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Nippon TV has ordered a second season of Talpa Studios’ game show “The Floor” in Japan, building on the format’s first full adaptation in Asia.
The new season will premiere Oct. 21 across its national network.
The season
will run as a weekly series with an all-celebrity cast of 32 contestants, a step up from the show’s Japanese debut. “The Floor” launched in Japan in March this year as a three-hour prime-time celebrity special, marking the format’s first adaptation in Asia. Okada Junichi, the actor whose international profile has risen following the Netflix series “Last Samurai Standing,” returns as host.
Oi Shuichi, managing director of programming and platform strategy in Nippon TV’s content strategy headquarters, said, “Nippon TV’s edition of ‘The Floor’ received an overwhelmingly positive response when it first premiered this March; its fast-paced gameplay and strategic psychological battles set it apart from traditional Japanese quiz shows. Following that success, we are delighted to bring the show to Japanese audiences as a regular weekly series. ‘The Floor’ goes beyond the boundaries of a conventional quiz format to deliver compelling human drama, laying bare the contestants’ raw emotions and relentless determination. We believe it will become must-watch weekly viewing for Japanese audiences from October onward.”
Contestants advance by winning knowledge duels against a neighbor on a grid of 100 illuminated tiles, each assigned its own subject area, ranging from sports figures to landmark architecture. Whoever wins a duel absorbs the loser’s tile and expands their hold on the grid, while the defeated contestant is eliminated outright. After eight episodes, whoever controls the entire grid takes home €100,000 ($116,383).
Nanzai Misaki, creative director at Nippon TV, said the Japanese version of “The Floor” brings together top comedians, celebrities, YouTubers and Olympic medalists for head-to-head battles to stay in the game. “Knowledge alone is not enough – it also takes unwavering mental strength, strategic thinking, and the ability to make split-second decisions under pressure,” she said. “I am truly delighted to bring audiences the genuine emotion and human drama that only a competition as intense as ‘The Floor’ can draw out of its contestants.”
“The Floor” has now sold in more than 30 territories worldwide for Talpa Studios, the independent production company founded by John de Mol. Its non-scripted portfolio also includes “The Quiz With Balls,” “Caught in the Middle,” “The Alliance” and “The Tribute – Battle of the Bands,” alongside co-developed titles such as “Trivial Pursuit,” “99 to Beat,” “Let’s Play Ball,” “Most Wanted” and “A Party to Die For.”
Nippon TV, which owns streaming platform Hulu in Japan, holds full ownership of nearly 90% of its content IP and has expanded its international footprint through anime, ready-made programs, formats and co-productions. The broadcaster launched in-house production arm Gyokuro Studio in 2025, alongside a Los Angeles business office handling co-development and sales for the U.S. and Latin America.
Sebastian van Barneveld, director of global distribution at Talpa Studios, said, “A second season in Japan is an exceptional achievement and something we’re incredibly proud of. Japan is one of the world’s most competitive entertainment markets, where recommissions for international formats are far from guaranteed. Seeing ‘The Floor’ return so quickly is a fantastic endorsement of the format’s universal appeal and a testament to the outstanding collaboration with Nippon TV.”
