Shogun well and truly dominated the Emmys 2024, and rightly so, with the series picking up a record-breaking 18 Emmy awards.
Shogun won major categories including best drama series, best actress in a drama series for Anna Sawai, best actor in a drama series for Hiroyuki Sanada and best drama director for Frederick E.O. Toye.
Sawai and Sanada are the first Japanese actors to win the highly coveted Emmys while Shogun is the first non-English language show to win best drama, marking a historic moment in Emmys history. In fact, besides Squid Game, it's the only non-English-language series to be nominated for the award.
Ahead of the Emmys, the hit series already held the record for the most wins in a year by any show, scooping 14 awards at the Creative Arts Emmys one week earlier.
Based on the 1975 novel by James Clavell, Shogun explores the story of Lord Yoshii Toranaga, who is based on a real-life Japanese leader who established a movement that reunified Japan and ruled over the country's government between 1603 and 1868. We see an English sailor shipwrecked, and have to come to terms with this new country and culture.
But will we be getting a second instalment? Here's what we know so far about Shogun season 2.
What is Shogun about?
The plot synopsis for Shogun reads: “When a mysterious European ship is found marooned in a nearby fishing village, Lord Yoshii Toranaga discovers secrets that could tip the scales of power and devastate his enemies.”
The series follows the stories of two men, Lord Toranaga and John Blackthorne, an English sailor who ends up shipwrecked nearby this Japanese fishing village, and is redefined by the country's culture.
Where can I watch Shogun?
The first season is available to watch on Disney+ now.
Will there be a Shogun season 2?
Yes!
A second and third season were greenlit in May 2024, as per The Hollywood Reporter, with the show's creators Justin Marks and Rachel Kondo confirming in June that developments on the series had started, with Kondo adding that they're in “creative chaos” as they decide what's next.
They have something of a blank page with season two, because the first season covered all of Clavell's novel. “It’s been exciting and nerve-wracking because, obviously, this is uncharted territory,” Kondo told The Hollywood Reporter. “We don’t have a roadmap, we just have history.”
Potential Shogun season 2 plot
While the Shogun team won't have Clavell's novel to go from completely, it could still be used for source material. Marks has confirmed that this series will be a “darker chapter”.
“There’s a lot of great conspiracy theory in history,” he said. “A lot of different theories about, ‘Oh, it was said that this went on, but this really went on,’ and those little darker corners are what we’ve really enjoyed exploring.”
Shogun season 2 cast
At time of writing, only Hiroyuki Sanada, who plays Lord Yoshii Toranaga, is the only member of the cast officially comfirmed to return. He told The Hollywood Reporter: “We don’t have James Clavell’s novel anymore, but we learned his spirit and the taste of storytelling. All his DNA is in our bodies, I believe.”
It is not confirmed whether the other members of the cast – Cosmo Jarvis, Anna Sawai, Tadanobu Asano, Takehiro Hira, Tommy Bastow, and Fumi Nikaido – will return, but we'll keep you updated.
Shogun season 2 release date and trailer
It's too early in the production process of a release date to be confirmed or a trailer to drop, but we'll be sure to update this once we learn more!
These are the real stories behind the women of Shogun – from their spectacular costumes to the true heroines they’re based on.
