‘Shogun’ Creator Says Season 2 ‘Defies Expectations’
SOURCE:Wired|BY:Tomoko Hasegawa
The historical series Shogun was an international hit that won a record 18 Emmy Awards. With production on season 2 starting, the writer and executive producer talk about their new challenges.
Jan 5, 2026 7:00 AM
The historical series Shogun was an international hit that won a record 18 Emmy Awards. With production on season 2 starting, the writer and executive producer talk about their new challenges.
Shogun's second season is currently in production.Courtesy of Disney; FX Networks
At a time when complex algorithms dictate taste and determine which show will become popular next, there's some comfort in the fact that a multicultural, largely subtitled, and decidedly analog historical drama can still become a hit.
The drama series Shogun, which takes place in 17th-century Japan, captivated viewers and critics across different cultures by creating a deeply immersive world. The bilingual show premiered on FX and Hulu in early 2024 and, later that year, won a record 18 Primetime Emmy Awards.
Two of the storytellers among those responsible for this phenomenon are executive producer Justin Marks, who oversaw production as the showrunner, and Rachel Conduit, who oversaw the writing. We interviewed the duo, who will start filming season 2 in early 2026.
Shogun dominated the awards race in 2024, but for Marks, it was not the number of trophies that impressed him the most. “What was most encouraging was the enthusiastic response from the American audience,” he says.
The show faced significant barriers to US popularity—namely, the deep-rooted resistance to subtitles in the US, and the psychological distance from other cultures many Westerners feel. About 70 percent of the dialog was spoken in Japanese, and many of the principal cast members were actors not yet widely known in the United States.
The fact that the show nevertheless held viewers’ interest pleased Marks. “I think the viewers enjoyed the experience of discovering a culture they did not understand through the story," he says. “This is because the algorithm only presents choices that are similar to past choices, so choices that venture into an unknown culture are unlikely to be recommended in the first place.”
The success of Shogun showed that the desire for such “discovery” certainly existed.
Condou worked on the story with Marks (who is also her husband) both together and separately. “We worked on the script in different rooms, going back and forth from room to room. He would delete words and I would put them back in, and sometimes we would argue. But looking back, I think it was a really fun time,” she says.
Rachel Condeau led the writing of Shogun's script.
Photograph: The Walt Disney Company
As a Japanese-American, Condou herself has been exposed to Japanese culture her whole life. “Learning about Japanese culture is part of my roots,” she says. Growing up in Hawaii, she had a Japanese community around her, as her great-grandparents immigrated from Japan. She was familiar with the process of how cultures cross borders, mix, and form new roots.
“Looking at the spread of culture was a wonderful experience that helped me in the writing of the script,” Condou says. This perspective from both inside and outside has led to the subtlety, word choice, and sensitivity to emotional differences that are required for stories dealing with different cultures.
Her philosophy was embodied on set by Hiroyuki Sanada, who played the lead role of Toranaga Yoshii. Marks cites the phrase “almighty patience” as something he learned from Sanada.
“He would teach me how to tie an obi or angle a sword, over and over again,” Marks says. “He never changes his attitude just because a crew member is new to the field, but treats them with dignity and generosity. I was really impressed by his attitude of never losing his composure.”
Shogun's commitment to accuracy in terms of culture and customs has stimulated viewers' curiosity and driven their desire to understand an unfamiliar culture.
Executive producer Justin Marks, who oversaw the production as showrunner.
Photograph: The Walt Disney Company
If season 1 was “an unexpected success,” says Marks, then season 2 is “an experiment in subverting expectations.” Case in point: The decision to boldly leap forward in time 10 years from the first season's finale.
While season 1 depicted the chaos on the eve of the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, season 2 takes place during the period when the Tokugawa regime was established but the balance of power was still unstable.
Marks explains the reason for the change of time period: “We thought that a longer period of time would allow us to focus more attention on the grieving characters. In other words, the idea was not to have the beginning of season 2 serve as an extension of season 1—like ‘episode 11’—but to create a break and create the first chapter of ‘part 2.’”
Marks says this choice is also informed by his long-held belief that storytelling is a sophisticated game between audience and filmmakers. The audience predicts how the story will unfold, and the creator tries to defy expectations.
“How can we surprise the audience from the very first episode,” Marks says. “We discussed this thoroughly in the writers’ room.”
A scene from season 1 of Shogun.
Courtesy of Disney; FX Networks
The “game” in season 1 was an emotionally charged structure that made you want to take sides between the opposing political forces. In season 2, Marks says, the game shifts to “unpredictable surprises.”
An important piece in making this change happen is the presence of Ochiba no Kata, played by Fumi Nikaido. “In season 1, the role of the ballerina (Anna Sawai) played an important role and functioned as part of the English-language side of the story. In part 2, Ochiba's character is placed at the center of the story,” Condou says.
Her role in the story, which is based on Yodo-kun, the wife of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, goes beyond the confines of recreating history. This allows the political dynamics of the women to emerge as the main focus of the story, enhancing the scale of the political drama.
Shogun's writers and producers also have to deal with issues unique to historical dramas. History buffs, and Japanese viewers in particular, are already familiar with the outcome of the battle of Sekigahara, and any deviation from this point would cause some raised eyebrows.
Still, Marks is confident about the production’s philosophy, which is to treat culture, history, and language as “structure” rather than “material.”
“We welcome fans and history buffs who are familiar with Japanese history. We are telling a fictional story based on real history. You will be amazed at how fact and fiction blend together.”
The preferred approach to making a modern historical drama is the re-editing of history as a story, rather than as a succession of “known facts.” The Shogun production process—where Sanada and other Japanese crew members are intricately involved—ensures the cultural and historical consistency necessary to make that approach work. “Mutual respect between cultures is more important than ever,” Marks says.
At the Disney Plus Original Preview 2025 held in Hong Kong in November, Marks, Condou, and star and producer Hiroyuki Sanada held a talk session.
Photograph: The Walt Disney Company
With just one season, Shogun has earned a loyal global audience, a win that Marks chalks up to the show's depiction of a unique time and place.
“Period dramas are a ticket to another culture, a ticket to another time,” he says. “The experience of complete disconnection from modern life is the reason people immerse themselves in the story and the reason they want to continue.”
According to Condou, modern video viewing styles also have an impact. “When I was on the plane, I saw people scrolling endlessly through short videos,” she says. “I could visibly see how people's attention to content is fragmented.”
“In a world where people are satisfied with just stimulation, they forget that they even need stories. That's why the power of storytelling is so important. Real stories free people from loneliness. The moment we are moved, the moment we find others who are moved by the same thing, we realize we are not alone,” she says.
Marks says that as a showrunner, he and his team have a responsibility to provide a return on the investment of the precious time viewers entrust to their work. “In a world full of short videos, we want you to give us an hour of your time every week. In return, we will change the way you see the world with surprise and excitement. This is the contract that storytellers must keep.”
“We want to create something that will make people look up, immerse themselves, and put down their smartphones. It's a huge challenge, but at the same time I think it's very rewarding and exciting.”
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