For every professional athlete who makes a long career out of his or her pastime, there are probably another 10 whose moment in the spotlight is painfully brief. That is the concept behind the occasional documentary series "Puro Yakyu Senryokugai Tsukoku Kubi wo Senkoku Sareta Otokotachi" ("Men Given Notice That They've Been Fired From the Fighting World of Professional Baseball"; TBS, Wed., 10 p.m).
As the title implies, cameras follow several professional baseball players after they've been let go by their teams. In one episode, a fourth year pitcher who was once considered very promising is told his contract won't be renewed next season. His new wife is seven months pregnant and quit her job as a nursery school teacher, so he decides to give it another shot and try out for other teams. Another story centers on a Yomiuri Giant player who is living with his fiancee when he's let go, and he postpones their wedding until he finds another team.
Survival reality shows live on in Japan in the form of the year-end special "Wild 9: Danjo 9-nin no Shokunin Hyoryuki." ("Wild 9: Nine Male and Female Specialists Shipwreck Record"; TV Asahi, Thurs., 2:40 p.m.)