Shogun
Shogun was not meant to be an ongoing series, but score enough Emmy wins and grab sky-high ratings for your network, and plans can change.
The problem is after spending most of a decade attempting to get a project off the ground and adapt one specific book, how do you move into a second season from there? Turns out very, very slowly, and this recent news does not hold much hope for Shogun season 2 (or 3, which has been greenlit) releasing anywhere close to soon.
It’s just been announced that production will begin on the show in January of 2026 in Vancouver. That’s eight months from now, and just under two years after when Shogun season 1 aired in February of 2024. But that’s not even the real problem.
Shogun season 1 began filming in September in 2021 and wrapped in June of 2022, which was said to be two months later because of some COVID related delays. But starting with production starting in September of 2021 and airing in February of 2024, that’s 29 months. We’ll subtract two for the delay, so 27, two and a quarter years.
Shogun
Even rounding down to just two years, if filming starts in January 2026, that could mean the show does not air until January of 2028. And that would be just under four years after season 1 aired. In an era when 3 years is often the ultimate, interminable gap, this would be one of the longest we’ve seen if production times are even close to what they were in season 1. Cut that production time in half and it’s still three years. Wild.
There is of course some debate about whether two more seasons of Shogun should exist at all, as it may be trying to make lightning strike twice (or three times, in this case). It also lost its best cast member, Anna Sawai, who could only appear in some sort of flashback or dream sequence, but she hasn’t been confirmed, only Cosmo Jarvis and Hiroyuke Sanada. A large chunk of the cast overall ended up dead by the end of season 1.
Given the extremely high quality of the first season, I still believe they can make a second fantastic outing, especially if they are giving a full four years to do so. That seems like more than enough time to come up with something to sweep the Emmys again. Okay maybe expectations are a bit too high there, but we can dream.
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Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.
