Abare-nbō Shōgun Returns, Reinforcing TV Asahi’s Dominance
The reason why TV Asahi’s drama team is amazing.
The drama “Abare-nbō Shōgun,” starring Ken Matsudaira (71), which aired from 1978 to 2003 on TV Asahi, will return after 17 years as “Shin Abare-nbō Shōgun.”
“Abare-nbō Shōgun” is an exciting historical drama where the eighth shogun, Tokugawa Yoshimune, known as a wise ruler, disguises himself as the third son of a poor samurai family, Tokuda Shinnosuke, or “Shin-san,” blending into the common people’s daily life to fight various evils. The contrast between the friendly Shin-san and the dignified Yoshimune, as well as the dynamic action scenes, became hugely popular, making it Matsudaira’s signature role.
Including specials, the show aired a total of 832 episodes. As a single drama featuring the same actor, it is the second-longest-running after “Zeni-gata Heiji” starring Okawa Hashizo (1966-1984, Fuji TV), which ran for 888 episodes.
“Matsudaira is in high demand, with long hits like ‘Matsuken Samba II’ and his current role in the NHK morning drama ‘Omusubi.’ Given his resurgence, bringing back ‘Abare-nbō Shōgun,’ starring Matsudaira, has received high praise in the industry. ‘TV Asahi’s drama team is amazing for effectively capturing the F3 demographic (women aged 50 and over, a key target in the television industry).’
While other networks are desperately trying to secure core targets (students and workers aged 13-59) and the F2 demographic (women aged 35-49) with ‘parent-child viewing,’ TV Asahi not only targets these groups but also focuses on the F3 demographic (men and women over 50), structuring its programming to cater to them. In the realm of drama, shows like ‘Aibō,’ ‘Kei Sōken no Onna,’ and ‘Doctor X’ (which is currently being rerun daily to promote the movie) have been loved by the F3 demographic, allowing TV Asahi to maintain stable household viewership” (according to sources from a private network drama production team).
The top-rated drama of this season is “The Travel Nurse,” which has a buddy setup reminiscent of “Aibō.” Written by Miho Nakazono, who also penned the final movie for “Doctor X,” it is the second season of the series. It is expected to be aired annually in the future.
