Fox has novel-based series Before the Coffee Gets Cold in development

Before the Coffee Gets Cold, based on the bestselling Japanese time-travel novel by Toshikazu Kawaguchi, is in development at Fox. The project comes from The Spy creator Gideon Raff (pictured), who will serve as writer and showrunner, Gail Berman's Jackal Group (Wednesday) and Sony Pictures Television, where the company is under an umbrella deal.



In the heart of San Francisco’s Japantown, a family-run café offers more than just coffee—it serves as a bridge between the past and the present. Visitors line up, drawn by the chance to relive a life-changing moment, knowing they must return before their coffee goes cold.

While the past cannot be rewritten, letting go in the present can open the door to a future full of hope. But this barista family, whose selfless gift has brought solace to so many, must now confront the shadows of their own mysterious past—a past that could cost them everything.

The project came about in 2021 when SK Global (Ginny & Georgia) competitively acquired the rights to Kawaguchi’s book—which began as a play—and partnered with Berman’s The Jackal Group to develop, finance, and produce a series adaptation.

It’s now one of the first major sales for Berman under the overall deal she signed with Sony TV last year. It also reunites Berman with Fox, where she previously worked. One of the series she developed there, the animated comedy Grimsburg starring Jon Hamm, is in its second season at the network and is expected to be renewed for a third.

Raff created the acclaimed Israeli series Prisoners of War and was an executive producer on the American adaptation, the Emmy-winning series Homeland, which aired for eight seasons on Showtime. He also created FX’s Tyrant and Netflix’s The Spy , and co-created Dig for USA Network.

Outside of her Sony TV deal, Berman is producing the Malcolm in the Middle revival for Disney+ and the Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot pilot for Hulu.

At Fox, Sony TV has three drama series, Doc, which has been renewed for a second season, as well as Accused (US) and Alert.