Recently, this publication explored the surge of global post-apocalyptic dramas making their way to audiences across the globe. These series brought stories 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 emphasized how interconnected the TV landscape has become in the current year. Streaming platforms, broadcast networks, video platforms, and unofficial streams can quickly provide local content from every continent—except 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, numerous shows stay mostly unseen outside their home countries even though massive popularity locally. This week, we set out to spotlight these programs by inquiring journalists covering different nations about what audiences are watching in their areas. Continue for accounts of Jamaican breakfast television, Brazilian telenovelas, and Japanese red bean paste-based superheroes.
In Brazil | Vale Tudo
Even if Brazil's longstanding love affair for soap operas has been somewhat affected by online platforms and rivalry from K-dramas and shows from Turkey, the most talked-about and highest-rated television program in Brazil is, expectedly, a telenovela. Anything Goes is a revival of a series regarded as one of the key of the genre and a huge hit in the late 80s, when Brazil was recovering from a brutal 20-year authoritarian rule. The original version revolved around the theme: "Is it worth to be honest in Brazil?"
The updated series—released during a time of deep political division—has largely abandoned the original's political focus, but has achieved strong ratings and ignited intense discussions on the internet. While numerous fans like the new version, with scenes spreading widely on social media, there has also been backlash over changes to the original plot and the reproduction of cliches commonly linked to African-descendant women in relation to one of the protagonists.
In Nigeria | Big Brother Naija
One could conduct an in-depth study on Nigeria's interest with neighborly boundaries and the nation's ongoing curiosity in watching more than two dozen strangers confined to a communal house. The latest season of Big Brother Naija is on now, and it still manages to generate more discussion, particularly on social media, than virtually every entertainment happening aside from soccer matches.
BBNaija enjoys a degree of mainstream penetration that makes the show difficult to avoid whether or not you aren't a viewer. Contestants can still expect their time on the show into a career of fame and brand deals, however temporary. This will endure for as long as the creators maintain their incredible ability to select the perfect mix of participants who all seem born for the constant spotlight.
In Japan | Bean Paste Hero
According to the most recent data released, Japan's highest rated regularly scheduled show is Anpan. It's the latest in a extensive lineup of 15-minute dramas, called asadora, aired in the morning on weekdays by national network the Japanese broadcasting corporation. The show is based on the life of a woman named Nobu Komatsu, whose husband, the creator Takashi Yanase, developed the Anpanman (meaning Bean Paste Man) children's books and cartoon show that have entertained and captivated multiple age groups of children in Japan.
Anpan tells the grit-through-to-glory narrative of a young woman who lives through the horrors of the second world war and, with her husband, creates a gentle-spirited picture book series in the 1970s. Its main character the hero Anpanman—a red-bean-filled pastry with a cape—selflessly helps those in peril and distress, even giving parts of his own head to feed the starving. Similar to other asadora, the show is visual comfort food, with a heartwarming, uplifting story that calms the unsettled mood of today's times.
In Jamaica | The Morning Show
Typically, most people in Jamaica get their television shows from the US, but despite this the domestic station TVJ's Smile Jamaica morning show continues to be a critical part of the national daily life.
Airing from 6-8.30am, with a weekend version on the weekend, it features an eclectic mix of fun segments and sections on heavy topical issues. Viewers can enjoy viral dance and exercise guides, 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 tough subject of suicide prevention after the nation was rocked by the death of a beauty pageant alumna at just 26. The program is a prime illustration of Jamaica's heavy investment in its film and TV industry, with several local film festivals and the government just pledging substantial funds for local film productions.
In Poland | Chopin Piano Contest
It may not fit the standard idea of a mass-audience show, capable of attracting millions of viewers. Still, much of Poland will be tuned in for the next three weeks following the excitement of the new installment of a renowned music contest honoring Poland's composer and virtuoso the composer Chopin.
The 19th edition of the Chopin Piano Competition began this week. It will include 84 pianists from 20 countries—selected from over six hundred applicants—vying for the first place, widely considered a golden ticket to perform in the top international venues.
The event, like the Olympic Games for keyboard artists, is held every five years and draws thousands of music enthusiasts to the city of Warsaw, with admissions being reserved a year in advance. This edition, the home country has thirteen contestants, but musicians from the United States, Canada, and Asia are regarded as leading contenders.
The event is broadcast by Poland's national TV and available via live stream, with the winner's concerts beginning in late October.
