With broadcast, cable and streaming networks giving us a steady stream of high quality content on a continuous premiere schedule, it’s amazing to stand back and look at just how much TV there actually is out there for us to talk about.
While the past couple of years have had many different kinds of ups and downs, ins and outs, we see that engaging with our online friends and family and directly with the TV talent or networks themselves to discuss the stories that resonate with us most deeply will always be something we seek out to do.
This year, in addition to our customary lists around primetime and streaming, we’re also looking at who are some of the most followed TV talents, and what particular moments this year did audiences especially love.
The Lists
- Top Primetime & Late Fringe Series
- Top New Series
- Top Scripted Series
- Top Premium Cable Series
- Top Ad-Supported Cable Series
- Top Spanish-Language Prime & Late Fringe Series
- Most Talked about Streaming Series
- Most Talked about Streaming Movies
- Top Primetime Series Talent
- Top Spanish-Language Primetime Series Talent
- Top TV Specials
- Top Followed TV Talent by Year End
- Most Loved Moments from the Year in TV
Top Primetime & Late Fringe Series
HBO’s Euphoria nets nearly 5x more social interactions per episode than the next top series as one of the year’s most notable TV shows.
Euphoria handily outperforms wrestling programming for a change in the top spot of this year’s most social primetime and late fringe series. While last year saw one comedy in the 10th spot (Brooklyn Nine-Nine), this year the top series are all drawn from the drama, wrestling, or reality competition genres.
Top New Series
As the highly anticipated prequel, House of the Dragon tops this year’s list of brand new TV series.
Winter is not coming – it’s back! HBO’s House of the Dragon takes the #1 spot for new series.
Top Scripted Series
Among scripted series, Euphoria has a large social presence as the largest program by far for the year.
At nearly 10X the size of the second ranked program, the powerful storylines and writing of Euphoria draws substantial social conversation over the year. And, 5 series: Yellowstone, House of the Dragon, Power Book II, Young Rock and Chucky are new entrants to the list.
Top Premium Cable Series
On premium cable, twisted dragons are no match for dramatic teens, as Euphoria again claims the top spot for the year.
With new programming at HBO and Starz, and the end of Showtime’s Shameless in 2021, this year’s top premium cable programs are a complete HBO and Starz shutout.
Top Ad-Supported Cable Series
On cable, wrestling is the king. Four out of the top five spots for this year’s biggest cable programs are taken by wrestling entertainment programs.
Step into the arena – also known as ad-supported cable networks. Just about three-quarters of all the social interactions represented in this top list of cable programs are driven by wrestling.
Top Spanish-Language Prime & Late Fringe Series
Redemption, growth, and spins – all in a week’s work for the contestants on Mira quién baila, the top Spanish-language TV series.
Reality competition – especially in the ballroom – is a winner wherever you go. As the American Spanish-language version of Dancing with the Stars, Mira quién baila All Stars on Univision takes nearly 250K social interactions per episode.
Most Talked about Streaming Series
With an intense fourth season in two parts, Stranger Things has a strong showing for the number one most talked about streaming show this year.
Stranger Things is no stranger to completely dominating the scene – both in its creative storytelling and substantial fan-driven social conversation. At the same time, Disney is building a streaming powerhouse with the combined forces of Star Wars and Marvel Studios producing ever more made-for-TV content.
Most Talked About Streaming Movies
As the most talked about streaming movie that premiered this year, Turning Red on Disney+ showed us that we all still remember the highs and lows of our early teenage years.
Just as the most talked about streaming series are a mix of light and dark, dramatic and comedic, streaming movies also feature a mix of light-heartedness, reboots, and drama. The varied list of streaming networks and programs showcases the growing list of choices that audiences have.
Top Primetime Series Talent
Of the top ten most engaging series talent, Zendaya posted the fewest times but still was the most engaging.
2022 was a real break-out year for the cast of Euphoria, as three of the top 10 most social primetime talent came from HBO’s gritty teenage drama.
Top Spanish-Language Primetime Series Talent
The actors on telenovelas are paramount when looking at the most engaging series talent for Spanish-language programs.
The cast of various Telemundo telenovelas drive substantial social engagement with their audiences in order to capture two-thirds of the top talent list for Spanish-language series. With large seasons built around a weekly format, these programs offer audiences many opportunities to engage across social media.
Top TV Specials
After falling to the #2 spot last year, the VMAs are back at the #1 spot for the most social tent pole event this year.
The 2022 MTV Video Music Awards come roaring past the competition for the top spot among this year’s TV specials with just over 40M social interactions for this one show.
Top Followed TV Talent by Year End
Every single one of the top followed TV talent has more cross-platform followers than the population of the United States.
When it comes to our secret vices, following the stars of reality television might not be such a secret after all. Some of the most followed talent in TV come from the reality genre, where we see the Kardashians play a prominent role. Musicians who’ve branched out into other industries and artistic endeavors also draw large followings.
Most Loved Moments from the Year in TV
Audiences are drawn towards interesting characters and their journeys through a show’s various twists and turns.
This year’s biggest moments showed that audiences are all about the vibes. Leveraging our qualitative analytics solution SCR+, the most loved moments in TV this year reflect the extent to which audiences become involved and connected with the relationships, struggles, and triumphs we see – and experience – through the TV glass.
Top Social TV Reporting Methodology
Talkwalker Social Content Ratings, 1/1/22 - 12/4/22. Series lists ranked by average total interactions* per episode using linear measurement, and include series with at least 5 live/new airings in primetime or late fringe. Scripted series exclude reality series, documentaries, talk & news programs, and game shows. New series include programs with season 1 episodes airing in 2022 as denoted by Gracenote metadata. Specials ranked by total interactions per episode across all dayparts. Talent lists ranked by owned engagement** exclude political programming. Original Streaming series & movies ranked by 24/7 same-day Twitter organic interactions over the entire time frame.
Net new followers and percent change in followership based on the aggregated difference of December 4th over January 1st. Talent had to appear on a regularly airing program or be a presenter, nominee, or host of a TV special.
Most loved moments were identified based on the volume of messages classified under the SCR+ “Love” segment. Retweets excluded. Displayed metric reflects the number of program-related organic Twitter interactions for the day on which the peak occurred.
*Total Interactions = Original social media posts across Facebook, Instagram Business/Creator Accounts, Twitter, and YouTube related to a linear TV episode and the engagement with that content.
**Owned Engagements = Social media activity generated off of the original posts sent by accounts owned or affiliated with TV programming. Owned engagement for Facebook includes comments, shares, and likes. Owned engagement for Instagram includes comments and likes. Owned engagement for Twitter includes retweets, quotes, replies, and likes. Owned engagement for YouTube includes Comments and Likes.
