The Most Popular TV Show In Each State (Hint: It’s a 90s Throwback)
The most popular TV show across the U.S. is Friends, beloved by 12 states.
Additionally, 28 TV shows appear as favorites in only 1 or 2 states.
Of the favored shows, only 12 have concluded filming and are now reruns; the remaining 18 are still producing new episodes.
Over 500 TV shows are produced annually in the U.S.
Growing up, my family’s schedule was always packed. Yet, at 5 p.m. every day, we would gather around the TV for dinner and watch Seinfeld on TBS. Fast forward to today, and the landscape of television has drastically changed. With an abundance of streaming services, waiting all day to watch our favorite shows is a thing of the past. Now, we can select any episode we desire at any time.
With the entire world of television available at the click of a button, we were curious about what shows audiences are currently gravitating towards. The results might surprise you.
Shows that Captivated Viewers
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The second most-watched show is The Umbrella Academy, leading in viewership across four states.
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Alaska’s favorite TV show is WandaVision, which is the most recent to air, with only three episodes currently available and new episodes releasing soon.
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Remarkably, the most-watched show, Friends, first aired back in the ’90s, specifically in 1994.
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Interestingly, Chicago Fire is a favorite in Kentucky, not Illinois.
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Given that Ozark is centered around a family that relocates to the Missouri Ozarks, it’s fitting that it’s Missouri’s top pick.
How We Determined This
We analyzed the top 100 highly rated TV shows from IMDb, filtering out mini-series while honoring viewer preferences. We then utilized Google Trends data from the past year to identify the most statistically significant and unique TV show in each state. For instance, while How I Met Your Mother isn’t the top show in New York, it holds the highest viewership there compared to other states.
This methodology tends to favor newer shows, particularly those featuring cliffhangers and engaging narratives. However, it doesn’t guarantee that everyone isn’t also enjoying The Office—a series that requires no cliffhangers, just the push of a play button.
Get Ready to Binge
There you have it! These are the shows that have captured the binge-watching hearts of viewers across the U.S. If nothing else, this list serves as a guide for your next viewing session. Hopefully, you’ll discover one or two shows you haven’t seen yet.
Our research highlights Disney’s achievement in creating shows that keep audiences engaged with weekly episode releases, a feat that many other streaming platforms are yet to replicate. Check out the list below to find your next must-watch series.
| State | TV Show |
|---|---|
| Alabama | The Vampire Diaries |
| Alaska | WandaVision |
| Arizona | The Boys |
| Arkansas | Supernatural |
| California | Friends |
| Colorado | Friends |
| Connecticut | The Vampire Diaries |
| Delaware | The Umbrella Academy |
| District of Columbia | The Wire |
| Florida | Suits |
| Georgia | Stranger Things |
| Hawaii | Cobra Kai |
| Idaho | Friends |
| Illinois | Friends |
| Indiana | Friends |
| Iowa | The Big Bang Theory |
| Kansas | Modern Family |
| Kentucky | Chicago Fire |
| Louisiana | American Horror Story |
| Maine | The Queen’s Gambit |
| Maryland | The Umbrella Academy |
| Massachusetts | The Handmaid’s Tale |
| Michigan | Friends |
| Minnesota | Fargo |
| Mississippi | Grey’s Anatomy |
| Missouri | Ozark |
| Montana | Yellowstone |
| Nebraska | Friends |
| Nevada | Chilling Adventures of Sabrina |
| New Hampshire | Breaking Bad |
| New Jersey | The Sopranos |
| New Mexico | Better Call Saul |
| New York | How I Met Your Mother |
| North Carolina | Grey’s Anatomy |
| North Dakota | Shameless |
| Ohio | Friends |
| Oklahoma | The Big Bang Theory |
| Oregon | The Umbrella Academy |
| Pennsylvania | Friends |
| Rhode Island | Peaky Blinders |
| South Carolina | Supernatural |
| South Dakota | NCIS |
| Tennessee | Friends |
| Texas | Friends |
| Utah | The Office |
| Vermont | The Crown |
| Virginia | Suits |
| Washington | The Umbrella Academy |
| West Virginia | Virgin River |
| Wisconsin | Friends |
| Wyoming | The Crown |
Author
Amanda Postma is a writer for the Zippia Career Advice blog with a focus on creating entertaining content to help you through your job search. She received her BA from the University Of Missouri-Columbia.
