Netflix Unveils Slate Of Japanese Dating, Comedy Shows As Part Of Wider Push Into Unscripted Content Across Asia
Netflix has announced a slate of Japanese dating, comedy and reality shows, part of a wider push into Asian unscripted content, which also takes in South Korea and India.
Speaking at a showcase in Seoul, Netflix Japan content manager Dai Ota highlighted the importance of unscripted content in the wider Japan market, accounting for 70% of linear programming in 2022, with sketch comedy, dating and other reality formats among the most popular.
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Heading Netflix’s Japan slate are romance-themed reality shows including Is She The Wolf?, a co-production with Japanese broadcaster Abema; a second season of Love Village; and a new hybrid format, Love Like A K-Drama. The latter show, which starts streaming from November 28, pairs up four Japanese actresses and four Korean actors to see if real-life romance can be sparked by a Korean drama-inspired kissing scene.
Streaming from September 3, Is She The Wolf? sees five men and five women attempting to pair up, whilst avoiding the one contestant who is not going to fall for anyone. Love Village features people looking for a “last chance” for love as all the contestants are aged 35-60.
Netflix also announced a second season of comedy sketch show Last One Standing, created by leading producer Nobuyuki Sakuma, and a new format, Lighthouse, which pairs musician-actor Gen Hoshino and comedian Masayasu Wakabayashi in a series of heartfelt but comedic conversations about their fears and insecurities.
Ota said Japan has a long history in unscripted, with a wide range of tried-and-tested formats, but as audience taste shifts, the market as a whole is starting to experiment with hybrid and mixed genres. Netflix is also looking at how it can diversify its unscripted content.
“There are other genres we need to explore and one thing we’re looking at right now is physical competition,” Ota said. “Having a local team on the ground, then partnering with top creators externally, means that we’re very aware of Japanese trends and preferences and what is a good fit.”
Also presented at the showcase were a slate of previously announced Korean unscripted shows, including a second season of Physical: 100, which is currently shooting; a third season of Singles Inferno; mind game survival show The Devil’s Plan; and zombie-themed reality show Zombieverse, which started streaming this week.
Indian unscripted shows presented at the showcase included documentary series The Hunt For Veerappan; a third season of The Fabulous Lives Of Bollywood Wives; documentary Yo Yo Honey Singh, about Indian rapper Honey Singh; and Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale, about the wedding of Indian superstars Nayanthara and Vignesh.
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