By Trevor Wheelwright
Edited by Cara Haynes
Each State’s Favorite Netflix Show In 2020
Netflix continues to dominate the streaming service scene, with 193 million viewers and over $20 billion in revenue (as of 2019).1 To keep growing, Netflix planned on adding as many as 113 new Netflix shows in 2020. With so many streaming choices, the temperatures cooling down, and more people staying in, we had to find out what America was watching in 2020.
The Umbrella Academy is America’s most popular Netflix show
For the second year in a row, the most popular Netflix show in America was The Umbrella Academy, which picked up the most search volume in seventeen states.
The Umbrella Academy was nominated for two Emmy’s and has won or been nominated for dozens of other awards.2 On Rotten Tomatoes, the show earned an 82% critic’s score and an 87% audience approval.3 And fans watched over 3 billion minutes of the superhero series during the first week of the season 2 release. So, if you still haven’t seen The Umbrella Academy, hop on the bandwagon. This superpowered show adapted from Gerard Way’s comic books is more than okay (we promise!).
Netflix Originals took over
Americans searched for The Umbrella Academy, Black Mirror, and Orange Is the New Black more than any other shows, which proves Netflix Originals have taken over.
Although Black Mirror started as a BBC original, Netflix bought the rights for season 3 and beyond. Peaky Blinders, which was the favorite in Massachusetts, also first premiered on BBC but was later picked up by Netflix.
Only four non-Netflix Originals made the top-search for states: Breaking Bad from AMC won in New Mexico, where Walt and Jessie reigned as chemical kings. Oregon searched for Community from NBC, New Hampshire likes New Girl (FOX), and Georgia’s feeling peachy searching for Schitt’s Creek (CBC).
Tiger King isn’t going away anytime soon
Joe Exotic and Carole Baskins are still stealing the show in Kansas and Oklahoma, seven months after the release of Tiger King. But should we be surprised that such a chaotic and popular show is still making waves?
With more spin-offs coming out in the future—seemingly more for entertainment than preservation awareness—will we ever see real justice for the animals these people claim to love?
GLOW can no longer go
One of the most popular shows, GLOW, has been canceled during the pandemic due to filming restrictions.6 The women’s wrestling show was the favorite in five states, but, unfortunately, it looks like it’s been knocked out of the ring permanently.
What are you going to watch next on Netflix?
Does your favorite Netflix show match your state’s? Share this article with your friends on Facebook and see what they’re watching.
Here are some of our most interesting findings
- The most popular show in the most states was ‘The Umbrella Academy’ for the second year in a row. It was the top-searched show in 17 states.
- Netflix originals are winning in popularity across the US, with ‘The Umbrella Academy’, ‘Black Mirror’ and ‘Orange is the New Black’ being some of the top searched shows across the country.
- Apparently those in Kansas and Oklahoma are still obsessed with ‘Tiger King’, even 7 months after its release. Maybe it’s time to expand your horizons on TV shows.
America’s Favorite Netflix Shows of 2020
| State | Netflix show |
|---|---|
| Alabama | GLOW |
| Alaska | The Umbrella Academy |
| Arizona | The Umbrella Academy |
| Arkansas | The Umbrella Academy |
| California | Black Mirror |
| Colorado | GLOW |
| Connecticut | Black Mirror |
| Delaware | Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt |
| District of Columbia | Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt |
| Florida | The Umbrella Academy |
| Georgia | Schitt’s Creek |
| Hawaii | The Umbrella Academy |
| Idaho | Stranger Things |
| Illinois | Black Mirror |
| Indiana | The Umbrella Academy |
| Iowa | The Umbrella Academy |
| Kansas | Tiger King |
| Kentucky | Orange Is the New Black |
| Louisiana | The Umbrella Academy |
| Maine | Mindhunter |
| Maryland | Black Mirror |
| Massachusetts | Peaky Blinders |
| Michigan | The Umbrella Academy |
| Minnesota | Mindhunter |
| Mississippi | Orange Is the New Black |
| Missouri | Ozark |
| Montana | GLOW |
| Nebraska | Orange Is the New Black |
| Nevada | The Umbrella Academy |
| New Hampshire | New Girl |
| New Jersey | Black Mirror |
| New Mexico | Breaking Bad |
| New York | Black Mirror |
| North Carolina | The Umbrella Academy |
| North Dakota | Orange Is the New Black |
| Ohio | The Umbrella Academy |
| Oklahoma | Tiger King |
| Oregon | Community |
| Pennsylvania | Mindhunter |
| Rhode Island | Orange Is the New Black |
| South Carolina | The Umbrella Academy |
| South Dakota | Mindhunter |
| Tennessee | The Umbrella Academy |
| Texas | The Umbrella Academy |
| Utah | Stranger Things |
| Vermont | The Haunting of Hill House |
| Virginia | The Umbrella Academy |
| Washington | The Umbrella Academy |
| West Virginia | GLOW |
| Wisconsin | Orange Is the New Black |
| Wyoming | GLOW |
Methodology
To determine each state’s favorite Netflix show, we analyzed the most popular shows using Google Trends data to discover which ones people in your state showed the most interest in during 2020. To improve the results, we gauged popularity in the Arts & Entertainment category. Our initial list of Netflix shows came from Digital Trends.
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Check out last year’s report to see if your state has a new favorite Netflix show this year.
