BBC acquires HBO Max’s Tokyo Vice
April 13, 2022
The BBC has acquired crime drama series Tokyo Vice. The series is co-produced by HBO Max, Endeavor Content and Japanese broadcaster WOWOW is based on American journalist Jake Adelstein’s non-fiction first-hand account of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police beat.
Filmed on location in Tokyo and starring Golden Globe nominee Ansel Elgort as Adelstein, Academy Award nominee Ken Watanabe, Academy Award nominee Rinko Kikuchi alongside Rachel Keller, Ella Rumpf, Hideaki Ito, Show Kasamatsu and Tomohisa Yamashita, the series depicts the daily descent into the neon-soaked underbelly of Tokyo in the late 1990s.
The series is written and created by Tony Award-winning playwright J.T. Rogers and four-time Academy Award nominee and Emmy winner Michael Mann directed the pilot.
Sue Deeks, Head of Programme Acquisition, BBC, commented: “The BBC are delighted to be the exclusive Free TV home of Tokyo Vice. With the first episode superbly orchestrated by Michael Mann, the series is a fascinating and immersive dive into the neon-lit underbelly of 1990’s Tokyo and a crime world dominated by the yakuza.”
The BBC has the second window in the UK with the free to air premiere and it will air later this year. The series recently premiered on HBO Max in the US.