Old Enough! Comes of Age

Last night on Canada’s TVO, the new series Old Enough! made its debut, featuring the adventures of Canadian kids taking on independent tasks. The show is the latest adaptation of the Nippon TV hit Old Enough!, which debuted in prime time more than 30 years ago and quickly found success.

“After the show established itself as a staple in households, we saw the opportunity and developed a global unscripted format based on its wholesomeness,” says Tom Miyauchi, head of formats at Nippon TV. Italy was the first to adapt the format in 2007, followed by the U.K., Vietnam, China and Singapore.

The show catapulted to international fame when it made its way to Netflix. “It coincided with the timing when we were strengthening the sales of the format,” Miyauchi recalls. “We edited our original Japanese version to create a version for Netflix that did not include studio talks by the host or guests, to focus purely on the entertainment of children running errands. Usually, when we sell a ready-made program, we do not alter much. However, we predicted that global producers would be among the vast Netflix audience watching the show and took it as a great occasion to showcase the format of the show as well.”

Miyauchi says that the reason Old Enough! continues to be successful after all these years is because “what we have found to be important is not just the show itself, but it is in capturing the genuine essence of first-time experiences of the children and their families. The show’s core pillar of capturing the authenticity of the child’s first errand remains constant across all adaptations. We are only there to film the first errand as it is, and it is the raw emotions and reactions of the children and their families that keep audiences connected to this global format.”

There are some original spins created by different countries, but the pillar is always there, he adds. “For example, in the Canadian version produced by Blue Ant Studios, the show begins with interviews with the parents before showing the errand. They also end the show with another interview with the same parents. This approach allows audiences to connect with the parents’ emotions before their children’s big adventures, fostering empathy during the errand and providing a sense of fulfillment and catharsis when the task is successfully completed. It shows their growth as parents, too. While sometimes the parents are hesitant at first, giving autonomy to their children leads to a positive impact that allows both the children and parents to learn and grow.”

The Canadian version also showcases a diverse array of families, reflecting Canada’s multicultural society. “Each family brought a unique parenting and educational style influenced by their country of origin, offering a fascinating and distinctive perspective that may resonate with the modern family worldwide,” Miyauchi says.

The Singapore version, which has three seasons already, also had a unique twist, in which they showed the family watching the finished video of their children that went on the errand on the corner of the screen during the show. “It was like a play-by-play being reenacted by the actual parents,” Miyauchi explains. “They were emotional, praying and cheering their children going on their first errand, which offers a deeper connection between the audience and the family’s experience.”

These adaptations proved highly effective, Miyauchi adds, “satisfying both the families participating in the errands and catering to the preferences of viewers in each country.”

As for the new Canadian treatment, Miyauchi says, “Blue Ant Studios is renowned for creating outstanding shows featuring children and leveraged their expertise effectively in both casting and filming the errands. Additionally, they aimed to highlight contemporary parenting styles and showcase modern Canadian families where multiculturalism is a natural part of life.”

The Nippon TV format has tapped into many of the aspects that audiences (and buyers) are looking for in the unscripted entertainment landscape today. “The show is perfect for modern viewers who are conscious of time efficiency and for buyers/creators looking for high viewer satisfaction,” Miyauchi says. “Its unpredictable and factual nature ensures an exciting and satisfying viewing experience every time. Viewers who are highly satisfied often tend to research the show’s background and, upon discovering that it has been a hit for over 30 years outside their own country, find even more joy in the show.

“It is also scalable and flexible: you could incorporate studio elements into the show’s format just like ours, or the structure can be adapted to focus specifically on the tasks themselves, similar to how we structured the show for Netflix,” Miyauchi adds.

The success of Old Enough! also plays into the wider Nippon TV format strategy. “We were able to experience the global trend of creating a dynamic TV format deriving from an OTT platform streaming success,” Miyauchi says. “It has been a revelation to see a show that we believed could only work in Japan expand into different cultural regions around the world as a format. Even though Nippon TV is often associated with game shows, it was made clear that there is a wealth of high-quality factual content domestically that can be successfully adapted as international formats.”

It has had a positive effect on the rollout of other Nippon TV formats as well, starting with Silent Library’s multiple seasons in Finland and Red Carpet Survival for Prime Video Italy, to name a few. Miyauchi also points to the success of studio game shows, business reality shows and talent-led comedic shows such as Doki Doki Video, Money or Junk, Dragons’ Den/Shark Tank and 5 Friends, 5 Favours! in traveling as formats. “I think the reason behind this is that they work for both linear and streaming with unique creative twists and fulfill the need to feel good as well as have a good laugh, appealing to a broad target audience,” Miyauchi says.