The 40 Most Watched TV Shows
We've all been hooked to a TV show at some point, whether it's the shows of our childhoods or more recent Hollywood blockbusters like Game of Thrones. Some TV shows captivate us with their drama, while others rope us in with their realism and relatability. And some become timeless cult classics that are just as good to re-watch in a year after their last episode as they were when they first aired.
Here are 40 of the most watched TV shows in history. Which of these are on your GOAT list? How many times have you watched them? Do you have a favorite episode?
Game Of Thrones
When Game of Thrones first aired in 2011, few could have predicted what an absolute blockbuster it would become. Based on the novel series A Song of Fire and Ice (1991) by George R.R. Martin, the interwoven web of family-based storylines amid struggles for power coupled with medieval battle scenes and an expansive fantasy universe that captured all of our imaginations.
HBO, Game of Thrones (2011-19)
Stranger Things
Another modern heavy-hitter in terms of viewership was Stranger Things (2016). This supernatural thriller brought a group of wily teenagers against the forces of a secretive government and supernatural forces beyond their comprehension. A minefield of mysteries await this intrepid group of explorers amid the furor of 1980s UFO hype in the United States.
The Walking Dead
The Walking Dead (2010) quickly became a cult classic among horror enthusiasts. It was one of the first modern TV shows to pit humans against zombies in a way that explored difficult choices, relationships, and sacrifice without resorting to your typical tropes of zombie movies of old.
13 Reasons Why
13 Reasons Why (2017) was a difficult watch for some, dealing with sensitive subjects and displaying the teenage experience in some the rawest ways on television. It was captivating in how it captured the ordinary facets of teenage life, as well as how it portrayed the most difficult aspects. There's no wonder it captured 6.8 million US viewers in the first three days of its release.
Kicked to the Curb Productions, 13 Reasons Why (2017-20)
The 100
The 100 (2014) spent six years captivating audiences with a unique take on post-nuclear apocalypse earth. As humanity's only surviving people gather on a spaceship, they hatch a plan to send 100 juvenile delinquents back to earth to repopulate the planet. The 100 follows these teenage delinquents as they form new bonds and learn new skills amid stories of redemption, sacrifice, finding oneself, and realigning one's moral compass. The 100 brought these themes to bear against a backdrop of survival in a post-apocalyptic world.
Orange Is The New Black
Set in an all-female prison, Orange Is The New Black (2013) follows Piper Chapman, a normally law-abiding citizen who was convicted of transporting drug money (an offense committed more than a decade prior to her incarceration), as she learns lessons about life on the inside the hard way. Orange Is The New Black explores female prison dynamics, mixing humor and the brutal reality of prison life.
Tilted Productions, Orange Is the New Black (2013-19)
Riverdale
Mystery thriller Riverdale (2017) spent six years on our screens detailing the adventures, misadventures, romance, and teenage angst experienced by main protagonist Archie and his friends. The group solve mysteries in their small town of Riverdale, investigating everything from murders to disappearances.
Grey's Anatomy
One of the longest-running TV series in the United States and the longest-running syndicated show on ABC, Grey's Anatomy (2005) tells the story of Meredith Grey and four other surgical interns at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital in Washington D.C. Interweaving the personal and professional lives of these interns and their medical expertise, Grey's has been on our screens for nearly 20 years and routinely draws in 15 million viewers per episode.
The Flash
The Flash (2014) saw protagonist Barry Allen survive a lightning strike that left him comatose. When he awoke, he had the power of super speed, allowing him to become the crime-fighting extraordinaire called The Flash. The Flash is based on a comic book written in 2011 by Geoff Johns.
Warner Bros., The Flash (2014-23)
Arrow
This 2012 show saw billionaire Oliver Queen turn his life around and become a crime-fighting vigilante armed with nothing but a trusty bow and arrow. After his yacht sinks at sea, he's missing and presumed deceased. He returns after five years, a changed man. Running for eight years, Netflix data indicates a total of ~159 million viewers.
Money Heist
This daring Spanish flick became an instant hit among Americans who love crime and heist thrillers. It follows the story of a daring robbery by a quirky group of thieves looking to steal 2.4 billion Euros from the Royal Mint of Spain. It ran for five seasons and brought Netflix over 100 million views.
Atresmedia, Money Heist (2017-21)
The Big Bang Theory
One of the best sitcoms in recent memory, The Big Bang Theory (2007) tells the story of roommates Sheldon Cooper and Leonard Hofstadter, two geeky scientists with PhDs in their respective fields, but absolutely zero know-how in the most basic of social situations. Their struggles with relationships and their evolution as scientists made The Big Bang Theory one of the most successful comedies of all time. It averaged around 12 million views per season.
Warner Bros., The Big Bang Theory (2007-2019)
Black Mirror
Black Mirror (2011) was a mind-bending show that tackled some of the world's major issues in a unique way: with each episode as it's own standalone drama. This meant that much of the cast changed with each episode, along with the setting and plot. Based on the 1959 sci-fi The Twilight Zone, Black Mirror became an near-instant hit as it's anthological approach was something new and refreshing for Netflix viewers.
Zeppotron, Black Mirror (2011-)
Sherlock
The tales of Sherlock Holmes are legendary. The detective novels form a four-part series written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle between 1887 and 1915. The novels have spurned a whole Sherlock Holmes universe, but the Sherlock TV show, produced by the BBC and starring Benedict Cumberbatch, remains one of the most popular iterations of the novels, reinvigorated the viewing public with Sherlock fever. The average viewership over seven seasons was about 10 million viewers per episode.
Vikings
This historical drama tells the tales of the Viking conquests during the earliest days of Norse exploration, following the exploits of Ragnar Lothbrok, a Viking warrior who yearns to explore the farthest reaches of the world. Running from 2013 to 2020, it's unique storytelling style attracted the eyes of millions. Beginning on the History Channel, viewership jumped once the show moved to Netflix.
Take 5 Productions, Vikings (2013-20)
Pretty Little Liars
Something of a teenage cult classic, Pretty Little Liars (2010) showcases four friends dealing with all of the quirks of being a teenager while investigating the disappearance of their best friend. Watched by a broad swathe of the teenage and young adult population, "PLL" drew around 2 million views per season and ran between 2010 and 2017, with fans unable to get enough of the mystique and mystery woven into a teenage storyline.
Alloy Entertainment, Pretty Little Liars (2010-17)
The Vampire Diaries
Vampires always seem to do well on the screen, whether it's The Twilight Saga (2008-2012) or even the 90s classic, Buffy: The Vampire Slayer (1997-2004), and The Vampire Diaries was no exception. Starring Nina Dobrev and running for eight seasons between 2009 and 2017, the show explored love, lust, danger, and mystique in a small Virginia town.
Warner Bros., The Vampire Diaries
American Horror Story
American Horror Story is yet another successful show in the horror category, though unlike most of our horror entries on this list, its still in syndication and will enter it's 13th season in 2025. Beginning in 2011, AHS focuses on the lives of a single family, the Harmons, who move from Boston to Los Angeles to start a new life. Unfortunately, the house they move into turns out to be haunted by demonic creatures that make their life a living hell. AHS has since spawned a spin-off and became extremely popular in 2011, with over 50 million seasonal viewers. Since then, their figures have dropped dramatically but that early popularity made them one of the most-watched TV shows in American cinematic history.
FX Network, American Horror Story (2011-)
Breaking Bad
Breaking Bad broke new ground when it was released in 2008, centering around a broke university professor and one his students as they become prolific movers and makers of illicit substances. Although fictional, Walter White becomes something of a Pablo Escobar of his time during the six seasons that Breaking Bad was on-screen. It became hugely popular for it's use of humor to defuse tension, all the while amplifying the cat-and-mouse game between White and the authorities and his own family. Breaking Bad's viewership averaged over 1.5 million viewers per season, with the series finale drawing 4.23 million viewers alone.
Sony Pictures, Breaking Bad (2008-13)
Lucifer
What is it with people and vampires, devils, and demons? Lucifer (2016) even beat out Prison Break (2005) on our most-watched list. In this hit show, Lucifer becomes a consultant with the LAPD after abandoning Hell to run a nightclub. The series followed his exploits solving supernatural crimes, with a guaranteed place in the fiery underworld for the criminals. The show clocked 18.34 billion minutes of viewing. That's—that's a lot of minutes.
Warner Bros., Lucifer (2016-21)
Supernatural
This one captured viewers' attention by dealing with—you guessed it—the supernatural. Supernatural (2005) ran for 15 seasons and followed two brothers fighting against supernatural forces for the good of mankind. It averaged between 2 and 3 million viewers per season.
Warner Bros., Supernatural (2005-20)
Prison Break
Prison Break (2005) was on the air for 12 seasons and captured the American public's attention with a gripping drama about life in prison, all-the-while planning a daring escape. It followed two brothers, both incarcerated: one for a crime he didn't commit and the other who put himself in lockup to help his innocent brother escape. The series captured an average of 9 to 10 million viewers per season.
20th Century, Prison Break (2005-17)
How To Get Away With Murder
A rather brilliant twist on a drama, How To Get Away With Murder (2014) details how a cunning law professor uses her legal knowledge to enable her colleagues, friends, lovers, and students to get away with a murder in each season. Starring Viola Davis and Aja Naomi King, How To Get Away With Murder drew in an astonishing 11 million viewers in it's first season, gradually dropping off to around 4.5 in it's final season.
Shondaland, How to Get Away with Murder (2014-20)
Teen Wolf
Who didn't want to become a werewolf as a teenager? For Scott McCall (played by Tyler Posey), that became a reality in Teen Wolf after he sustained a werewolf bite. This 2011 series details the adventures and misadventures of a teenage werewolf hiding his identity whilst dealing with all of the dramas of a typical teenage life. Teen Wolf averaged about 1.8-2 million viewers over the course of it's six seasons.
The Simpsons
This one needs no introduction. The Simpsons is one of the most successful American TV shows of all-time and one of the best animated series in TV history. Some of The Simpsons episodes like Bart Gets An F, totaled over 30 million viewers.
20th Century Fox Television, The Simpsons (1989-)
Once Upon A Time
Once Upon A Time (2011) showcases the clash between reality and fairytales when a young woman leading a comfortable life suddenly meets her estranged son that she gave up a decade ago. Together, they discover that all is not what it seems in her town, as most of the townspeople are fairytale characters. The first season of this unique take on fairytales and real life drew 11.7 million viewers, while a gradual decline across the seven seasons saw only 3.4 million tuning in for the last chapter of the story.
ABC Signature, Once Upon a Time (2011-18)
Narcos
Narcos (2015) is a fantastic biographical series that walks us through the life of notorious kingpin, Pablo Escobar and his rise to prominence and founding of the Medellín cartel. Set as a chronicle, Narcos helped Netflix get on the map as a major player in TV series' production, running for three seasons and drawing in tens of millions of viewers. It has since spawned a spin-off Narcos: Mexico, which is every bit as thrilling.
Daredevil
The three seasons of Daredevil (2015) saw a blind lawyer become a crime-fighting vigilante in this dramatization of the Marvel comic book character by the same name. Daredevil fights crime both in his day-job and at night, delivering justice through the courts by day and through his fists by night. Daredevil achieved millions of views throughout it's three seasons on Netflix as fans were excited by the rebooting of the Marvel Comic Universe character.
ABC Signature, Daredevil (2015-18)
Friends
Another show that needs no introduction: Friends followed the professional and personal lives of six friends in New York City. The comedy featured Jennifer Aniston, Matthew Perry, Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer, Matt LeBlanc and Lisa Kudrow, helping to skyrocket almost all of their careers. Friends lasted for ten seasons and was an instant classic. Each season consistently captured over 20 million viewers on average.
How I Met Your Mother
In a similar vein to Friends, How I Met Your Mother told the tale of a father recounting his life to his children, detailing his friendships, relationships, trials and tribulations through flashbacks. HIMYM starred big names like Neil Patrick Harris and Jason Segel, but was also a first big-time TV role for Josh Radnor, Cobie Smulders, and Alyson Hanigan. How I Met Your Mother averaged about 9 million viewers per episode for several years, with the season finale drawing 13.13 million viewers.
How I Met Your Mother, 20th Century Fox Television
Suits
What happens when a college dropout with drug-dealing charges feigns his way into a job at a law firm? Suits is what happens. Starring Patrick J. Adams as Michael Ross, the aforementioned college dropout, and Gabriel Macht as his mentor and big-shot lawyer, Harvey Spector, Suits was also a first major role for Meghan Markle, now the Duchess of Sussex and wife of Prince Harry. The legal drama racked up tens of millions of eyeballs each season on Netflix, even beating out The Office in 2020.
Mr. Robot
Interests collide in Mr. Robot as a brilliant computer hacker and cybersecurity expert named Elliot (played by Rami Malek) colludes with shadowy allies in cyberspace to take down corrupt corporate greed. Unfortunately for Elliot, the company he works as a cyber-security engineer is paid to protect that very corporation. The gripping cyber-drama showcases Elliot's navigation of the line between his job and his moral obligations. Mr. Robot would receive over a million views in it's first season, with that number dropping to a few hundred thousand on average by it's fourth and final season.
Anonymous Content, Mr. Robot (2015-19)
The Originals
Back to vampires we go with The Originals (2013). Rather than featuring teenage witches or teenage vampire romance as a theme, vengeance is a keyword in The Originals. This vengeful vampire show tells the story of a family of vampires who return to the city they built a thousand years ago, looking to take it back from those who wronged them centuries before. It averaged about 2 million views in the first three seasons, while the last three averaged about 1.3-1.4 million.
Alloy Entertainment, The Originals (2013-18)
Supergirl
Superman's cousin has a lot to live up to—and Supergirl knew it. Featuring all of the tropes you'd expect from a superhero franchise, Supergirl certainly captured the American public's attention, receiving a 6.2 average rating out of 10 from 341,000 reviews on IMDB and averaging 1.5 million views throughout it's six seasons.
Warner Bros., Supergirl (2015-21)
Gossip Girl
A teenage classic that showcased the earliest days of the internet rumor mill, Gossip Girl (2007) stars Blake Lively and is narrated by Kristen Bell as the omniscient blogger codenamed "Gossip Girl". The teen drama centers around the secrets revealed by "Gossip Girl" and how it affects the lives of the cast. Throughout it's six seasons, Gossip Girl averaged around 1.5-2.5 million viewers consistently.
Warner Bros., Gossip Girl (series)
Sense8
Before Neuralink was a thing, Sense8 took neurological linking to a whole new level and imagined a world where a group of people were linked telepathically. This group of brain-bonded people must survive against those in the world who are trying to eliminate them. For Sense8's ingenuity over three seasons, it received steady figures of several hundred thousand viewers, with the first episode in 2015 topping just over a million.
Georgeville Television, Sense8 (2015-18)
Gotham
Set years before Batman, Gotham (2014) details the rise of Detective James Gordon as a member of Gotham Police Force, before he became Batman's closest confidant and friend. Riding high on Batman's popularity, Gotham blazed it's own trail upon its release, with the first season pulling in nearly 7.7 million viewers. By season 6, that viewership had dropped in half, but nevertheless, Gotham helped lift the Batman franchise to the heights of TV, rather than just in the cinema.
Warner Bros., Gotham (2014-19)
West World
"Siri, play "Consequence Free" by Great Big Sea." Because that's West World. Set in a near future, "West World" is an amusement park for the rich and care-free to live our their fantasies, regardless of the content of those fantasies, without consequence. The dystopian drama's modern take on Michael Crichton's 1973 movie of the same name drew in 1.8 million viewers in the first season, but viewership sharply fell thereafter, totaling just 325,000 viewers in the final season.
Bad Robot, Westworld (2016-22)
Jessica Jones
Jessica Jones used to be a superhero. Set in the aftermath of her hanging up her superhero costume, this series focuses on her life as a private investigator, when an old foe resurfaces. The series details Jessica's fight against Killgrave, the aforementioned foe who used mind control to make Jessica do something awful in her past. The show was a small-ish success, but was unfortunately axed by Netflix.
Marvel, Jessica Jones (2015-19)
Modern Family
Modern Family (2009) tells the tale of three types of families—same-sex, nuclear, and blended—throughout the trials and tribulations each type of families. Though different, the families are related through a wealthy businessman. Modern Family consistently produced between 5 and 13 million viewers per season for it's take on modern family life.
How many of these shows have you watched from start to finish? How many would you watch again? Are there any classics that you think should have received more eyeballs than they did? Let us know in the comments!
