When the news broke earlier this month that Japan-set crime drama “Tokyo Vice” had been canceled, it came as a blow to fans, but not exactly a surprise. For two seasons on Max, the show —adapted by showrunner J.T. Rogers from journalist Jake Adelstein’s memoir of the same name —stood out as an increasingly rare gem in a contracting, decidedly post-peak TV landscape. Starring Ansel Elgort as a fictionalized version of Adelstein, a journalist who embeds with the yakuza as a reporter at the country’s largest daily paper, “Tokyo Vice” delivered an immersive, detailed portrait of the global capital at the turn of the millennium.
Better yet, “Tokyo Vice” improved over time. Season 2 broadened the story’s focus from Jake to a larger ensemble, while also bringing his long-simmering conflict with ascendant boss Tozawa (Ayumi Tanida) to a head. The finale offered a satisfying conclusion, ending on Jake and his unofficial partner Detective Katagiri (Ken Watanabe) attempting to sit in stillness after their successful bid to bring Tozawa down. But the scene was preceded by 10 episodes that proved just how deep the show’s bench had become, from its following the closeted nightlife of Jake’s colleague Trendy (Takaki Uda) to cultivating rising yakuza boss Sago (Show Kasamatsu) as a lead in his own right. These character portraits helped Tokyo’s dizzying sprawl feel intimate, without ever losing a sense of scale.
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