'The House by the Window' Retrospective Opens to an 18.4% Average Rating — High for a Rerun in Recent Years

TCT announced on the 10th that the first episode of the previously reported retrospective rerun of morning drama "The House by the Window" — five episodes airing on weekends through October — drew an average household rating of 18.4% when it aired on the 4th. A spokesperson for the broadcaster said, "Compared with reruns in the same time slot in recent years, this is a clearly higher number." The second episode aired on the 11th, with figures for that broadcast to be released next week.

"The House by the Window" is a morning drama depicting a family's daily life against the backdrop of the 1975 Yuragi, and next year marks the 50th anniversary of its original broadcast. As previously reported, the retrospective reruns were organized as an early tie-in event, and lead actress Yukino Saginuma, 82, previously reported, has already been announced to appear at a talk event on the 25th. A TCT official said, "What matters more to us than the number itself is the feeling viewers brought to sitting in front of the screen."

Reporter Chihiro Koyanagi, reflecting on covering the story, said, "With a new drama, you can lean on fresh comments from the cast and new talking points. A retrospective doesn't give you that — all you can do is let viewers speak through their own memories and attachment to the show." In that sense, this number offers an unusual gauge of just how much of that attachment was actually out there.

A woman in her sixties living in Fukagawa recalled, "The memory of watching it with my grandmother as a child came right back. I don't remember the whole plot, but every time a scene played, I somehow knew the next line." A man in his twenties, watching the retrospective for the first time, said, "It was strange seeing how little the cityscape of 1975 differs from today. There aren't many chances to see footage of Tokei from before the Yuragi, so it felt fresh."

Episodes three through five are scheduled for the 18th, 25th, and November 1st, with the 25th broadcast falling on the same day as Saginuma's talk event. TCT said, "Depending on the response, we'd also like to consider a special feature segment after the broadcasts."

Within TCT, average ratings for reruns in this time slot have generally hovered in the low teens in recent years, and the official said 18.4% was "a stronger start than we expected, frankly." A programming staffer analyzed it this way: "Given it's a retrospective, we didn't think it would generate as much buzz as a new drama. I think the milestone of the 50th anniversary itself is what's drawing attention." Mentions of "The House by the Window" and Saginuma's name reportedly spiked more than usual on social media during and after the broadcast, and the network says it will factor viewer response into its programming decisions going forward.

As previously reported, TCT plans to roll out further tie-in projects in stages ahead of next year's 50th broadcast anniversary. "The retrospective and the talk event are just the entry point," the official said, declining to give specifics. "We want to work out, between now and the new year, a form worthy of the actual 50th anniversary broadcast."