Here’s everything you need to know about the world of television for Monday, February 23rd, 2026:
THE 2ND ANNUAL GLOBAL TV AWARDS WINNERS
Here is the complete list of winners from the 2nd Annual Global TV Awards, sponsored by the Too Much TV newsletter and voted on by more than 150,000 people.
As a reminder, the eligibility guidelines were straight forward:
* A show, movie, documentary or special must have been originally produced outside the United States and in a language other than English.
* The title must have premiered in the United States sometime in the 2025 calendar year. It must have premiered in its original territory no earlier than 1/1/2024.
*It has to be available on a legitimate commercial SVOD or AVOD. Not YouTube, not someone's private server.
There were some surprising winners, although I have to say that none of the wins were undeserved. But there are so much great global TV programming, it's difficult for anyone to narrow things down to just one choice.
APAC (Asia-Pacific)
Best Scripted Drama Series - APAC
- Perfect Match [China] [Netflix]
Best Scripted Drama Series - Japan
- Asura [Japan] [Netflix]
Best Scripted Drama Series - India
- Black Warrant [India] [Netflix]
Best Scripted Drama Series - South Korea
- When The Stars Gossip [South Korea] [Netflix]
Best Scripted Comedy Series - APAC
- The Ba***ds Of Bollywood Series Premiere [India] [Netflix]
Best Scripted Limited Series -APAC
- Tastefully Yours [South Korea] [Netflix]
Best Unscripted Or Reality Series Or Special - APAC
- The Devil's Plan [Japan] [Netflix]
Best Unscripted Or Reality Series Or Special - South Korea
- Culinary Class Wars [South Korea] [Netflix]
Best Movie -APAC
- Left-Handed Girl [Taiwan] [Netflix]
Best Movie - Japan
- Demon City [Japan] [Netflix]
Best Movie - India
- Dhoom Dhaam [India] [Netflix]
Best Movie - South Korea
- The Great Flood [South Korea] [Netflix]
Best Movie - Thailand
- Everybody Loves Me When I'm Dead [Thailand] [Netflix]
Best Documentary - APAC
- Dining With The Kapoors [India] [Netflix]
EMEA (Europe, Middle East & Africa)
Best Scripted Drama Series - Africa
- Kings of Jo'Burg [South Africa] [Netflix]
Best Scripted Drama Series - Continental Europe
- Vanina [Italy] [MHz Choice]
Best Scripted Drama Series - Germany
- How To Sell Drugs Online (Fast) [Germany] [Netflix]
Best Scripted Drama Series - France
- The Seduction [France] [HBO Max]
Best Scripted Drama Series - Poland
- The Thaw [Poland] [HBO Max]
Best Scripted Drama Series - Spain
- The Snow Girl [Spain] [Netflix]
Best Scripted Drama Series - Sweden
- The Åre Murders [Sweden] [Netflix]
Best Scripted Drama Series - Middle East
- Thank You, Next [Turkey] [Netflix]
Best Scripted Drama Series - Nordic Countries
- Chaos [Denmark] [Viaplay]
Best Scripted Limited Series - EMEA
- The Breakthrough [Sweden] [Netflix]
Best Scripted Limited Series - Italy
- Riv4lries [Italy] [Netflix]
Best Scripted Limited Series - Spain
- City Of Shadows [Spain] [Netflix]
Best Scripted Comedy Series - EMEA
- Alpha Males [Spain] [Netflix]
Best Unscripted Series - EMEA
- Dubai Bling [United Arab Emirates] [Netflix]
Best Movie - Africa
- Umjolo: My Beginning, My End! [South Africa] [Netflix]
Best Movie - Continental Europe
- The Love Scam [Italy] [Netflix]
Best Movie - France
- Ad Vitam [France] [Netflix]
Best Movie - Germany
- Brick [Germany] [Netflix]
Best Movie - Spain
- Culpa Nuestra (Our Fault) [Spain] [Prime Video]
Best Movie - Middle East
- The Sand Castle [Lebanon] [Netflix]
Best Documentary/Docuseries - EMEA
- I'm Still A Superstar [Spain] [Netflix]
Best True Crime Documentary Or Docuseries - EMEA
- Murdering Love [Sweden] [Viaplay]
LATAM (Latin America)
Best Scripted Drama Series - LATAM
- In The Mud [Argentina] [Netflix]
Best Scripted Drama Series - Brazil
- Benefits With Friends (Amor da Minha Vida) [Brazil] [Hulu]
Best Scripted Drama Series - Columbia
- Betty la Fea: La Historia Continúa [Columbia] [Prime Video]
Best Scripted Drama Series - Mexico
- The Dead Girls [Mexico] [Netflix]
Best Scripted Comedy Series - LATAM
- The Best Heart Attack Of My Life [Argentina] [Hulu]
Best Scripted Limited Series - LATAM
- The Eternaut [Argentina] [Netflix]
Best Unscripted Series - LATAM
- Garnachas: Glorious Street Food! [Mexico] [Netflix]
Best Movie - LATAM
- 27 Nights [Argentina] [Netflix]
Best Movie - Mexico
- Lucca's World [Mexico] [Netflix]
Best Documentary - LATAM
- Larissa: The Other Side of Anitta [Brazil] [Netflix]
Best True Crime - LATAM
- Abandoned: The Woman In The Decaying House [Brazil] [Prime Video]
One thing that does surprise me is the lack of attention that some streamers pay to their global releases. I track these shows as closely as any journalist in the U.S. and I am constantly being surprised by titles that unexpectedly drop without warning. I think the response to these awards is an indication there is a passionate audience for this programming, but I don't think the streaming marketing and PR efforts have caught up yet to the demand.
SPEAKING OF SHOWS THAT SNUCK UP ON ME
Last night I noticed a new Korean competition series had been added to Hulu and it is one of the more insane shows that I have ever experienced. Battle Of Fates is more than a bit like Netfix's Culinary Class Wars - if you substituted that show's group of chefs for a collection of 49 psychics, shamans, tarot card experts and face readers. The first half of episode one is spent introducing the contestants and they range from a young guy in a business suit to a collection of men and women dressed in traditional Korean garb from the 1800s, to some women dressed as fairies and a guy with an actual TV set on his head.
It's a quirky bunch and their first task is to look a picture of a woman who has died and figure out the cause of her death. There is chanting, a lot of waving fans and ringing bells, along with at least one woman bawling as she considered the poor woman's fate. It is a peculiar and difficult show to describe, but what I have seen so far is fascinating, because it introduces viewers to an entirely unfamiliar lifestyle.
Despite the unusual participants, much of the format is familiar, including the panel of five judges whose job it is to decide which contestants are able to get the closest to the truth. That being said, some of the shamans don't seem to be all that in tune with the universe. One female contestant manages to fall into a water feature while she is waving to everyone. And there are a disconcerting number of times when these people seem surprised by twists that even lay people like myself saw coming. But honestly, their combination of arrogance and casual stupidity is part of what makes the show entertaining.
I wish the episodes were dubbed, but they are subtitled, which is doable. But it is easy to miss some of the unexpected visuals as you read the subtitles, so don't get too caught up in that experience.
ODDS AND SODS
* Despite the report in Bloomberg over the weekend, executives at Netflix claim they aren't under a DOJ 'monopolization investigation'
* Sometimes it feels as if people are just looking for an excuse to be mad. For instance, the people who are annoyed because American-born Stranger Things actor Noah Schnapp was seen at the Olympics rooting for the Canadian hockey team.
* The BBC has apologized and removed from iPlayer the BAFTA Film Awards after initially failing to cut a racial slur involuntarily shouted by an audience member with Tourette syndrome.
* MHz Networks has licensed the U.S. rights to Montmartre, a drama set in the world of the cabaret in 19th century Paris.
THE WILD EPSTEIN HOUR OF TV CURRENTLY BURIED ON DAVID ELLISON'S PARAMOUNT+
Dan Barrett's newsletter Always be Watching highlights something I had forgotten: that the series The Good Fight has an episode entitled "The Gang Discovers Who Killed Jeffrey Epstein:"
The episode does a great job of working as a procedural through a lot of the oddity surrounding the death and life of Epstein, providing insights and asides while trying to get to the truth.
Being that it was The Good Fight, the episode balanced the topical and interesting issue at the centre of the plot with a strong dose of humor and oddity. Here, the show reveals by the end that the structure of the episode has just been aping the film Citizen Kane (which explored the life of a wealthy media baron and the mystery final words he uttered).
The show ends on Epstein Island with the lawyers visiting a room that is a lot like Kane’s Xanadu where we discover what Epstein’s “Rosebud” was. It’s pretty wild.
WHAT'S COMING TONIGHT AND TOMORROW
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 23RD:
* CIA Series Premiere (CBS)
* DMV Spring Premiere (CBS)
* FBI Spring Premiere (CBS)
* Paradise Season Two Premiere (Hulu)
* The CEO Club Series Premiere (Prime Video)
* The Fall And Rise Of Reggie Dinkins Series Premiere (NBC)
* The Family Next Door (Acorn TV)
* The Neighborhood Spring Premiere (CBS)
* The Voice Season Premiere (NBC)
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24TH:
* Beachfront Bargain Hunt Renovation Season Premiere (HGTV)
* NCIS Spring Premiere (CBS)
* NCIS: Origins Spring Premiere (CBS)
* NCIS: Sydney Spring Premiere (CBS)
* Pombo (Prime Video)
* Taylor Tomlinson: Prodigal Daughter (Netflix)
SEE YOU THIS TUESDAY!