The most popular contemporary television shows fall into many categories – drama, comedy (both live-action and animated), game shows, news broadcasts, reality programs, and more. Regardless of genre, they all have staying power.
To compile a list of the most popular contemporary TV shows in the U.S., 24/7 Tempo reviewed a survey conducted by YouGov, an international market and data analytics website. The survey measured popularity – the percentage of people surveyed who have a positive opinion of a show – as of the end of July 2023. Some of the series listed here are recent reboots of classics from the past, like “Roseanne,” “Hawaii Five-0,” and “Perry Mason,” but only the air dates for the current or most recent iterations are given, since YouGov specified “contemporary” shows.
While nearly half of the programs on this list debuted in the 21st century, nine of the top 10 are shows that first aired in the previous century. Among reality shows, “Antiques Roadshow” might be considered an antique itself, since it first appeared in 1997. The original “Perry Mason” ran from 1957 to 1966, before being rebooted for a two-season run in 2020.. “The X-Files” originally aired from 1993 to 2002 and has been brought back twice since then. (Quality doesn’t guarantee longevity. These are the best TV shows that were canceled after one season.)
The drama that has run for the longest time without a break is “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” which was spun off in 1999 and from the original “Law & Order” series – which began in 1990, lasted until 2010, and was then revived again last year. (Here are 50 classic TV shows we’d like to see rebooted.)
Game shows occupy four of the top 10 spots. Three of them – “Jeopardy!”, “The Price is Right,” and “Family Feud” – actually recent iterations of older shows, as is “Let’s Make a Deal,” in the No. 24 slot, which first aired in 1963 but was revived in 2009 .
36. CBS Local News
> Popularity: 50%
> Time on air: 1965-present
> Type of show: News
35. Hawaii Five-O
> Popularity: 50%
> Time on air: 2010-2020
> Type of show: Drama
34. Undercover Boss
> Popularity: 50%
> Time on air: 2010-present
> Type of show: Reality
33. Roseanne
> Popularity: 50%
> Time on air: 2018
> Type of show: Comedy
32. Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
> Popularity: 51%
> Time on air: 2006-present
> Type of show: Reality
31. America’s Got Talent
> Popularity: 51%
> Time on air: 2006-present
> Type of show: Reality
30. Judge Judy
> Popularity: 51%
> Time on air: 1996-2021
> Type of show: Reality
29. Celebrity Family Feud
> Popularity: 51%
> Time on air: 2008-present
> Type of show: Game show
28. Dateline NBC
> Popularity: 51%
> Time on air: 1992-present
> Type of show: News
27. South Park
> Popularity: 52%
> Time on air: 1997-present
> Type of show: Animated comedy
26. Game of Thrones
> Popularity: 52%
> Time on air: 2011-2019
> Type of show: Drama
25. Cold Case Files
> Popularity: 52%
> Time on air: 2017-present
> Type of show: Reality
24. Let’s Make a Deal
> Popularity: 53%
> Time on air: 2009-present
> Type of show: Game show
23. Perry Mason
> Popularity: 53%
> Time on air: 2020-2023
> Type of show: Drama
22. How It’s Made
> Popularity: 53%
> Time on air: 2001-2019
> Type of show: Documentary
21. Stranger Things
> Popularity: 54%
> Time on air: 2016-2024
> Type of show: Drama
20. MythBusters
> Popularity: 54%
> Time on air: 2003-2018
> Type of show: Reality
19. Family Guy
> Popularity: 54%
> Time on air: 1999-present
> Type of show: Animated comedy
18. The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
> Popularity: 54%
> Time on air: 2014-present
> Type of show: Talk show
17. Criminal Minds
> Popularity: 55%
> Time on air: 2005-present
> Type of show: Drama
16. Whose Line Is It Anyway?
> Popularity: 55%
> Time on air: 2013-2023
> Type of show: Comedy
15. The Super Bowl
> Popularity: 55%
> Time on air: Once a year since 1967
> Type of show: Sports
14. Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
> Popularity: 56%
> Time on air: 2002-present
> Type of show: Game show
13. 20/20
> Popularity: 57%
> Time on air: 1978-present
> Type of show: News
12. NCIS
> Popularity: 57%
> Time on air: 2003-present
> Type of show: Drama
11. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
> Popularity: 58%
> Time on air: 1999-present
> Type of show: Drama
10. 60 Minutes
> Popularity: 59%
> Time on air: 1968-present
> Type of show: News
9. The Big Bang Theory
> Popularity: 60%
> Time on air: 2007-2019
> Type of show: Comedy
8. Wheel of Fortune
> Popularity: 60%
> Time on air: 1983-present
> Type of show: Game show
7. America’s Funniest Videos
> Popularity: 60%
> Time on air: 1989-present
> Type of show: Reality
6. Antiques Roadshow
> Popularity: 61%
> Time on air: 1979-present
> Type of show: Reality
5. The Simpsons
> Popularity: 62%
> Time on air: 1989-present
> Type of show: Animated comedy
4. Family Feud
> Popularity: 64%
> Time on air: 1999-present
> Type of show: Game show
3. The X-Files
> Popularity: 64%
> Time on air: 2018
> Type of show: Drama
2. The Price is Right
> Popularity: 66%
> Time on air: 1972-present
> Type of show: Game show
1. Jeopardy!
> Popularity: 68%
> Time on air: 1984-present
> Type of show: Game show