It’s Not Too Late! Here Are the “Summer Dramas” You Should Watch! Talented Idol Actors Shining Bright & Actresses to Watch

“In the television industry, real-time viewership ratings and digital streaming performance—specifically, the number of views and watch time—have become established as clear metrics for measuring a content’s value. Neither can be overlooked, and companies now use these figures to determine how to allocate their advertising budgets.“The first episode of ‘VIVANT’ had a market share of 49.7 percent, which means half of all people who had their TVs on were watching it, bringing the nationwide viewership to 20.42 million,” said a producer at a major network.

In contrast to *VIVANT*, hailed as a “national event drama,” another TBS series, *Until the T-Shirt Dries*, is attracting drama enthusiasts and becoming a massive hit.

The first episode garnered 3,486,000 views on TVer, and the second episode 3,675,000 views, surpassing *That’s Way Too Inappropriate!*, which aired in the same time slot.

[Click here for Part 1] Double the Fun with Behind-the-Scenes Stories & Exclusive Data! “Summer Dramas”: No. 1 Is the Record-Breaking “National Event Drama”

Fuji TV Struggles to Gain Traction

Meanwhile, Fuji TV’s flagship “Monday 9 PM” slot drama, *Black Trick: The Lawyer Who Manipulates Justice*, is struggling significantly, ranking 15th on TVer with 387,000 favorites and 8th in the first-episode household viewership ratings at 6.2%.

“I think they cast GACKT (53) because of their connection from the Fuji-produced movie *Tonde Saitama*, but casting him in the lead role was a bit much. It’s said that the reason actors in their 50s have been so prominently featured in Fuji’s dramas in recent years is that the production sites have been in disarray due to a series of sexual misconduct scandals, causing in-demand actors to shy away from them.

There were also reports that Tomohisa Yamashita (41) turned down the lead role for this series. “If ‘Yam-P’ had taken the role, the story might have unfolded completely differently,” said a director at the production company.

“Tokyo Middle 30” (Fuji TV), which generated a lot of buzz because it marked Non’s full-fledged return to terrestrial TV dramas for the first time in 13 years since “Amachan,” is also underperforming.

“Even now that she’s 33, she hasn’t lost the sparkle and innocence she had in *Amachan*, and I’m sure many fans were captivated by how cute she looked singing ‘A Perfect Sky’ at karaoke in the first episode.

On the other hand, the women in their mid-30s lack that “dullness” you’d expect, which doesn’t match the drama’s premise. The fact that Fuji hasn’t included a profile of Non on the drama’s official website suggests the network is being hesitant,” says Mr. Oyama.

Amid these Fuji TV dramas, “GTO” is standing out. Although it’s a revival of a popular series from 28 years ago, it ranks third on TVer with 960,000 favorites and third in core viewership ratings for its premiere at 2.3 percent—surprisingly, it’s young viewers who are driving its success.

“From the very first episode, the real-life married couple Takashi Sorimachi (52) and Nanako Matsushima (52) appeared together on screen. For longtime fans, it was a spectacular start.

On the other hand, there was the challenge of ‘how to portray the passionate teacher Onizuka in the Reiwa era, where compliance is strictly enforced?’ However, while incorporating modern elements such as social media issues, the show retained Onizuka’s single-minded determination to ‘confront students head-on.’

“The secret to its success may be that it has become a ‘parent-child drama’ that evokes nostalgia for the parents’ generation while appearing fresh to their children’s generation, who wonder, ‘Who is this teacher?’” (Mr. Aida)

Idol Success

A megaton-level stroke of bad luck struck *Great Airport: GATE 24*(TV Asahi) the day before its premiere.

“Allegations of an affair between lead actress Shuri (35) and her husband, Ryoki Miyama (27), a former Takarazuka actress, came to light. Starting the next morning, Shuri made the rounds on TV Asahi’s morning shows, appearing on *Good! Morning*, *Shinichi Hatori Morning Show*, and *Yoko Oshita Wide! Scramble*.

If we’d been able to get a comment from him, it would have been a scoop, but he’s the son of Yutaka Mizutani (74) from *Aibou*, a show to which she owes a great debt. The atmosphere on set was incredibly tense and on high alert, and apparently no one could bring themselves to ask him anything.“It’s not even funny that the artist singing the theme song, ‘Great Airport,’ is called ‘Divorce Legend’…” (TV Asahi employee)

However, the internet was flooded with supportive comments like “She’s really to be pitied” and “I’ll watch the drama to cheer her on,” which unexpectedly served as great publicity, and the premiere episode’s viewership rating hit 10.7%, ranking second among commercial broadcasters.

“In ‘GATE 24,’ he isn’t a main character, and his location is on the outskirts of the airport. The fact that he’s been assigned a special mission overlaps with his father’s role in ‘Aibou.’ It tackles ‘common issues’ found in any organization—such as the drawbacks of departmental silos—making it enjoyable for a wide range of generations.The supporting performances by Gōdon Maeda (26) and Rihito Itagaki (24), among others, are also refreshing. It has the potential to become a popular series” (ibid.).

Standing out in this summer’s dramas are the performances of former Johnny’s “actor-idols” such as Ryosuke Yamada (33) in *One-Dimensional Cuttings*(Nippon TV) and Yuta Tamamori (36) in *My Fiction*(TV Asahi).Particularly noteworthy is the “strange performance” of Hokuto Matsumura (31), who made his solo debut as the lead in a terrestrial TV drama with *Confession : The Secret of the 25th Year*(Nippon TV).

“It’s strange—I thought I was watching him as my ‘favorite,’ but Sota Yukimura, played by Matsumura, just keeps getting more and more unsettling. What makes this drama even more interesting are the elements that invite viewers to analyze the plot, scattered throughout the show.Did Sota really commit murder? What will become of his romance with Mariko, who remains devoted to him? After each episode airs, social media buzzes with speculation,” says Aida.

With “oshi-katsu” (idol fandom activities) now firmly established, the approach of combining idol actors with speculative analysis and workplace dramas has proven successful. In *One-Dimensional Cuttings*, however, the spotlight is also shining on the heroine, Sei Shiraishi (28).

“Ever since I saw her natural horror performance in *The Horror Newspaper* (Fuji TV)—her first lead role in a TV drama series—and her comedic heroine role in *Shimobee* (NHK), I was convinced she was going to be a big star. But I feel she’s taken it to the next level with her role as Nao in the NHK Taiga drama *The Toyotomi Brothers!*.However, because she can handle any role, there’s a risk she might not leave a strong impression. It’s about time she had a signature role,” says Mr. Oyama.

A Strategy for Preparing and Reviewing—In the Reiwa era, where dramas are evaluated not only by real-time viewership ratings but also by streaming performance, viewers can start watching at any time, even now. We hope this special feature helps you discover some excellent works.

From the September 4, 2026 issue of *FRIDAY*