NHK BS Premium’s extensive portfolio includes more than 20 shows, spanning the years from 1998 to 2023. Icons of NHK BS Premium, Cardcaptor Sakura and The Mark of Beauty made their debut in 1998 and 2006, setting industry standards. Our curated list, current as of July 2025, showcases over 20 of NHK BS Premium’s highest-rated series.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
Satoru Matsudo moves to Tokyo in hopes of becoming an actor. He has trouble breaking into the industry, but his luck begins to change when he finds an airplane ticket belonging to a talent agency CEO. Time passes, and Satoru makes a name for himself as an actor. He gets a call from America. Hoping it is a Hollywood offer, he instead hears about his estranged older brother.
In her beloved car, "Grace", a wife is on her way to Narita. Following a bus accident that kills her, her husband, Kikuo, gets access to her GPS which contains the history of all the places she travelled to without his knowledge. Suspecting infidelity, Kikuo embarks on a journey to trace the history of the car's GPS in order to solve the mystery.
A series of animations based on prize-winning short stories for women.
Akizuki Haruto, a police detective on childcare leave, finds himself solving cases using the hints he notices while raising his infant son, Ren, in this light mystery. Along with his wife Saki, Haruto is navigating the challenges of parenthood when he is unexpectedly taken hostage during a robbery. Despite the tense situation, Haruto uses his keen observation skills to gather clues and secretly calls his own police division for assistance. However, as he deals with the unfolding events, he must also attend to Ren's needs, including diaper changes and feeding times, adding a unique twist to his crime-solving endeavors.
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.
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.
There were men who were passionate about being samurai. The men became samurai warriors at the forefront of the fierce battle that affected the future of Japan as part of the Shinsengumi...