All You Need to Know About FX’s New Chapter in James Clavell’s Asian Saga

With “The Bear,” “Fargo,” and “Reservation Dogs” all having their own moments, FX is slowly becoming the home of Post-Peak TV. This was underscored by the debut of “Shōgun” earlier this year. The network has been nominated for 93 Emmys, making it a strong competitor against HBO and Netflix. And it’s partially because of titles like “Shōgun.”

A second season of “Shōgun” is already in the works, despite initially being planned as a limited series. The show is based on the 1975 novel of the same name, following English ship captain John Blackthorne as he becomes marooned in Japan amid political turmoil. A second season was quickly greenlit, though the plot will diverge from the original text.

“We took the story to the end of the book and put a period at the end of that sentence,” producers Justin Marks and Rachel Kondo told The Hollywood Reporter in March. “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.”

While there are five other books in the saga, season two will explore new territory. “We don’t have the novel,” producer and star Hiroyuki Sanada told Variety. “Freedom is there… I hope our writers will enjoy the freedom and respect the novel, of course.” Even without a source text, the new season promises to be a worthwhile adventure for fans. Here’s everything we know so far about season two of “Shōgun.”

Sanada, who is set to reprise his role as Lord Yoshii Toranaga in season two, says there is no shortage of events to draw inspiration from. “There are so many famous episodes in Japan. Toranaga’s strategies are like a chess game. It’s not only about fighting. Human drama is important,” he said. Season one is set at the end of the tumultuous Sengoku period, which in turn leads to the Edo period.

The second season promises to introduce new characters and some familiar faces, leading into another season. “There will be new characters coming in, and we’re going to basically follow the real history in seasons two and three. Before the peaceful era came, there were a lot of dramatic moments,” Sanada said.

Sanada cryptically revealed that half the existing cast will return, while “the other half will be new characters.” Although Sanada will definitely return as Toranaga, none of the other cast members have confirmed their return at this time.

Sanada had previously told USA Today, “Blackthorne is useful to Toranaga, who wants to keep him in Japan and not let him go back to England,” which suggests the possible return of Cosmo Jarvis.

The writers are diligently working on season two, which is still in early stages. Sanada revealed, “We have a writers room, and they’re working every day. Hopefully sometime next year, we can start shooting.” Filming for season one took about nine months from 2021-2022, so we are still quite a way from a premiere. If they follow a similar schedule, season two likely won’t premiere until late 2025 or early 2026.

FX CEO John Landgraf told Variety in July, “It’s a long production period. I think between principal and second unit days of photography, that show shot between 180 and 190 days or more, could have been close to 200.”

While there is no trailer or footage for the upcoming season, the entire first season is now streaming on Hulu and Disney+, so you can get a feel for where the series is headed. You can check out the trailer for the first season below: