Which Shows the World Is Watching, Including Soap Operas from Brazil to Superheroes Created from Red Bean Paste
A short time ago, this publication looked into the wave of international post-apocalyptic dramas arriving to viewers across the globe. These shows delivered tales of climate catastrophe, harsh dictatorships, and extraterrestrial attacks from diverse locations such as South America, Nigeria, and Korea. Aside from highlighting global anxieties about societal breakdown, it also underscored how interconnected the television industry has become in 2025. Online services, broadcast networks, YouTube, and pirated content can instantly deliver regional shows from every continent—excluding Antarctica, though one might wonder if any penguin-themed dramas exist there.
However, despite the high level of international exchange in TV today, numerous programs remain largely unknown beyond domestic borders even though massive popularity locally. Recently, we aimed to spotlight these series by asking journalists based in different nations about what people are viewing in their areas. Read on for stories of Jamaican breakfast television, soap operas from Brazil, and Japan's red bean paste-based superheroes.
Brazil | Vale Tudo
Even if Brazil's longstanding love affair for soap operas has been slightly influenced by streaming services and rivalry from K-dramas and Turkish equivalents, the most talked-about and most watched television program in Brazil is, expectedly, a telenovela. Anything Goes is a revival of a series considered as one of the most important of the genre and a huge hit in 1988 and 1989, when Brazil was still recovering from a harsh two-decade military dictatorship. The original version revolved around the theme: "Is it worth to be ethical in Brazil?"
The updated series—launched during a time of deep political division—has largely abandoned the political themes of the first, but has achieved strong ratings and sparked intense discussions on the internet. While many viewers like the new version, with scenes spreading widely on online platforms, there has also been backlash over changes to the original plot and the reproduction of cliches often associated with Black women in relation to one of the protagonists.
Nigeria | BBNaija
One could conduct an in-depth study on Nigeria's interest with neighborly boundaries and the nation's continued interest in watching over twenty unknown individuals locked in a shared home. The latest season of BBNaija is on now, and it still manages to drive more conversation, especially on online networks, than virtually every entertainment happening except for soccer matches.
Big Brother Naija experiences a level of cultural breakthrough that makes the drama difficult to avoid even if you don't watch it. Contestants can typically leverage their appearances into a career of celebrity and endorsements, even if short-lived. This is likely to continue for as long as the producers keep up their skill to choose the perfect mix of contestants who all seem born for the 24-hour stage.
In Japan | Bean Paste Hero
According to the latest figures released, Japan's highest rated consistently aired show is Anpan. It's the newest in a extensive lineup of short daily series, called asadora, broadcast in the early hours on weekdays by public broadcaster the Japanese broadcasting corporation. Anpan is based on the story of Nobu Komatsu, whose spouse, the creator Takashi Yanase, created the Anpanman (literally Bean Paste Man) children's books and animated series that have amused and enthralled multiple age groups of Japanese kids.
The series recounts the grit-through-to-glory story of a female protagonist who experiences the horrors of the second world war and, with her husband, establishes a kind-hearted book collection in the 1970s. Its main character the hero Anpanman—a sweet bun with bean paste with a cape—generously aids those in peril and need, even giving pieces of his soft, sweet head to feed the hungry. Similar to other asadora, Anpan is soothing viewing, with a touching, inspiring story that calms the anxious atmosphere of today's times.
Jamaica | The Morning Show
Typically, most people in Jamaica access their television shows from the United States, but even so the domestic station Television Jamaica's the show Smile Jamaica morning show remains a critical part of the national daily life.
Broadcast from 6-8.30am, with a Saturday edition on Saturdays, it features an eclectic mix of light entertainment and sections on serious current topics. Audiences can enjoy popular dance and pilates tutorials, intriguing interviews with a local performer and the producers of a new canned curry goat, but also debates on gun regulations in Jamaica and the difficult topic of mental health awareness after the country was rocked by the passing of a former Miss Universe Jamaica contestant at just twenty-six. The program is a great example of significant funding in its film and TV industry, with several local film festivals and the authorities just pledging substantial funds for local film productions.
In Poland | International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition
It's perhaps not the usual definition of a mass-audience show, capable of attracting millions of viewers. Nevertheless, a large part of the country will be glued to their screens for the coming weeks following the excitement of the new installment of a renowned music contest celebrating Poland's composer and virtuoso Fryderyk Chopin.
The 19th edition of the Chopin Piano Competition began recently. It will feature 84 pianists from twenty nations—narrowed down from over six hundred applicants—contending for the first place, often seen as a key opportunity to perform in the world's greatest concert halls.
The event, like the global sports event for keyboard artists, takes place every five years and draws thousands of classical music lovers to the city of Warsaw, with tickets selling out a long beforehand. This edition, the home country has thirteen contestants, but pianists from the United States, Canada, and Korea are regarded as leading contenders.
The competition is televised by Poland's national TV and available via live stream, with the winner's performances starting in the latter part of the month.
