The Real Reason FX's Shogun Likely Won't Get A Season 2
After a successful first season, FX's adaptation of James Clavell's "Shōgun" has reached its natural conclusion by dramatizing the events of the novel's final chapter. But now that the tale of Mariko (Anna Sawai), John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis), and Lord Yoshii Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada) is at an end, the possibility of another season might loom in the minds of viewers everywhere. After all, the show has garnered immense critical acclaim and boasts a 99% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, ruined only by two negative reviews. And there's little competition since the 1980 "Shōgun" miniseries adaptation is almost impossible to watch. Unfortunately, it looks like there won't be a second season of the program, mostly because the show has already exhausted all of the material available in Clavell's hit novel.
Justin Marks, series co-creator, told The Direct in February that it's doubtful there will be more "Shōgun": "I think we tell the complete story of the book. And we get to the end. I hope those who have read the book will see it's exactly where the book ends. And we're really excited about that because it's a very surprising ending that [James] Clavell does for the book. And it's kind of beautifully ambiguous in certain senses. ... It took us five years. This show is older than both of our children."
Despite his qualms about adding more chapters to the show without further material from Clavell, who died in 1994, Marks appears to be movable on the topic in other interviews — and the rest of the "Shōgun" team seems pretty divided on the subject.
The Shogun team is divided on whether there should be more
Everyone else connected to "Shōgun" seems to have differing opinions on whether a second season is possible. Cosmo Jarvis told The Direct that he too felt as if the material had been exhausted. Michaela Clavell, James' daughter and one of the show's executive producers, had a different point of view: "The audience will let us know whether there's ... appetite for that. We shall see. It's a great question. I wish I knew the complete answer, but I don't." Anna Sawai noted that there's another possible avenue FX could take; they could adapt another of Clavell's novels, even though it would require following different characters through different time periods.
Justin Marks himself appears to be softening a bit on the topic compared to his comments in February. Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter in April alongside series co-creator Rachel Kondo, he said, "I don't know. I keep saying it's like we want to let everyone be on the same page when it comes to the book. And hopefully now the TV audience and the book audience are on the same page with what the story is and where it resolves. I think if we had a story, if we could find a story, we would be open to it. But I don't think that anyone ever wants to be out over their skis without a roadmap and everything. And it's also just about, do people want more of it?"
When the interviewer answered in the affirmative, Marks expressed concern at the notion of moving on without Clavell's work to guide him. Time will tell if Marks and Kondo will adapt another of Clavell's novels or just let their single-season hit stand as is.