"Drama 1 Week" brings you the latest drama news from the past week. This week (November 22nd-28th) featured news on Kyoko Yoshine's starring role as a rookie judge in NHK's special drama "Guilty, the AI Announced," and the return of Tsuyoshi Muro's drama series "My Lawyer is a Handful" (Fuji TV) for the first time in two years, with Haruka Kinami taking on the role of his new partner. This article covers these topics in two parts.
On November 22nd, it was announced that a reboot of "Five Ways to Socially Erase Your Husband" (TV Tokyo), a popular drama about an abused wife who socially punishes her "domestic abuser husband," nicknamed "Otosatsu," with a completely new cast and worldline, titled "Five Ways to Socially Erase Your Husband Re:venge," will air for two consecutive weeks on December 17th and 24th, starting at 1:00 AM. Former Hinatazaka46 member Shiho Kato plays the wife who seeks revenge on her abusive husband, played by Hiroki Iijima. The series will air on terrestrial television and as a short drama on DMM Short. The original work is the manga of the same name by Tatami Mita. It was adapted into a TV series in 2023 starring Fumika Baba and Shuhei Nomura, and season 2 aired in 2024, starring Rin Takanashi as the wife and Shuntaro Yanagi as the husband.
On the 22nd, it was revealed that Atsuhiro Tsuda of "Diane" will be appearing in the TBS Sunday Theatre "Reboot" (Sundays at 9 PM) in January 2026. Tsuda is also a regular in the currently airing Friday drama "Fake Mummy," and this will be his Sunday Theatre debut with a two-season drama series. The cast members announced this time are the "dark forces" closing in on the protagonist, played by Ryohei Suzuki. Kitamura Yukiya will play Wataru Goroku, who is ostensibly the president of Go-Six Corporation, which handles the food and hotel business, but also operates secretly in the underworld; Sakamoto Yoshi will play Isamu Kaieda, a legal advisor to Go-Six Corporation and a senior member of the Goroku secret organization; Yoshi Sakou will play Kikuchi, a senior member of the Goroku secret organization; and Tsuda will play Ando, another senior member of the Goroku secret organization.
On the 23rd, it was revealed that Taishi Nakagawa will be appearing in the eighth episode of the TBS Sunday Theatre drama "The Royal Family" (Sundays at 9 PM), starring Satoshi Tsumabuki, airing on November 30th. Nakagawa will play Nobuyuki, the son of Shiina Yoshihiro, played by Sawamura Kazuki. Nobuyuki advanced from kindergarten to university on an escalator-style system, and started his own business after graduating. After obtaining his horse owner's license, he and other horse owners of his age formed a volunteer group called the "Young Horse Owners' Association," aiming to break away from the traditions and formalities established by their parent generation and usher in a new generation. Nakajo Koichi (Koichi Sato), the illegitimate son of Sanno Kozo (Ren Meguro), who became a horse owner at a young age, appears as a new rival.
On the 23rd, it was announced that Kyoko Yoshine will star in the NHK drama special "Guilty, the AI Told Me," scheduled to air in spring 2026. The drama is a socially conscious entertainment piece that explores the growing penetration of AI into society and the role of humans who use it. Yoshine plays the protagonist, Madoka Takatoji, a judge at the Tokyo District Court and the granddaughter of the renowned female judge, Shizuka Takatoji. Her grandmother was an honorable judge who tirelessly strived to discern the truth, and while she respected her grandmother, she also felt pressured by her. While she is amazed by the high processing power of the AI "Hoshin" being experimentally introduced to the court, she is also deeply wary of AI being involved in court decisions that affect people's lives. The drama is scheduled to air on NHK BS and BS Premium 4K.
On the 25th, it was announced that Ryo Katsuji and Miori Takimoto will co-star in the Yomiuri TV/Nippon TV drama series "Ransom is Kidnapping" (starting January 8, 2026, Thursdays at 11:59 PM), which will air in January of next year. The two will play the lead couple, whose daughter is kidnapped and who end up committing the unwanted crime of "kidnapping another child." Katsuji plays Takeru Washio, a former detective with the Kanagawa Prefectural Police's First Investigative Division. He currently works for Town Keepers, a community-based crime prevention and security company. Takimoto plays Miu Washio, a housewife who also works part-time at a nearby family restaurant. However, when her 8-year-old daughter is kidnapped, she becomes so distraught that she makes the decision to cross the line in her desire to "get her child back."
On the 25th, it was announced that the popular drama series "My Lawyer is a Handful" (Fuji TV), which follows the story of a former high-powered manager and paralegal played by Muro Tsuyoshi Muro, who is manipulated by a rookie lawyer played by Hirate Yurina, will be returning for a special episode after two years. The series will air on January 4, 2026, at 9 PM, featuring a new partner, a celebrity lawyer played by Kinami Haruka. Anne (Hirate) transfers from Kasumi Law Firm to an American law firm, leaving Kuramae (Muro) with nothing to do but lose his lawyer. Meanwhile, when popular lawyer Higuchi Arata (Kinami) learns he wants to go independent, Kuramae and his team jump at the chance, but...
On the 25th, it was announced that Ryuhei Matsuda will star in the TV Asahi drama series "Detective-san, Your Backpack is Open," which will air from January 2026. This will be Matsuda's first lead role in a TV Asahi drama. The project, which began with Matsuda's suggestion that "if it's a mystery, a detective story would be good," has been joined by screenwriter and director Shuichi Okita, who will be teaming up for the third time after "Hikan Returns Home" (2016) and "0.5 Man" (2023). Matsuda will play Yosuke Ichinose, a detective and inventor who takes over his father's detective business after his disappearance while also devoting himself to inventions. Set in a rural hot spring town, Ichinose receives slightly strange requests that he solves in unconventional ways, making for a heartwarming story that is full of "relaxed" moments, sometimes making you laugh and sometimes crying.
