Shogun Season 2 is unlikely to happen (and it's not due to viewership)
There is some bad news when it comes to more Shogun on FX and Hulu. This is not a series that is likely to be renewed.
For once, it has nothing to do with the networks taking something away from us that we love. In fact, if it was up to FX and Hulu, we’d likely actually have a second season. There is no doubt that Shogun quickly became one of those shows to watch.
So, what’s holding everyone back? It all comes down to the source material and the way the series was billed in the first place.
Shogun is just a standalone book
The series is based on the novel of the same name by James Clavell. This is just one book on its own. Yes, there are other books in Clavell’s “Asian Series,” but Shogun is a standalone story. The other books follow other Europeans entering Asian countries. They don’t interconnect, and instead, take a look at how the West and the East combined in history through different people.
The TV series ends where the book does. The only way to continue the story of the characters we’ve come to know and love is for the writers to continue their own story. This isn’t something a lot of book-first fans want. In fact, even show-first fans can usually tell when there is a change in the writing after shows get ahead of the source material. Just ask Game of Thrones fans!
Maybe a sequel could happen through the adaptation of the other books in the Asian Series.
It took 5 years to create Shogun
Another reason for the lack of Season 2 is just how long this show took to get created in the first place. According to The Hollywood Reporter, it took five years to get the first season through development. Now it did hit the pandemic and the strike action last summer, but that’s still a long time for a series.
Could fans wait another five years for another season? Just look at how much Outlander fans complain about more than a year or two for new episodes. Look at how much The Lord of the Rings fans are complaining as they’re nearing a two-year wait!
It looks like the series will remain a limited series. It’s worth the watch and the ending works as a finale.
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Shogun is available to stream on Hulu.