There’s never been a better time to own a TV set than right now. Last year nearly 600 different scripted series were released in the U.S.A. That number is likely to decline in 2023 and 2024 thanks to the dual writers/actors strikes (which have thankfully now been resolved), but there’s no shortage of great content to consume. But what’s the best?
With National Television Day landing on November 21st, we here at BetTexas.com thought we’d change up our normal Texas sports betting coverage, dig into the numbers, and try to find the 2023 TV series that Texans loved the most.
For this research project, we kicked things off by consulting IMDb’s list of the top 50 most-watched 2023 TV shows in the U.S.A. We then dove deeper into the data using the web analytics site AhRefs to shrink that list down to a top five based on search engine interest across the county. This narrowed the shows down to the following five: “The Last of Us,” “Ted Lasso,” “The Mandalorian,” “Succession,” and “The Bear. Finally, we hopped onto Google Trends to find the top three most popular TV shows in Texas in 2023 based on data beginning in January of this year. We also determined a top three for the 49 other states too.
Most Watched TV Shows in Texas in 2023
Below you'll find some information you wouldn't see on Texas betting apps. To see what TV show from this year the Lonestar State likes best, check out our results below.
The Top Three TV Shows in Texas
In Texas, America, and the rest of the world, there’s no bigger show on the small screen than HBO’s “The Last of Us.” Adapted from the popular video game by screenwriter Craig Mazin (“Chernobyl”) and Neil Druckmann (who developed the original game back in the early 2010s), “The Last of Us” is set in a dark future where a fungal disease that transforms humans into monsters has devastated the world. Of the 50 states we looked at, the show was the favorite in 43 of them. It also happens to be the second favorite in the other seven.
In July, “The Last of Us” was nominated for 24 Emmys, including Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series (Pedro Pascal), and Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series (Bella Ramsay). It is the first time a video game adaptation has ever been nominated in a major category at the Emmys.
“Star Wars” spin-off “The Mandalorian” — which also happens to feature Pedro Pascal in the lead role — is the second favorite 2023 TV show in Texas. It was also earned the silver medal for 2023 in 17 other states, taking bronze in 18 more.
Meanwhile, Texas’ third favorite TV show of 2023 “Ted Lasso” is the top series in Maine, Maryland, and Vermont — the second favorite in 25 states, and third fave in 21 others. Only California kept the Jason Sudeikis-starring soccer series off its top 3.
Author
Jeff Parker is an entertainment writer for BetTexas.com. A writer for film, television and the internet, Jeff is a life long movie buff, with a Masters Degree in Popular Culture. He lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where he works full time as documentary filmmaker and producer.
