Television has become an essential part of our everyday lives, with people tuning in at all hours of the day to watch their favorite news, sports and entertainment programs. Its overwhelming popularity has proven time and again that people love a good story.
While writers for companies such as HBO and Netflix are crafting the newest generation of stories, the classics from yesteryear continue to gain new fans every time someone stumbles upon an old rerun. These classic TV shows are so popular that entire programming blocks, like Nickelodeon’s Nick at Nite, and channels are devoted to keeping the beloved sitcoms and dramas in regular rotation.
But which classic TV show is the most popular in different parts of the country?
Here at Coventry, we decided to find the answer to this TV classics question. Using Google Trends data from the last year, we evaluated the relative popularity of dozens of beloved television programs. We found which was the most searched in every state over that time. Our results are below.
All told, we collected search data on just under 100 classic television shows, covering genres such as comedy, drama, westerns, science fiction and more. If you can name an old show, chances are that we included it in our evaluation.
Once we collected the search volume for each of the 90+ shows in our analysis, we compared the totals for each show in every state to declare a winner based on total search volume over the previous year. In instances where there was a tie, we plugged the tied shows back into Google Trends and compared them in the specific state they were tied in, which allowed us to find a definitive winner. We mapped the results for each state above.
Interestingly, the country’s tastes in classic TV was very diverse, with 40 different shows coming in first in at least one state and no shows taking the top spot in more than four states. The top overall shows were The Brady Bunch and The Addams Family.
Interestingly, the four states that love the Bradys the most, the Dakotas, Kansas, and Iowa, are all connected. A similar phenomenon occurred when looking at the states that love the ooky spooky adventures of Gomez and Morticia Addams and their clan, as three of the four (Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas) are all connected. Utah is the only thing separating the fourth, Nevada, from the remainder of the block.
No matter which old school TV show is your favorite, it is comforting to know that these beloved classics are always there to turn to for a laugh, a mystery, or some good, old-fashioned drama. And remember, if you need some additional help funding the kind of comfortable retirement that will allow you to enjoy your favorite shows of the past in financial security, Coventry Direct is here to help.
