Shōgun was probably the last television series likely to grip pop culture in the wake of a million streaming series. Nevertheless, the historical epic has become must-see TV in 2024.
The FX/Hulu series is based on the book that equally fascinated Western society in 1975. Written by James Clavell, the novel was a work of historical fiction that took inspiration from real-life figures of the era. After English navigator John Blackthorne finds land in feudal Japan, he is immediately taken prisoner. He and his crew are starved from the journey and discover that this culture is vastly different from their own.
Because of his naval experience, Blackthorne falls into the service of Lord Toranaga, who is in the middle of a civil war over the regency of Japan. Toranaga entrusts interpretation between the two in the hands of Lady Mariko, a Christian convert who becomes tempted by Blackthorne. FX’s Shōgun is the second time the series has been adapted but has been lauded for its handling of Japanese culture. The story is told through the perspective of its Japanese characters and heavily subtitled to indicate that. Gripping and immersive, the series has only been advertised with one season, making many fans curious about the future of the series.
Will Shōgun have more than one season?
Shōgun is the exact type of series that fans have been thirsting for — a nuanced tale of complex characters that doesn’t necessitate watching a decade’s worth of franchises. But while greenlighting a second season of the 10-episode series might seem like an easy decision, it is unlikely to come to pass. Co-showrunner Justin Marks has steered the Shōgun ship with his wife, Rachel Kondo, and confessed to The Hollywood Reporter that the series was always a one-and-done.
“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.”
The first season covers the entirety of the book and is a complete story. Marks admits that it is unfortunate, considering all the time and energy that has gone into completing such an endeavor.
“I just hope someone else — maybe a friend — needs a production primer on feudal Japan at some point, so I can be like, ‘Here you go, use this book. That will save you 11 months.’”
It wouldn’t be hard to find a way to make that happen. Though Shōgun is a complete book, Clavell has authored several books in the era of feudal Japan. If FX wanted to, it could make a long-running series with a lot of material to draw from. If this ever comes to pass, fans will have to wait some time to find out. Until then, viewers can watch new episodes of Shōgun streaming on Tuesdays on Hulu.
