Is there going to be a Tokyo Vice season 3?

Ken Watanabe and Ansel Elgort in Tokyo Vice
Ken Watanabe and Ansel Elgort in Tokyo Vice (Image credit: James Lisle/Max)

An exciting finale to Tokyo Vice season 2 wraps up a lot of fans' big questions (read our Tokyo Vice season 2 ending explained feature if you still need some plot details cleared up), but there is one big one that remains: are we getting a Tokyo Vice season 3?

The crime drama was created and written by J.T. Rogers and based (loosely) on the accounts of American journalist Jake Adelstein while he worked the police beat in Tokyo. It has offered plenty of exciting moments and easily ranks among the best Max original series the streamer has put out to date. However, while season 2 does leave the door open for many of its characters' stories to continue, it also ends in a place where if it is the series finale, it would be satisfying enough.

So has Tokyo Vice season 3 been cancelled or renewed? Read on to find out what we know about the show's status.

Has Tokyo Vice been cancelled or renewed?

It was reported on Saturday, June 8, that Tokyo Vice would not be moving forward with a third season. So then show is officially cancelled at Max.

The only chance for the show to continue now is if another platform acquires its rights. On that front, the creators of the show gave this statement that teased that there is some hope for that:

"We know there is more story to tell. Of course we'll see what the future holds, but we are indeed grateful to have been able to share this story on Max until now."

So where could the story go if it gets picked up somewhere else?

Potential storylines for Tokyo Vice season 3

Sho Kasamatsu and Rachel Keller in Tokyo Vice

Sho Kasamatsu and Rachel Keller in Tokyo Vice (Image credit: Courtesy of Max)

As we said, many of the storylines that were front and center for the first two seasons of Tokyo Vice have pretty much been wrapped up, but there are definitely some threads that a potential Tokyo Vice season 3 could pick up (SPOILERS ahead).

With Tozawa gone, the big question is what is the next story that Jake (Ansel Elgort) will take on? As he and Katagiri (Ken Watanabe) discussed in the final moments of season 2, Jake can't sit still and do nothing, so he is certainly going to look for a new angle he can dive into with the same drive he gave bringing down Tozawa. On a related note, is Katagiri going to stay retired, or is Jake right that they have the same kind of restless spirits and he'll be back on the job sooner rather than later?

Elsewhere, Sato (Sho Kasamatsu) is now the leader of Chihara-kai, which will bring with it plenty of new responsibilities and certainly some challenges as well. Meanwhile, what will Samantha (Rachel Keller) do with her new flush of cash? And of course, will the two continue their budding relationship?

And we may not even be totally done with the Tozawas, as Mrs. Tozawa (Makiko Watanabe), revealed she had long been pulling some strings behind the scenes to take down her husband, including sending the tape of Shigematsu and Polina to Jake. She was not thrilled the journalist let it slip through his fingers, so could she seek some retribution?

Speaking with The Wrap, show creator Rogers revealed he is in the planning stages of Tokyo Vice season 3, though "we'll get to see if we get to make it."

But should the show come back, Rogers teased that not only would the current group of characters return, but there are other exciting characters waiting to be introduced. He also promised more complicated moral themes that the show has dealt with in the past.

While we wait for news on Tokyo Vice season 3, you can watch all episodes of the show’s first two seasons on Max in the US. Tokyo Vice season 1 is available on the Lionsgate Plus streaming app in the UK.

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Michael Balderston

Michael Balderston is a DC-based entertainment and assistant managing editor for What to Watch, who has previously written about the TV and movies with TV Technology, Awards Circuit and regional publications. Spending most of his time watching new movies at the theater or classics on TCM, some of Michael's favorite movies include Casablanca, Moulin Rouge!, Silence of the Lambs, Children of Men, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest and Star Wars. On the TV side he enjoys Only Murders in the Building, Yellowstone, The Boys, Game of Thrones and is always up for a Seinfeld rerun. Follow on Letterboxd.