Nippon TV to bring murder mystery hybrid gameshow/drama format to Mipcom
Suspects on the Set sees actors investigate a murder by improvising their characters
Japanese broadcaster Nippon TV will be in Cannes next month for Mipcom with an entertainment format described as a mix of murder mystery gameshow and scripted crime drama.
Suspects on the Set sees a group of actors summoned to a crime scene to play a role in a mystery drama, with each given basic information about the character they play.
Their mission is to investigate the crime on the spot by improvising their characters, while one of them is playing the role of a murderer, trying to hide their real identity.
The project is one four new titles being brought to Mipcom by Nippon TV, along with studio gameshow 5 Friends, 5 Favours!, in which friends battle it out to win for their celebrity pals.
Two celebrities each summon five friends, who will compete in a challenge across five different categories using their different specialties and skill sets.
Nippon TV is also bringing the scripted drama format The Greatest Teacher, which follows the story of a high school teacher who is mysteriously pushed off a balcony after a graduation ceremony.
She then finds herself ‘rebooted’ back one year before and tasked with finding out the identity of the student who pushed her to her death to stop it from happening again.
The Apothecary Diaries, meanwhile, is an anime set in a superpower nation, where a young woman lives with the emperor’s wives in an inner palace and attempts to solve mysteries using her knowledge of poisons and medicines.
Mikiko Nishiyama, executive VP of global business at Nippon TV, said the titles comes as the 70-year-old broadcaster continues to strengthen its production and distribution capabilities with a focus on the international market.
“We are actively pursuing partnerships to produce original programmes, aiming for series adaptation in international markets, whether scripted or unscripted. To achieve these goals, those programmes will first be produced and broadcast in Japan as a pilot version for international markets,” said Nishiyama.
