"Star Tanjo" ("Birth of a Star") was one of the most influential TV series of the 1970s, an audition show that launched the careers of dozens of idol singers. "Star Draft Kaigi" ("Star Draft Council"; Nippon TV, Tues., 10 p.m.) takes the general structure of "Star Tanjo" — representatives of talent agencies bid for contestants — and tricks it out for 21st-century viewers with a variety-show component: a panel of comedians, in this case led by the duo Cream Stew and outspoken commentator Matsuko Deluxe, who make a point of picking on the contestants.
This week's lineup features elementary school-age children, including a fashion model who has perfected a kind of "sexy expression," and a boy who wants to parlay his skills at karate into a career as an action star along the lines of his hero, Bruce Lee.
The rock band L'Arc-en-Ciel, which is French for "rainbow," is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, and NHK will broadcast a special documentary on the group's history, "L'Arc-en-Ciel Nijunen Kiseki" ("Tracing Back 20 Years of L'Arc-en-Ciel"; NHK-G, Sat., 1:20 a.m.).