Nielsen has released a nifty breakdown of America’s favorite cable-TV shows by political party, as measured by the viewers’ “engagement” with the show, or how much attention they pay to it. It’s so tantalyzing I’m not even going to stop to question whether or how it is possible to measure how hard a person watches TV.
The top shows, by affiliation:
Republican: South Park, Cash Cab, Damages, Battle 360, Doctor Who, The Bill Engvall Show and Rock of Love
Democrat: The Colbert Report, Deadliest Catch, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Ax Men, Tin Man, My Boys, I Love New York
Most Bipartisan Support: The Cleaner, The Real Housewives of Orange County, The Next Food Network Star, HGTV Design Star, Army Wives, The Hills, What Not to Wear, Saving Grace, In Plain Sight
Detailed political analysis after the jump!
OK, so Democrats flocking to Colbert—not exactly shocking. Ditto South Park and the GOP: not because I buy the “South Park Republicans” line that it’s conservative (I think it’s mainly libertarian, in all senses), but because how many funny shows are there out there willing to bust on liberals? (As for Damages, I guess it’s a wash. There’s an evil, murderous businessman—but the trial lawyer’s even scarier!)
But some of the items are surprising, if not stereotype-shattering. For instance, for all the GOP’s recent focus on blue-collar, rural “real Americans,” it’s the pinko Dems who want to watch TV about Alaskan crab fishermen and lumberjacks. Also, I’m guessing the Republicans watching Rock of Love would not be considered the “values base.” (Unless it’s strictly for research.)
As for the bipartisan list, I’m struck by how many are shows with a decidedly female demographic. Maybe women are more willing to reach across the aisle, at least when reaching for the remote.