Furuhata Ninzaburō is a Japanese television series that ran periodically on Fuji Television from 1994 until its final episodes in 2006. It was written by Japanese playwright Kōki Mitani and is often referred to as the Japanese version of Columbo. The series is a police detective drama starring actor Masakazu Tamura as Furuhata Ninzaburo and Masahiko Nishimura as his stereotypically bumbling sidekick, Shintaro Imaizumi. The program aired weekly and featured a guest villain each time, usually a famous talent in Japan. Pop-stars like SMAP, television hosts like Sanma Akashiya and even sports figures like Ichiro Suzuki have been featured on this program. It was one of the most popular television dramas in the history of Japanese television, having spawned several seasons and TV specials.
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The peak run. Top 40% of seasons by average rating — consecutive, with an average of 9.50.
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Masakazu Tamura
古畑任三郎
Masahiko Nishimura
今泉慎太郎
Takashi Kobayashi
向島音吉
Masanori Ishii
西園寺守
All 33 episodes plotted by IMDb rating
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12 episodes • 1994Avg: 9.3
| # | Episode | Air Date | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Message from the Dead | Apr 13, 1994 | 8.3 |
| 2 | The Moving Corpse | Apr 20, 1994 | 9.0 |
| 3 | The Laughing Corpse | Apr 27, 1994 | 9.0 |
| 4 | The Killing Fax | May 4, 1994 | 10.0 |
| 5 | The Dirty King | May 11, 1994 | 9.0 |
| 6 | The Piano Lesson | May 18, 1994 | 10.0 |
| 7 | Rehearsal for Murder | May 25, 1994 | 10.0 |
| 8 | Murder Express | Jun 1, 1994 | 9.0 |
| 9 | Broadcast Murder | Jun 8, 1994 | 9.0 |
| 10 | The Contradictory Corpse | Jun 15, 1994 | 9.0 |
| 11 | Sayonara DJ | Jun 22, 1994 | 10.0 |
| 12 | The Final Greeting | Jun 29, 1994 | 9.0 |
10 episodes • 1996Avg: 9.5Golden Era
| # | Episode | Air Date | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Man Who Talks Too Much | Jan 10, 1996 | 9.0 |
| 2 | The Woman Who Doesn't Smile | Jan 17, 1996 | 10.0 |
| 3 | Master of the Game | Jan 24, 1996 | 9.0 |
| 4 | Red or Blue | Jan 31, 1996 | 9.0 |
| 5 | Reward for Hypocrisy | Feb 7, 1996 | 9.0 |
| 6 | Furuhata Ninzaburô vs. the Quiz King | Feb 14, 1996 | 10.0 |
| 7 | Appraisal: Murder | Feb 21, 1996 | 9.0 |
| 8 | Magician's Choice | Feb 28, 1996 | 10.0 |
| 9 | The Wrong Man | Mar 6, 1996 | 10.0 |
| 10 | What Happened in New York | Mar 13, 1996 | 10.0 |
11 episodes • 1999Avg: 9.5
| # | Episode | Air Date | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Rakugo Murder | Apr 13, 1999 | 9.0 |
| 2 | The Hotel Murder | Apr 20, 1999 | 9.0 |
| 3 | The Murder in a Small Village | Apr 27, 1999 | 9.0 |
| 4 | The Dentist Murder | May 4, 1999 | 10.0 |
| 5 | The Yoko-chin Anzai Incident | May 11, 1999 | 9.0 |
| 6 | The Conductor Murder | May 18, 1999 | 10.0 |
| 7 | The Housewife Murder | May 25, 1999 | 9.0 |
| 8 | The Scientist Murder | Jun 1, 1999 | 9.0 |
| 9 | The Airplane Murder | Jun 8, 1999 | 10.0 |
| 10 | The Train Hijacking Murder: Part 1 | Jun 15, 1999 | 10.0 |
| 11 | The Train Hijacking Murder: Part 2 | Jun 22, 1999 | 10.0 |
3 episodes • 2006
| # | Episode | Air Date | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Resurrection of Death | Jan 3, 2006 | 0.0 |
| 2 | A Fair Murder | Jan 4, 2006 | 0.0 |
| 3 | Final Dance | Jan 5, 2006 | 0.0 |
