Suits Japan Swapped Weed for Cash — and the Format Survived

By Daniel Okafor

In Japan's version of "Suits," the briefcase that pops open mid-interview holds cash, not marijuana. Drugs can't appear on Japanese television, so NBCUniversal's licensees made the swap. "But the concept is the same. Again, that did not change the DNA of the show," said Linfield Ng, VP of format sales and production, Asia at NBCUniversal Formats.

Ng shared the stage at Taiwan Creative Content Fest (TCCF) in Taipei with Fukaya Shunsuke, head of new format sales, Europe at TBS Television. Emily Chang, who heads financial news at Taiwan's Videoland and produces "Shark Tank Taiwan," moderated the session on market-by-market adaptation.

The Korean and Mongolian "Suits" remakes kept the marijuana intact. Japan, evidently, is the outlier with the cleanest briefcase.

What gets changed — and what never does?

Ng's rule: adjust the trim, keep the chassis. On "Suits," every legal case gets localized, while the core story of the man practicing law without a degree stays untouched.

"SNL Korea" took heavier surgery. Producers dropped the musical segment, because Korea already has a glut of music and countdown shows. They also asked to soften or skip the U.S. show's politically pointed cold open (the sketch that opens each episode) at sensitive moments, replacing it with topical material. "We just make slight changes to adapt to the local sensitivity and the local landscape," Ng said.

NBCUniversal has produced more than 25 versions of "Top Chef" and runs a "Top Chef" summit where producers from different countries trade notes on challenges, shooting styles and local results. Ng, who joined the company in 2011 after stints at BBC Worldwide, Endemol Asia and Warner Bros. Pictures, described the process: his Singapore-based team holds pre-production calls weeks or months ahead, sends a producer on set during the shoot, and reviews early episodes before broadcast. Asian versions often add celebrity panels and extra behind-the-scenes drama — always agreed in advance. "So there will never be any surprises where it comes to us, it goes on air, and go like, 'What is that?'" Ng said.

How do you export an obstacle course?

Fukaya, who joined TBS in 2009 and spent 12 years in production before moving to sales, pointed to "Sasuke" — known internationally as "Ninja Warrior" — TBS's biggest format, with local versions in 25 countries. "'Ninja Warrior' has a truly universal theme – a human versus giant obstacles – that you can express in one line, and anyone can understand it regardless of country or culture," he said.

TBS keeps a brand guide for the show, separate from the production bible, defining it as an Olympics for unknown athletes built on serious sportsmanship. When the U.S. and U.K. wanted a head-to-head version, TBS built a derivative race format. Every new variation gives the company another way to sell the brand. Host-driven talk shows, by contrast, rarely travel: TBS licenses framework, rules and game, and banter between particular hosts doesn't reproduce abroad.

Co-development has grown since TBS declared its first global year two years ago. Fukaya made two shows with U.K. distributor All3Media International — "Lovers or Liars?" in 2024 and "Tono" a year later — serving as business and creative producer on both. In "Lovers or Liars?," four couples take the stage, only one genuine, and a panel must spot the real pair from clues such as watching them sing or dance together.

When the British side proposed ballroom dancing, Fukaya got stuck between teams: couples dancing that way isn't part of Japanese culture. He asked why they wanted it. The answer was body contact, which reveals which couple is real, so the team settled on choreography with plenty of touching. "When cultures clash, I think it's best for the person standing in the middle to confirm what the creative intent is, and find the point of contact there," Fukaya said. Asked whether he ballroom dances himself, he laughed and said no.

Do midnight ratings matter?

TBS airs co-developed pilots in late-night slots, and Fukaya said ratings there matter less than the fact a show has actually been produced and broadcast terrestrially rather than pitched on paper. Some late-night pilots are now selling well overseas. "I can't share the details yet, but I think there will be news soon," he said.

Ng confirmed Japan always tests pilots at midnight. "So how much of a rating you can get at midnight timeslot is actually very challenging," he said.

What is Asia selling back to the world?

Ng's third-party pickups include Korea's "Hidden Singer" and "Drive Thru-Oke" and Spain's "Crush." In 2026 alone, NBCUniversal Formats added three Asian formats:

• Korea's "Unboxing the Flavours," a cooking show that began on YouTube
• TBS's "Action Arena," which Ng likened to a studio-based arcade game
• Chukyo TV's "Save Money" from Japan

He looks for clear structure, scalability across budgets, a distinct selling point, and formats friendly to sponsors. "Because in the U.S., many a times, it is all funded by the networks, but in Asia, it's always sponsors first," Ng said.

NBCUniversal Formats has sold more than 40 format brands across Asia and logged 39 seasons across 17 territories in 2025 alone. Rights deals are often split by region — NBCUniversal may take Asia while an owner such as TBS keeps Europe.

Some formats simply refuse to travel. NBCUniversal acquired MBC's "Dad! Where Are We Going?" and loved it, but it couldn't work in Europe, where celebrities won't put their children on TV for privacy and security reasons. Entertainment and game shows make up about 59% of formats selling well globally, per a 2026 K7 report Ng cited, versus about 40% in Asia. Game shows don't work in Korea, so his team never pitches them there. Mongolia buys only what suits its market.

Ng's advice to Asian creators: research first, and know what sets the show apart. "You've got to grab them within the first one to two minutes," he said. Asked which elevator offers a one-minute pitch with him, he replied: "You just got to find the right elevator."

Chang tested two Taiwanese shows on him. He enjoyed Videoland's night-market competition format but questioned how many countries have a street-food culture big enough to sustain a local version. He preferred TVBS's beauty show "Nu Ren Wo Zui Da," which has been adapted. "Which woman around the whole world doesn't want to look better?" Ng said.

Chang also traced her own show's lineage: "Shark Tank," licensed by Videoland from Sony Pictures Television, began as Nippon TV's "Money Tigers" in 2001, became "Dragons' Den" in the U.K. and "Shark Tank" in the U.S., and now airs in more than 50 countries. The Taiwan version had to persuade its U.S. and U.K. partners, with polling and market data, that local viewers needed on-screen captions the original's clean look doesn't use.

Where does format protection begin?

Fukaya joined the advisory board of the Format Recognition and Protection Association (FRAPA) in 2026. The group sets criteria for where a format's protected idea begins and ends, since proving copying legally is difficult. Building an exact replica of "Ninja Warrior's" Warped Wall would be a clear violation, he said.

Ng said buying an IP means learning from the owner's mistakes, and NBCUniversal would never again partner with a company that copies. "No one wants to buy a copy version," he said.

The market keeps moving regardless. TBS's "Action! No Reaction" is under option in over 10 European territories, and Fukaya said buyers now ask above all for comedy game shows, driven by the success of "Documental," "LOL," "Freeze" and TBS's own "Takeshi's Castle."

"You just have to know your market, and you just have to basically think globally and act locally," Ng said.