Thanks to continuing malfeasance on the part of some of its employees, NHK remains in the dog house, so it's tempting to view recent programming decisions with an eye for how they might boost the public broadcaster's standing among subscribers. For example, why has NHK revived not one, not two, but four American TV series from the 1950s and '60s all at the same time?
As entertainment, "I Love Lucy," "The Fugitive," "Rawhide," and "Combat" are as relevant to under-40s as Restoration comedy. But in terms of nostalgia for over-50s they're a mother lode.
The people who watched these shows as children and teenagers, commonly referred to as dankai no sedai, which literally means "mass generation," are considered the first generation of Japanese to embrace consumption as a lifestyle. They helped lift the country out of its postwar poverty by embracing the American way-of-life. These TV shows remind them how different they were from their parents.