What non-English shows or movies do Americans watch (excluding anime)?

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Antioch666@reddit

I loved the Swedish show "Real Humans" about androids getting sentient. Watched it in Swedish with English subs. I don't like dubbing.

They made English speaking British/American remake but it is not nearly as good as the OG Swedish one.

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JeanBonJovi@reddit

Squid games would be one of the most popular ones.

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Brave_Educator5934@reddit

To be fair, there are multiple games in the show Squid Game. Yet there is only one truly Squid Game in Squid Game, that of course being the Squid Game.

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VitalisMan@reddit

The official title of the television series is Squid Game.

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Harbinger_Kyleran@reddit

One of my favorites was a two season Begian series called Into the Night about a plane trying to escape the coming sunrise which was killing all life by circling the earth.

It oddly had a single spin off / crossover season made in Turkey called SU-245 about a submarine trying to get to safety as well.

Sadly both series were cancelled before they could reach their final culmination in Iceland.

My wife and I watch all sorts of shows from Europe, Korea, South America and Turkey, mostly via Netflix and Britbox.

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MagicCouch9@reddit

I watched the 2022 All Quiet on the Western Front which was in German, peak movie. I also watched a really good samurai movie on Netflix that was in Japanese, don’t remember the title though.

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Little_Exit4279@reddit

I watch a lot of non-english classic films. One of my favorite films of all time is a French film the 400 Blows. Another one is a Brazillian film City of God

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RelativeIncompetence@reddit

Epically badly dubbed Chinese martial arts movies from the 70s.

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amcjkelly@reddit

HK movies were huge here, and now are Korean and, to a lesser extent Japanese films and TV. Indian movies can also become popular.

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ka1982@reddit

I’m unrepresentative because I watch tons of non-English movies, but the basic answer is “foreign-language TV series that are on Netflix and get press.”

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GaslitInk@reddit

I just finished Lead Children (Polish miniseries) and it was great!

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CorsairExtraordinair@reddit

Thanks to Netflix I watch shows from other countries, but mostly listen to the english dub.

Ganglands was great. Blood Coast is another banger.

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TheShyBuck@reddit

the Korean president deal with Netflix made Netflix full of Korean shows, so I guess Korean shows are popular

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They really are. I watch some foreign content, and I've noticed that I have countries that I lean towards for some reason or other that I'm not consciously aware of (South Korea, Poland, and Turkey). But I'll try watching anything.

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ShayeAnne@reddit

About 8 years old, I started watching foreign content and discovered South Korean dramas were by far my favorite. Love the music, the multigenerational families, the 16 episode format, and the great act

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Specialist-Bowler465@reddit

I don't really watch TV, but I've seen other people watch Bollywood, Turkish dramas etc.

I've watched a few Middle Eastern movies.

I think if the story is interesting enough people are willing to give it a go if they're already open to watching subtitled films.

Nordic and Scandinavian TV shows and movies seem to be somewhat prevalent as well. Mostly in the horror or similar genres.

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OkTechnologyb@reddit

Squid Game was hugely popular, and most everyone watched it.

Occasionally there will be a show like that, though usually not as popular. Like that Nordic show Midsommer or whatever? I didn't watch it, so I'm not exactly sure which country it was from.

I don't think Americans are necessarily opposed to watching something not in English (and I'm probably forgetting some other obvious examples). It's just that most content we get is in English.

One caveat: this is a mainstream answer. Know that there are millions of people living in the US (most probably wouldn't call themselves American full stop) who don't have English as a first language. Therefore they often watch content in Spanish, Chinese, etc.

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Calm_Violinist5256@reddit

My favorites- Deutschland 83, 86 and 89. Also- Tehran, Shetland (I know it's in English but it's not American) Kleo, Sisi, Wallander, Carmen Curlers

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juniperwool@reddit

Seyit vu Sura; Amélie; I like dramas with subtitles from most cultures I can find.

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GandalfTheShmexy@reddit

British Television is a big one for older women

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HistoricalString2350@reddit

Most of the popular BBC shows

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Certain-Grand9144@reddit

A lot of stuff on Netflix is foreign, there’s British, German, Nordic, French and Spanish to say nothing of a ton of Asian shows. I watch more of that than US shows with original language audio and English subtitles

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Great_Chipmunk4357@reddit

Americans don't watch many foreign movies or tv programs except for ones from England.

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lexicon951@reddit

Not true. Maybe you don’t. Or maybe you live in a less cultured area. Most people I know watch tv in multiple languages even if they don’t speak those languages. Why would you limit yourself to only one language of media? That’s a lot of good plots, storylines, fandoms, and soundtracks to miss out on

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Great_Chipmunk4357@reddit

I am a retired professor with a Ph.D. My wife has two master’s degrees. I hope we live up to your high standards.

Perhaps you could tell us who all these wonderful people are and some of the programs are that they watch. As the old saying goes, “Talk is cheap.” Another saying is, “Put your money where your mouth is.”

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lexicon951@reddit

So cringe lol. Great, you’re educated… okay? There’s tons of people in this sub stating they watch shows in multiple languages. You being educated and yet not watching anything not in English doesn’t invalidate that. But sure, if you wanna know a list of shows & movies I’ve watched, I’ll name them:

-Turkish: Shamaran

-Spanish language (Spain or Latin American): Jane the Virgin, Elite

-Brazilian: The Circle Brazil

-French/Morrocan: The Circle France

-multiple language show including I think Spanish, French, German, Italian, Chinese, English: 1899

-German: Dark, Biohackers, Tribes of Europa

-Italian: The Law According to Lidia Poet, Summer Job

-Norwegian: Ragnarok, Troll, La Palma

-Thai: Ball Boy Tactics, The Next Prince, Brother of the Year

-Russian/English: Heated Rivalry

-Chinese: Last Sunrise

-Japanese: Dragonball Z, Dragonball GT, Dragonball Super, Attack on Titan, Demon Slayer, Haikyu, Spy Family, Frieren, Vinland Saga

-Korean movies: Coin Locker Girl, A Company Man, How to Steal a Dog, Train to Busan, Parasite, The Thieves, 200 Pound Beauty, 마녀 pt. 1: Subversion

-Korean shows: The Great Seducer, Sky Castle, The Beauty Inside, City Hunter, Lookout, Call Me Mother, Goblin, The Uncanny Encounter, Strong Woman Do Bong Soon, Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo, Hwarang, Fight For My Way, Cheer Up, School 2013, School 2015, School 2017, 100 Days My Prince, My ID is Gangnam Beauty, What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim, The K2, Blood, Descendants of the Sun, Cheese in the Trap, Circle: Two Worlds Connected, She Was Pretty, Extracurricular, Suits, Legend of the Blue Sea, Kill Me Heal Me, Scarlet Heart Ryeo, Boys Over Flowers, Sweet Home, Kingdom, Physical 100, Singles Inferno, Siren: Survive The Island, Squid Games

Several of my friends watch shows and movies in Spanish and Japanese and some of them also watch in Thai and Korean. Even my friends in my movie club who don’t usually watch in many other languages have all seen movies in other languages when they get nominated for Academy Awards or Golden Globes, and we’ve watched a Korean movie as a group before.

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CraftyFraggle@reddit

We enjoyed Young Royals.

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maggy_boi_x@reddit

Squid Game comes to mind where people prefer to watch the Korean Dub with English subtitles, but the only non-anime media i can also think of that's really popular in the United States are American productions with foreign languages in it, like Inglorious Basterds, Band of Brothers, or Saving Private Ryan. Now that I think of it, war films almost exclusively foot this bill.

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4MuddyPaws@reddit

I'm old. I watched a lot of British crime shows, period dramas and comedies.

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Jeffers315@reddit

One of my favorites was Dark. Watched it in German with English subtitles.

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Rheumatitude@reddit

I struggled with Dark and can’t get through the first season. I loved 1899 and was pissed when I heard it was canceled due to low viewership. That can’t be right because it had higher viewership than Dark and it went several seasons. I just needed ONE more season to tell me what the heck was going on?!?!

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Jeffers315@reddit

I get it. Dark is a very slow burn, and the story unfolds very gradually. It definitely rewards your patience, though.

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TucsonTacos@reddit

1899 is good too. Same director

It got canceled though so only 1 season :/

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Federal_Pickles@reddit

Was that the creepy ship show???

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TucsonTacos@reddit

Super creepy

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Federal_Pickles@reddit

Man, I’d forgotten about that. Might need to do a rewatch

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bluebuddha11@reddit

I just finished 1899 yesterday & am so mad it was cancelled after 1 season. Dark is in my queue but will have to wait a couple months until busy work season is over.

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BookLuvr7@reddit

That cancellation was a crime. My husband and I loved 1899. We have yet to try Dark, but it's on our list.

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TucsonTacos@reddit

Dark can be confusing so you have to pay attention. A lot of episodes, for me, ended with me going “ok I have no idea what’s going on” but I still wanted to see more.

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Slight_Manufacturer6@reddit

The twists were the best

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Slight_Manufacturer6@reddit

I haven’t hear of that. I’ll have to check it out… it must be really good because it seems the best shows are canceled early.

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Curmudgy@reddit

It was better than Dark, imho. It had a far more original premise, at least from what we learned in the one season.

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Jeffers315@reddit

Yeah I saw the first season. I was super into it. Too bad it got cancelled.

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itsmyhotsauce@reddit

Came here to say this too. Dark was PHENOMENAL

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Slight_Manufacturer6@reddit

Dark is amazing! I recommend it all the time.

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Competitive_Web_6658@reddit

What a great show. I waited way too long to watch it because people kept comparing it to Stranger Things, which I was pretty unenthusiastic about.

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Jeffers315@reddit

Wtf it's nothing like stranger things 😂

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Competitive_Web_6658@reddit

Yeah, it was bizarre 😂 And it wasn’t just my acquaintances; the minute the credits rolled on S1 of Stranger Things, Netflix prompted me to start Dark. I didn’t watch it until after 1899 came out.

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Asleep-Assistant-269@reddit

Yep - Dark would be all time top 10 for me.

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Tx2PNW2Tx@reddit

Yes! Dark was sssooo good

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Sammakko660@reddit

I liked that series.

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Icy-Blacksmith-313@reddit

South Korean shows and movies, and all the Scandi shows and movies. Scandi noir had a very peak moment during the pandemic.

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Time_Neat_4732@reddit

Only thing I haven’t seen mentioned in my quick scroll is The Untamed, which reached some American fandom-heavy (Tumblr, AO3, etc.) audiences.

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ancientRedDog@reddit

For people my age, Amelie was very popular.

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kurai-tsuki@reddit

Honestly nothing. There's so much English content I can't think of the last non-English non-anime thing that I watched

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davideogameman@reddit

Off the top of my head some foreign things I've watched:

Squid game Money heist The Gift Hellbound Call my agent Mobius Tale of two sisters Lupin Rita

Squid game and Money Heist were very popular - people who don't usually watch foreign content saw them. Call my agent I think has more of a cult following - some people really love it but it didn't quite hit widespread appeal. Dark is one that is also probably up there as Netflix pushed it but didn't go viral.

If we count other shows from the anglosphere (probably more commonly watched since they are in English)

Sex education The tourist Sherlock Luther The fall Peaky blinders Lockwood and Co Killing Eve Monty Python and the holy Grail Lost girl Continuum Orphan black Dark matter The Lazarus project Crossing lines The last kingdom

I'd estimate about a third or so of these English shows have pretty large American followings, more on the non scifi side. The Canadian tv shows can be hard to even notice that they are not American as there seems to be a lot of crossover and collaboration between Canada and US entertainment - I stumbled over the fact that a bunch of shows I've watched are actually Canadian American collaborations that I didn't even realize. The British stuff tends to be more obvious as the accents are more distinct and it tends to use European settings.

I also would bet that some Americans are into European reality tv, eg Eurostar is very similar to American idol which is highly popular; I've heard good things about The Great British Bake-off. I just personally have no interest in reality TV.

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Base_211@reddit

My parents watch a lot of k-dramas.

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cranberry_spike@reddit

That, like most other things, really depends on the person 😅

I've watched things like Babylon Berlin, Juana Inés, and so on. Basically I'll watch whatever if it catches my fancy and involves a certain level of swords or chases or something, because I am very high brow there. Juana Inés was fantastic but a slow go for me because of insufficient swords and knives. Watched The Lives of Others back when it came out and found it super moving, it sticks with me and always will. My dad watched it because he found my DVD and was super confused 😅

A lot of it also comes down to what we have access to, which can vary a lot by location even with streaming - since not everyone has access to streaming platforms.

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Due_Purchase_7509@reddit

Babylon Berlin was hella good!

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Sexy_Anemone@reddit

Chinese dramas are somewhat popular over here (at least with women lol)

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AmphibianOld4815@reddit

La Vita E Bella is probably my favorite foreign film

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Diligent_Mulberry47@reddit

Sisi: Austrian Empress is one of my favorites.

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LetterheadClassic306@reddit

ngl most americans stick to english content but some foreign stuff breaks through. 'squid game' (korean) was huge, 'money heist' (spanish), 'dark' (german), and 'call my agent' (french). also 'gomorrah' (italian) has a cult following. if you want easy access to a ton of international shows without hunting, Mubi is perfect - it's curated foreign and indie films. netflix also has a decent international section these days.

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Ratatoskr_The_Wise@reddit

I’m totally hooked on “Crime Scene Cleaner” (Der Tatortreiniger). My German language skills are terrible so I lean on the subtitles, but I love that show.

What was huge here was “H2O”, a mermaid 🧜‍♀️ show from Australia 🇦🇺. HUGE. You will hear American kids say “aur NAURRR!” when they spill a liquid.

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Morlain7285@reddit

Not much, but Pan's Labyrinth has always been one of my favorite movies. I know I've watched and enjoyed a few others, but none come to mind right now

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S0rry7h15N4m374k3n@reddit

Guillermo Del Toro is awesome. He has a showcase of short films on Netflix called "Cabinet of Curiosities"

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WulfTheSaxon@reddit

It’s funny because I know it gets a 95% rating, but I’d put it in the three worst movies I’ve ever seen (and I’m not allergic to subtitles). When I saw that del Toro was hired for the Hobbit I was kinda dismayed.

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hatredpants2@reddit

I’m so curious what the other two movies on your three-worst list are, considering Pan Labyrinth’s reputation

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WulfTheSaxon@reddit

One was The Professional, which is funny because I quite the two Pink Panther films with Jean Reno that were absolutely trashed in reviews (21% and 13%), and La Femme Nikita is a favorite – he’s a good actor. The other one escapes me at the moment.

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Morlain7285@reddit

So you hate movies that people love and love movies that people hate, eh? Weird, but all power to ya

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WulfTheSaxon@reddit

I mean I think most people also love La Femme Nikita. But yeah, these are probably my most controversial film takes. :P

Steve Martin has always been very love or hate, as with many comedy films. I wonder if that’s why not many are made anymore.

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Pedadinga@reddit

Your opinions are insane to me, but I really respect you saying them.

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Morlain7285@reddit

Why do you hate it so much? del Toro is my favorite director ever and I really struggle to imagine that perspective

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WulfTheSaxon@reddit

It’s been probably 18 years and my main memory of it was that it was the worst film I’d ever seen, but IIRC it was poorly-lit, incoherent, cartoonishly Communist, somehow overlong at two hours, and tried unsuccessfully to make up for its lack of a plot with excessive violence.

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cranberry_spike@reddit

Truly amazing to see someone arguing for pro-fascist Spanish civil war propaganda.

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WulfTheSaxon@reddit

I didn’t say that at all… Both sides in that war were bad. But the movie was over the top.

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hatredpants2@reddit

I’m not sure we need a balanced pro-fascist perspective on the Spanish Civil War, personally.

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Jeffers315@reddit

That movie is incredible. I definitely wasn't prepared the first time I saw it 😂

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SunnyCynic@reddit

I loveee kdramas

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Zealousideal_Draw_94@reddit

I do watch a lot of Canadian, UK and Australia but that’s not what you’re asking.

I watched a fair bit of Swedish stuff 10 years back, as well as a few Norwegian, Danish and Some Korean gameshows.

I scene a couple shows from South Africa, couple from Turkey, 1 or 2 from Brazil.

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Smart_Engine_3331@reddit

Ive watched a few Korean shows on Netflix.

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Necessary_Echo8740@reddit

This is only tangentially related, but whenever a play a game set in a foreign setting, even if the original dialogue is in English, I’ll switch the audio to the settings native language if possible. Better immersion, and I’m fine with subtitles.

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Professional-Front58@reddit

I’m keeping up with Kamen Rider Zetzz at the moment but I’ve watched a lot of Kamen Rider and Super Sentai. Also love Rashamon. Additionally Deutschland 1984.

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DeathofRats42@reddit

I have watched Bollywood movies for about 30 years now, and I have watch a couple of Korean shows on Netflix that were nice as well. I just pop on the subtitles, pick up my knitting loom, and enjoy. I like seeing the different cultural elements, but these shows also serve to remind me how similar humans are everywhere.

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Dapper_Buffalo_7843@reddit

31 minutos would kill if there was an English dub

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alwaysboopthesnoot@reddit

I regularly watch things from Germany, France, Sweden, Iceland, Finland, Italy, Denmark, Norway, some Korean movies. TV series from various countries in South America, Australia. Using subtitles where needed, not dubbed versions.

Shows like Trapped, Deadwind, Wallander, Candice Renoir, Ice Cold Murders, Homicide Hills, Murder In, Mr InBetween, Mystery Road, Black Snow. Piste Noir, Sommerdahl Murders. The Eternaught. Movies like Train to Busan. Downfall. The Wave. I travel long distance a lot and fly a lot, so I watch these when I have long waits, flights or journeys.

There are some really good things available through the Walter Presents series, on Amazon Prime, Acorn, BritBox, through MHz I got used to finding and watching subtitled movies while living overseas.

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DeanBranch@reddit

Korean dramas of all genres are very popular.

Chinese dramas are increasingly popular.

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Weird_Squirrel_8382@reddit

Die Kaiserin (The Empress), Manual Para Señoritas (The Lady's Companion), Animal (Old DOG, New Tricks).

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BitterestLily@reddit

Those of us who are PBS viewers, or streamers, get a lot of British detective stories/murder mysteries and period pieces on the Masterpiece series or generally in their prime time. Downtown Abbey was huge and Call the Midwife is consistently popular. This year's new mini-series are The Count of Monte Cristo and The Forsytes.

I also enjoy Aussie and New Zealand based shows and am currently watching Mystery Road Origins on Acorn (I think) and High Country on Hulu. Since I'm a native speaker, I'll occasionally watch something in Spanish, but I don't find too many I enjoy.

Occasionally I'll watch something from other non-English speaking countries, but I can't stand the poor voice-acting in a lot of dubbing and am bothered at having to be so glued to the TV due to subtitles, so I dont watch much not in English.

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Apprehensive-Pop-201@reddit

I watch a lot of foreign films, many not in English. Subtitles are great.

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Icey_Raccon@reddit

We go nuts for British and Scottish shows. I'm probably a minority, but I also love to watch C and K dramas on Netflix.

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Marisha123@reddit

I binged a goofy Lucy-type Greek sitcom whose title translates to You Are my Match. I loved Rita (Danish). Starting a Russian one called Kitchen.

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buginskyahh@reddit

Korean content is popular (Parasite, Squid Game, K-dramas, etc)

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freenow4evr@reddit

I'm watching Narco-Saints right now. So good!

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TheShyBuck@reddit

the problem is that a lot of the Korean shows that were added to Netflix flopped in Korea (not talking about the shows you mentioned) they were added because of the Korean government deal, the Korean president want to spread Korean shows for soft power and to improve Korean economy

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sneezhousing@reddit

I fail to see the problem

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Winowill@reddit

They are also on Hulu, Disney, Viki, Prime... sure, some may have flopped, but plenty of others didn't. The biggest hits are on there too

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terrovek3@reddit

What's the problem exactly?

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Anubis-Hound@reddit

The Glory!!! Amazing, brutal show

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Able-Steak-2842@reddit

Dr Who

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Arixian697@reddit

Midnight Dinner is one of the very few shows I’ve watched multiple times all the way through

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kaseirae@reddit

For me it's Muhteşem Yüzyıl or Magnificent Century

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xAkMoRRoWiNdx@reddit

I know that Dark on Netflix is popular. Its German

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mechanicalcontrols@reddit

Not representative, but the last foreign film I watched was called Donbass (Донбасс) and takes place in eastern Ukraine immediately after the 2014 Russian invasion of Crimea. The film uses the Russian spelling of the region's name, but the film is in a mix of Ukrainian, Russian, and likely Surzhyk (although that's not listed in the film's languages on any sources I can find)

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ThroatFun478@reddit

I like kdramas, telenovelas, Bollywood movies, Hong Kong wuxia movies, Korean horror, Spanish horror, old Japanese kaiju movies ...

I mean, if something looks good, I'll go for it. I don't mind subtitles. I have to use them anyway. My kids are always talking, and audio mixing these days is terrible.

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MsOnyxMoon@reddit

Dark, The Rain, The Returned.

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Mysterious-Being5043@reddit

I got hooked on Magnificent Century with English subtitles on YouTube. Amazing series.

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Chob_XO@reddit

I love 7 Samurai.

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Southern-Usual4211@reddit

Being Hispanic I watch a lot of Mexican and Latin. American tv, telenovelas are always a good time lol.

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SkyFallingUp@reddit

'Velvet' will live in my heart forever. ❤️

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weakasstea@reddit

I don't even try to watch them, then suddenly I'm sitting on the couch with my grandma asking why Teresa did that

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SkyFallingUp@reddit

I watch mostly: Mandarin dramas (just finished 'The First Frost', now watching 'The Double') German dramas (just finished season 2 of 'The Empress' and 'Cassandra' which was amazing, kinda like a 6 episode long Black Mirror) Swedish dramas ('A Neatly Normal Family') Turkish dramas ('Black Money Love', one of the longer dramas I have watched at 54 episodes but was awesome) The list is too long to type, but also I love various Hindi, Japanese, Korean and French shows as well.

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TemperMe@reddit

Dark, 1899, Dr Who

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This-Professional-39@reddit

Tons of UK stuff on PBS since I was a little kid, but I live to love old Godzilla and old Samurai movies. That count?

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Prestigious-Comb4280@reddit

None

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Midwest_Plant_Guy@reddit

I really enjoyed The Man From Nowhere

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Humdrum_Blues@reddit

Внутри Лапенко (Vnootrey Lapyenko) is amazing. It's on youtube for free, though some of the humor might be lost through auto generated subtitles and weird translations.

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Happy_Confection90@reddit

Some that I've seen, a mix of subbed and dubbed. I've forgotten a bunch, sadly

Movies: Les Revenants; The Devil's Backbone; Pan's Labyrinth; The Wave; Rare Exports; Troll 1 & 2; The Orphanage; Sister Death

Shows: Marriane; Invisible City; Don't Come Home; High Seas

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spintool1995@reddit

Chinese kung fu movies go through periods of popularity, not so much recently though. Ang Lee's films were huge in the 90s-00s.

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TehTJ13@reddit

I used to be pretty fluent in German so I watched lots of German movies. Das Boot is the obvious one, Good bye Lenin!, Er ist wiedar da, and Lola rennt are also great German movies.

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blindsidesonny@reddit

Scandinavian crime dramas/Nordic noir.

They’re popular enough to get a genre parody in a Marvel TV show.

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Forsaken_Election708@reddit

Also movies like Troll Hunter and the series Thor

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Winowill@reddit

The Killing, or Forbrydelsen in Danish, even got a US remake with a different killer. Really good show

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mshaversham@reddit

The Rain was a Danish Netflix show. I really liked that one.

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Winowill@reddit

Oh! I will have to check it out!

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Chay_Charles@reddit

Yes! The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy.

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Hotsauce4ever@reddit

PBS. I watch all the foreign films.

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RedLegGI@reddit

Documentaries

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SteampunkRobin@reddit

Personally I watch mostly c- and k-dramas, occasionally something from Japan. I’ve seen a couple of Norwegian movies, a few things from Thailand.

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J0J0388@reddit

Japanese & Korean horror movies & shows

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Consistent_Damage885@reddit

I liked the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo movies in Swedish.

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Pernicious_Possum@reddit

For me, nothing. Hate subtitles, and dubs, so I’m out

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djcurry@reddit

K-Dramas are getting popular due to Netflix.

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HailMaryPoppins@reddit

I got sucked in during the pandemic and now I’m trying to learn Korean on Duolingo so I don’t have to keep reading captions all the time.

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Livid-Improvement953@reddit

I'd been watching them for a long time with the sound off because I was afraid of waking up my kid. My husband bought me some Bluetooth headphones for Xmas and the first time I watched with sound I was like "have I...been watching...a soap opera!?!??...this whole time". But I can't pass up a period piece to save my life, so I deal with it.

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HailMaryPoppins@reddit

Haha! My kid doesn’t understand the addiction at this point. But they seem more nuanced and layered than a lot of American shows, which I appreciate. Can’t say I understand it all, but I appreciate.

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DJPaige01@reddit

None. When I watch television, I want to relax, not read subtitles.

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SenseNo635@reddit

I love me a good Godzilla movie

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Impressive-Weird-908@reddit

Spanish soap operas are very popular with many Americans. Mainly the millions that speak Spanish.

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Responsible_Trash_40@reddit

Doctor who

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dinamet7@reddit

Korean Drama is fairly mainstream at this point, Chinese as well, but I don't think are quite as mainstream. If a series is on Netflix, there's also a decent chance people have watched it enough to talk about it. Historical/Period dramas always get a nice boost after Bridgerton seasons (Lidia Poët, Sisi, etc.) and crime dramas/thrillers also get some buzz fairly frequently (Lupin, Dark, etc.)

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CarolinCLH@reddit

I watch police dramas from all over Europe as well as Australia. I also watch Korean shows and Historical Chinese drama.

I don't like dubbing. I prefer subtitles.

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KaleidoArachnid@reddit

I like the show Money Heist as it’s a Spanish drama.

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DynamiteStorm@reddit

Netflix the parasian agency. A real estate show. Not with dubbed sound. Closed caption in English with original French dialogue Dubbing the voices over is so distracting.

[-]

BraveLittleToaster8@reddit

Yes, I've found some great shows in Danish, Norwegian and French on various American streaming services. Subtitles don't bother me, I keep them on even for movies in English because I like to read along and it helps when the dialogue is quiet or people have accents.

[-]

TrillyMike@reddit

City of God was a good movie

[-]

GreenBeanTM@reddit

I really liked the first season of “Alrawabi School for Girls”

[-]

ophaus@reddit

Fawlty Towers. All the culture anyone in the world needs, ever.

[-]

poppycat82@reddit

I watch some British, Australian and new Zealand comedies. I like their dry humour.

[-]

Black_Dog_Industries@reddit

My exwife was a big fan of British television.

She watched Are You Being Served daily.

My kids are big fans of Doctor Who.

[-]

hungaryboii@reddit

Narcos was pretty popular and taught me how to curse in spanish

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distracted_x@reddit

I've watched a lot of British and Australian shows in my life. And now that there are more and more quality English dubbed shows on streaming services these days I've been watching some of those too. Just finished one last night that I think was made in Spain.

[-]

lokland@reddit

K-Dramas are quite big. Spanish Language shows among US Spanish speakers and spouses trying (and failing) to learn their partner’s language.

That’s kinda it though. I cannot think of a German, French, Italian, Chinese or Hindi language show that has a large audience in the US.

[-]

lexicon951@reddit

I agree with the first half of your statement, but there’s tons of shows and movies from those languages on Netflix, which is primarily American users. I’ve watched a bunch of them

[-]

mshaversham@reddit

I watch a lot of foreign horror films. My partner is hard of hearing so subtitles are the default for anything we watch.

[-]

lexicon951@reddit

Tons of people watch anime, kdramas, telenovelas, Bollywood dramas, Thai BLs & other BLs, and Netflix has several tv shows from Spain, Italy, and Brazil as well. I’ve even watched one from Turkey that was fantastic.

[-]

shammy_dammy@reddit

I think the last one I watched was Let the Right One In. I heard the original Swedish version was more my taste so it was the version I watched.

[-]

Tommy_Wisseau_burner@reddit

My favorite action movies are the raid: redemption and raid 2

[-]

BookLuvr7@reddit

My husband and I love international shows. Netflix has some fun ones - Luna Nera, Lydia Poët, the Empress, Lupin, Pera Palace, the Green Glove Gang, the Cook of Castamar, etc etc.

We're trying to learn French, German, and Italian, so we mostly focus on shows in those languages, but we're willing to try anything that looks like it has decent writing. We both value good stories, and shows that put action over plot seem shallow and empty to us. But that's just my husband and I. I can't speak for other households.

[-]

Ok_Orchid1004@reddit

I won’t watch it unless it’s 100% English spoken by the original actors. I can’t stand those foreign movies they’ve dubbed in English and the mouth clearly does not move with the words that you’re hearing. I also will not watch foreign language movies with English subtitles.

[-]

PA_MallowPrincess_98@reddit

Netflix Shows like Squid Games and Money Heist

[-]

PacSan300@reddit

Money Heist is incredible.

[-]

No_Seaworthiness8176@reddit

Telemundo!

[-]

Shionkron@reddit

The Lady and I have been watching Taskmaster (UK) for a few years.

[-]

macoafi@reddit

That's in English, isn't it? Unless you're watching some Welsh version, I guess.

[-]

alligator124@reddit

I guess it’s gonna depend on every household! One my favorite movies ever is The Lives of Others.

If a Gaspar Noe movie comes out, we usually watch it.

Pan’s Labyrinth was a favorite from my husband’s childhood. Other Spanish language ones have been two of the Cuarón movies (Y tu mamá también and Roma), Pain and Glory, When Evil Lurks, Society of Snow, Monos, Platform.

We watched Taste of Cherry a few years ago, which was Iranian.

Anatomy of a Fall, Amelie, Martyrs, Hate from France/in French.

There are plenty of Korean, Chinese, Japanese films my husband watches. He likes East Asian horror a lot!

I try to catch them when I can but honestly he watches a lot more movies over all than I do because I can’t stay awake lol. I work very early. He tends to really enjoy the ones that come out of Scandinavia.

We do a fair amount I guess but we’re not as well-versed as a lot of folks!

[-]

Suitable-Roof-3950@reddit

30 Coins on HBO was pretty cool.

[-]

macoafi@reddit

I've watched at least a few episodes of the following shows:

Las Chicas del Cable
La Flor más Bella
La Casa de las Flores
Los Simuladores
Valeria
La Patrona
Zorro (2024)

I tried watching "Il commissario Montalbano" but my Italian isn't good enough yet.

[-]

newhappyrainbow@reddit

I enjoyed Alice in Boarderland, it’s Japanese.

[-]

pickleman42@reddit

Godzilla minus one was a huge hit in America

[-]

___coolcoolcool@reddit

I love Nordic Noir shows, I also love comedies from Europe and Central/South America. And obviously foreign true crime documentaries are awesome, too.

I don’t mind dubbing, it’s helpful for when I am working on a project and can’t just stare at the screen, but I prefer subbed to dubbed.

[-]

Dai-The-Flu-@reddit

I grew up in a second generation Italian-American household and have relatives who still live in Italy, so I’ve seen my fair share of Italian movies over the years.

La Vita é Bella (Life Is Beautiful) is an all time classic and probably the most famous Italian movie to American audiences. Two of my all time favorites however have to be Cinema Paradiso and Ciao, Professore!

[-]

rattlehead44@reddit

I watch quite a few, but most frequently would be Scandinavian dark crime/thriller series that my Netflix algorithm constantly recommends.

[-]

AgreeableCommission7@reddit

I personally watch lots of foreign content, especially if its dubbed but not a deal breaker.

A few good ones that come to mind is the series Elite, Young Royals, Dark, Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN, Ragnarok, Alice in Borderland

[-]

Ok-Possibility-9826@reddit

I absolutely love telenovelas. I can never find them, though.

[-]

_iusuallydont_@reddit

I watch Japanese and Korean content, usually dramas and horror, sometimes reality shows. Outliers for me are other European countries’ content which I watch if I run across something interesting, but not with any regularity.

[-]

Willing_Ad_699@reddit

Operation Repo.

[-]

Ghost-of-Black-47@reddit

I’ll occasionally watch European historical fiction or political dramas. Borgin from Denmark was a really good one.

[-]

donuttrackme@reddit

All sorts of things. Remember, there are 350+ million Americans. Some Americans watch shows and movies from their motherland or parent's or grandparent's home countries. Other times they'll watch Korean stuff which has blown up recently. But there's also films of Hong Kong, China, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand etc. There are films from the Middle East, Europe, Mexico, South America, and even Africa. Of course it's all much more rare, but of all the countries in the world, I'm guessing that there are more cinephiles in America than most other countries. So the chances are higher than most other countries that Americans watch movies from all over the world.

[-]

tenehemia@reddit

I think Babylon Berlin is one of the best shows of the last decade.

[-]

Entire-Garage-1902@reddit

Midnight Diner.

[-]

No-Profession422@reddit

My wife watches K-drama's and some Tagalog shows. I find them humerous sometimes.

[-]

Blackstrider@reddit

Trädgårdstider.

And I now have very limited Swedish as a result LOL

[-]

ImaginaryCatDreams@reddit

Amalie, there's actually a section in the movie where there is some spoken English in for a second it's confusing because you're reading subtitles and you don't know what they said until you realize that you did

[-]

Remarkable_Table_279@reddit

I think most people prefer subbed to dubbed. Kdramas are popular (subbed). Currently I like short vertical Chinese dramas…but I do prefer dubbed so I can multitask

[-]

Remarkable_Table_279@reddit

I also liked Bollywood movies…and have seen movies and tv from other countries. (There was a Peruvian (I think) movie that was just weird)

[-]

Curmudgy@reddit

We’ve watched Land of Women on AppleTV+, a show that mixes English, Spanish, and Catalan. Unfortunately, I haven’t seen anything about a season 2.

We’ve also watched All This I Will Give to You on Hoopla, in French with English subtitles, based on the Spanish language novel by Delores Redondo.

We started watching Call My Agent, in French with English subtitles, but set it aside. We may get back to it.

I’ve started building a list of Japanese M/M romances on Tubi, and have finished watching My Private Weatherman, which was very different from the typical English language m/m romance books I’ll get.

[-]

-Moose_Soup-@reddit

Aside from a few standout examples like Squid Games and Dark, we really don't watch a lot of foreign language shows or movies unless a person happens to have a niche interest.

[-]

alaskawolfjoe@reddit

I will watch any film from any country.

But for episodic television I usually only watch English-language shows (but there are exceptions).

[-]

Chickstan33@reddit

I'm a sucker for Chinese historical romance dramas. I do not speak Chinese.

[-]

CantCreateUsernames@reddit

As usual, "there is no one answer that represents all of America," but I'll try my best.

There are Americans who were born in other countries or are first- or second-generation, so they are still very close to their native culture and thus watch a lot of media in their heritage nation's language. There are many [insert language] soap operas popular among specific communities in the US.

There are Americans who are trying to learn a specific language, so they may try to watch more media in that specific language.

There are Americans who are movie buffs and may have a particular interest in international films or in films by a particular non-English-speaking director. I would say that the films in the running for the "Best International Film" at the Oscars each year are probably watched by a lot of international movie buffs.

And as you said, there are Americans really into specific Korean, Japanese, and other Asian media.

I think that with streaming now, it is easier than ever to find amazing non-English-language media, which helps break down some of the barriers to watching that previously existed. For example, there are Spanish, Portuguese, German, and Korean shows on Netflix that I would never have discovered on my own. Dark was very popular amongst some circles in the US when it was running (great show!).

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dgmilo8085@reddit

Extremely few and far between, but I think Netflix's accessibility has been gradually changing this. The only few I can think of are Squid Game, Pan's Labyrinth, Roma, Amelie, and a bunch of anime.

[-]

theproestdwarf@reddit

Streaming has really opened up a lot of these. Just thinking of myself, in the past few months on Netflix alone I've watched shows in Spanish (The Eternaut), Korean (Gyeongseong Creature), Japanese (Sanctuary) and Icelandic (Katla). I really appreciate the increased availability of shows in their own languages.

[-]

1952Rustbelt@reddit

I don't.

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jigokubi@reddit

I don't watch anything dubbed in English if I can help it. I want subtitles.

[-]

wieldymouse@reddit

I've watched TV shows or movies from the below countries (there may be countries not listed because I forgot where something was from).

Australia

Canada

China

France

Germany

India

Ireland

Japan

Mexico

New Zealand

Poland

Qatar

Romania

Russia

South Korea

Spain

Philippines

Thailand

Türkiye

United Arab Emirates

United Kingdom

[-]

SabresBills69@reddit

random foreign movie with subtitles. some journalism products have subtitles( frontline)

[-]

tothebatcopter@reddit

I love international content. It's obviously dramatized, but I love seeing the subtle differences in culture and infrastructure and things like that.

Some faves (on US Netflix): - Vagabond (Korean) - Detective Hole (Norwegian) - Criminal Code (Brazilian) - The Asset (Finnish) - Unfamiliar (German) - Dark (German)

[-]

bigcheez69420@reddit

I’ve seen my ol dad watching telenovelas several times over the years. From time to time I indulge as well. I was hooked on Teresa for a while lolol (she’s such a brat!) I know my brother likes to watch Bollywood stuff sometimes.

My mom watches stuff from all over, as do I. If something looks good, language isn’t a deterrent. I watch everything with subtitles anyway because my ears are weird lol. It’s usually movies rather than shows though.

[-]

Mad-Hettie@reddit

I watch tons of British and international mystery content, both old and new shows.

There have probably been times where I've been watching more British TV than American TV, to be honest.

[-]

Libertyprime8397@reddit

Godzilla movies

[-]

AlternativeInner5655@reddit

Korean dramas

[-]

Special_Customer_997@reddit

I watch a lot of MTV or reality game style shows that are casted with people from diff countries. Geordie shore,Canada shore, BBCanada, various Survivors etc.

[-]

HKGPhooey@reddit

Cdrama, Japanese shows, kdrama, Hong Kong shows

[-]

TheOnlyJimEver@reddit

Apart from anime, I would say some Korean media is very popular, like Squid Game, or the movie Parasite. Other than that, anything else is fairly niche.

[-]

WulfTheSaxon@reddit

Apart from K-dramas that have gotten popular lately, there’s historically only been one foreign film that breaks through into the mainstream every few years.

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CycadelicSparkles@reddit

I watched a French crime drama a few years back.

Old Italian movies are fun. I like the ones where they're dubbed but you can tell from lip movements that some people are speaking English and others Italian.

I don't like subtitles because I am usually knitting while watching TV, and while I can split my attention between images and my knitting, I can't do the glued-to-screen level of attention that subtitles requires.

[-]

Sammakko660@reddit

I can related as I cross stitch, hence I need to understand a certain amount of the original language or watch the dubbed version.

[-]

CycadelicSparkles@reddit

Yeah. I can kind of follow Spanish to a point if I'm paying really serious attention. But like... TV is my leisure time or it's on in the background while I do other things. I'm not trying to turn it into its own task.

[-]

xnatlywouldx@reddit

I really liked the adaptation of My Brilliant Friend. Also a very lightweight telenovela-ish series in Spanish called The Lady's Companion.

[-]

Jbooxie@reddit

I’ve noticed me and my boyfriend tend to watch a lot of asian horror/comedy stuff.

Zom 100 is one that comes to mind, that’s a great watch

We also just finished the first season of “Newtopia” which is a funny watch and has some good gore

[-]

John-Dune-Awakening@reddit

Dark

[-]

Lopsided_Priority0@reddit

Obsessed with Derry Girls

[-]

xnatlywouldx@reddit

This show is in English?

[-]

Littleboypurple@reddit

Not much of a movie guy but, Train to Busan is one of my favorite Zombie Movies.

[-]

toastforscience@reddit

I watched the entire Suburra TV show, English subtitles only no dubbing and it was excellent

[-]

Purplehopflower@reddit

I watch shows in Spanish (Valeria, Lady’s Companion, Cook of Costamer, Bolivar)

[-]

Hegemonic_Smegma@reddit

I can think of more than a few non-English films I especially like: "Trolljegeren" (Norwegian), "Spoorloos" (Dutch), "Das Boot" (German), "Juan of the Dead" (Spanish), "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" (Mandarin), "Pan's Labyrinth" (Spanish), "Apocalypto" (Maya).

[-]

braidedrosebuds@reddit

I’m really enjoying C-dramas right now. K-dramas sometimes, they do get a little overwrought for me sometimes. I’ve enjoyed a lot Scandinavian shows in the past. Basically anything with decent subtitles and an interesting story.

[-]

Gallahadion@reddit

Yes, I have watched some foreign movies, and I used to watch taiga dramas (Japanese historical TV shows) before my computer started dying. I should get back to watching them since I got a new laptop.

[-]

ohfuckthebeesescaped@reddit

Not representative of the general population but for what it's worth my mom watches a lot of Scandinavian, Finnish, and British murder shows.

[-]

theoneloon@reddit

Mexican and Columbian telenovelas

[-]

fetus-wearing-a-suit@reddit

Colombian

[-]

DejaBlonde@reddit

My mom watches a lot of the Swedish/Norwegian/Danish crime dramas. Pretty sure several of them are popular with true crime fans in general.

[-]

MillieBirdie@reddit

QI and Taskmaster are decently popular I think.

[-]

bonnardpainting@reddit

I dont watch many non english shows, although I watch a lot of non american shows (BBC, canadian, australian) shows

I watch tons of foreign films though, kind of from everywhere and every time period. I love takeshi kitano (japan), andrei tarkovsky (russia), jia zhangke (china), joachim trier (norway), edward yang (taiwan), eric rohmer (france), fellini (italy) etc

[-]

clarkw024@reddit

Asghar Farhadi films

[-]

CarlatheDestructor@reddit

Dr Who and Top Gear

[-]

Rantlers90@reddit

Das Boot

[-]

Flimsy_Equal8841@reddit

I watch a lot of foreign language shows. I've watched: Marianne, The Sandham Murders, Murder IN, Unclaimed, Cassandra, Alexandra Ehle, Tom and Lola, to name a few. I've watched hundreds of shows over the years.

I've learned we all borrow each other's shows and adapt them into our country. It makes it hard to tell where it actually originated but, it's fun.

[-]

porygonsnooze@reddit

I feel like the median American has probably only watched Korean or Japanese movies/shows, honestly. Maybe a couple Hong Kong action movies too, though the age on that probably skews a bit older. Maybe an Indian movie or two? I do think RRR was decently popular when it came out, but maybe my circles are just skewed. It's very possible the median American hasn't even done any of that. I'm a pretty big movie fan, so I honestly watch mostly non-Hollywood stuff, but I think the average person would find that unusual, and maybe a bit pretentious.

[-]

LastCookie3448@reddit

On occasion I watch French tv shows. I don’t mind foreign films w/subtitles in the least, prefer Italian and French but will watch anything of quality. :)

[-]

blanknullvoidzero@reddit

Why exclude anime? Because it's popular? I'm a fan of movies in general, so I've watched stuff from all over.

Lots of Chinese/HK films in the Wuxia and Kung-Fu genres, along with drama stuff like Wong Kar-wai's films.

Japanese films like the Godzilla movies, Battle Royal, and some Tokusatsu stuff (Power Rangers, Kamen Rider, etc). All of the Kurosawa films as well.

Korean shows like Squid Game and movies like the Vengeance Trilogy, The Wailing, Train to Busan, and Parasite.

I've seen a few Indian films like RRR and Pather Panchali.

Pan's Labyrinth is definitely a popular Spanish film along with horror movies like REC.

French movies like Amelie and Eyes Without a Face.

[-]

killersoda@reddit

I just recently watched Season 1 and 2 of Alice in Borderland (not gonna watch Season 3). Really enjoyed it.

[-]

Signal_Transition664@reddit

Netflix gets lots of condemnation these days, but it has absolutely brought so many excellent foreign shows and movies into my life. Police-procedural series, disaster films, family dramas, zombie flicks, etc. So many countries - so many languages; subtitles make it work. Not once does reading what’s on screen slow the story down. I wish I could list them all, but thank all of you for making that ever-increasing subscription cost worthwhile. I’ll keep exploring.

[-]

jamiesugah@reddit

I got really into Chinese dramas during lockdown, which transitioned into K-dramas, and now I watch primarily Thai dramas.

[-]

Commercial-Diet553@reddit

I recently started watching Bollywood and now Korean dramas on Netflix. OMG this is a game changer. I am so tired of Hollywood!

Bollywood is amazing plus the recent dramas are so well done. The cinematography and color saturation are different from Hollywood and so beautiful. I am learning a lot about the culture and food. I've seen Idli and Dhurandhar and Dilwale and Taskaree and Haq and just last night Night is Lonely (Raat Akeli Hai). I watch with Hindi subtitles and pause/10 sec back as needed. I try to learn a few phrases, Ji. It's amazing. I've had a lot of Indian friends and colleagues over the years, so it's great to learn more about their cultural history.

Then I started watching some Korean dramas, not k-pop or animated. I'm interested in great acting and also the supernatural. I found that Korea has a lot of paranormal oriented dramas, like Phantom Lawyer, Tomorrow, Minamdong, and Hotel del Luna. They are beautifully made, and the actors are amazing, not pop stars at all. [If you haven't seen Tomorrow, it's worth watching just for Episode 6 (rated 10 across the board), and I'm tearing up just thinking about it.] It's all so interesting.

I used to watch BritBox, but that's just the UK. I'm really excited about watching stuff from the rest of the world, too. One thing at a time.

Also this is great for me as I get older because it's good for my brain. I stop the show to look things up all the time, so I can learn about Partition in India, and the IMF bailout in the 90's in Korea. Finding out about international cinema is just about the best thing that's happened in a while. I'm not going to visit (in this lifetime) but I actually think this is better.

[-]

raysebond@reddit

Der Tatortreiniger was really good. We also watched 30 Monedas (fun but corny) and as much of La casa de papel as we could stand. Pumuckl. The first season of Kleo was awesome, but in season 2, it set up a ramp in front of a shark tank.

A lot of (most of?) Griselda was in Spanish; does that count?

[-]

julnyes@reddit

I currently watch subbed shows from a pretty wide range of countries and that isn’t unusual in my family or group of friends, but generally I would say people have been watching the popular foreign shows on Netflix like Squid Games.

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PeekabooBlue@reddit

I’ll watch anything. I’ve probably seen more K-cinema than anything else but I’ve definitely watched some danish, German , and French films recently as well

[-]

Rockglen@reddit

Konflikti (though a lot of the show was in English)
Zero Day Attack
Hot Skull
Extraordinary Attorney Woo
Old Enough!
Run Lola Run
Seven Samurai
Ikiru
Akahige
Cronocrímenes
Come and See
The Lobster
El Hoyo
Martyrs

There are a ton more films in various genres.

[-]

Wheatcattle@reddit

I watched Pachinko and Where's Wanda with subtitles.

[-]

Haifisch2112@reddit

I've only watched two different things that were non American. One, like a lot of people watched, was Squid Game. The other was a Russian movie called Guardians. I also started watching The Rain, which is Danish, but only finished a few episodes.

Watching foreign media is difficult for me because you either have to use subtitles or change the audio. If I use subtitles, that means trying to read what's being said and catch what's happening on screen. If I change the audio, my brain will sometimes drift because what is being said doesn't match their mouth movements. I know both of these are stupid reasons, but it's just how my brain works.

[-]

PabloPicasshooole@reddit

I absolutely loved watching Lupin.

[-]

retardedpanda1@reddit

Squid Games and Shogun

Shogun isn't entirely in Japanese, but enough of my friends were too lazy to watch it because they didn't want to read that I'd say it counts. 😅

[-]

DrMindbendersMonocle@reddit

Even though a lot was in Japanese, Shogun is a Hollywood show produced by the FX network and filmed in Canada

[-]

arosaki@reddit

Besides some K-Dramas, there are some Swedish shows on Netflix that are really good, like Young Royals or Love and Anarchy.

[-]

ExtremelyPessimistic@reddit

I was super into Merlí and SKAM in high school but that might be out of date 😭 it’s been about 10 years lol

[-]

jegerjess@reddit

I loved SKAM so much!!!!

[-]

TokyoDrifblim@reddit

I'd guess Korean shows would be the most popular here. I've watched a good few myself as there are a literal mountain of them available on Netflix here. Even outside of squid game, a lot of Korean stuff like Bong Joon Ho's movies or Korean Rom Coms on Netflix are popular enough you can talk about them at the office

[-]

ImamofKandahar@reddit

The only non English language films that would be watched by an average American would be Korean. Otherwise people watch anime, or movie buffs watch more.

[-]

NoRoutine3220@reddit

If the subject interests me I will watch it with subtitles. I don’t love to have to because I miss the nuances of the acting while reading the words. French is easier because I took it in school although fluent I am not.

[-]

New-Grapefruit1737@reddit

I feel like Korean films have maybe surpassed it, but Bollywood films were pretty popular; still are I suppose. My local theaters run films from India (& South Asia) regularly. (I used to live in a big city, but no longer do, which has probably affected my awareness.)

[-]

Salty_Permit4437@reddit

My mom is weirdly into Turkish soap operas now.

[-]

PhilTheThrill1808@reddit

How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast) was a fun German show on Netflix I liked.

I’m counting Still Game from Scotland as non-English bc the Scots do speak a distinct dialect.

[-]

Sammakko660@reddit

There is a Scot-Gaelic mystery floating out there some where. I did need the subtitles.

[-]

Grindar1986@reddit

I don't have time to watch subtitles. I'm usually listening to TV while I work on some project. I do enjoy other countries' English content (especially Taskmaster).

[-]

pinkgallo@reddit

MADs, a French horror film, is one of my all time favorites and it gets regular rewatches.

I’ve also been watching some K Dramas thanks to Netflix. Mask Girl was a lot of fun for me.

Also a big fan of anything out of Argentina or Spain. Argentinian horror movies like When Evil Lurks and Terrified really hit all the notes for me.

[-]

DrMindbendersMonocle@reddit

Kung fu movies. I think Korean dramas are popular though I don't watch those myself. Iron chef was pretty popular 25 to 20 years ago

[-]

WinterRevolutionary6@reddit

I watched money heist on Netflix a couple years back. It was pretty good but it fell off after a while. The beginning was enough to overcome the language but once it got too boring I dropped it

[-]

AggressiveAd5592@reddit

I watch foreign language movies fairly often but rarely watch non-English TV shows.

The most recent one I watched was Shogun, which is actually in English almost half the time. A lot is in Japanese and some is in Portuguese with a tiny bit of Dutch. But it's definitely geared towards an English language market - all the major European characters and Japanese characters speak Portuguese, but their conversations in Portuguese are portrayed in English 90% of the time.

[-]

Spirited_Season2332@reddit

I read this as non American show and was going to say task master but I'm assuming you mean shows that aren't natively in the English language.

Squid games is the only one in recent memory I know a lot of ppl watched

[-]

Current_Poster@reddit

Well, telenovelas and things that are sort of like telenovelas (like, I dunno, Money Heist or La Rosa de Guadalupe). A lot of Americans watch those. About 13% of the US speak Spanish at home, so Spanish-language media is obviously huge.

[-]

judgingA-holes@reddit

Non-english or non-american? Because I watch a few shows that aren't American shows, but they are still English like Derry Girls, The IT Crowd, etc. But probably the only thing I've watched that is non-English is Squid Games and even that they dubbed in English.

[-]

darw1nf1sh@reddit

I am loving more and more Korean drama. Movies like Parasite, Train to Busan, and Old Boy. Series like Squid Games, Move to Heaven, and Flower of Evil. I don't even like Anime.

[-]

cutezombiedoll@reddit

A lot of second generation immigrants will watch tv and movies from their parents’ home country, I.e a lot of American born children of Indian immigrants will watch movies and tv shows from India.

K-dramas have become quite popular among a sizable chunk of Americans. I wouldn’t say the majority of Americans watch them, but enough do that I would say everyone knows someone who’s really into k-dramas.

Your average American film buff will, of course, watch movies from all over with subtitles. Then of course you have people who are specifically into genres like Samurai films or Martial Arts movies, which are almost always made abroad though often they’re dubbed.

Then you get movies and TV shows that become huge hits in the U.S. like Parasite, Squid Games, and Amelie. They’re fairly rare, as the U.S. and specifically Hollywood are such huge entertainment juggernauts that it’s hard for international works to compete in volume, budget, and scope with Anime as you mentioned being an exception but even then anime didn’t start becoming mainstream til the mid 2000s. Prior to that it was a novelty.

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The12th_secret_spice@reddit

Tons of people watch Univision or other Spanish speaking shows.

I’ve seen Bollywood movies at the theaters when I lived in an area with a lot of Indian immigrants.

Shogun and squid games were both very popular.

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eurydice_aboveground@reddit

I love a good Scandinavian mystery series. The original Wallander is one of my favorites.

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jk_pens@reddit

Yeah my wife digs those

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BuildNuyTheUrbanGuy@reddit

Marseille was good. We watch lots of foreign content.

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HarlequinKOTF@reddit

Honestly anime makes up a big market of that. Probably the only other non-english media most americans might be familiar with are K-Dramas and to a lesser extent C-Dramas. Mexican soap operas used to be more popular.

In general though English speaking Americans watch English speaking content. The occasional foreign blockbuster film as an exception.

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caf61@reddit

I have watched lots of non-English speaking shows/movies. Just use closed captions. Once you watch a time or two it’s not a big deal - especially if the show/movie is great. Money Heist (especially the first season) is a good one to get you started.

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Combat__Crayon@reddit

I'll watch what catches my eye. Netflix has started carrying more foreign shows, I watched Money Heist and Lupin off the top of my head, I don't care where something came from if its good. I tend to watch them in their native language with subtitles because the lips not matching the words bothers me more than reading.

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AleroRatking@reddit

I have shows from over 50 different countries. Netflix in particular has an incredible foreign catalogue

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Pugilist12@reddit

A good one I haven’t seen mentioned here is Drops Of God on Apple. It’s a mix of Korean, French, and a bit of English.

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Quirky-Invite7664@reddit

I watch a wide variety of foreign films and tv shows from many countries. I especially love sci fi but am open to anything good. Lately I’ve been watching a lot of Scandanavian stuff.

Although many people do watch foreign films, I suspect the majority of Americans don’t. Some of them may not even be aware that it’s an option or it just never occurred to them. Some are racist. Some don’t have the attention span to read subtitles. Some don’t have a lot of free time or interest to watch movies, so they limit their viewing only to a few American movies that get a lot of attention.

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Sammakko660@reddit

I don't always watched dubbed versions. Since I did study and know some German, any German shows, my favorite Tatort, I will watch in German. I like several of the French procedurals. Again, tend to watch in the French with subtitles. Now shows from Poland, Italy, Spain. I like mysteries and cop chows. I will watch dubbed.

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cathemeralcrone@reddit

I watch a lot of Turkish and Korean shows. Both countries are producing some really good content now. They are subtitled in English.

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mr09e@reddit

Spanish novelas and music content are very popular in the USA

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Indy_karma@reddit

Money Heist - it's in Spanish but dubbed in English.

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FoggyGoodwin@reddit

We like Xianxia, Daomu, Wuxia, Jackie Chan, Monkey God adventures. Watched an interesting modernish Korean superheroes as citizens series.

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RhinoPillMan@reddit

Used to watch Spanish language soap operas with my moms. My biological mom didn’t speak Spanish, but her ex wife is Mexican.

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Southern-Usual4211@reddit

Telenovelas are alot of fun

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RhinoPillMan@reddit

They definitely handle emotions much better than American ones. Better immersion.

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94grampaw@reddit

Americans generally dont, the only one I can think of that got popular enough to be expected knowledge would be squid games.

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L8dTigress@reddit

Definetly K-Dramas

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bonthra@reddit

As someone else said, it varies wildly. I know families that cannot wait for their next K-drama fix, then some families that are offended you would suggest something not in English, and others that can't understand accents from outside of North American English.

Personally, our family watches some UK stuff, K-dramas, J-dramas, and Taiwanese TV. Nothing dubbed. We're not opposed to other stuff, we just haven't had anyone recommend anything else.

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Pop-19502020@reddit

Babylon Berlin was fantastic.

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Joltbuzz@reddit

Gorilla -1 was the first fully subtitled movie I've seen in theaters.

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Hot-Tea-8557@reddit

Singles Inferno (Korean dating show)

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ABelleWriter@reddit

I know people who love k dramas.

I read lips because of hearing loss in one ear, so watching dubbed over TV shows gets really confusing. (Basically I need to sound to match the mouth movement because I use both) So I don't watch dubbed over tv. Shows with subtitles on is fine, I have subtitles on everything I watch. But outside of kdramas (that I don't find interesting) I haven't run into very many shows like that.

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pagesandcream@reddit

Shows: Dark, Les Revenants (so sad S2 isn’t available in the US), The Light Shop

Movies: too many to list, mostly Japanese, Korean, European and Mexican

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tangledbysnow@reddit

Korean dramas are big business.

I also personally watch Japanese, Taiwanese, Thai, Chinese and some Indian dramas as well.

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river-running@reddit

In college I watched German soap operas for language practice.

In general, I'm always open to non-English language movies, usually European of some type. I don't watch much non-English TV these days. One of my favorite movies is actually Czech/Slovak: Želary (2003).

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