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The story
TV Asahi announced at its September 16 programming briefing that it will end its Tuesday 9pm drama slot as part of the October schedule overhaul. The slot has delivered talked-about hits like “Reunion ~Silent Truth~,” “Reborn ~The Last Hero~,” and “Crossroad ~A Promise of Emergency Care~,” but its replacement will be a travel variety show hosted by Yoshizumi Ishihara and Kotaro Koizumi, expanding from one hour to two. On 5ch, users debated whether sagging ratings and high production costs were behind the cancellation, argued over whether core-demographic ratings or household ratings should be the real yardstick, and traded opinions on how TV Asahi stacks up against Fuji TV in the ratings race.
September 16, 2026
On September 16, TV Asahi held a briefing on its “October 2026 programming overhaul,” announcing changes to the Tuesday 9pm slot that has aired its serial dramas.
In recent years the slot has featured dramas such as “Reunion ~Silent Truth~” starring Ryoma Takeuchi (January 2026 season), “Reborn ~The Last Hero~” starring Issey Takahashi (April 2026 season), and “Crossroad ~A Promise of Emergency Care~” starring Mio Imada (July 2026 season), but it has now been decided that the drama slot will end starting with the October season. Taking its place, the previously one-hour “Japan Exploration Academic Variety: Tuesday’s Yoshizumi & Kotaro,” hosted by TV personality Yoshizumi Ishihara and actor Kotaro Koizumi (which had aired Tuesdays at 8pm), will expand to two hours and relaunch as “Spectacular Views & World Heritage: Tuesday’s Yoshizumi & Kotaro.”
Source: news.livedoor.com / Original article here
What people said
That's just because Hodo Station (the news show right before it) starts early and drags the average up
Hate all of them.
No clue what's supposed to be entertaining about any of them.
I'd like to see Mina
She'd fit well with TV Asahi
then again it's the same deal as Chidori, Kamaitachi, and Diane popping up everywhere too
It's the other way around
Fuji TV's drama slot is the one losing to TV Asahi's in the ratings
It'll probably just alternate biweekly with Platinum Family — though I don't watch either one
I was watching 'Sayonara Noir' on TVer
'The Detectives Who Kept Their Names' was on TVer too
Did TV Asahi lose to Fuji?
That drama slot is bombing at rock-bottom levels though
That's because that slot is produced by Asahi Broadcasting!?
That one's produced by ABC
TV Asahi has nothing to do with it
If the ratings are going to be low either way, they'll shift to cheaper variety shows
But World Heritage sites and overseas location shoots seem like they'd cost a lot too!?
Core ratings matter especially for dramas — household ratings are garbage
Along with Riisa Naka's drama, both individual and core ratings are bombing though
A few years back TV Asahi thought the same and shifted to prioritizing core ratings, but it backfired, so they went back to prioritizing household ratings
Location shoot costs aren't cheap for dramas, and they don't even pull decent numbers
Saturday 10pm is becoming the drama slot.
Say what you will, but it's actually one of the top 3 highest-rated network dramas out there.
Old folks would watch that, right?
Too costly and time-consuming, so they probably won't
It's a clear signal they're done chasing younger viewers
Kaji Yarou was actually aimed more at the older crowd, and it got cut alongside Hanataka when they were prioritizing core ratings
Background and Key Points of This Story
TV Asahi’s Tuesday 9pm slot has in recent years featured leads like Ryoma Takeuchi, Issey Takahashi, and Mio Imada, but none of these are said to have become a genuine ratings hit. As pointed out on the thread, the network reportedly shifted its evaluation metric from household ratings to core-demographic ratings (viewers 49 and under) a few years ago, only to swing back to prioritizing household ratings after that approach backfired — meaning the slot’s fate can’t be explained by a single number. Dramas rack up heavy costs from overseas location shoots and cast fees, while travel variety shows are seen as comparatively cheap and reliably steady in the ratings, and the thread leaned toward the view that the cancellation reflects a cost-benefit calculation as much as poor ratings. Views on whether TV Asahi is losing or winning against Fuji TV were split right down the middle — with both “lost to Fuji” and “actually TV Asahi is ahead” claims appearing — and that unresolved back-and-forth is an easy point for readers to get the wrong idea about.
※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Entertainment/Sports News+) thread “TV Asahi to End Tuesday 9pm Drama Slot, Expand ‘Yoshizumi & Kotaro’ to 2 Hours & Former NTV Announcer Erina Iwata Joins.”
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