The Shows People Actually Care About Right Now Will Surprise You

We looked at Google Trends to see what Fall shows poeple are actually talking about.

By 
Oct 01, 2014
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Complex Original

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

What people say they like and what they actually spend time doing are two very different things. While writers on the Internet tends to focus on premium television like Hannibal and Mad Men (guilty), or cult staples like Sons of Anarchy, the vast majority of people could not give less of a shit about this type of entertainment. Admit it: when you plop down on the couch it isn't The Knick you're usually watching—it's Keeping Up With the Kardashians.

To show show you just how skewed our perception of entertainment actually is, we did some quick-and-dirty searches on Google trends to find out what people actually care about. For this installment, we focused on the Fall season's most hyped dramas and comedies (reality TV really deserves its own article). Of course what someone's Googling may not translate to ratings (though it usually has some correlation), but it does show that what people want to read about on the Internet isn't always what you assume is popular. 

To start, let's take a look at five buzzed-about shows right now: American Horror Story, Black-ish, Boardwalk Empire, Gotham, and Homeland. 

Despite what you may have assumed, the two that dominate aren't network newcomers, but cable dramas. Homeland, despite having a terrible last couple of seasons, is still going strong. And, perhaps unsurprisingly, the American Horror Story still has people talking. 

Now let's look at The Blacklist, The Walking Dead, Sons of Anarchy, and newcomer Jane the Virgin. 

The Walking Dead, both a ratings juggernaut and fan favorite, is still hugely popular. Scandal one of the top-rated shows on television, also posts some impressive numbers, even managing to edge out The Walking Dead over the last few days. Sons of Anarchy fits comfortably in the middle of the pack, consistent with its status as a cult favorite. Perhaps most interesting, though, is Jane the Virgin: the new sitcom has received a big advertising push from the CW, but Internet attention is essentially nill. While that doesn't necessarily mean it'll be a dud in the ratings, it can't bode well.   

Though The Walking Dead and American Horror Story may be the overall winners when it comes to Internet chatter, take a look at all of the 2014 data below for individual shows. What's working and what isn't could surprise you. 

Boardwalk Empire (HBO)

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Stars: Steve Buscemi, Shea Whigham, Michael K. Williams, Michael Shannon, Stephen Graham, Kelly Macdonald, Vincent Piazza, Gretchen Mol, Jeffrey Wright, Anatol Yusef

Premiere date: September 7

Takeaway: Advertising final seasons is still a layup.

The HBO mid-weight has held a steady spike in fall internet interest since season three. Hilariously the state with the most searches is none other than New Jersey. Never say Nucky Thompson's hometown didn't put on for him when it counted. Still, a month in and search results have dipped—one would think this season's status as the final go-round would dictate a higher consistency in interest. Will chatter pick up as the series gets deep into its endgame or will Boardwalk die as it lived: under-discussed and underrated?—Frazier Tharpe

Homeland (Showtime)

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Stars: Claire Danes, Mandy Patinkin, Rupert Friend, Tracy Letts, Laila Robins, F. Murray Abraham, Nazanin Boniadi, Corey Stoll

Premiere date: October 5

Takeaway: Despite two uneven seasons, people are still into Homeland. 

Homeland had a Brody problem. The writers knew it. The fans knew it. Everyone knew it. So now that Homeland seems to have fixed its biggest weakness, both Showtime and the viewers are hoping they can start over. And if Google Trends are accurate, maybe they can. After a slight dip, Homeland is about to make its return and people are once again talking about it. The reviews so far are good. While it's not on the level of an HBO smash like, say, Game of Thrones, there's enough cautious optimism out for Showtime to be happy. Let's hope Carrie's mood stay as even as the search results.—Nathan Reese 

Sons of Anarchy (FX)

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Stars: Charlie Hunnam, Katey Sagal, Kim Coates, Tommy Flanagan, Mark Boone Junior, Dayton Callie, Theo Rossi, Jimmy Smits, Drea de Matteo, Malcolm Jamal Warner, Annabeth Gish, CCH Pounder, Robert Patrick

Premiere date: September 9

Takeaway: Housewifes everywhere love searching Charlie Hunnam.

For a series about gun-running bikers, SoA is hilariously most-watched in the least-badass states. Like, seriously, Wyoming? South Dakota? Maine? It's easy to picture a bunch of milquetoast families getting a serious thrill from the exploits of Jax and the club, which is not to say we're casually out here jacking rival gangs drug shipments out here in New York and L.A., but still. Much like Boardwalk, interest has waned slightly since its September premiere but given this show's popularity it should shoot back up as soon as the next crazy plot twist happens. —Frazier Tharpe

Jane the Virgin (CW)

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Stars: Gina Rodriguez, Justin Baldoni, Andrea Navedo, Brett Dier, Yael Grobglas, Ivonne Coll, Michael Rady, Jaime Camil

Premiere date: October 13

Takeaway: Nobody cares about Jane the Virgin.

For a show like Jane the Virgin it's all about perspective. Looking at the graph above, you can see that people are actually curious about what the CW newcomer has to offer. Unfortunately, compared to the other shows on the list, Jane hardly registers (seriously, just check out the initial comparison graph). Granted, the CW is a smaller network with less viewers total, so it's probably more of a wait-and-see situation than a brick from the outset. The dip at the end of the graph is likely the result of interested parties having already googled the show before the premiere and moved on. If word of mouth is good it could take off again. We'll see. —Nathan Reese

American Horror Story: Freak Show (FX)

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Stars: Jessica Lange, Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Michael Chiklis, Frances Conroy, Denis O'Hare, Angela Bassett, Kathy Bates, Gabourey Sidibe, Emma Roberts, Jamie Brewer, Wes Bentley, John Carroll Lynch, Patti LaBelle

Premiere date: October 8

Takeaway: Scary-good buzz leads to scary-good Internet search traffic. 

As you can see from the dip, people stopped talking about American Horror Story between seasons. But now with Freak Show about to launch, the conversation is gaining momentum. With a show like American Horror Story, the Internet search traffic may be an unfair representation of the show's popularity. Don't get me wrong, the show is a huge hit for FX, but of all the shows on the list this is the one that people get the most out of discussing. The recasting, the scares, and the twists are all perfect fodder for second-screen conversations. As the season ramps up, search results should skyrocket per usual. —Nathan Reese

Gotham (Fox)

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Stars: Ben McKenzie, Sean Pertwee, Donal Logue, Jada Pinkett Smith, Erin Richards, David Mazouz, Robin Lord Taylor, Camren Bicondova, Cory Michael Smith, Victoria Cartagena, Zabryna Guevara

Premiere date: 41904

Takeaway: “Batman” without Batman is puzzling, but intriguing.

Of course the people most interested in Gotham reside in its spiritual real life counterpart, because New Yorkers are narcissists. Or maybe we just love Batman. After a short spike in the spring—likely thanks to critic screenings and subsequent reaction pieces at TCA—FOX's prequel laid dormant over the summer but fresh from last week's series premiere it's riding high. People may be wary of a Batman show without Batman but they're certainly curious. As Gotham moves into the first act of its season, it's a safe bet to assume that interest will keep up until the masses learn what to expect. As of now, when no one knows what the next episode may look like story-wise, everyone's going to turn to the Internet for answers. —Frazier Tharpe

Black-ish (ABC)

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Stars: Anthony Anderson, Tracee Ellis Ross, Laurence Fishburne, Yara Shahidi, Marcus Scribner, Miles Brown, Marsai Martin

Premiere date: September 24

Takeaway: You're all racist. Kidding. Maybe.

Wow. One of the most buzzed-about new sitcoms of the season and such low search results? Despite what seemed like a full-court promo press, interest in Anthony Anderson's fresh new sitcom about an upscale suburban Black family only really generated interest in the past few weeks. While that may seem dire, at least things picked up right around last week's premiere. —Frazier Tharpe

Scandal (ABC)

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Stars: Kerry Washington, Columbus Short, Darby Stanchfield

Premiere date: September 25

Takeaway: Scandal isn't the hit that ABC deserved, but it's the one they needed. 

Just a couple years ago ABC was in dire straights. Ratings were terrible, and the channel's once-solid stockpile of family sitcoms wasn't cutting it. Enter Shonda Rhimes and—specifically Scandal—a show and creator that single-handedly brought the network back from the dead. As you'd proably expect Scandal's Internet search traffic reflects its success. Still, the mainstream-nature of the show doesn't trend toward the techy/nerdy viewers of cable sensations like American Horror Story, so it falls slightly behind them in search traffic. Still, four seasons in Olivia Pope isn't going anywhere. —Nathan Reese

The Walking Dead (AMC)

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Stars: Andrew Lincoln, Chandler Riggs, Norman Reedus, Steven Yeun, Lauren Cohan, Melissa McBride, Chad Coleman, Danai Gurira, Lawrence Gilliard, Jr., Michael Cudlitz, Josh McDermitt, Christian Serratos, Sonequa Martin-Green, Alanna Masterson, Emily Kinney

Premiere date: October 12

Takeaway: You can't kill The Walking Dead. 

Unlike some shows on the list, The Walking Dead wasn't even premiered yet this season. While that means people aren't Googling the show for episode recaps, it does mean that there's a steady stream of promotional materials and new trailers to get people excited. Then there's the fact that people just really, really like this show. 15.7 million viewers watched last season's finale, which, to put it in perspective, is about 15 million more than watched Mad Men's. And the crazy thing is, there's been a huge dip in Internet search between seasons (just peep the graph) and the show still comes out on top. That is what you call a massive success, people. —Nathan Reese

The Blacklist (NBC)

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Stars: James Spader

Premiere date: September 23

Takeaway: Broadcast still belongs to The Blacklist.

If you live in a major city then chances are you can't escape James Spader's face during your morning commute, and it appears The Blacklist's promo blitz is paying off. It's easily the most popular show of the 2013-2014 TV season, as evidenced by a spike in attention during season finale sweeps. The summer hiatus was, understandably, quiet, but as soon as those fake magazine covers featuring Spader's notorious Red Reddington popped up on every bus and in every subway, Blacklist's buzz shot right back up. Fans—most of whom apparently reside in the Upper East Coast/New England states—were excited and even the most casual TV watcher was forced to inquire. Marketing genius .—Frazier Tharpe

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