LOS ANGELES, Feb 16 — Gen Z loves watching TV shows. In fact, they’re reportedly the most popular form of video content among young viewers, after movies, but ahead of social media. According to recent research, Gen Zers are particularly fond of comedies, animated series and hit shows such as Stranger Things and Grey’s Anatomy.
Netflix’s hit show Stranger Things continues to captivate Generation Z viewers. With its unique blend of mystery, supernatural phenomena and ‘80s nostalgia, the show tops the list as the favourite series of Americans and Canadians aged 13-17 in 2023. Among 18-24-year-olds, the show takes third place, behind Grey’s Anatomy and Family Guy.
These rankings, based on a YPulse* survey, reflect young viewers’ taste for animated and comedy series. In addition to Family Guy, broadcast since 1999 on the Fox network, 18-24-year-olds are also fans of Rick and Morty and SpongeBob SquarePants. Younger viewers (13-17) also cite South Park, The Simpsons and Bob’s Burgers among favourites.
Comedies feature significantly in the TV choices of North American Gen Zers, with Young Sheldon, a show based on The Big Bang Theory, and Abbott Elementary featuring in the list. This sitcom, filmed in the style of a “mockumentary” — a parody documentary, like The Office — recounts the daily life of an elementary school in Philadelphia. The series is broadcast on ABC in the US.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians, based on the series of novels written by Rick Riordan, also joins the ranking. Available since last December on Disney+, it appeals, like SpongeBob SquarePants, to the nostalgic tastes of young viewers who may have read the book as children. The adaptation has been a great success, with over 13 million subscribers having watched the show’s first episode six days after its release.
Top 10 favourite TV shows among 13-to-17-year-olds:
1. Stranger Things
2. Young Sheldon
3. South Park
4. Percy Jackson and the Olympians
5. Grey’s Anatomy
6. SpongeBob SquarePants
7. The Simpsons
8. Bob’s Burgers
9. Ginny & Georgia
10. Family Guy
Top 10 favourite TV shows among 18-to-24-year-olds:
1. Grey’s Anatomy
2. Family Guy
3. Stranger Things
4. Young Sheldon
5. Rick & Morty
6. SpongeBob SquarePants
7. One Piece
8. The Boys
9. Abbott Elementary
10. Reacher
— ETX Studio
*Survey conducted among a panel of 1,500 young people aged 13 to 39 in the US and Canada, from December 26, 2023 to January 4, 2024. Their answers were open-ended, with no pre-established choices, and were based on shows still in production at the time of the survey.
