Theres’s no stopping Shōgun. FX and Hulu have confirmed that it’s working with the James Clavell estate to produce not just one, but two more seasons of its excellent period drama, with star Hiroyuki Sanada attached to return as Lord Yoshii Toranaga.
FX announced on Thursday, May 16 that Shōgun‘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 Sanada — are on board for the development of future seasons. FX says the story and characters viewers met in Season 1 will “continue the saga that will likely yield two additional seasons of the drama series.” An exact production window has not been locked in, but a writers’ room is currently being assembled and will begin work this summer.
Shōgun‘s 10-episode first season is FX’s most-watched show ever based on global hours streamed, the network says.
Through its first nine weeks, Shōgun has become FX’s most-watched show ever based on global hours streamed. All 10 episodes of Shōgun, which concluded on April 23, are available to stream on Hulu in the U.S. and Disney+ in all other territories.
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Shōgun is based on Clavell’s novel of the same name. Its first TV adaptation came out in 1980 on NBC and has long been considered one of the best TV miniseries of all time. The FX and Hulu adaptation was originally meant to be a limited series. Given that its plot covered the entirety of Clavell’s book, there was seemingly no more story left to explore. As Sanada told TV Insider following the April 23 finale, he had “no idea” if more seasons were possible, “but the novel is done.” The Clavell estate and the show’s creators clearly feel there’s more to story to tell.
FX’s Shōgun premiered on February 27 and concluded on April 23. Season 1 stars Sanada, Anna Sawai as Mariko, Cosmo Jarvis as Blackthorne, Tadanobu Asano as Yabushige, and more. There were some major character deaths throughout the season, most notably in the pivotal Episode 9 and the Episode 10 finale, but there are plenty of surviving characters who could make a return. For now, Sanada’s Toranaga is the only confirmed cast member attached to the additional seasons.
It was previously reported that Sanada had inked a deal to return to the series and that FX and Hulu are eyeing a Drama Series submission at this year’s Emmys rather than running in the limited series category.
Shōgun, Season 1 Available now, Hulu
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