Shōgun is heading into production on Season 2 after it won a historic 18 Emmys for Season 1. The creators of the FX adaptation recently teased what to expect in the second season, which doesn’t have any James Clavell book plot to follow after the first season covered the full book. The new details reveal which character from Season 1 is stepping into a lead role in Season 2.
Shōgun Season 1 was the most-watched FX series in the network’s history. Filming on Season 2 starts in January 2026 in Vancouver. Here’s a breakdown of what to expect in Shōgun Season 2.
When does Shōgun Season 2 come out?
An official premiere date will be announced at a later time. With filming starting in 2026, however, it seems likely that it will come out in 2027 at the earliest.
What is Shōgun about?
Katie Yu / FX
In Shōgun Season 1, Lord Yoshii Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada) fought for his survival as his enemies in the Council of Regents united against him. When a mysterious European ship was found marooned in a nearby village, its English pilot, John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis), shared vital strategic secrets with Toranaga that tipped the scales of power in his favor to win a century-defining civil war.
Part two of Shōgun is set 10 years after the events of the first season and continues the historically inspired saga of these two men from different worlds whose fates are inextricably entwined.
Executive producer Justin Marks told Wired that if Season 1 was “an unexpected success,” then Season 2 is “an experiment in subverting expectations.” In Season 2, the Tokugawa regime is still in power, but the power balance is unstable. Marks explained that they didn’t want Season 2 to feel too directly connected to Season 1.
“We thought that a longer period of time would allow us to focus more attention on the grieving characters,” Marks said. “In other words, the idea was not to have the beginning of season 2 serve as an extension of Season 1 — like ‘Episode 11’ — but to create a break and create the first chapter of ‘Part 2.’” He wants to keep viewers guessing at every turn with “unpredictable surprises.”
“How can we surprise the audience from the very first episode?” Marks said. “We discussed this thoroughly in the writers’ room.”
Lady Ochiba (Fumi Nikaido) is going to be a major character in Season 2. Ochiba was a childhood friend of Lady Mariko (Emmy-winner Anna Sawai), who went on to become the mother of the late Taikō’s only heir. This made her an extremely influential woman in this society. Ochiba is based on Yodo-kun, the wife of Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
“In Season 1, the role of the ballerina [Sawai] played an important role and functioned as part of the English-language side of the story,” co-creator Rachel Kondo shared. “In Part 2, Ochiba’s character is placed at the center of the story.” (Marks and Kondo are married and write together.)
Season 1 showed the lead-up to the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600. The show didn’t depict the full scale of the battle due to budget concerns and a commitment to Clavell’s original vision for the story, so it was instead foreshadowed in a vision from Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada). A letter from Ochiba stopped the violence before it could really begin. This allowed for Mariko’s sacrifice in Episode 9 to be the true climax of the season.
While Shōgun pulls from history for its plot, Marks and his co-creator, Rachel Kondo, see history as “structure” rather than “material,” he said.
“We welcome fans and history buffs who are familiar with Japanese history,” he added. “We are telling a fictional story based on real history. You will be amazed at how fact and fiction blend together.”
Who is in the Shōgun Season 2 cast?
Emmy-winner Sanada will return as Lord Yoshii Toranaga and has been bumped up to executive producer (he was a producer for Season 1). Cosmo Jarvis will also return as John Blackthorne and will serve as a co-executive producer. Additional cast will be announced at a later time.
Shōgun, Season 2 Premiere, TBA, FX
