The success of the 'Cold Case' remake is credited with helping to usher in a trend of Japanese network remakes of American TV drama series, such as 'Suits,' 'The Good Wife' and '24.'
Warner Bros. International Television Production and Japanese pay-TV broadcaster WOWOW are partnering for a third season of Japan's hit local-language remake of Cold Case.
The new season, titled Cold Case: The Door to the Truth, will star Yo Yoshida, Kento Nagayama, Kenichi Takito, Ken Mitsuishi and Tomokazu Miura. Directors include Takafumi Hatano, Akira Uchikata and Toshiyuki Morishita. The third season, which will again be ten episodes, will premiere in Winter 2020.
The commission will bring the series to 30 episodes in total – the requisite number for global licensing and distribution deals.
The first two seasons of Cold Case achieved ratings highs in their respective Saturday night slots for WOWOW. The success of the Cold Case remake is credited with helping to usher in a trend of Japanese networks remaking American TV drama series, such as Suits, The Good Wife and a 24 remake that is planned to for production later in 2020.
The original Cold Case, created by Meredith Stiehm, was a ratings hit for CBS over seven seasons from 2003 to 2010. The show was set in Philadelphia and followed Detective Lilly Rush (Kathryn Morris starred in the U.S. version), a homicide detective with the Philadelphia Police Department who specializes in "cold cases," or investigations which are no longer actively pursued by the department.
WOWOW also has aired all of the original U.S. English-language episodes of Cold Case, which the network says "have garnered strong ratings and cultivated a devout fan base throughout Japan that appreciates the show’s style, pace, tone and storytelling."
In Season 3 of the Japanese version, the solidarity of the Kanagawa Prefectural Police Investigation Division 1, led by Yuri Ishikawa (played by Yo Yoshida), is put to test as they reveal the truth behind several cases buried in the darkness. The season also reveals stories of the individual characters that have not been told before.
