<em>Shōgun</em> Season 2: Everything We Know So Far
Many Shōgun fans believed that the hit Japanese period drama would never return when the shocking finale concluded the miniseries last year. Then the FX series—starring the great Hiroyuki Sanada—announced that it would return for two more seasons. Sanada went on to win Best Actor at the 2025 Golden Globe Awards, while Shōgun became the most awarded series in a single year at the 76th annual Emmy Awards. The decision to keep the ball rolling is looking like a fantastic idea.
Sanada thanked “everyone who’s been in my life” and “all of you have brought me here” in his Golden Globes speech. He also told “young actors and creators in the world to please be yourself, believe in yourself, and never give up.” His costar Tadanodu Asano also took home the award for Best Supporting Actor. Anna Sawai won for Best Actress, while Shōgun was recognized for Best Television – Drama.
Before the Globes, Sanada told Esquire that he was “relieved” by the show’s success. “It’s so hard to make a samurai drama in Japan now,” Sanada said. “It takes a lot of money and time to make it authentic, and the real Japanese samurai drama fans know [best].” Now Sanada’s brought home two of the most prestigious TV awards in the U.S. as well.
Sanada will return as Lord Toranaga in the upcoming second season, alongside his duties as an executive producer. “We have real history, so we know what happens next,” Sanada revealed. “But we don’t want to just follow the history. We’re trying to create original entertainment. There’s so many ideas coming, and we’re not just focused on season 2. Of course, we want a surprise for audiences. You can never guess what’s going to happen.”
Scary! Let’s run down everything else we know so far about the future of Shōgun.
Yes it is! As FX revealed in the official press release: “FX, Hulu and the Estate of James Clavell are working to extend the critically acclaimed global hit drama Shōgun, moving forward to develop the saga with two additional seasons of the drama series. The show’s key creative partners including co-creators, executive producers and writers Justin Marks and Rachel Kondo, executive producer Michaela Clavell, and series star and producer Hiroyuki Sanada are on board for the development. Production timing has not been locked in, but a writers’ room is being assembled and will begin this summer.”
Shōgun is based on James Clavell’s 1975 novel of the same name, which has a definitive ending that the FX series adapted in part. The author wrote many more novels after Shōgun as part of his “Asian Saga,” but none of the stories return to the same characters from Shōgun. Notably, FX’s press release says, “The story and characters are intended to continue the saga,” seemingly hinting that season 2 will pick up where season 1 left off. “It’s hard, but I will say that if there were any stories of any kind to be told, they would have to be just as good as the book, and I don’t know if those stories exist,” Marks told Esquire right before the season 1 finale.
Should the Shōgun team continue to explore the Tokugawa shogunate, there’s plenty of Japanese history after 1600 to adapt. After gaining the title of shōgun, Tokugawa consolidates power for the next 15 years. At 65 years old, he has a new task: successfully turn the shogunate over to his son, Hidetada. He also maintains a friendship with John Blackthorne’s counterpart, William Adams. Eventually, he’s even forced to siege Osaka Castle when the Taikō’s heir finally comes of age and leads a rebellion. So Shōgun definitely has more story to tell.
Cowriters Justin Marks and Rachel Kondo are already in the early stages of writing the next seasons. According to Sanada, they recently met with contemporary Japanese artist Takashi Murakami to hear about his love for the show. “There’s a lot of chaos, but creative chaos,” Kondo told The Hollywood Reporter. “We’re throwing everything that we have at the wall, seeing what sticks. It’s been exciting and nerve-racking because, obviously, this is uncharted territory—we don’t have a road map, we just have history.”
The married couple is also working with James Clavell’s estate to learn how the Shōgun author used real-life events and characters for his celebrated novel. “There’s a lot of great conspiracy theory in history, a lot of different theories about ‘Oh, it was said that this went on, but this really went on,’ and those little darker corners are what we’ve really enjoyed exploring,” Marks added. “The third season is really an ending. We know where it starts, and we know where it ends, and we know who is there on that journey. We’re just focusing on part two right now to really make sure we can get to that point. But part two is, as second chapters go, kind of a darker chapter.”
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