Mother Makes Its Mark

TV Drama looks at how Nippon TV’s Mother is traveling across the globe.

First aired on Nippon TV in 2010, Mother has found a second life on the international drama landscape in the last few years. From Hisashi Tsugiya, the series was largely dormant in Nippon TV’s extensive drama catalog until 2016, when it caught the eye of Turkey’s MF Yapim/MEDYAPIM. Produced for Star TV as Anne, the show has proven to be a significant hit domestically (and internationally, with the Turkish version rolled out to multiple markets by Global Agency). Meanwhile, the Korean adaptation, produced by Studio Dragon (the drama production company owned by CJ ENM) for tvN, was selected as one of ten international dramas showcased at CANNESERIES this year. And now a Ukrainian edition is in the works, courtesy of STB.

“We loved this interesting idea, the plot and the intrigue of the story,” says Ekaterina Shevelyuk, the head of programming for STB, about the series, which focuses on a teacher who takes in a child who is being abused. “We felt if we could make the right adaptation that will fit our realities, it could be quite [relatable] to our female viewers. ***Image***It is very important for our viewers to identify themselves with the main character. That’s what we found in this series.”

“The title is Mother, it’s about the strength that a mother has, the kindness that a mother has, the responsibility that she has in raising a child—once you get that message across, you can do whatever you like to make it right for Ukraine,” Tsugiya said to Shevelyuk in their first meeting after the deal was closed. The concept can translate, he notes, “just as long as those three strengths of the mother do not change.”

Tsugiya highlights one other crucial element about the scripted format: “It looks like a story about a young girl who was abused by her parents but is saved by a person who has no blood relationship to her. It’s really the story of a teacher who was lonely, but by having someone to look after, her life changes. So it looks like the teacher is saving the child, but it’s actually the teacher who is being saved by the child.”

Hearing this, Shevelyuk responded, “We will take this essence and understand that there are two key persons in this story, the child and the teacher. They need each other to find meaning in their lives. Most of our viewers have children and this will be very close to them, this intimate and sensitive relationship between these two characters.”

Shevelyuk says she has seen some episodes of the Turkish adaptation, but the STB edition will stick more closely to the Japanese original—including in its episode count. The Nippon TV version ran for 11 episodes, and Shevelyuk says she expects STB’s to be between 12 and 16.

Shevelyuk adds that she’s keen to explore other “high-concept” scripted ideas from Japan and different parts of Asia. “Other markets have a lot of dark, noir stories, with children being killed or kidnapped—we stay away from that,” she says.

Nippon TV, meanwhile, is positioning itself as a significant source for producers and broadcasters across the globe looking for compelling ideas to adapt. Another female-centric drama from Tsugiya, Woman, has also spawned a Turkish edition. MF Yapim/MEDYAPIM, which produced both Mother and Woman in Turkey, is now adapting Nippon TV’s My Son. The Japanese media giant is also looking to drive sales on anone, Tsugiya’s latest production.

Cindy Chino, the senior director of international business development at Nippon TV, says that the company’s overall international distribution operations have greatly benefited from its scripted-format deals in Turkey. “Turkey has become our gateway to the regions we have never reached before,” Chino says. “Since the Turkish version of Mother became a grand success on Star TV, we are reporting that distribution has expanded to 29 countries in areas such as Central and Southern America, Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Accumulating sales reports from these areas is something we have never experienced in our history of international sales. The Turkish adaptation of Japanese drama series has set a new trend in the international scripted industry.”