Hulu Officially Begins Production on Season 2 of Its Emmys Record-Breaking Series

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The Primetime Emmy Awards are usually seen as the standard for great TV, but the winners are often expected. This year, however, the historical drama Shōgun surprised everyone by winning a record 18 awards, beating out popular and highly-regarded shows like The Crown, The Morning Show, and Slow Horses. This was especially remarkable because shows not originally filmed in English typically struggle to gain recognition in the U.S. Despite this, Shōgun‘s careful attention to detail and genuine portrayal of its culture made it one of the most acclaimed TV shows ever.

Okay, so everyone’s losing their minds over Shōgun, and for good reason – it’s been a massive hit! The good news is, FX and Hulu have already greenlit a second season. Now, the first season actually covered the entire book, but this new one isn’t a direct adaptation. It’s going to be a completely new story, picking up about ten years after where we left off. They’ve already started filming up in Vancouver, and apparently, they’re building all sorts of amazing new sets at the Flavelle Sawmill. It’s smart, too – they filmed the first season in British Columbia to look like feudal Japan, and they’re going back there to keep that same incredible visual feel going for Season 2. I’m already excited!

As a huge fan of “Shōgun,” I was thrilled to hear they’ve started building sets for season two in Vancouver – specifically at the old Flavelle Sawmill site in Port Moody. Apparently, production is slated to begin in January 2026! Even better, both Cosmo Jarvis and Hiroyuki Sanada are coming back as Blackthorne and Lord Toranaga, which is fantastic news. The new season will be set about ten years after where we left off in season one, so I’m really excited to see how the story continues!

— Cosmo Jarvis News (@cosmo_j_news) January 25, 2026

Why Shōgun Season 2 Requires a Radical Creative Evolution

I’m so thrilled with how much praise Shōgun is getting, and honestly, it makes perfect sense! What really sets it apart is that it didn’t dumb down the history or politics of 1600s Japan for viewers like us. They went all-in on authenticity, from the language to the way everything looked, and it totally pulled me in. Hiroyuki Sanada is incredible as Lord Toranaga – he’s the heart of all the power plays and intrigue. Given how successful this approach has been for FX and Hulu, I really hope the creative team gets even more freedom to tell the story they want in Season 2. And honestly, they deserve a bigger budget too – this isn’t just another TV show; it’s a truly special, high-quality production and they need to treat the next season as a major investment.

The biggest challenge for Shōgun Season 2 is that it’s based on James Clavell’s 1975 novel, which was fully explored in the first ten episodes. Often, when adaptations go beyond the original story, they lose their focus and overall meaning—the final season of Game of Thrones is a good example of this. Also, the first season of Shōgun was designed as a self-contained story with a definite ending, so continuing it risks lessening the impact of Lord Toranaga’s win and the completion of John Blackthorne’s journey. The writers now have to create a new story that lives up to the complex ideas and skillful writing of Clavell’s book.

Shōgun Season 1 is currently available to stream on Hulu.

Now that the Shōgun series has started so strongly, can it keep up the amazing quality without the source novel to follow? Share your thoughts in the comments and join the discussion in the ComicBook Forum!

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2026-02-05 15:10