It’s that time again when we start looking back at the year we’ve had. From Spotify Wrapped to lists of things we enjoyed in 2023, there is no shortage of content memorializing 2023 into the crazy year’s hall of fame.
And Google has also joined the ranks of annual data compilations with their Year in Search report – a list of top trading searches in different regions based on data from Google Trends.
So, let’s look at all the TV shows that were trending in 2023 and see if your TV preferences align with those of people all over the world.
2023’s top trending TV Shows globally
We’ll start off by looking at the top trending TV shows globally, meaning that these are the TV shows that captivated the whole world this past year.
The top trending TV Shows globally for 2023 (from Google Trends):
- The Last of Us
- Wednesday
- Ginny & Georgia
- One Piece
- Kaleidoscope
- King the Land
- The Glory
- That ’90s Show
- The Fall of the House of Usher
- Shadow and Bone
At the top of the list is the highly popular post-apocalyptic drama The Last of Us, which premiered on HBO on January 15th. Based on the video game of the same name, The Last of Us stars Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey and quickly gained a season 2 renewal after it became the second-biggest series premiere for HBO since 2010.
In second place is Netflix’s Addams family adaptation Wednesday. Starring Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams, the show debuted on the streamer in November of 2022 and is still the third-most watched Netflix series in their first 28 days.
But Wednesday isn’t the only Netflix series on this list, in fact, the rest of the list of trending global TV show searches for 2023 are all Netflix series.
In third place is the streamer’s dramedy Ginny & Georgia, which premiered its second season on January 5th and has already been renewed for third and fourth seasons.
Then we have One Piece, Netflix’s long-anticipated live-action adaptation of the manga series of the same name, which defied expectations and was prized by both critics and fans alike as Netflix’s best adaptation of a manga or anime series. No wonder the show got renewed for season 2 even amid the writer’s and actors’ strikes that were happening in the US this summer and fall.
Rounding out the top 5 is the heist drama Kaleidoscope, which premiered on the very first day of 2023.
Moving into the second half of the top 10, in the number six spot, is the K-drama King the Land. Although it first premiered on the South Korean TV network JTBC on June 17, it was also available for streaming on the South Korean streamer TVING and Netflix.
Number seven is another South Korean series, The Glory, this time a Netflix original that premiered in two parts to critical acclaim and high viewership numbers.
Then in the number eight spot is Netflix’s That ’70s Show sequel That ’90s Show, which saw cameos from such ’70 Show mainstays as Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher, and Wilmer Valderrama and got quickly renewed for a second season.
The number nine spot on the list went to the newest show on it – The Fall of the House of Usher. The gothic horror drama is loosely based on Edgar Allan Poe’s works and tells the story of the powerful Usher family, who own a corrupt pharmaceutical company.
And finishing off the list is none other than Shadow and Bone, Netflix’s adaptation of Leigh Bardugo’s fantasy novels that premiered its second season on March 16th. Sadly, and much to the fans’ dismay, the series was canceled in November along with the show’s rumored Six of Crows spin-off.
Top trending TV Shows in the United States for 2023
While many of 2023’s trending shows in the United States are the same shows that were trending globally, there are a few differences between the two lists.
The top trending TV Shows in the United States for 2023 (from Google Trends):
- The Last of Us
- Ginny & Georgia
- Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story
- Daisy Jones & The Six
- Wednesday
- That ’90s Show
- Kaleidoscope
- Beef
- The Idol
- The Fall of the House of Usher
The top trending TV show search both in the US and globally belongs to HBO’s The Last of Us. And given how much buzz there was and still is around the series, this doesn’t really surprise me.
People in the States also searched for Ginny & Georgia a little bit more than they did globally since the show moved up a spot in the list for the US.
The third most-trending series in the US for 2023 was Bridgerton’s spin-off Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, which premiered on May 4th and expanded the story of Queen Charlotte and King George III.
The fourth spot went to a rare non-Netflix series – Prime Video’s Daisy Jones & the Six. Based on Taylor Jenkins Reid’s novel of the same name, the 1970s-set musical drama follows the rise and fall of the titular rock band.
In the fifth spot on this list is Netflix’s Wednesday, followed by That ’90s Show and Kaleidoscope.
Things get interesting again by the eighth place since it’s occupied by Netflix’s Beef. The critically acclaimed series showcases the feud between Amy Lau and Danny Cho, two strangers involved in a road rage accident.
The nine spot went to the infamous HBO series The Idol, which garnered a lot of negative press even before the show was released and was slammed by critics after its premiere.
And rounding out the top 10 list is Netflix’s The Fall of the House of Usher.
Our thoughts
So, it looks like in 2023, Netflix was just as successful as ever with producing TV shows that not only were watched by millions of people but also brought in millions of searches on Google all over the world.
No matter your opinion on the streamer, you have to admit that they do know how to make a buzzy TV show. Just look at how many people looked up Netflix originals on the search engine giant.
However, no series came close to HBO’s The Last of Us. Sure, the network also appeared on the US list with The Idol, but the video game adaptation was an undisputed champion when it came to the top trending TV Shows in the United States and globally for 2023, according to Google Trends. Which means that although Netflix can produce more, HBO knows how to deliver something that’s so good that the noise over it can drown out even the biggest fanbases.
Netflix should really take note of how to please fans and deliver something that is uniformly loved by both fans of the source material and the show itself. I mean, they finally had a taste of it with One Piece, but why couldn’t they deliver on this also when it comes to Shadow and Bone and, more importantly, Six of Crows?
What do you think about these lists? Do you agree with 2023’s top trending TV Shows in the US and globally? Or do you wish other shows would have made the lists? Sound off in the comments below!