Loved One (2026)
Grade: B
Format: Series
Genre: Drama; Forensic Mystery
Studio: AOI Pro.
Source: original
LOVED ONE is a Fuji TV original forensic human mystery drama (Wed 22:00 slot, 11 episodes) that premiered April 8, 2026 in Japan and streams weekly on Netflix internationally from April 26, 2026. Dean Fujioka stars as an eccentric forensic pathologist returning from the US, paired with Kumi Takiuchi as the ambitious director of MEJ (Medical Examiner Japan), a newly established forensic investigation team under the Ministry of Health. The series confronts Japan's social crisis of deaths classified as 'unknown cause' — using silent traces left by the deceased to uncover hidden truths. The title 'LOVED ONE' is a forensic term of respect, recognizing the dead not as cadavers but as people once cherished. Original screenplay developed through a writers' room helmed by Yusuke Moriguchi and Sayaka Shito. Produced by Tatsuya Kato with production support from AOI Pro.
Cast
- Dean Fujioka
- Kumi Takiuchi
- Yusei Yagi
- Keito Tsuna
- Seira Anzai