Mental Floss

The Most Popular TV Show to Binge-Watch During Quarantine in Each State

By Ellen Gutoskey

Is this the face of a man watching The Vampire Diaries? If he's in Montana, the answer is probably yes.
Is this the face of a man watching The Vampire Diaries? If he's in Montana, the answer is probably yes. / gpointstudio/iStock via Getty Images
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With few places to go and even fewer people to see, many of us are spending our time in quarantine baking bread, taking virtual tours, and sitting in front of the television for hours. To find out what everyone’s choosing to binge-watch, CableTV.com surveyed almost 7000 viewers across the nation, analyzed the search volume for their responses with Google Trends, and used all of that data to create a map that reveals each state’s most-watched show.

While Netflix’s bizarre true crime docuseries Tiger King and reality dating competition Too Hot to Handle did appear in some surveys, neither they—nor any other new short-lived series—landed in first place for any state. Instead, most people appear to be indulging in nostalgic sitcoms or catching up on critically acclaimed dramas from the recent past (or present).

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Friends is the clear winner, coming in first in 13 states in just about every corner of the country, including Texas, California, Florida, and New York. Not only can 10 seasons with Rachel, Joey, and the rest of the gang keep you busy for 121 hours, but the upcoming Friends reunion makes this an even better time for a full rewatch. It’s not the only sitcom on the map: Gilmore Girls, The Office, and Rick and Morty all earned a handful of states each.

Apparently, all it took to make Delawareans finally decide to watch Game of Thrones was a months-long quarantine.
Apparently, all it took to make Delawareans finally decide to watch Game of Thrones was a months-long quarantine. / CableTV.com

Other people seem to be using quarantine as an opportunity to commit to TV shows that their friends have probably been begging them to watch for ages. For residents of Washington, D.C. and New Mexico, it’s Breaking Bad, while people in Indiana, Kentucky, South Carolina, and West Virginia are finally pressing play on The Walking Dead. Based on this study, it looks like most states were already all caught up on Game of Thrones before quarantine—and some people probably rewatched the series just last year to prepare for the final season—but it did rank first in Delaware.

The map isn’t without a few surprises. Missourians, for example, are split between bingeing The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Ozark; and folks in Washington and Oregon are apparently all in on Star Trek.

You can see the full list and find out more about the study here.

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