Ever since SMAP-man Goro Inagaki returned from self-imposed exile, during which he supposedly reflected on his heinous parking infraction, he seems to be everywhere, as if he were making up for lost time. Perhaps as a spoof on his capacity to demonstrate self-effacement, he's currently starring in his first full-fledged comedy series, "Yoisho no Otoko" (TBS, April 28, 9 p.m.), as the most obsequious salaryman in Tokyo.

Yoisho suru is a contemporary verb phrase that conveys the same meaning as the more traditional goma-suri, or "apple polishing." Generally, it refers to the kind of corporate behavior that one has to demonstrate toward superiors in order to be promoted within the organization. Kotaro Sakurai (Inagaki) has reached a supervisory sales position at the insurance company he works for faster than any of his peers, precisely because he has cultivated a "super power" for sucking up to his betters. Consequently, he is resented by these peers and not entirely trusted by his longtime girlfriend Naomi (Akiko Yada), who appreciates his innate kindness but feels uncomfortable with his need to please everyone all the time.

Things at the company have become complicated, however, with the arrival of a new sales division manager from a foreign company that is thinking of buying the ailing insurance firm. Makiko Ogata (Yuko Asano) has an MBA from a prominent American university and very little tolerance for traditional Japanese corporate culture.