Actress Yoko Maki has been given her first starring role in a drama series. The show, titled "Shukan Maki Yoko" ("Weekly Yoko Maki"), will air on TV Tokyo late on Wednesday nights (1:20am-1:50am). That slot is currently occupied by the "Mahou Sensei Negima!" live-action adaptation.

The drama is a collaboration with Shinchosha's "Gekkan Series," a popular set of monthly "mooks" (magazine-book hybrids) that each feature a different celebrity. Maki will be the 99th in the series (on sale February 13), and hers is photographed by Lily Franky.

For the television series, Maki will play a total of 12 different roles, such as a wife, a cabaret club hostess, and a high schooler. It has also been decided that Maki will perform the drama's opening theme song, marking her "debut" as a singer. The song will be included on the show's soundtrack.

Some big names are involved as staff. Lily Franky is writing the source material for the first episode, while Keishi Nagatsuka and Nobuhiro Yamashita will direct episodes 6 and 7, respectively.

"Shukan Maki Yoko" premieres on April 2.