Global: The most popular shows—and new series—of 2022
New hits, old favorites and spin-offs led us through another year of streaming TV.
The return of modern classics in the forms of a Game of Thrones spin-off, House of the Dragon, and Amazon Prime Video’s prequel to The Lord of the Rings, The Rings of Power and an abundance of returning series appear to be big reasons why many people worldwide tuned into streaming services in 2022.
Using zero-party data from YouGov Safe’s fully opt-in, cross-device tracker, a new YouGov report uncovers the most searched, most binged, and most streamed movies and television programs, bringing to you the most popular TV shows globally. The titles are ranked by Appetite Score—an aggregate of indexed search volume and Wikipedia views for an entity.
With so many streaming players vying for viewers’ attention last year, you can find out who had the standout TV shows below.
The most popular series of 2022
Netflix content continues to dominate globally. Nine of the top 20 most popular global TV shows are Netflix originals, including the highly anticipated new seasons of Stranger Things, Bridgerton, and Money Heist.
Other shows continue to prove their enduring popularity in global entertainment and culture. These include Friends, Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, Pokémon and The Simpsons.
The data also reveals that sports have cemented their role in streaming culture. The UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League, are two of the most popular TV shows in our ranking.
Popular new series of 2022
There were plenty of new shows to keep track of last year and research reveals that some captured the attention of steaming audiences more than others.
Netflix again claims the most titles on our list of most popular new TV series, with 10 of the top 20 spots. Wednesday, a Netflix original, sits at the top of the list with a global appetite score of 91.66.
Several non-English TV shows also earn spots on the list, showing the global demand for both international titles and a range of different genres including anime (Ranking of Kings), South Korean romance (The Office Blind Date or Business Proposal) and zombie dramas (All of Us Are Dead).
Fresh shows from HBO Max such as House of the Dragon and Peacemakers and those from Amazon Prime Video like Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power and Reacher were also popular among global audiences last year.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law and Andor were the two Disney+ titles to claim spots in YouGov’s most popular new TV series in 2022.