Tokyo Megure Keishi Series (Japanese: 東京メグレ警視シリーズ, Hepburn: Tokyo megure keishi shirīzu) is a Japanese detective television drama series broadcast on TV Asahi, produced by Asahi Broadcasting (ABC TV) and Telepack.[1][2] It is the fifth drama co-produced by TV Asahi. It aired from April 14, 1978 to September 29, 1978. It was broadcast in one-hour episodes from 9 PM to 10 PM on Friday nights, for a total of 25 episodes.[3]
The series is based on Georges Simenon's Jules Maigret; it is a detective drama series in genre. Although based on Maigret's stories, the setting of this drama is actually in Japan. Kinya Aikawa, chiefly known for his voice roles, plays Megure, a Japanese-born version of Maigret.[3][4]
The series was praised by Georges Simenon himself, who especially praised Tomomi Sato's portrayal of "Madame Maigret", stating that she was the best "Madame Maigret" he had ever seen, even including those from French adaptations.[5]
Tomomi Sato sang the series' theme song Toki no Nagareru Mama ni. She even sings it while playing the piano in an episode's scene. Inspector Juzo Megure from the manga Case Closed is named like the main character of this series.[6][7] Indeed, Jules Maigret served as the model for the manga character.[8]