Netflix is a relatively new comfort, a voluminous haven of moving pictures to distract us from whatever horror is currently unfolding in the real world. There’s no shortage of binge-worthy shows on the streaming platform, what with Netflix’s talent for fostering excellent (and, if not excellent, curious) series and a sharp eye for network programs that’ve captured the zeitgeist.
Out of curiosity, HighSpeedInternet.com took the top 75 TV shows streaming on Netflix and cross-referenced them with Google Trends data to see which states were watching which shows. The results are surprisingly diverse, with a variety of different shows encompassing myriad genres and formats taking top honors.
There were some standouts. ABC’s Scandal is by far the most popular, essentially carving clear lines down the center of the country and the East Coast. In second place was the Netflix original Orange Is The New Black, a favorite of the Southwest, as well as Michigan and Alaska.
The biggest takeaway is how a show’s setting or themes can influence its viewership. Portlandia is the top show in Oregon, for example, while Indiana-set Parks And Recreation appears to have pleased its adopted state. Coastal watchers appreciate Netflix’s humid, swampy Bloodline, and California residents appear to love Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’s kaleidoscopic take on their home state.
HighSpeedInternet.com’s other conclusions are threadbare, but interesting nonetheless. Do people in Arizona love Orange Is The New Black because the state has a high incarceration rate? Do viewers in Wyoming and West Virginia dig The Walking Dead because they both have the most guns per capita? Sure, why not?
Apparently, we have Wisconsin to blame for Fuller House getting a second (and third) season.