Nippon TV Reveals Trio of New Formats

Nippon TV is heading to MIPTV with three new formats, including an escape game show with a horror twist.

In Dark Doubt, seven contestants attempt to break out through the pitch-black stages in order to clear missions within a time limit. While placed in unknown locations, contestants must work together to navigate through the dark to escape from fear. Secret contestant “moles” are also in the mix to heighten the thrill and suspense among contestants.

Turbo Brain is billed as the ultimate rapid-fire battle of the brains. Contestants will have to put their brains into turbo mode and answer questions at a supersonic speed. The universally themed questions are visually engaging and cognitively demanding. In a one-on-one knockout tournament, six contestants will compete to be crowned champion in this fun brain-teasing game show.

The scripted format Tall Older, a dramedy series, follows an executive assistant to the CEO of a startup company growing at breakneck speed. Initially, the boss bombards her day in and day out with tall orders he concocts on a whim. While barely ever having time to think carefully about her future, one day her boss asks her to be the CEO of a subsidiary. Complicating things even further are the “romantic hunches” she gets as she finds herself at the mercy of her charismatic boss.

Mikiko Nishiyama, managing director of international business development at Nippon TV, said: “In terms of our new unscripted formats, Dark Doubt turns its back on the traditional notion that game shows are just funny and lively. It illustrates how fear is a universal form of entertainment that fascinates people. Using night-vision and fixed-point cameras in pitch-dark spaces, the resulting visual impact is quite amazing. Turbo Brain tests the human brain’s ability to make instantaneous decisions­—a function necessary to survive. Viewers can immerse themselves in the show just like the contestants and take a shot at the quiz questions, whose difficulty levels are adjusted exquisitely so that they are tough to answer in a split second.”