FX's 'Westworld Meets The Odyssey' Series Will Be Worth The Wait Ahead Of Season 2

Great historical TV shows are few and far between, and understandably so. With several of the best historical action shows centered on intense battles, this is the aspect that is daunting for many. To create a battle scene that is just as easy to follow as it is spectacular to watch generally requires an excellent writing team, many extras, stunt co-ordinators, and an enormous budget. That said, a 2024 miniseries on FX proved that these are not always necessary, condensing a novel spanning decades into a ten-part miniseries described as a "Game of Thrones replacement and Emmy Award-winning masterpiece."

Based on James Clavell's 1975 novel, Shōgun appeared destined for success, with a 1980 adaptation achieving a 91% positive audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes. While 2024's Shōgun made some changes from the book and earlier miniseries, the updated show surpassed both. The story follows the shipwrecked sailor John Blackthorne, who finds himself in Japan during a time of great turmoil. The book is a work of historical fiction without fantastical elements, yet it is remarkably similar to The Odyssey, telling an emotive "fish out of water" story in which a sailor must learn to navigate a new world.

The series was an instant success that set a new standard for historical epics, earning a 99% positive critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes and being visually stunning without romanticizing the horrors of war. On watching Shōgun, viewers who enjoyed the Shogunworld-focused episodes of Westworld will understand the sci-fi series as a cautionary tale, in which people indulge their war fantasies without the consequences that are central to the historical show. With high stakes and character-driven drama, Shōgun was so good that it is becoming a full series. However, it may take some time to arrive.

What The Second Season Of Shōgun Will Be About

After nine tension-filled and heart-pounding episodes, the finale was surprising in what it chose to show and leave to the imagination. The series features moments of intense action and intricate stunts, but the best scenes in Shōgun were often conversations between characters and complex political maneuvers. This was reflected in the tenth and final episode, which depicted Lord Toranaga's victory without showing any battles. That said, season 2 is set to change the game, featuring the epic battle sequences that often define historical shows, and taking the story of Shōgun into uncharted territory.

Wired reports that the second season is "an experiment in subverting expectations" according to writer and showrunner Justin Marks. Set a decade after the events of the first season, Shōgun season 2 will take place during the established but unstable Tokugawa regime. The time jump is a deliberate decision, allowing Shōgun to begin a new chapter rather than having the season feel like an extension of the first. Marks has stressed the importance of surprising the viewer, with the next season reportedly involving an unexpected love story, bringing back older characters and introducing exciting new ones.

Shōgun May Not Be Ready For Some Time Yet

Principal photography for Shōgun season 2 began early in 2026, but this does not mean that the next season will be ready soon. Despite being announced in 2018, the first season only began production in 2021. Even after development wrapped after nine months, Shōgun only aired in 2024. Shows like Shōgun are few and far between, so fans may not mind a long wait if that time is spent ensuring the next part of the story lives up to the first. With season 3 also in development, this is a significant extra aspect that the writers must take into account.

There is more to Shōgun's success than the series merely being a great TV show for history lovers. Western audiences do not generally watch shows with subtitles, yet despite most of the dialogue being in Japanese and most of the actors not being widely known in the US, Shōgun's first season has become the most awarded single season in Emmy history. This is a testament to its quality, and with many of the original team returning to expand the story, the next chapter is almost certain to be worth the wait.

Source: Wired