TV fans have been gripped by the romance, violence and drama of Disney’s smash historical drama Shogun – but with the season finale just weeks away, will there be a season two?

Fans of historical fiction, swashbuckling drama and ancient Japanese lore have united in joy over the current hit show Showgun airing via Disney+.

The ten part miniseries is created by husband and wife duo Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks – who wrote the first two episodes of the series which started streaming via Disney+ in February. The show is based on a novel, also titled Shogun, written by late Australian-British author James Clavell.

The story follows a power struggle in the early 1600s in Japan when the death of the leader of country leads five Regents in charge who must rule while waiting for his son to come of age. The story of shifting allegiances, brutal battles, and complex love stories has led many to compare the show to HBO’s hit fantasy drama Game of Thrones.

With just three episodes left of the miniseries to air, many fans are already clamouring for a second season after falling in love with the drama and characters. But fans of Shogun should brace themselves for bad news – as the show creators have already discussed if there will be a second season.

Will there be a second season of Shogun?

For fans of Shogun – which airs via Disney+, Stars, and Hulu around the world – sadly the show will not return for a season 2. The miniseries is based on the 1975 historical novel of the same name written by Australian-British author James Clavell – and show creators Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks have said they wanted to concluded the series like the book does.

Addressing the possibility of a second season, Justin told the Hollywood Reporter: “We took the story to the end of the book and put a period at the end of that sentence. We love how the book ends; it was one of the reasons why we both knew we wanted to do it — and we ended in exactly that place. And I’ve been party to this in the past with shows like this, where you build a whole factory, and it only pumps out 10 cars and closes up shop. It’s a bummer.”

The duo explained that making the show as a miniseries took years – with production first beginning in 2018 while a huge amount of post-production was included after filming ended. Justin added: “It’s not like a normal TV series, where if we were in a situation like this promoting it, we wouldn’t just be in the writers room already, we’d be on set shooting season two by now.”

Show bosses have confirmed there will be no second season of Shogun ( 
Image:
FX)

What is Shogun about?

Shogun tells the story of fictional Lord Yoshii Toranaga, played by Hiroyuki Sanada, one of five Regents left to rule Japan until the late ruler’s son comes of age. The character is based on the real military politician Tokugawa Ieyasu who lived from 1543–1616 – and the show sees the other four Regents conspire to kill Lord Toranaga. Cosmo Jarvis plays John Blackthorne – a character based on the historical William Adams, who lived from 1564–1620, and was the first Englishman to reach Japan. In the show, he is initially held captive but impresses Lord Toranaga and is elevated to one of his military advisors.

Meanwhile, Anna Sawai plays Lady Toda Mariko who serves as a translator for Blackthorne. Her character is based on the historical figure Hosokawa Gracia, who lived from 1563–1600. The show sees a tense relationship develop between Blackthorne and Mariko – while Toranaga strives to save himself and those under his command while facing assassination attempts and betrayals as the other Regents plot against him.

The show has been a critical and commercial hit – with Forbes branding it “an instant hit—breathtakingly beautiful, tragic and gripping all at once”. While the show broke records for Disney by opening to an audience of 9 million in the USA alone – and going on to top streaming charts week after week as new episodes dropped.