Japanese TBS and Netflix to stream new titles to global audience

To kick-off the partnership, Netflix will stream TBS’s prime-time Sunday night drama series Japan Sinks: People of Hope, starring Shun Oguri, which starts airing on October 10, 2021. The SVOD will release new episodes every Sunday night at midnight JST, three hours after the Japan broadcast (9:00 PM JST). Following this, in December, The Future Diary, a hit romance-reality series that originated as a TBS variety show and went on to become a social phenomenon, will be relaunched worldwide as a Netflix original series. Lastly, coming to the platform in 2023 is TBS drama series Let's Get Divorced, produced by TBS Sparkle’s Aki Isoyama, and co-written by Kankuro Kudo and Shizuka Oishi, who have each produced countless box-office hits.

DX Business Division President, Yayoi Nakatani, commented: 'We’re very pleased that Netflix has confidence in TBS’s creative expertise and has joined hands with us on this initiative. We believe this new partnership will enable more people to enjoy TBS Group dramas and relaunches of popular TBS programs internationally. As part of our growth strategy, TBS has set a goal to expand into global markets. We are looking forward to delivering our content to people around the world, and strengthening our position in the global content market'.

NETFLIX Content Acquisition Live Action Manager, Naomi Satoh, concluded: 'We are delighted to be able to share TBS's Sunday night prime-time series JAPAN SINKS: People of Hope, the relaunch of the social phenomenon The Future Diary, and the original drama Let's Get Divorced with Netflix audiences around the world. We are honored to have the opportunity to collaborate with some of Japan's leading talent to share uniquely Japanese stories with the global market. Today, with a variety of media available to viewers in addition to television, I am confident that this initiative will broaden the scope of entertainment and provide entertainment choices that audiences appreciate'.

Kudo commented: 'It's all going really well so far, and I hope I’m not the only one who thinks so. Co-writing with the proficient Shizuka Oishi has been so much fun and I've learned a lot. What is the style we’re aiming for? Fujiko Fujio-style, or Yudetamago-style? I’m not going to spoil it for you by telling you. One line in the dialogue may sound like it came from Oishi but is actually mine, and the next line might be the reverse. Some things might not quite fit together, but that's how couples are in real life. If producer Aki Isoyama planned it that way, she’s a genius! For male and female scriptwriters to co-write a story about a couple going through a divorce is an unheard-of challenge, so I hope we can make it engaging to the end.

Oishi added: 'I’m still not sure exactly what producer Aki Isoyama had in mind by pairing the two of us together, but working side-by-side with Kudo, who I’d been admiring from afar as the best scriptwriter of our times, is really a thrilling experience. In a way we’ve just done what we always do, but this time together. The sense of frustration of a couple's life not going the way they want will come partly from him, partly from me, and partly from the sorrow of the viewers'.