[dropcap size=small]I[/dropcap]t’s Ted Lasso vs. Archie Andrews, Bridgerton vs. On My Block, a brawl of differing media consumption among our staff and students on campus- or is it?
The average American spends about 3.1 hours watching television, making it the second most time-consuming leisure activity after sleeping, so chances are you’ve watches some sort of TV recently, and so has the PRHS staff around you. So, let’s compare and contrast the TV habits of those who roam the PRHS campus. You might have more in common with the teacher who you hate than you think. After all, some things- mockumentaries and Marvel shows alike – are simply universal!
Loki from Disney+ is the most watched student show, with 41% of responders tuning into this 2021 Marvel spinoff series about the titular Loki. Following that for students is The Office with 40.1%, WandaVison with 38.3%, Outer Banks with 37.9%, and then The Mandalorian with 31.3%.
The most popular staff show is The Mandalorian from Disney+, a Star Wars spinoff series taking place only a few years after the events of Return of the Jedi. Following that for staff is Friends with 36%, The Office with 34%, and Ted Lasso with 28%. Continued results for both groups are pictured left.
The two groups have five shows in common: The Office, The Mandalorian, Loki, Wandavison, and Friends. Based on these results, Disney+ found a lot of popularity on our campus, especially with their recent Marvel shows.
“I think the Marvel shows grew popular because (of) the pandemic… I personally was very excited for them because Marvel hadn’t released content for a year.”
Sebi Radojevic, 10
In terms of streaming services, staff and students were in agreement: Netflix is the most popular choice with 46% of staff and 62.1% of students choosing it as the platform where they watch the majority of their TV- reflecting an international bias towards this service confirmed by it’s 209 million subscribers.
For students, the next choice is Disney+ with 14.1% of responses, then Hulu with 11%. For staff, the next choice is Hulu with 20%, then Amazon PrimeVideo with 14%.
Survey results shows that the student show that the most people marked as their favorite is Outer Banks (Netflix), a 2020 adventure-focused drama series following a determined teenage boy named John B and his best friends as they search for a legendary treasure. It was the fourth most-watched show for students, and 26% of students who watched it had it as their favorite show.
The staff most popular show is Ted Lasso (Apple TV+), another 2020 show, this one a dramatic-comedy following an American football coach, the titular Ted Lasso, and his journey coaching football (soccer) in England despite having little experience with the sport. It is also the fourth most watched show for it’s group, and 79% of staff who watched it had it as their favorite show.
“Lasso does a great job of bringing a lot of believable characters into the show who all have their own shortcomings but they each do the best that they can with the opportunities presented to them… The main draw to the show, in my opinion, would be the main character Ted Lasso. He has had a lot of pain and is fighting an uphill battle but he meets each new day with an unrivaled optimism that often catches you off guard. You can’t help but root for this main character every step of the way.”
Collin Moore, Staff
For both staff (26%) and students (25.6%), plot is the most important part of their TV watching experiences.
Following shortly after for staff, is humor (24%) then characters/romance (16%).
Students had a tight race for first, but prioritized similarly to the staff with 23.8% liking characters/romance in their shows and 22.5% preferring humor.
