FX’s Shōgun is about to wrap up its 10-episode run, leaving audiences eager for additional installments of the acclaimed historical drama. So, is Shōgun Season 2 in the works?
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Is Shōgun Season 2 Happening?
FX currently has no plans to produce Shōgun Season 2. While this may come as a surprise given the show’s popularity, it actually makes a lot of sense. By the time Season 1, Episode 10, “Chapter Ten: A Dream of a Dream,” airs, the bulk of James Clavell’s original Shōgun novel will have been adapted. In short? There’s no more story left for a second season to cover, as co-showrunner Justin Marks noted in a recent Hollywood Reporter interview.
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“We took the story to the end of the book and put a period at the end of that sentence,” Marks said. “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. And I’ve been party to this in the past with shows like this, where you build a whole factory, and it only pumps out 10 cars and closes up shop. It’s a bummer.”
Does the Shōgun Novel Have Any Sequels?
Yes – kinda. There are five other books in Clavell’s Asian Saga series, aside from Shōgun. Ordered by publication date, they are:
- King Rat (1962)
- Tai-Pan (1966)
- Shōgun (1975)
- Noble House (1981)
- Whirlwind (1986)
- Gai-Jin (1993)
Meanwhile, the Asian Saga‘s chronological order shakes down like this:
- Shōgun (1975)
- Tai-Pan (1966)
- Gai-Jin (1993)
- King Rat (1962)
- Noble House (1981)
- Whirlwind (1986)
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It’s worth noting that these six tomes are only sequels in the loosest sense. While some characters show up (or at least namechecked) in multiple Asian Saga books, their respective narratives are largely standalone. Instead, the series’ volumes are linked more by their shared basic premise of Europeans’ experiences in Asia. That said, Gai-Jin comes closest to serving as a Shōgun sequel, as it features the descendants of some of that book’s core characters (including Yoshii Toranaga).
Shōgun is currently airing on FX. Its final episode drops on Tuesday, April 23, 2024.
