Which Shows the World Is Watching, Including Brazilian Telenovelas to Heroic Characters Made of Sweet Bean Filling
A short time ago, our coverage looked into the wave of global dystopian series making their way to viewers across the globe. These shows delivered stories of climate catastrophe, violent autocracy, and alien invasions from diverse locations such as South America, Nigeria, and Asia. Beyond revealing global anxieties about societal breakdown, it also emphasized how interconnected the television industry has become in 2025. Online services, satellite channels, video platforms, and unofficial streams can quickly provide regional shows from across the world—excluding Antarctica, although it's interesting to consider if any Arctic series exist there.
However, even with the high level of global intermingling in television today, many programs stay mostly unseen beyond domestic borders even though massive popularity at home. Recently, we set out to spotlight these series by asking correspondents covering various countries about what people are watching in their areas. Continue for stories of morning shows in Jamaica, Brazilian telenovelas, and Japanese sweet bean-filled superheroes.
In Brazil | Anything Goes
Even if Brazil's longstanding passion for soap operas has been slightly influenced by online platforms and rivalry from Korean series and Turkish equivalents, the most talked-about and highest-rated television program in Brazil is, unsurprisingly, a telenovela. Anything Goes is a revival of a production regarded as one of the key of the genre and a huge hit in the late 80s, when Brazil was still recovering from a harsh 20-year authoritarian rule. The original version revolved around the theme: "Does it pay to be ethical in Brazil?"
The new version—released during a time of deep political division—has largely abandoned the political themes of the first, but has drawn high viewership and sparked heated online debates. While many viewers like the reboot, with clips going viral on online platforms, there has also been criticism over alterations to the story and the portrayal of stereotypes often associated with African-descendant women in relation to one of the protagonists.
In Nigeria | BBNaija
You could write a compelling dissertation on Nigeria's fascination with neighborly boundaries and the nation's ongoing curiosity in observing over twenty strangers confined to a communal house. The latest season of Big Brother Naija is currently airing, and it still manages to generate more discussion, particularly on social media, than any other pop culture event aside from soccer matches.
Big Brother Naija enjoys a degree of cultural breakthrough that makes the drama difficult to avoid whether or not you aren't a viewer. Contestants can typically leverage their appearances into a life of celebrity and endorsements, however temporary. This will endure for as long as the producers keep up their incredible ability to choose the perfect mix of contestants who all seem destined for the 24-hour stage.
In Japan | Anpan
According to the latest figures released, Japan's highest rated regularly scheduled show is Anpan. It's the latest in a long series of short daily series, called asadora, broadcast in the early hours on weekdays by public broadcaster the Japanese broadcasting corporation. Anpan is inspired by the story of Nobu Komatsu, whose husband, the creator Takashi Yanase, created the Anpanman (literally Red Bean Bun Man) picture books and animated series that have entertained and captivated multiple age groups of children in Japan.
The series tells the grit-through-to-glory story of a female protagonist who experiences the horrors of the World War II and, with her husband, establishes a gentle-spirited picture book series in the seventies. Its hero the hero Anpanman—a sweet bun with bean paste with a cape—generously aids those in danger and need, offering pieces of his soft, sweet head to nourish the hungry. Like most asadora, the show is soothing viewing, with a touching, uplifting plot that calms the unsettled mood of today's times.
Jamaica | The Morning Show
Typically, most people in Jamaica get their television shows from the United States, but despite this the local channel TVJ's the show Smile Jamaica morning show remains a essential part of the national daily life.
Broadcast from 6-8.30am, with a weekend version on Saturdays, it features an diverse range of fun segments and sections on heavy topical issues. Audiences can see popular dance and pilates tutorials, interesting conversations with a Jamaican Michael Jackson impersonator and the makers of a new canned curry goat, but also discussions on gun regulations in Jamaica and the difficult topic of mental health awareness after the country was shaken by the death of a beauty pageant alumna at just twenty-six. The show is a prime illustration of significant funding in its film and TV industry, with multiple local film festivals and the authorities just pledging substantial funds for domestic movie projects.
Poland | Chopin Piano Contest
It may not fit the standard idea of a TV blockbuster, capable of attracting millions of viewers. Nevertheless, a large part of the country will be glued to their screens for the coming weeks due to the twists and turns of the latest edition of a prestigious piano competition honoring Poland's musical genius the composer Chopin.
The 19th edition of the International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition began this week. It will include eighty-four musicians from twenty nations—narrowed down from over six hundred applicants—contending for the first place, widely considered a golden ticket to play in the world's greatest concert halls.
The competition, like the Olympic Games for pianists, takes place every five years and attracts many of classical music lovers to the city of Warsaw, with admissions being reserved a long beforehand. This edition, the host nation has thirteen contestants, but musicians from the US, North America, and Korea are seen as some of the favourites.
The competition is broadcast by Poland's public broadcaster and streamed online, with the winner's concerts beginning in late October.
