Top 10 List of Maine’s Favorite TV Shows for 2023

Remember when Netflix was only a DVD-by-mail rental service, and when we thought it was so cool to rent movies sent to us in the mail? That was in 2007, and since Netflix started the streaming revolution here in the United States, there are now over 200 streaming services to choose from.

But what is it most people are watching on those streaming services? More specifically, what are most people in Maine watching on those streaming services?

The gambling website CSGOLuck did some research. Why it's always a gambling site is beyond me, especially when you can't gamble online in Maine except for sports betting. But I digress.

They analyzed monthly Google searches from January to December of 2023 to find which TV shows released last year were the most popular in each state, and they broke it down for Maine with these top 10 searched for TV shows.

A few Maine-related takeaways from this list:

• None of the shows are on broadcast TV
• All of the shows are on streaming
• Netflix is dominant in Maine, with half of the shows on the list
• Three of the shows are imported by Netflix from the UK

Here's the list of 10:

1. Black Mirror - Netflix

Black Mirror was inspired by TV's The Twilight Zone. It also tells a complete story in every episode, the difference being that Black Mirror's are usually set in a near-future dystopia.

2. The Crown - Netflix

The Crown is a drama series about the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. It isn't 100% accurate to actual historical events, but it comes pretty close.

3. Frasier - Paramount+

There has been a resurgence of hit show from the '90s coming back to TV lately. Night Court, Mad About You, Fuller House, and Roseanne (which later became The Connors) have all come back with new episodes two decades later. Frasier is the most recent to make a comeback on Parmount+, and has been picked up for a second season.

4. Happy Valley - Netflix

Another UK import for Netflix, Happy Valley is a crime drama. It only had three seasons with a six-year wait between season 2 and the final season.

5. Party Down - Starz

Party Down is a sitcom that was canceled after two seasons by Starz in 2010, and then they changed their minds and brought it back for a third season in 2023. It follows a group of aspiring actors working for a catering company named, of course, "Party Down." The show features an all-star cast with Adam Scott, Ken Marino, Jane Lynch, and Megan Mullally, just to name a few.

6. Beef - Netflix

Beef is a comedy-drama about two strangers whose involvement in a road rage incident escalates into a long feud. No, it's not about meat. It's about having a "beef" with someone.

7. You - Netflix

You is a psychological thriller based on the book of the same name. It follows a bookstore manager and serial killer who falls in love and develops an extreme obsession. Season 1 aired on Lifetime and Netflix picked it up for season 2 in 2023.

8. Barry - Max

Barry is part comedy, part crime drama, and stars Bill Hader as Barry Berkman, a former U.S. Marine from Cleveland who works as a hitman. I just can't get past Bill Hader playing a hitman.

9. The Last of Us - Max

If you ask me, this was the biggest show to debut in 2023. It's not very often that a video game is turned into a TV series and has this kind of success. I loved The Last of Us in its post-apocalyptic plot set in Boston, so much that I bought the game and am loving that too. The show follows the plot of the game pretty closely. Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey are amazing in this show.

10. Shrinking - Apple TV+

I love me some Harrison Ford, and it's not often he gets to play a comedic role. Shrinking is a comedy-drama about a grieving therapist who decides to become drastically more involved in his patients' lives. Ford plays the senior therapist in the show.