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.

The reason Daigo Nishihata from Naniwa Danshi was chosen.

“Shin Abare-nbō Shōgun” will air as a special edition, broadcast only once, but

“Depending on the response, it could potentially be turned into a series again,”

said a source. In fact, the original series has been airing regularly in reruns before the morning show “Good! Morning” for years. Although it airs early in the morning, during the 4 AM time slot, there are viewers already awake among the F3 demographic and the F4 demographic (those over 65), which has led to stable ratings.

The director of the new version is the renowned Takashi Miike. The script is written by Mika Ohmori, who has created many hits, including the NHK morning drama “Asa ga Kita” and the NHK Taiga drama “Seiten wo Tsuke.” This clearly shows how much effort TV Asahi is putting into the new version of “Abare-nbō Shōgun” for the Reiwa era.

In the January 4 broadcast of “Shin Abare-nbō Shōgun,” Daigo Nishihata (27) from “Naniwa Danshi” will play the role of the shogun’s heir, who suffers from a disease that leaves his right arm paralyzed and makes it difficult for him to speak fluently.

“TV Asahi has aired special editions of the Hissatsu Series starring Kiyohiko Higashiyama (58) in recent years during the New Year’s period. However, due to the issue with the former Johnny’s agency and the need to focus on compensating the victims, Higashiyama retired. The Hissatsu Shigoto-nin aired on December 29, 2023, was his last work. Young members from Johnny’s have appeared in the Hissatsu specials, and it’s said that the decision to bring back Abare-nbō Shōgun in this slot, with Nishihata as a new cast member, was influenced by this change.”

Previously, “Doctor X” specials had featured young Johnny’s talent, such as Kei Inoo (34) from “Hey! Say! JUMP.” Although TV Asahi mainly targets the F3 and F4 demographics, the addition of younger actors is a way to attract a younger audience as well.

TV Asahi’s drama team has excelled at maintaining viewers by valuing its own content without forcing drastic changes. It seems poised to continue its strong position in the coming year.