. It hits all the critical bases from the author's work, meaning that a second season would have to enter uncharted territory — a daunting task. Series co-creator Justin Marks always recognized this particular dilemma. When asked about a possible Season 2 in February during an interview with The Direct, the writer immediately danced around the question and brought up how the show ends in the same manner Clavell's book did. "I think we tell the complete story of the book. And we get to the end. I hope those who have read the book will see it's exactly where the book ends. And we're really excited about that because it's a very surprising ending that [James] Clavell does for the book." However, in later interviews, Marks was a little more open to questions about a second "Shogun" outing, citing the importance of fan reception proper planning.

A "Shōgun" Season 2 could revolve around the approaching Battle of Sekigahara, the historical and decisive battle that helped usher in the real-life Tokugawa shogunate, something not fully explored in Clavell's novel. John Blackthorne's (Cosmo Jarvis) relationship with Toranaga, especially in the wake of Mariko's tragic death, which left "Shōgun" fans in tears, could serve as a fascinating plot point. Seeing the Englishman trying to adjust to his new life in Japan after realizing that he's most definitely not going back home could serve as one of the cornerstones for a second season.

In any case, no matter what type of story a possible Season 2 decides to explore, if it matches even half of what the first ten episodes achieved, fans will likely appreciate another outing.