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Furuhata Ninzaburo

Name: Furuhata Ninzaburo
Genre: Drama, Crime
Released: 1994-04-13
Cast: Masakazu Tamura, Masahiko Nishimura, Takashi Kobayashi, Masanori Ishii

1994 | 4 seasons | 60 min | Drama, Crime

Weeknight Watchearly rating

Why it’s a Weeknight Watch

With little lasting buzz, it's a mixed bag. Fine if it's on; don't plan your night around it.

Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.

Is it for you?

Who'll love it: Made for crime-drama fans. If you loved Agatha Christie's Poirot or Fargo, start here.
The mood: Dark and gritty.
The pace: 4 seasons: a few months of evenings, hour-long episodes, about 36 hours in all.
What might put you off: It's in Japanese, so expect subtitles (or a dub).

Furuhata Ninzaburō is a Japanese television series that ran periodically on Fuji Television from 1994 until its final episodes in 2006. It was written by Japanese playwright Kōki Mitani and is often referred to as the Japanese version of Columbo. The series is a police detective drama starring actor Masakazu Tamura as Furuhata Ninzaburo and Masahiko Nishimura as his stereotypically bumbling sidekick, Shintaro Imaizumi. The program aired weekly and featured a guest villain each time, usually a famous talent in Japan. Pop-stars like SMAP, television hosts like Sanma Akashiya and even sports figures like Ichiro Suzuki have been featured on this program. It was one of the most popular television dramas in the history of Japanese television, having spawned several seasons and TV specials.

How it earned its rating

CriticsNot counted
Not enough reviews on record yet
AudiencesNot counted
Not measured yet: not enough ratings
AwardsNot counted
No major awards or nominations
Reach & staying powerSolid
Ran for 4 seasons and reached a small audience so far; still draws a steady audience long after release
Buzz & cultural impactBelow par
About 26K people sought it out in the past year