25 Classic TV Series Audiences Most Want to See Make a Comeback

NBC
NBC / NBC

There’s definitely no shortage of new television shows to watch these days, but the recent slew of series revivals offers nostalgists the unique opportunity to catch up with their favorite fictional characters without streaming reruns on a loop.

So which TV shows are viewers most eager to see return to screens? To find out, UK-based digital retailer OnBuy analyzed Google search data for a variety of classic series—paired with terms like reunion, new series, and new season—and ranked them in order of average monthly search volume.

Reunion specials or spin-off series have already been announced for some of the shows on the list, so fans could be looking for the latest update on production status or premiere date. For the nearly 90,000 people googling for information about the highly anticipated Friends reunion, which tops the list, we have great news: Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, and the rest of the gang will reportedly film it this summer. Game of Thrones came in a not-so-close second, with an average monthly search volume of almost 34,000; there’s been quite a bit of talk surrounding HBO’s alleged four prequel shows for George R.R. Martin’s series, but it looks like the earliest we’ll get to see one is 2022.

Other series on the list have already made comebacks, but some of them left a few loose ends untied or open to interpretation—Gilmore Girls and Twin Peaks, for example—giving audiences a reason to hope there might be yet another season on the way.

And then, of course, there are plenty of perpetually popular shows that still haven’t been (and might never be) rebooted. Steve Carell has said in the past that a revival of The Office, fifth on the list, is a bad idea, and creator Greg Daniels thinks it’s highly unlikely.

See the top 25 list below, and pass the time while you’re waiting for your favorite show to return to TV with these 50 great series to binge-watch.

  1. Friends // 88,390
  1. Game of Thrones // 33,880
  1. Dallas // 24,760
  1. Criminal Minds // 13,620
  1. The Office // 5210
  1. Orange Is the New Black // 3750
  1. Breaking Bad // 3430
  1. Seinfeld // 3120
  1. Gilmore Girls // 2700
  1. Roseanne // 2310
  1. One Tree Hill // 2110
  1. Veep // 1990
  1. Modern Family // 1980
  1. Twin Peaks // 1810
  1. House of Cards // 1710
  1. Gossip Girl // 1360
  1. Cheers // 710
  1. Happy Days // 670
  1. Frasier // 560
  1. Buffy the Vampire Slayer // 530
  1. Mad Men // 510
  1. ER // 360
  1. The Big Bang Theory // 320
  1. How I Met Your Mother // 310
  1. The Wire // 300

[h/t OnBuy]