The Netflix reality TV show wave is continuing to swell up, with the streaming giant now moving further afield into Japan to bring five new reality series from the East Asian country into an audience in the western world.
Netflix just revealed the new shows at the Seoul, South Korea office, showcasing the next batch of unscripted content. Dating and variety shows are two of the most popular TV show genres in Japan, and now more will be brought to Europe and America.
Dai Ota, Netflix’s Japan content manager, recently stated, “We’re excited to move into a new phase of our content strategy, ramping up our investments in unscripted and bringing new concepts to the screen. We want to elevate the unscripted category with great production values and storytelling from Japan’s most innovative creative voices.”
The new reality lineup includes the dating shows Is She the Wolf? and Love Like a K-Drama, the former of which sees a fake dater with a mission to keep their secret identity hidden, while the latter has four Korean actors and four Japanese actors trying to land acting roles by performing in steamy auditions.
Meanwhile, there’s a spin on the classic comedy-variety show called Lighthouse, which will feature musician and actor Gen Hoshino and comedian Masayasu Wakabayashi embarking on a six-month journey whilst discussing their personal lives and deepest fears.
Netflix have also announced the second season of Last One Standing, the comedy competition show, and a new round of episodes for the middle-aged dating show Love Village will also find its way onto screens at some point in the future.
Dai Ota has said that Netflix are taking their Japanese ambitions seriously by acknowledging the fact that 70 per cent of non-linear programming in the country is taken up by reality, dating and variety shows.
