Japanese dramas, October–December 2026: where to start

International co-production is the keyword this quarter. Nippon TV's Merry Berry Love (Oct 7) is made with Korea's CJ ENM, stars Ji Chang-wook and Mio Imada, and will stream worldwide on Disney+. Fuji TV's kiDnap GAME (Oct 6, starring Kentaro Sakaguchi) is the network's first drama series co-produced with overseas partners and is set in seven Asian cities including Seoul and Taipei. Asahi Broadcasting's SQUALL was shot on location in Singapore across every episode.

Sequels continue too. The VIVANT sequel on TBS's Sunday Theater, which began in July, runs for two consecutive cours and enters its second half in October, and TV Tokyo's Banshaku no Ryugi, a drama about evening drinks and the dishes that go with them, is airing its autumn–winter edition. Netflix's comedy-variety show with a scripted drama storyline, Last One Standing (Talk Survivor!), is set to return with a new series in November.

Among the new titles, Mou Papa! (TV Asahi network, Oct 4) looks at a father and daughter in the age of social media. Nanoka Hara and Shinichi Tsutsumi play the pair, and the script is by Erika Yoshida, writer of NHK's morning drama The Tiger and Her Wings.

Use the premiere schedule and the broadcaster lists below to pick a show; each title page has cast details and, where available, our editors' notes.