SixTONES’ New Show Kicks Off Strong with Help from Veteran Star – Echoes of a Senior Five-Member Group

Although last year’s dating rumors sparked fans’ anger

The popular six-member male idol group SixTONES launched their first self-titled show, Golden SixTONES (Nippon TV), on April 6.

The first episode featured Akashiya Sanma (69) as the studio guest, while Takuya Kimura (52) made a surprise appearance via VTR. The “Size Banquet” segment, which explores the actual scale of everyday items, included appearances by popular news every. weather forecaster Minoru Kihara and mascot Sorajirō. Additionally, the episode featured popular child actress Yuno Nagao (8) and beautiful pro golfer Erika Kikuchi (36), prompting excitement on X with comments like “You can tell how serious Nippon TV is about this.”

“This is the successor to Nippon TV’s flagship program Gyōretsu no Dekiru Hōritsu Sōdanjo (The Legal Counseling Show), which ran for 23 years. Meanwhile, rival network TBS airs Nichiyō Gekijō (Sunday Theater) in the same slot—a show that occasionally becomes a cultural phenomenon. It’s considered a tough time slot where ratings are easily swayed. For Nippon TV to start regular broadcasts after just two specials shows that they’re going all-in,” said a TV magazine editor.

There are also rumors that SixTONES has been chosen as the charity personality group for this August’s 24-Hour TV: Love Saves the Earth, suggesting Nippon TV is fully backing the group.

In comparison, Snow Man—who debuted with SixTONES in 2020—had their own show Sore SnowMan ni Yarasete Kudasai (TBS) airing as a special just two months after their debut. The show went on to become a regular feature on Paravi the following month, and by April 2021, it was airing regularly on Sunday afternoons. In April 2023, it moved to a prime time slot. In terms of CD and DVD sales, SixTONES had been trailing significantly behind Snow Man.

On top of that, last year saw back-to-back dating reports involving members Jesse (28) with Haruka Ayase (40), and Shintaro Morimoto (27) with Aoi Morikawa (29), leading to backlash from fans, saying things like, “What are they doing during such an important 5th anniversary?” and “They have no awareness as idols.” However, with Nippon TV’s full commitment to Golden SixTONES, fans are increasingly hopeful, saying, “Their time has finally come.”

The group was formed after Jesse directly petitioned for it

In fact, the relationship between Nippon TV and SixTONES goes back to 2012, a time when the group didn’t even have a name. That year, the six members—Jesse, Morimoto, Hokuto Matsumura (29), Taiga Kyomoto (30), Juri Tanaka (29), and Yugo Kochi (age undisclosed), all then part of Johnny’s Jr.—starred in the drama Shiritsu Bakarea Koukou. They were explosively popular and affectionately dubbed by fans as the “Bakarea Group” or “Bakarea Jr.”

“Many entertainment reporters were convinced they’d be the next group to debut. During interviews, we’d constantly ask the agency’s higher-ups, ‘When will they get a group name?’ or ‘When are they debuting?’ But at the time, the agency was crowded with national stars like SMAP and Arashi at the top, and it felt like Juniors weren’t allowed to draw too much attention,” said a sports newspaper desk editor.

As a result, the six stopped performing together, and some members reportedly even considered leaving the agency. Later, the six reunited, and Jesse stepped up to directly petition the agency. In 2015, the formation of SixTONES was officially announced.

Their path was far from smooth, but Kyomoto and Morimoto once shared in a magazine interview that they were actually glad they didn’t debut right after Bakarea. They felt that debuting before they had the skills would not have led to good results.

“Now, every member is active in their own field—leading roles in dramas and stage productions, and they always leave a strong impression in variety shows. Juri Tanaka plays the main facilitator on Golden SixTONES, Jesse is beloved by top industry figures, Kyomoto stars in musicals, and Matsumura has continued to land lead roles in dramas and films since appearing in the morning drama Come Come Everybody. Morimoto won both the Newcomer Actor Award and the Popularity Award at the Japan Academy Awards.

And there’s Kochi, who joined the agency after an audition on Nippon TV’s School Kakumei!, and is especially skilled in variety. There’s no other group where every member shines so strongly on their own,” the editor added.

“This is basically Kin Sma, isn’t it?”

There are quite a few people in the industry who say that SixTONES reminds them of the former SMAP. In fact, the person who was in charge of the six members during their Shiritsu Bakarea Koukou era was Michi Iijima, who was the SMAP’s chief manager and is now the CEO of CULEN. Scriptwriter and columnist Mihoko Yamada, who remembers that time well, commented:

“When you think of SMAP, many people probably recall their long-running show SMAP×SMAP (Fuji TV). I felt Golden SixTONES was very similar in terms of its glamorous guest lineup, studio set, and segment structure. In fact, Sanma-san, who was the first guest, commented during the cooking segment that, ‘This is basically Bistro (SMAP),’ and when he saw Jesse’s red outfit, he said, ‘This is like Kin Sma, isn’t it?’ Whether you take that as déjà vu or a sign of serious effort, I believe it’s definitely the latter.

As someone who specializes in variety shows, I tend to scrutinize members’ talk skills, but Jesse, who’s a master of puns and comedy, along with Juri Tanaka, who can manage the flow well, are major strengths. Kochi and Morimoto have trained on other variety shows, while Matsumura and Kyomoto, both lead actors, have plenty of experience working with big names, so they’re not fazed by any guest. It took time for them to get their own show, but Golden SixTONES has started in the best possible way.

Actually, SMAP×SMAP also started five years after SMAP’s CD debut. That’s another similarity between SMAP and SixTONES.”

All eyes are now on how SixTONES and their show Golden SixTONES will blossom from here.