Filming Update Brings Good News for Shōgun Season 2

The announcement of the 76th Emmy Awards nominations highlighted FX’s Shōgun as the year’s leading nominee with 25 nods. FX chief John Landgraf spoke with Variety about the network’s impressive haul — 93 in total — and the future of Shōgun’s upcoming seasons.

FX’s total Emmy nominations position it second after Netflix with 107, and ahead of HBO, which secured 91.

Shōgun contributed 25 of FX’s 93 Emmy nominations. “Our prior record total was 56,” Landgraf said, referencing the network’s 2016 haul, which included The People vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story. “We hoped and were optimistic that we might break that. I thought it was conceivable we might break 80. But this one really caught us by surprise in the best possible way.”

Shōgun was originally intended to compete in the limited series category. However, co-creators Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks announced that the show would continue with second and third seasons, classifying it under the drama series category.

Regarding Shōgun’s second season, Landgraf mentioned he had recently spoken to the co-creators after the nominations were revealed. “They had just stepped out of the writers room and are happily at work,” he noted. “We’re hoping to be in production relatively early next year. But it’s a long production period. The show shot between 180 and 190 days, maybe even close to 200.”

With this year’s successes, Landgraf prefers not to speculate for future Emmy results. “I’ve always been process-oriented. Work with the best people, support them, stay focused on the work. The results will take care of themselves. Sometimes the results exceed your wildest expectations,” he explained.

“We feel privileged to be part of this industry, helping storytellers tell their stories. We try to do that as best as we can and let the chips fall where they may,” he added.

As for outperforming HBO by two nominations, Landgraf emphasized the excellence of the competition. “HBO has always been excellent. We’re trying to compete with the best and I’m glad to be in their company. It’s about the talent and the creative—that’s what the Emmys recognize,” he stated.

Shōgun’s substantial nomination count is noteworthy as it is only the second non-English language series nominated in the drama category. The Japanese cast members are nominated for the first time as individuals and are the first Japanese nominees in their respective categories in Emmy history.

Hiroyuki Sanada, an executive producer, received a nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. Anna Sawai earned a nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. Shōgun also garnered two nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series: one for Tadanobu Asano and another for Takehiro Hira.

Nestor Carbonell was nominated for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series. The series received two nods for Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series, with Kondo and Marks sharing one nomination and Kondo sharing another with Caillin Puente.

Furthermore, Shōgun is nominated for Outstanding Drama Series.

Shōgun is available for streaming on Hulu and Disney+ in other territories.

Source: Variety