What Global Audiences Is Watching, From Soap Operas from Brazil to Heroic Characters Created from Red Bean Paste

Recently, our coverage looked into the trend of global post-apocalyptic dramas making their way to audiences across the globe. These series delivered tales of environmental disaster, violent autocracy, and extraterrestrial attacks from various locations such as South America, Nigeria, and Korea. Aside from highlighting worldwide fears about institutional collapse, it also emphasized how linked the television industry has become in 2025. Streaming platforms, satellite channels, video platforms, and unofficial streams can instantly deliver local content from every continent—except Antarctica, although it's interesting to consider if any penguin-themed dramas exist there.

Still, even with the high level of global intermingling in TV today, numerous programs stay largely unknown outside their home countries despite huge success at home. This week, we set out to spotlight these programs by asking journalists covering various countries about what people are watching in their areas. Read on for accounts of morning shows in Jamaica, Brazilian telenovelas, and Japan's sweet bean-filled animated heroes.

In Brazil | Vale Tudo

Although Brazil's traditional passion for telenovelas has been slightly influenced by streaming services and competition from Korean series and shows from Turkey, the most talked-about and highest-rated TV show in Latin America's largest country is, expectedly, a telenovela. Vale Tudo is a revival of a series regarded as one of the most important of the genre and a massive success in 1988 and 1989, when Brazil was still recovering from a harsh two-decade military dictatorship. The first version centered on the theme: "Does it pay to be ethical in Brazil?"

The updated series—released during a time of profound political polarisation—has moved away from the political themes of the first, but has achieved strong ratings and ignited intense discussions on the internet. While many viewers like the reboot, with scenes going viral on social media, there has also been criticism over changes to the original plot and the portrayal of cliches commonly linked to Black women in relation to one of the main characters.

In Nigeria | Big Brother Naija

You could conduct an in-depth study on Nigeria's fascination with social dynamics and the country's ongoing curiosity in observing more than two dozen unknown individuals confined to a shared home. The current edition of Big Brother Naija is on now, and it still manages to generate more discussion, especially on online networks, than any other entertainment happening aside from soccer matches.

BBNaija experiences a degree of cultural breakthrough that makes the drama difficult to avoid even if you aren't a viewer. Contestants can still expect their time on the show into a life of fame and endorsements, even if short-lived. This is likely to continue for as long as the producers maintain their skill to select the ideal combination of participants who all seem born for the constant spotlight.

Japan | Anpan

According to the most recent data released, Japan's top-rated consistently aired programme is Anpan. It's the latest in a long series of short daily series, called asadora, broadcast in the morning Monday through Saturday by national network the Japanese broadcasting corporation. Anpan is inspired by the life of a woman named Nobu Komatsu, whose husband, Takashi Yanase, created the Anpanman (literally Red Bean Bun Man) children's books and animated series that have entertained and captivated generations of children in Japan.

Anpan tells the rags-to-riches story of a female protagonist who lives through the atrocities of the World War II and, with her husband, establishes a gentle-spirited book collection in the 1970s. Its main character the hero Anpanman—a sweet bun with bean paste with a cape—selflessly helps those in danger and distress, offering parts of his own head to nourish the starving. Like most asadora, Anpan is soothing viewing, with a touching, uplifting plot that soothes the unsettled mood of the moment.

Jamaica | Smile Jamaica

Typically, the majority in Jamaica get their media content from the United States, but despite this the local channel Television Jamaica's the show Smile Jamaica breakfast program continues to be a essential part of the national daily life.

Airing from early morning, with a Saturday edition on the weekend, it offers an diverse range of light entertainment and segments on serious current topics. Viewers can enjoy viral dance and pilates tutorials, intriguing interviews with a local performer and the makers of a recent food product, but also discussions on Jamaica's firearms laws and the tough subject of mental health awareness after the country was shaken by the passing of a beauty pageant alumna at just twenty-six. The program is a prime illustration of Jamaica's heavy investment in its entertainment sector, with several local film festivals and the government recently announcing substantial funds for local film productions.

In Poland | Chopin Piano Contest

It may not fit the standard idea of a mass-audience show, able to draw millions of viewers. Still, much of Poland will be tuned in for the next three weeks due to the twists and turns of the latest edition of a renowned music contest honoring Poland's composer and virtuoso the composer Chopin.

The nineteenth iteration of the Chopin Piano Competition began this week. It will feature eighty-four musicians from twenty nations—selected from over six hundred applicants—contending for the top prize, often seen as a golden ticket to perform in the top international venues.

The competition, like the global sports event for keyboard artists, takes place every five years and attracts many of music enthusiasts to the Polish capital, with admissions selling out a long beforehand. This edition, the home country has thirteen contestants, but musicians from the United States, North America, and Asia are seen as some of the favourites.

The event is televised by Poland's national TV and available via live stream, with the champion's concerts beginning in late October.