ABC TV Japan has announced its new scripted series Cut, Dad! – Are We the “Best” Family?, which will premiere on October 4, 2026.
ABC TV’s eight-episode family dramedy follows Kiko Tarayama, a university student who begins questioning the family life she has grown up with under the constant gaze of social media. Her father, Ryota, is a single-father vlogger who originally launched their family channel with a simple goal: to put a smile on his daughter’s face.
The channel began after Kiko refused to attend school as a child. The videos quickly attracted attention, making Kiko popular and helping her regain her happiness. However, as the channel grew, Ryota became increasingly focused on views and monetization. What once served as a source of support gradually turned into an intrusion into Kiko’s private life, with Ryota even turning her romantic relationships into content.
Now coming of age, Kiko feels trapped by a family channel that once helped her. When she falls in love with Asahi Kira, a university student determined to build his own future despite coming from a disadvantaged family background, she decides to pursue a more ordinary life away from her father’s control and the camera.
Her decision brings the father and daughter into conflict. While Ryota sees his actions as an expression of love, Kiko begins to confront the ways in which his obsession with social media has shaped her life. Their confrontation also forces Ryota to face a painful sense of isolation and his own relationship with his authoritarian father.
At the heart of ABC TV’s Cut, Dad! is the question of where love ends and control begins, as Kiko struggles between her affection for her father and her desire to choose her own path.
Nanoka Hara stars as Kiko Tarayama, with Shinichi Tsutsumi playing her single-father vlogger Ryota. Yoji Iwase joins the cast as Asahi Kira, Kiko’s boyfriend.
ABC TV series is written by award-winning screenwriter Erika Yoshida, known for The Tiger and Her Wings. Cut, Dad! will consist of eight 60-minute episodes and is scheduled to premiere in Japan on October 4, 2026.
