I highly doubt that the 2025 TV schedule will bring the beloved FX series Shōgun back to our screens, but that’s something I’m perfectly fine with. With the 2025 Golden Globe winner nabbing four trophies at this weekend’s prestige event, us fans should be buzzing with anticipation during the uncertain wait ahead.
But there’s now an update on Season 2’s future that’s given us some even bigger news to celebrate. As executive producers Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks were on hand to speak with Variety on the big night, the question of Shõgun’s Season 2 and 3 development came into focus. Kondo was a little more tight lipped about what’s going on, as she was “not sure what we can say.” Marks, on the other hand, followed up that remark with this simple tease:
We’re about six weeks from the end of the writers room.
Last night’s additions to Shōgun’s trophy case, which join the series’ 18 2024 Emmy wins, were quite stunning. Not only did the breakout hit readapting author James Clavell’s Asian Saga starter saga take home the honors for best Drama series, but Anna Sawai, Hiroyui Sanada, and Tadanobu Asano were all respectively named Best Actress, Best Actor, and Best Supporting Actor in that same field.
It’s also important to note that the report in question does mention that there’s no official production greenlight for the FX hit drama’s potential future seasons. However, I’d like to think that all it’ll take is one read through of the writers room’s labors to get things on track. Those 2025 Golden Globe victories are not only going to remind fans of how epic the formerly limited series’ first season was, but there’s a good potential for new fans to be won over after this wave of wins.
I have to admit that my reticence of where Shōgun’s future seasons could go has always been tempered. But the more that I hear about things like Hiroyuki Sanada's own teases on Lord Toranaga's potential plots, the more confident I am that if we do get Seasons 2 and 3, it’s not going to be because solely on the back of award wins or ratings successes.
That sort of stuff helps with getting into production, but there’s still a potential that Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks’ work just might lead to a dead end. It all comes down to the story’s quality, and whether or not this writer’s room for Shōgun comes up with an arc they feel is worth telling. Knowing that this is part of the equation, fans should be even more anxious to see if the continuing adventures of Lord Yoshii Toranaga and John Blackthorne get the big go-ahead.
At the moment, Shōgun does exist as an open and shut season of magnificent, award winning television. Should you be nostalgic to take the ride once more, or if you’ve somehow made it this long without spoiling yourself on the amazing Episode 10 finale, you can enjoy all ten chapters by streaming through a Hulu subscription.
