Netflix Picks Up Weekly Episodes of New Japanese Series: 'Pray Speak What Has Happened' & 'Passing The Reins'

Picture Credits: Netflix

Netflix has confirmed it’ll be getting weekly episodes of two new Japanese dramas beginning in October 2025. Passing The Reins (also known as The Royal Family) from TBS will begin dropping episodes starting October 13th, while Pray Speak What Has Happened from Fuji TV will debut weekly beginning on October 19th in select regions.

Let’s run through each of the new shows and who will be appearing:

Beginning with Passing the Reins, which Netflix has renamed from its other English translation and one listed on MyDramaList as “The Royal Family,” the streamer will be hoping to capture fans from shows like Yellowstone, with its inclusion of horses.

The plot centers on Kurisu Eiji, a certified tax accountant who has spent his life on a specific path to join his father’s firm. After an incident, his life’s dreams fall apart. Now on a new path, he meets a wealthy horse owner and becomes immediately hooked on the world of horse racing.

The cast for this title includes:

Satoshi Tsumabuki (Waterboys, Josee) as Kurisu Eiji
Ren Meguro (Snow Man)
Wakana Matsumoto (Dr. Asura, My Precious) as Nozaki Kanako
Masanobu Ando (Black Scandal) as Hironaka Hiroshi
Mahiro Takasugi as Saki Ryujiro
Kenjiro Tsuda as Taira Tsuneaki
Hisashi Yoshizawa as Aiso Masaomi
Katsumi Kiba
Toshinori Omi
Nagisa Sekimizu
Erika Osanai
Hiroki Akiyama
Kotaro Koizumi as Sanno Yutaro
Hitomi Kuroki as Sanno Kyoko
Ikki Sawamura as Shiina Yoshihiro
Koichi Sato as Sanno Kozo

Adapted from the novel by Kazumasa Hayami, the series is set to consist of 10 episodes according to MyDramaList. The series is written by Kohei Kiyasu and directed by Ayuko Tsukahara, Ayato Matsuda, and Ryosuke Fukawa.

Picture: MyDramaList

Pray Speak What Has Happened is a stylish, offbeat drama set in 1984 Shibuya, where a disillusioned young theater director stumbles into the enigmatic WS Theater. There, amid smoke-filled backrooms and eccentric performers, he rediscovers his artistic spark while wrestling with questions of ambition, identity, and authenticity. Written by acclaimed playwright Kōki Mitani, the series blends dry humor with melancholy reflection, utilizing the bohemian backdrop of 1980s Tokyo to explore how art can both liberate and consume those who pursue it.

Masaki Suda, Fumi Nikaido, Ryunosuke Kamiki, and Minami Hamabe lead the series. The ensemble also features Junki Tozuka, Ahn Mika, Sayaka Akimoto, Miu Tomita, Rinko Kikuchi, Eiko Koike, Hayato Ichihara, Kaoru Kobayashi, Jun Inoue, Toru Nomaguchi, Yajuro Bando, and more.

Produced by Fuji TV, Pray Speak What Has Happened will roll out weekly on Netflix beginning October 19th, 2025, following its initial Japanese launch on October 1st.

This is just the latest pickups Netflix has bagged from TBS in the past few years. Most recent Japanese series pickups include After School Doctor, Chihayafuru: Meguri, and Cinderella Closet, among many others. Of course, Netflix also continues to stream a bunch of licensed anime on a weekly basis, plus has its own lineup of Original titles from the country, with the most recent noteworthy addition being season 3 of Alice in Borderland.