It has been revealed that actress Shinohara Ryoko will be starring in the NTV Sunday drama "Punch-Drunk Woman: Only XX Days Left to Escape," which will begin airing in January 2026. This will be Shinohara's first lead role in a NTV drama series in about six years, since the sequel to the social phenomenon "Haken no Hinkaku" (2020), and she will play a female prison guard whose life is turned upside down when she encounters a murderer.
This original story is inspired by a true story from overseas about a female prison guard who helped a male inmate escape and then ran away with him. Shinohara plays veteran female prison guard Fuyuki Kozue, who has always lived a disciplined and diligent life. However, her life is turned upside down when she meets Kusaka Reiji, a pretrial detainee (a suspect or defendant whose guilt has not yet been determined) who has been charged with robbery and murder and who is closely connected to Kozue's secret. The fate of Saeki Yusuke, a detective in charge of Reiji's case who knows Kozue's past, also changes... The screenplay is by Izumi Yoshihiro, who has worked on "Laughing Matryoshka" and other works, and the directors include Nakakuki Tsuyoshi, who has worked on "The Unforgettable 'I'" and "Secret Mitsuko-san," and Nagumo Seiichi, who has worked on "Waru" and "The Reluctant Preacher."
Regarding her first lead role in a TV drama series in about six years, Shinohara commented, "I feel very honored and humbled," and "I feel that this will be a big challenge for me." Regarding her first role as a prison officer, she said, "I hope that viewers will pay attention to how Kozue, who has imposed her own rules on herself and lived a serious and strict life, transforms into a villainous woman."
◇Comment from Ryoko Shinohara
--This will be your first lead role in a NTV drama in about six years, and it will also be a completely original production. Please tell us your honest feelings when you were chosen to appear, your impressions after reading the script, and your enthusiasm.
I am deeply honored and humbled to be starring in a Nippon Television drama series for the first time in about six years. Furthermore, this is a completely original project inspired by a real-life incident that occurred overseas, so I feel it will be a major challenge for me personally. When I read the script, I was shocked and deeply drawn to the premise of a prison guard, a guard of discipline, helping a prisoner escape. How will the earnest prison guard, Kozue Fuyuki, transform into a villainous woman after meeting a murderer? I feel this is a substantial human drama in which the protagonist is forced to make the ultimate choice between her professional ethics and her true humanity. I will approach the role with sincerity and do my best to portray the protagonist's conflict and resolve as she crosses a line in a realistic way, using expressions that only I can express.
--A female prison officer who has always lived an honest life finds her rationality shaken after meeting a murderer. What aspects of this role do you focus on when taking on a role that you've never played before?
The prison guard I play, Fuyuki Kozue, is a calm and collected woman with a strong sense of justice and responsibility, and a strict adherence to discipline. I hope viewers will pay attention to how Kozue, who has always imposed her own rules and lived a serious and strict life on herself, transforms into a villainous woman. I would like to carefully portray the process by which her upstanding lifestyle begins to crumble through her encounter with the murderer, and get to the heart of the question, "Why did she go astray?" I will do my best to ensure that viewers empathize with and are amazed by her dramatic transformation, driven by impulse.
--An unprecedented "prison escape drama between a female prison guard and a murderer." How do you want viewers to receive this story, which seems to unleash repressed emotions?
I believe we can deliver an exciting and thrilling story with twists and turns and unexpected developments in each episode. This story is not just a prison break suspense, but a human drama that questions human ethics and what true "justice" is. I hope you will also take it as a story of a woman who liberates herself from the constraints of her position and responsibilities. The thrill of a prison break suspense is intertwined with a forbidden love story, making it an exciting and entertaining series. I hope you will enjoy watching it to the end, wondering with suspense, "What would I do?"
◇ Comment from Producer Akino Suzuki
"An earnest, capable female prison guard helped a male inmate escape and then ran away with him." I was shocked when I saw this news story, which actually happened in the United States about three years ago. What on earth had happened to her? What was her relationship with the inmate? What motivated her to do that? Many questions ran through my head, and I thought, "What an incredible woman...but somehow, she's cool." Living in a society where we must live honestly and honestly, where failure is never tolerated, this female prison guard somehow seemed so radiant. Her actions would never be forgiven, and society might call her stupid. But still, living solely for a single impulse and desire... I was moved by this way of life. But in reality, such things are only possible for the protagonists of dramas, so if a heroine like that really existed...
When I thought about it, the first person that came to mind was Shinohara Ryoko. Shinohara has starred in numerous productions, and I have been watching her since my student days, and she is truly someone I admire. Why is that? Shinohara has such trust and strength that it makes me think, "Even if we can't do it, Shinohara Ryoko can do it." Through her role as the "protagonist of the drama," we are able to convey our feelings to Shinohara -- the main character in this drama, Fuyuki Kozue, is a role that only Shinohara can play. How does she overcome her trauma, break out of her shell, tear down her walls, and take flight? I hope you don't miss Shinohara's captivating "explosion" from start to finish.
An "impulse" that arises in an unexpected moment... If you are filled with such thoughts, be sure to watch this drama. On Sunday nights, Shinohara Ryoko will destroy this world of unreasonable discipline and intolerance on your behalf.
