SBS is drawing major backlash after scheduling the Japanese remake drama Stove League Japanese Version for terrestrial broadcast.
The series premieres on the 29th at 11:05 p.m. KST on SBS and is a Korea-Japan co-production by Studio S and Japan’s NTT Docomo Studio&Live. In Japan, it will stream on Lemino and air on WOWOW. The original Stove League, which aired on SBS from 2019 to 2020, peaked at 20.8% viewership in the Seoul metropolitan area (Nielsen Korea) and even won Best Drama at the Baeksang Arts Awards, cementing its status as a flagship SBS title. The Japanese remake stars Kamenashi Kazuya and Nagahama Neru, with DRIPPIN’s Cha Jun-ho and original cast member Ha Do-kwon also joining.
The controversy isn’t just about a remake existing—it’s that a Korean terrestrial network is directly programming and airing it weekly. Although producers say the timing aligns with the 2026 WBC and the start of the pro baseball season, many viewers question, "Why bring the Japanese version all the way into our living rooms?" Online, some say they’re fatigued by the recent trend—especially on OTT—of Japanese actors and capital flowing into Korean content, and this decision only heightens that discomfort.
The pushback is especially fierce because the original carries so much weight. For Korean viewers, Stove League is already a completed success, so they find it hard to accept the active re-import and heavy promotion of a Japanese version. Even with the label of co-production, many feel that, from the audience’s perspective, it still amounts to a Japanese drama entering Korean terrestrial airwaves.
Whether this move will be remembered as simple global collaboration—or as an overreach by terrestrial TV—will likely depend on public reaction after the broadcast begins.