The Best TV Shows on NHK BS Premium

Every NHK BS Premium Show Ranked From Best To Worst

Check out the most acclaimed shows on NHK BS Premium, with a catalog of over 20 series updated for August 2025. Among NHK BS Premium’s finest offerings are Cardcaptor Sakura and カスミン, which debuted in 1998 and 2003, respectively. A broadcaster of distinction, NHK BS Premium has aired more than 20 shows between 1998 and 2022.

  • Mitsuaki Iwago's World “Cats” Travelogue
    Mitsuaki Iwago's World “Cats” Travelogue (2012)9.3

    Prominent Japanese wildlife photographer and filmmaker Mitsuaki Iwago loves cats of all shapes and sizes. So he's set out on a journey to film cats all over the world as they live their lives. Join him in a cat's-eye view of many diverse cities spanning the globe in a unique program that perhaps even your own cat will enjoy as well!

  • Hyouge Mono
    Hyouge Mono (2011)9.0

    Sasuke Furuta is a vassal of the great warlord Nobunaga Oda and a man obsessed with tea ceremony and material desires in his pursuit of a fortuitous life. Having learned from Nobunaga and the legendary tea master Soueki Senne, Sasuke walks the way of the Hyouge Mono.

  • Ginga e Kickoff!!
    Ginga e Kickoff!! (2012)9.0

    The story follows a boy who was in a soccer team, but it was disbanded due to not enough players. However, after the boy meets a female professional soccer player, he aims to bring his soccer team back.

  • Cardcaptor Sakura
    Cardcaptor Sakura (1998)8.6

    Sakura Kinomoto, an elementary school student who discovers that she possesses magical powers after accidentally freeing a set of magical cards from the book they had been sealed in for years. She is then tasked with retrieving those cards in order to avoid an unknown catastrophe from befalling the world.

  • Amachan
    Amachan (2013)8.5

    Aki Amano, a high-school girl from Tokyo moves to the Sanriku Coast in the Tohoku region to become a female diver. She becomes a local idol, then returns to Tokyo to try to become a real idol, and finally returns to Tohoku to help revitalize the area after the Great East Japan earthquake.

  • Kumokiri Nizaemon
    Kumokiri Nizaemon (2013)8.5

    During the Kyoho period in the reign of Tokugawa Yoshimune, there is a gang of thieves active not just in Edo but also the Tokaido and the Nakasendo, and all across the Kansai region, stealing large sums of money with skillful techniques. They only target the very wealthy and never kill or injure people. They appear with the clouds and disappear like the mist. On the night that the beautiful Ochiyo is to become the bride of a dry goods dealer, a large amount of money hidden inside the shop is stolen. The gang disappears without injuring anyone. It was a two-year plan to marry Ochiyo off so that she could bring them in. The leader of this gang is Kumokiri Nizaemon, the greatest bandit of all time. He keeps a rein on his highly-skilled and notorious followers Nanabake no Ochiyo, Kinezumi no Kichigoro, Subashiri no Kumagoro, Ingakozo Rokunosuke and others.

  • The 13 Lords of the Shogun
    The 13 Lords of the Shogun (2022)8.3

    Following the ascension to power of Taira no Kiyomori, the Minamoto clan is exiled. Minamoto no Yoritomo meets Masako, the sister of Hōjō Yoshitoki and later marries her. Following this marriage, the gears of Yoshitoki's destiny begin to turn.

  • Carnation
    Carnation (2011)8.2

    Carnation is a Japanese television drama that aired in the Asadora slot on NHK from 3 October 2011 to 31 March 2012. It is the 85th Asadora. It is based on the life of the fashion designer Ayako Koshino in Kishiwada, Osaka. Ayako was the mother of the internationally famous designers Hiroko Koshino, Junko Koshino, and Michiko Koshino.

  • Shin Nihon Fudoki
    Shin Nihon Fudoki (2011)8.0

    A full-scale travel documentary program that portrays the beautiful landscapes, lifestyles, and activities of people across various regions in Japan. Presented in an omnibus format, it allows viewers to immerse themselves in the nostalgic and irreplaceable scenery of Japan.

  • Gochisousan
    Gochisousan (2013)8.0

    Uno Meiko is the daughter of parents who run a western style restaurant in Tokyo. She marries and moves to Osaka with her husband. Meiko experiences cultural differences between Tokyo and Osaka, as she lives as a mother and wife in Osaka.

  • Chimudondon
    Chimudondon (2022)8.0

    Higa Nobuko was born and raised with her four siblings in a farmhouse in the "Yanbaru region" in the northern part of the main island of Okinawa. She aims to become a chef drawing inspiration from Okinawan cuisine. The four siblings follow very different paths, but the memories of their hometown connect their hearts and they're able to overcome their hardships as a family.

  • Hoshi Shinichi no Fushigina Fushigina Tanpen Dorama
    Hoshi Shinichi no Fushigina Fushigina Tanpen Dorama (2022)8.0

    Hoshi Shinichi is the "God of Short Stories" who published more than 1001 short stories during his lifetime, some of which are included in textbooks and continue to be read today. His stories often feature mystery, science fiction, or fantasy elements. A sometimes "humorous" and sometimes "cynic" look at society and mankind. Always short, but always surprising and unpredictable. Is it a poisonous allegory or a wake-up call? See some of his greatest gems come to life in this 2022 live-action adaptation

  • Yae's Sakura
    Yae's Sakura (2013)7.9

    Yae no Sakura is a 2013 Japanese television series. It is the 52nd NHK taiga drama. The story focuses on Niijima Yae, who is portrayed by Haruka Ayase.

  • Kingdom
    Kingdom (2012)7.8

    In the Warring States period, young orphan Xin vows to aid King Zheng of Qin in his quest to unify China by becoming a general himself.

  • Reach Beyond the Blue Sky
    Reach Beyond the Blue Sky (2021)7.3

    Shibusawa Eiichi was born in 1840 to a farmer’s family. He grew up helping his family with work, which was to manufacture and sell indigo production and also silk farming. He left his hometown at the age of 23 and began working for the government. He later traveled to Paris and learned about banking. Upon his return to Japan, he helped build up the first modern bank in Japan. He eventually became a founder or supporter to about 500 companies and was involved with about 600 public services, including education for women.

  • Ronja the Robber's Daughter
    Ronja the Robber's Daughter (2014)6.6

    Ronja is the only daughter of Mattis, a bandit leader who lives in a castle in the middle of a large forest. When Ronja grows old enough, she ventures into the forest to interact the strange and magical creatures that live there. She learns to live in the forest through her own strength, with the occasional rescue from her parents. Ronja's life begins to change, however, when she happens upon a boy her own age named Birk.

  • The Dragon Dentist
    The Dragon Dentist (2017)5.8

    The story takes place in Dragon Country. Nonoko is a newly appointed dentist and her mission is to protect the dragon, the guardian of the country, from tooth-cavity bacteria. One day, amid increasingly fierce battles with the neighboring country, Nonoko finds on the dragon's tooth an unconscious boy soldier from the enemy country. His name is Bell, and he has been resurrected from inside the tooth by the dragon—a supernatural phenomenon that legend says occurs before a major disaster. As Nonoko and Bell go through a series of fierce battles, they eventually learn to accept their fate.

  • カスミン
    カスミン (2003)N/A

  • The Mark of Beauty
    The Mark of Beauty (2006)N/A

    Show discusses a variety of everyday art and craft items from Japan. Each episode covers a single item in depth to explain the hidden beauty in the items history and making.

  • Darkside Mystery
    Darkside Mystery (2013)N/A

    Exploring the hidden and often unsettling aspects of human history and nature. From unsolved crimes and paranormal activities to ancient myths and urban legends, the show combines dramatic reenactments, expert commentary, and in-depth research to shed light on the world's most perplexing mysteries.