The COVID-19 pandemic that has raged for the past year has put an incredible amount of stress on all of us. Restrictions on businesses limit what we can do for recreation, and one of the best things you can do to help others is to stay home. While this is the safest thing to do, the consequence is boredom. Extreme boredom.
This has led many of us to seek out new hobbies and adopt new habits, but it's also caused us to fall back on what we know and love, mainly television.
The pandemic hit when we as a society have more video content available to us than ever before. Most people have at least a few streaming services, and we've been leaning into these pretty heavily during the pandemic, with one study finding that 78 percent of people are binging more TV now than they were more than a year ago.
Yet Americans aren't just watching TV on their streaming services. They are also watching traditional cable TV or a streaming version of it, bringing some unlikely programs to the top of the ratings.
Here's a full breakdown of everything America has been watching during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Although the exact show that emerges as the nation's favorite can change at any point, there is one thing that seems to remain the same: the big networks are always near the top.
CBS, NBC, Fox, and ABC seem always to have shows that lots of people are watching, primarily because they can reach most viewers.
Which one of their shows makes it to the top depends on the year and the season, but here is a snapshot of how things looked at three different moments in the pandemic. For example, if we go back to April 2020, here were the ten most-watched shows in the US:
Throughout "last season," which includes all of 2020, the most popular shows were:
And in February 2021, the most-watched programs were:
As you can see, although Americans now have more choice than ever when it comes to what to watch (and more time than ever to watch it), we still seem to prefer the traditional shows on the traditional networks.
Of course, no one can compete with special events such as the Super Bowl. That networks continue to put out such popular content speaks to their ability to produce good content and make sure it gets in front of as many eyeballs as possible.
Perhaps it's the need for some fun and lighthearted humor during these dark times or even just the familiarity of watching something again. Still, America has been enjoying some of its favorite classics during the pandemic.
The most preferred show? None other than Friends. It may have gone off the air 16 years ago, but it's still one of the most-watched shows in America. A total of 11 states – a list including California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Texas, and Virginia – stated it was the show they have been watching the most during this pandemic.
The next show on the list is Rick and Morty, chosen by four states – Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, and Nevada – as the top show in the state. After that comes, This is Us, which is still on the air. It was the favorite in Connecticut, New Jersey, and Rhode Island.
Most of these shows are no longer on the air, suggesting America has a preference for shows of the past compared to what's running now. However, this may also be the result of the pandemic. New content comes out slowly, usually one episode per week but often less.
Therefore, these shows may have made it onto the top of the list mainly because people have just had so much time on their hands, and there were a lot of episodes to watch. Such a situation is the perfect opportunity to rewatch an old favorite or finally watch one that's been on the list for some time.
Interestingly, there does seem to be some geographic tendencies. For example, Breaking Bad was the preferred show in New Mexico, where the show was shot.
Maybe this means that while many Americans stayed home, they've been taking this opportunity to connect more with their homes. Or, perhaps this is just a coincidence. Who knows?!
While Americans binging more TV and turning to classic shows suggests we are using TV during this time to escape reality, this is not the only reason we're watching. Perhaps because we have more time on our hands, or perhaps because this past year truly has been extraordinary, Americans are watching the news more than ever—specifically, 24-hour cable news.
Again, between the pandemic, racial justice protests, the election, and the insurrection on the Capitol, there have been lots of reasons to watch the news. Yet, people seem more tuned in than ever.
Specifically, April 2020 was the best month ever for FOX News, MSNBX, and CNN. FOX News alone had 4.14 million views. Overall, FOX News was the biggest "winner" from all of this. Five out of the seven most popular news shows currently on the air are on FOX – Hannity, Tucker Carlson, The Five, The Ingraham Angle, and Special Report with Bret Baier.
The next two are The Rachel Maddow Show (MSNBC) and Cuomo Prime Time (CNN).
However, while these cable shows are doing well with viewers during the pandemic, traditional network news programs are still America's most preferred form of television news.
More specifically, ABC's World News Tonight has been the most popular news program during the pandemic, with an average of 10.2 million viewers. Next was NBC's Nightly News (9.6 million viewers) and CBS Evening News (6.7 million).
This shows that while Americans are definitely watching a lot more of the news and are looking to these channels for analysis and insight about the news (more on this later), the traditional networks still have a strong pull and are seen as a "better" source of information.
Cable news is not a new thing. It's been around for a few decades. However, this past year we saw a bit of what can happen when we rely too much on these information outlets, which we all know express certain viewpoints more than others to promote a particular worldview.
First, it was misinformation about the Coronavirus. Certain networks, mainly FOX, initially downplayed the threat, which created lots of misinformation that may have cost lives. One study found that the coverage on FOX News in the early days of the pandemic may have put its viewers in a position of higher risk for contracting the virus and delayed the implementation of much-needed mitigation tactics.
Fast forward to November and the presidential election. Once again, FOX News promoted ideas that threatened the safety of the nation. Specifically, they gave considerable attention to former President Donald Trump's baseless claims of election fraud, which helped fan the flames of discontent among his supporters and likely contributed to the insurrection at the Capitol.
Of course, FOX News is not the only cable news network guilty of promoting its own agenda, but it does seem to push the most incendiary messages. No matter where you stand politically, so many Americans have been turning to cable news during this time because their information can provide us with some insight into the division in this country. We can't even really agree about what's going on in the world; no wonder we're having trouble coming together for a solution?!
When actual real-life seems to be a bit too much, it's often fun to turn to "reality" TV. This gives us a snapshot of what life was like before the pandemic, but also a good dose of humor.
Americans have been watching a lot of reality TV shows – both old and new – during the pandemic. The shows they've chosen might surprise you a bit.
We took a look at the most popular reality shows in each state and compiled a list of the most popular based on how many states chose each show as their number one. Here's what we found:
Somewhat shockingly, The Apprentice, the reality show started by Donald Trump that helped him reach the level of fame he would later use to win the presidency, remains one of the most popular reality shows in America. Maybe this shouldn't come as a surprise. He may have left office with one of the lowest approval ratings ever, but he remains immensely popular among his most loyal supporters. It seems they not only approve of the job he did as president but as the head of a business-based reality TV show.
Interestingly, the next show on this list is Hoarders. For those who don't know, this show goes deep into the lives and minds of so-called hoarders, i.e., people who hang onto stuff for way too long and allow their things to consume them. It's a fascinating yet sometimes tragic look into the human experience that has clearly grabbed the attention of America's viewers.
The rest of the shows that made it onto this list are not too surprising. They are classics in American television that have been on for some time.
Other shows that were listed as America's favorite reality TV programs include Supernanny, Dance Moms, Kate Plus 8, Pawn Stars, The Voice, Ru Paul's Drag Race, America's Got Talent, Long Island Medium, 19 and Counting, Sister Wives, Love and Hip Hop, Real Housewives, and American Idol.
In addition to watching traditional network and cable programming, Americans have also been hitting the streaming services pretty hard during the pandemic. Almost all of the major platforms have reported an uptick in the number of subscribers and viewers during this time, with Netflix adding some 25 million subscribers to its service in just half of 2020. In 2021, when the pandemic was slowing down but certainly still active, Netflix added an additional 18 million subscribers. While we are waiting on the numbers for 2022, it will be likely that more subscribers will sign up, though the rate of new subscribers is a concern for some shareholders and Netflix executives.
Yet Netflix isn't the only streaming service people have been watching during the pandemic. Based on how many people have been talking about The Queen's Gambit and Tiger King, you might think these were the most popular over the past year, but there are other shows and other streaming platforms.
When we look at the list, we can see that it's more than just Netflix catching people's eyes.
Here's a list of the most popular streaming shows during the pandemic:
In addition to these shows, other popular titles on streaming during the pandemic included Raised By Wolves (HBO), Little Fires Everywhere (Hulu), The Handmaid's Tale (Hulu), The Boys (Amazon Prime), Lucifer (Netflix), and The Umbrella Academy (Netflix), among many, many others.
If there's one constant in the world of television, it's that nothing is constant. What's a hit today might be forgotten tomorrow, and shows that aren't all that popular at the moment may someday emerge as fan favorites.
What this means for people like us is that there we should never run out of things to watch. Networks and streaming platforms are always coming up with new content, and this means we can entertain ourselves endlessly if we want, pandemic or not.
So, while it may be a bit overwhelming to figure out what to watch, take solace knowing there are so many options and have fun catching up on all the great content that's out there.
