As Smart TVs and tablets become more intricate and stream-friendly, the options that viewers must watch their favorite shows are increasing by the day. Heck, even televisions are cheaper than they’ve ever been before, providing users with the ability to watch multiple screens at one time. We know that options are endless, but which shows stood out among the rest? We decided to dive in and find out.

While Hulu, Amazon Video, Apple TV, Paramount, and…the list goes on and on, Netflix still reigns supreme in our minds. Though their stock has fallen off quite a bit since the heart of the pandemic, they put together a strong 2023 in which their stock rose by 56% while providing some of the industry’s top programs.

We decided to put sports betting aside for a moment and dive into the numbers to see which “Netflix shows” each state enjoyed most. We looked at Google Trends for the calendar year with that search term and compared the top related searches to see which shows that fans were interested in most. 

Here’s what we found.

Most Popular Netflix Shows 2023 By State

Beef 

It’s no surprise that Beef was the most frequent show featured on the map, with 14 different states claiming it as their top program. The show’s first (and maybe only) season debuted in April, and Netflix promoted its own-produced show heavily—and for good reason. 

The comedy (with a good amount of twists, turns, and thrills) currently has a 98% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and was the overall top pick across the country. It’s up for 13 Emmys and three Golden Globes, and states ranging from Hawaii to Kansas had it as their top pick. 

Ironically enough, the show takes place in Southern California, but the Golden State did not choose it as its top pick, which leads us to…

The Night Agent 

This writer’s pick for the top show of the year is The Night Agent, a spy thriller that exploded onto the scene in late March (just a few weeks before Beef launched). A 74% Rotten Tomatoes score seems too low, but the other numbers speak for themselves. 

It made such an imprint on the streaming community that it was renewed for a second season just one week after debuting on Netflix. There weren’t any geographical trends to pull from this one, with states ranging from Alabama to New York ranking it as its top show (including California). 

Despite it revolving around the FBI and the U.S. government, Washington D.C. preferred Beef. One state that preferred The Night Agent over any other show that leads us into our next segue? North Carolina, who watched more of The Night Agent then.

Outer Banks 

The secret treasure thriller featuring a bunch of kids in North Carolina’s Outer Banks stayed hot on our list, coming in third with six states calling it its top show. Season 3 debuted in February (and it’s renewed for a fourth) after a stellar second season, but it got mixed reviews with just a 56% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. 

Still, it’s a pretty easy watch with some solid twists and turns, and the fact that it’s a recurring series that was coming off an excellent Season 2 (86% on Rotten Tomatoes) means it was bound to fare well on this list. 

It wasn’t on the 2022 list anywhere, but perhaps a strong Season 4 will allow it to make a back-to-back appearance, something the following shows did.

Wednesday & Peaky Blinders

Perhaps some of the luster is wearing off Peaky Blinders, which was the top-rated show on this list in 2022. And while all but one state dropped it from its top spot, Nebraska remained strong with the Shelby clan for a second straight year.

Wednesday, following the life of the Addams family’s daughter, was everywhere in 2022—but in just two states (Iowa and Idaho) in 2023. Both those states had Peaky Blinders in their top spot last year, so at least there’s some consistency there.

Kaleidoscope

There was a ton of hype around Kaleidoscope, an interactive show that allowed its watchers to view the episodes (all marked by a different color) in any order—with each combination telling a different story. 

We enjoyed the series and its unique options, but we do admit that the order didn’t seem to make too much of a difference (it has just a 49% score on Rotten Tomatoes despite getting a ton of publicity). 

We’re writing this from Illinois (which ranked Outer Banks highest), but maybe we need to take a quick drive and spend more time in Missouri, which was the only state to rank Kaleidoscope as its top show.

Ginny & Georgia 

A comedy makes the list! Ginny & Georgia was the top spot among true comedies, and we noticed a small connection between the states that watched the show set in a small New England town. 

Nearby New Jersey and Connecticut had it as their top program of 2023—ironically, Georgia (one of the girl’s names) chose Riverdale as its top show, which had its seventh season air on Netflix in 2023.