Tokyo – Drama series Iris made its debut on network TBS last Wednesday, the first South Korean series to air on a major Japanese commercial broadcaster during the key viewing block. The spy thriller is one of the very few foreign series to ever appear on Japanese network TV during the 7-10 pm ‘Golden Time’ slot, typically heavy on quiz shows featuring local stars. Iris revolves around two operatives in a secret spy organisation NSS, caught up in North/South political intrigue from Hungary to Japan in a shadowy world of assassins and arms dealers. The series, which TBS is to air on Wednesdays at 9 pm local time, was a blockbuster during its original 20-episode run on South Korean public broadcaster KBS last autumn with average viewer ratings of over 30 percent.