The Best TV Shows on JNN

Every JNN Show Ranked From Best To Worst

JNN has delivered an expansive roster of over 20 shows, dating from 1968 all the way to 2018. Icons of JNN, Oyaji Daiko and Family of Three made their debut in 1968 and 1968, setting industry standards. Discover the best of JNN with our list of over 20 series, meticulously updated for June 2026.

  • Hotman
    Hotman (2003)9.8

    Enzo, a school art teacher, is the pillar of a rather unusual family. He takes care of his 5-year-old daughter but does not know who her mother is, and he also lives with his four siblings whose fathers are all different. Enzo's daughter suffers from severe atopic dermatitis, so he throws himself into managing her diet to alleviate her condition. He is so determined to raise the little daughter well, he doesn't appear to have any spare time for a girlfriend. And yet Enzo finds himself drawn to Misuzu, a health teacher at his school. A light-hearted and romantic story of a man trying to find love and learn to be a father at the same time.

  • Kamen Rider Stronger
    Kamen Rider Stronger (1975)9.5

    Shigeru Jo joins the evil organization Black Satan after the death of his close friend and mentor Goro Numata. He, promised power, and fueled by a desire for revenge, undergoes surgery to become one of Black Satan's super warriors. However, Shigeru knows that Black Satan were in fact the murderers of his friend; he was using Black Satan in order to gain new powers. The newly powered up Shigeru escapes from the Black Satan headquarters before they can brainwash him into following their campaign of evil and becomes Kamen Rider Stronger. While escaping from Black Satan, Stronger meets Yuriko Misaki another cyborg warrior created by Black Satan who has the ability to transform into Electronic Wave Humanoid Tackle. Together they fight the evil Black Satan and later the Delzer Army to restore peace in Japan.

  • Oyaji Daiko
    Oyaji Daiko (1968)9.0

    The Tsuru family is a family of nine, headed by Kamejiro. Kamejiro is the president of a construction company that has made a fortune in its first generation, but he is a one-man family. His wife, Aiko, is a typical good wife and wise mother type. Kamejiro gets angry and thunders down every week, and the children are afraid of him, calling him "Oyaji Daiko", but he also takes advantage of this.

  • Kamen Rider Black RX
    Kamen Rider Black RX (1988)9.0

    Following the fall of Gorgom, Kotaro Minami tries to live a normal life with the Sahara family. However, this brief moment of peace is soon shattered by the arrival of the Crisis Empire, an evil alien menace that aims to eradicate humanity and claim dominion over Earth. After refusing to aid them in their nefarious goals, Kotaro is thrown hurtling back towards the planet with his transformation belt shattered. However, when he awakens, Kotaro discovers that the sun’s rays have blessed him with new power, the power of Kamen Rider Black RX!

  • Kamen Rider Black
    Kamen Rider Black (1987)8.7

    Desperate and terrified, Kotaro Minami escaped the clutches of the ancient secret society, Gorgom—but in doing so, left behind his best friend and adoptive brother, Nobuhiko Akizuki. Both have been transformed into beings of immense power in order to serve Gorgom's dark purposes. If left unchecked, Gorgom will destroy humanity and eliminate all traces of its civilization and culture. Now the powerful cyborg known as Kamen Rider Black, Kotaro will use the powers Gorgom gave him to preserve justice and freedom, as well as to save his brother. But Gorgom has their own plans for Nobuhiko—and if Kotaro can't save him, he may have to fight him!

  • Always Smiling
    Always Smiling (2003)8.0

    Yumi, a 23-year-old office worker, is fired from her job out of the blue. A few days later, coming from a friend's wedding and having no time to change out of her kimono, she is rushing to an interview for a job at a publishing company. Yumi stumbles into the room, looking for somewhere to change out of her kimono, and finds popular comic book writer Reijiro Sakurai is having an editorial meeting with some staff. He is planning to lock himself away at a hot spring for the next three months to concentrate on his next project. Sakurai comments that if Yumi were to join him he wouldn't mind being away for so long..., and so their adventure begins.

  • It was sudden, like a storm...
    It was sudden, like a storm... (2004)8.0

    Kozue Ogawa is a housewife and has been married to Hideo for seven years. They don't have any children, but as they live with her parents at their flower shop, every day is still lively. She is happy with her life and her husband, but she wonders if it is enough. From time to time, she is gripped by this doubt that she cannot raise with anyone. Kozue starts a part-time job in the editing department of the magazine where she used to work. Her former colleague is now working hard as the editor-in-chief. One rainy day, Kozue meets a young man. He is Takuma Fukazawa, a high school student. He seems somehow shrouded in sadness. He is a dance teacher. In the dance studio, there is just the two of them. Takuma curls his hands around Kozue's body, and his dance instruction begins. Their unexpected closeness causes Kozue to hesitate. With her heart pounding, she pushes Takuma's hands away and runs home. But the throbbing in her chest continues. It can't be. But what is this feeling?

  • Shinkansen Henkei Robo Shinkalion: THE ANIMATION
    Shinkansen Henkei Robo Shinkalion: THE ANIMATION (2018)8.0

    Hayato Hayasugi (his last name is a pun on the words for "too fast") and other children will serve as conductors to pilot the Shinkalion. The Shinkalion robots are various models of real-life Japanese bullet trains (shinkansen) that transform into robots to fight an unknown evil to protect the safety and peace of Japan. The children must work together with the adults of the Shinkansen Ultra Evolution Institute (SUEI) to defeat a monster that looks like a jet black bullet train.

  • The Many Faces of Ito
    The Many Faces of Ito (2017)6.9

    A jaded rom-com screenwriter in her 30s mines four love-sick women for their stories under the guise of providing them with romantic advice.

  • Sakura Wars
    Sakura Wars (2000)6.5

    At the beginning of 1900's, Sakura Shinguji received the mission of defending imperial capital Tokyo and came from Sendai to Tokyo. But, the post which she was assigned was the floral unit of the popular opera group at that time. She tries to become familiar with her new companions while she is perplexed as to what the relationship is between the fight and the opera group. But...

  • Central Ikegami Police
    Central Ikegami Police (2002)6.0

    Police chief in a blue-collar part of town called Central Ikegami, Keisuke is known for his laziness. But looks can be deceiving! Having graduated from an elite university, Keisuke merely prefers to lead an unassuming life without all the politics of climbing the department ladder. But the chief always gets the job done when the people need him, and they appreciate his unpretentious attitude. Some are sure to be surprised when they underestimate this deceptively folksy crime-fighter!

  • Let's Go to Onsen
    Let's Go to Onsen (1999)5.0

    Left at the altar after quitting her job to marry, Kaoru travels to the countryside to work at the Japanese inn and hot spring resort that her mother manages. With her daughter back, Kaoru’s mother decides to groom her to become the next manager, but this causes the woman previously in line for that position to become a jealous rival. On top of that, the rest of the staff don’t respect her and refuse to cooperate at every turn. Fighting to thwart the efforts of her rival, earning the respect of her co-workers, learning a new job and hopefully finding love along the way may be tough, but she is determined to make this her new home!

  • Family of Three
    Family of Three (1968)N/A

    The drama features two families, the all-male Shibata family and the all-female Inaba family, and depicts the interactions between the two families with many amusing and heartwarming episodes.

  • Brother
    Brother (1969)N/A

    The drama depicts the lives and loves of people living in three different environments: a family consisting of two brothers and their parents; a family with a father and a daughter who are not well organized; and a girl who has moved from the countryside to Tokyo to live alone in the whirlwind of the big city, desperately trying to survive.

  • Ningen no Shōmei
    Ningen no Shōmei (1978)N/A

    TV series produced by MBS and TOEI, based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Seiichi Morimura.

  • Yasei no Shōmei
    Yasei no Shōmei (1979)N/A

    A girl survives a massacre of villagers by Japanese soldiers in a remote mountain village, and a member of the Self-Defense Force who stumbled upon the scene of the massacre during training - this suspenseful drama depicts a huge conspiracy in the Tohoku region centered on these two people.

  • The Battle of Port Arthur: Will Love Die?
    The Battle of Port Arthur: Will Love Die? (1981)N/A

    An epic of love and death that depicts how soldiers and ordinary people lived and fought during the Russo-Japanese War, when Japan's very existence was at stake in the face of the great power of Russia.

  • Precious Moments
    Precious Moments (1981)N/A

    In a red-light district, Nemoto Norio (Shibata Kyohei) is indiscriminately soliciting passersby. "Would you mind taking part in a survey? As a thank you, I'll give you a camera. Take this voucher and come to my office at Shinjuku West Exit later." "No way," replies Yoshikawa Kumiko (Furukawa Yuko). "That would be a problem," replies Saeki Nobuko (Mori Masako). "A camera?" asks Iketani Kaori (Tanaka Yuko), suspicious. The survey is about overseas travel. The three of them gather in a room in Shinjuku. This is how they get to know each other, and they gradually become good friends. Their desire is to find a youth they can be truly proud of. The drama depicts the daily lives of three women of the marriageable age who are desperately trying to make some memories before they get married.

  • Weekend Marriage
    Weekend Marriage (1999)N/A

    Yoko always seems to say and do the right thing and has forever been the center of attention. Her younger sister, Tsukiko, having been compared to her sister since birth cannot help but feel inferior. Yoko has benefited from this situation for so long that she expects it to last forever. However, when Tsukiko's career takes a turn for the better and she gets engaged, Yoko feels that she must somehow sabotage her sister's success since her own career and marriage are not faring well. Tsukiko decides to defend herself, and the resultant feud threatens to ensnare their family and loved ones.

  • Papa for One Summer
    Papa for One Summer (2003)N/A

    A high school student’s mother passes away leaving her alone with her grief. The girl, Marimo, discovers the name of a father she never knew. Marimo sets off to meet him, but is completely shocked when she finds someone very different from the father she envisioned. Her father, Shinpei, a 38-year-old would-be private detective, is shocked too, and doesn’t believe her until he sees the paperwork. With Marimo muttering “The worst father in the world” and Shinpei lamenting the loss of his freedom, these two are about to learn how difficult and rewarding a father/daughter relationship can be.