America’s Favorite British TV Shows

What Americans Love to Watch from Across the Pond

It’s been a lot longer than four score and seven years ago since the United States declared its independence from Britain, but there are some things from across the pond that we just can’t quit. JK Rowling and the magical world of Harry Potter, royal weddings, and the charm of afternoon tea are just a few of the British exports we’re perpetually fangirling over. And British TV. So much British TV. With the rising popularity of Netflix and our ability to stream shows like Downton Abbey and Sherlock, the team at CableTV decided to research popular British TV shows in the U.S. to see what might be trending on “the telly” in your state. We admit it. We expected to see a Downton Abbey America, too. But because we looked at British TV past and present, we got lots more variety in our data. While some of the high-profile shows are still featured on our map, you’ll see some lesser-known favorites that American viewers have been hooked on for years. What is the most popular British TV show in America according to our research? All other TV from across the pond is outnumbered by Outnumbered, an award-winning sitcom about the realities of modern parenthood. We arrived at each state’s favorite show by identifying popular British TV past and present, and then we used Google Trends to determine which ones were favorites in each state. Check out the complete results below.

State	Top Show	Network/Where to Watch	Description
Alabama	Outnumbered	BBC One	Comedy about life with growing children.
Alaska	Whitechapel	Amazon, Hulu	Crime drama set in London explores historical crimes.
Arizona	Survivors	Amazon	Post-apocalyptic Sci-Fi drama.
Arkansas	Fresh Meat	Hulu	Comedy drama about college students.
California	Raised by Wolves	Acorn TV	Comedy about unconventional childhood.
Colorado	Spaced	Hulu	Sitcom about a professional couple.
Connecticut	The Hour	BBC America	Drama about a BBC newsroom in the 1950s.
Delaware	The Thick of It	BBC TWO	Dark political comedy/satire.
District of Columbia	Yes Minister	Amazon	Political comedy/satire.
Florida	Pulling	BBC Three	Comedy about three single women.
Georgia	Coupling	Amazon	Romantic comedy about relationships.
Hawaii	Episodes	Amazon	Comedy about British writers making TV show.
Idaho	Line of Duty	BBC TWO	Police and crime drama.
Illinois	Fresh Meat	Hulu	Comedy drama about college students.
Indiana	Coupling	Amazon	Romantic comedy about relationships.
Iowa	Luther	BBC America	Crime drama starring Idris Elba.
Kansas	Mr. Bean	Amazon	Family comedy with slapstick humor.
Kentucky	Spaced	Hulu	Sitcom about a professional couple.
Louisiana	Outnumbered	BBC One	Comedy about life with growing children.
Maine	Agatha Christie’s Marple	Amazon	Quaint murder mystery drama featuring elderly woman.
Maryland	Top Boy	Hulu	Crime drama that takes place in London housing.
Massachusetts	Gogglebox	Channel 4	Reality show about Brits watching TV.
Michigan	Raised by Wolves	Acorn TV	Comedy about unconventional childhood.
Minnesota	Never Mind the Buzzcocks	BBC TWO	Comedy pop quiz.
Mississippi	The Thick of It	BBC TWO	Dark political comedy/satire.
Missouri	Survivors	Amazon	Post-apocalyptic Sci-Fi drama.
Montana	Peaky Blinders	BBC TWO Netflix	Period crime drama about gangsters in Birmingham.
Nebraska	Doctor Who	BBC One	Classic sci-fi with a cult following.
Nevada	Love Island	itv	Reality dating show.
New Hampshire	The Crown	Netflix	Drama about the early life of Queen Elizabeth.
New Jersey	Episodes	Amazon	Comedy about British writers making TV show.
New Mexico	Misfits	Hulu	Sci-Fi comedy drama about superheroes.
New York	Pulling	BBC Three	Comedy about three single women.
North Carolina	Outnumbered	BBC One	Comedy about life with growing children.
North Dakota	Episodes	Amazon	Comedy about British writers making TV show.
Ohio	Outnumbered	BBC One	Comedy about life with growing children.
Oklahoma	The Office	Hulu	Sitcom mockumentary about corporate life.
Oregon	Celebrity Juice	Itv2	Comedy panel game.
Pennsylvania	Gadget Man	Channel 4	Covers new gadgets and technology.
Rhode Island	Absolutely Fabulous	BBC America	Satirical comedy about two selfish, middle aged women.
South Carolina	Southcliffe	Netflix	A drama about the aftermath of tragedy.
South Dakota	Merlin	BBC one, Hulu	Fantasy drama for young adults about King Arthur legend.
Tennessee	Spaced	Hulu	Sitcom about a professional couple.
Texas	Getting On	BBC four	Dark comedy about life on a hospital ward.
Utah	The IT Crowd	Hulu	Comedy about an IT group.
Vermont	Happy Valley	Netflix	Crime drama about a small town cop.
Virginia	War and Peace	Hulu	Historical drama about the rise and fall of aristocrats in Imperial Russia.
Washington	Cold Feet	Hulu	Romantic comedy about relationships.
West Virginia	Doctor Who	BBC One	Classic sci-fi with a cult following.
Wisconsin	Monty Python’s Flying Circus	Amazon	Sketch comedy from the 70s with cult following.
Wyoming	Doctor Who	BBC One	Classic sci-fi with a cult following.

What trends did we spot in our British TV data? Come join us for a spot of speculation.

The More Things Change, the More They Stay Exactly the Same

Our British TV map holds up the patterns of viewing we’ve noticed in other types of entertainment data over the past year. The Western and Southern portions of the States prefer comedies and the fluffier content of sitcoms, while in the Northern and Eastern regions, viewers snuggle up to dramas and strong female leads.

We Are What We Watch

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again. Some states are watching shows that reinforce regional stereotypes. Here are just a few that’ll make you chuckle:

• DC keeps it political with Yes, Minister.
• Maine is quaint, quirky, and decidedly up to mischief with Marple.
• Put a ring on it in Nevada with Love Island.
• Utah’s tech boom is evidence that the IT Crowd has found a new home.
• Vermont’s idyllic scenery makes Happy Valley an apt nickname.
• War and Peace is still a matter of contention in Virginia.
• It’s no surprise that Washington keeps getting Cold Feet.

Regional Trends

Across parts of the United States, we noticed some specific trends. While British comedies are generally more popular than other types of content, there were a few sub-genres that seemed to be favorites in certain pockets of the country.

• The Midwest keeps it clean with cheerful comedies like Bean, campy Dr. Who, and young adult fantasy dramas like Merlin.
• When the South does drama, they like it served with a side of apocalypse from Survivors.
• Northern intellectuals think they have the answer with comedy pop quizzes, including Celebrity Juice and Never Mind the Buzzcocks.
• New England stays true to their sarcastic nature with Absolutely Fabulous and Gogglebox, a reality TV show about watching TV. Because that totally makes sense.

And Baby Makes Three

There seems to be a bit of correlation between high birthrates and states that prefer comedies about couples or families, proving parents like to laugh at their own trials and tribulations as much as the next TV viewer. Some examples:

• North Dakota is Outnumbered, while South Dakota fantasizes with Merlin.
• Hippie Californians have obviously been Raised by Wolves and Georgia is busy snuggling up to Coupling.

Like Guns? You probably also prefer your British TV with a side of firearms. 

States with higher rates of gun ownership per capita pull out all the stops with shows that feature plenty of sharp shooting.

• Alaska is hunting for clues with Whitechapel, while Montana is ganging up on Peaky Blinders.
• Idaho’s TV falls into the Line of Duty but South Carolina is dealing with the fallout from gun tragedy in Southcliff.

 

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Are you a fan of what your state serves up for British TV? Share with your friends to discuss and find new shows from across the pond to stream.