When NBCUniversal licensed its hit legal drama Suits for a Japanese adaptation, producers had to make one major adjustment right out of the gate: swap a briefcase full of marijuana for cash.
According to Linfield Ng, VP of format sales and production, Asia at NBCUniversal Formats, the change was necessary because drugs cannot be depicted on Japanese television. While Korean and Mongolian remakes kept the original marijuana storyline from the U.S. pilot, the Japanese version successfully localized the prop without altering the core DNA of the show.
Ng shared this behind-the-scenes detail at the Taiwan Creative Content Fest (TCCF) in Taipei. He appeared alongside Fukaya Shunsuke, head of new format sales, Europe at TBS Television, during a panel session moderated by Videoland's Emily Chang to discuss how television formats are successfully adapted across different global markets.
Panelists emphasized that localized changes often require delicate balancing acts to respect local sensitivities and broadcast laws. Beyond legal dramas, Ng noted that SNL Korea similarly dropped musical segments and adjusted politically pointed cold opens to better fit local tastes. Despite these regional adjustments, executives stressed that understanding the cultural landscape while preserving a format's core framework remains essential to international television production.
