After the Emmys, a lot of people are excited for "Shogun" season 2. Or, at the very least, I am excited for "Shogun" season 2. But some recent comments from FX executive John Landgraf have me worried that season 2 could be the show's final season.
Landgraf is the chairman of FX Content and FX Productions, so when it comes to greenlighting season 2, he's the one in charge of that decision. So it was really exciting when back in May, not only was a season 2 approved but a third season was also "likely" approved.
But Landgraf may have just thrown cold water on that third season. When speaking to Deadline following FX's big night at the Emmys, where "Shogun" picked up a record 18 Emmy wins from 25 nominations, Landgraf said, "I don’t know that we’re certain there will be three seasons."
Before you get too outraged though, that wasn't the full quote. Immediately after saying that he's not sure there will be a season 3, Landgraf at least indicated that he's still open to the idea, provided it makes sense for the show and the network. "In really looking at the characters in the history that’s being depicted here, albeit in a fictionalized manner, it still feels to us like three is the right number of seasons to really do it justice."
What to expect from 'Shogun' season 2
For what it's worth, this show was supposed to end after just 10 episodes. So the fact that we're currently set to get another season of "Shogun" — let alone two — is a win no matter what for fans of the hit FX show.
However, since the show was supposed to end after just one season ... we don't actually know what to expect in season 2 or 3. While the show and the book it's based on are based on real historical figures and events, the first season of the show covered the entire book.
Still, it looks like things are moving full steam ahead despite the need to go off-book. In the same interview with Deadline, Landgraf said "Scripts are coming in, outlines are coming in, we’re trying to figure out where we’re going to shoot it."
Speaking of filming locations, it seems that, despite the desire of both Landgraf and the show's star Hiroyuki Sanada to shoot in Japan instead of British Columbia, the show may be returning to Canada for season 2. When asked about shooting in Japan, Landgraf said "We’ve had trouble matching the location and the scale of what we’re capable of achieving there, with the scale of the ambition of the show."
