From our other sites
The story
It has been decided that the new series of the drama Midnight Diner, starring actor Kaoru Kobayashi, will air from October 20 in the “Dramaism” slot on the MBS/TBS network, and the full cast of 21 performers has been announced all at once. Based on the manga of the same name by Yaro Abe (with cumulative sales of 9 million copies), the series has run since 2009, and it has now been revealed that regular cast members such as Yutaka Matsushige and Joe Odagiri will return. On 5ch, in light of the show’s earlier stint streaming exclusively on Netflix, comments included reactions like “so it’s back on terrestrial TV,” praise for the idea that the show only really works as a late-night program, and posts expressing genuine attachment to the theme song and the regular characters.
Oricon 2026-09-23 12:00
It has been decided that the new series of the drama Midnight Diner, starring actor Kaoru Kobayashi, will air from October 20 in the “Dramaism” slot (every Tuesday late night, among other times) on MBS, TBS, and affiliated stations, and the cast has been announced all at once.
Midnight Diner is based on the manga of the same name by Yaro Abe, known as one of Japan’s quintessential “food” comics with over 9 million copies sold worldwide across the series. It was first adapted into a drama in 2009 starring Kobayashi. Set in a small eatery called “Meshiya” tucked away in a corner of the entertainment district, the show weaves together small stories born at the counter as a variety of customers — differing in gender, age, and circumstance — pass through the shop.
Source: oricon.co.jp / Read the original article here
What people said
Right?
Whoever picked that song had incredible taste.
Though he's already passed away.
They're really showing their age now.
Regulars like Mansaku Fuwa, Yutaka Matsushige, the trio of office ladies, and Joe Odagiri really left an impression.
Asked an AI — apparently braised pork belly (China) and loach soup (Korea).
In the way, in the way… par-don my in-tru-sion.
If they put it in the Friday 10pm slot ('Kin-10,' a prime late-evening drama timeslot), they could probably pull double-digit ratings.
People must tell you you're often a little off, huh?
It airs from around 1:26am to 1:56am.
They call it 'Midnight Diner.'
Do viewers actually show up at that hour? Well, turns out, they do.
In the drama it's actually set in the fictional town of Yomogi-cho.
By the way, the beer is the fictional 'Nadeshiko Beer.'
Wonder who I was mixing him up with.
Ken Hagiwara? Keizo Kanie? Ren Osugi? Eiji Okuda? Tetta Sugimoto?
They don't get that it was popular precisely because it was a late-night drama.
I love the flavor Kosuzu brings to it.
Wonder if the Ochazuke Sisters are still single 😳
Are you still eating?
He basically only eats red fish sausages and sweet rolled omelette.
This seems headed for a flop.
Why not just leave it as it was in 2009?
Did they finally cut ties with those guys?
Is it the same kind of deal as when Rui Yoshida showed up in 'Lonely Gourmet'?
I recall he was also in 'Wakako-zake.'
Matsushige has been in this since Part 1, Episode 1, back in 2009.
'Lonely Gourmet' didn't start until 2012.
This one came first.
He's a regular playing a yakuza, come on.
Background and key points of this discussion
Midnight Diner began in 2009 in the “Dramaism” slot on MBS/TBS, and partway through the series Netflix joined as a streaming partner. In the thread, comments lamenting that “it lost that late-night-drama feel once Netflix got involved” appeared alongside others welcoming the news that the show is returning to the same broadcast slot this time — an interesting split over whether streaming or terrestrial TV suits the show better. There’s also a bit of confusion worth clearing up: some posts assumed Yutaka Matsushige’s appearance was a cameo-style nod similar to Rui Yoshida’s role in “Lonely Gourmet,” but Matsushige has actually been a regular since the very first episode in 2009 — meaning Midnight Diner predates “Lonely Gourmet” (which began in 2012), not the other way around. It’s also worth noting that comments describing the returning cast in terms of “aging” or “milking a hit for all it’s worth” are jabs at the franchise’s production approach, not personal attacks on the cast members themselves.
*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Entertainment/Sports News+) thread “New series of the drama ‘Midnight Diner’ announced — all 21 cast members revealed at once, broadcast start date decided, regulars galore.”
Leave a Reply