The 10 Favorite Shows Of Older Americans

By Phillip Swann
TV For Seniors
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My husband and I like to watch TV together but it seems like so many shows are for young people. Can you suggest a few shows for older folks when you get some time? – Christy, Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Christy, that’s a great question. Over the years, the entertainment industry has targeted younger viewers for both movies and TV shows, believing they are more likely to spend money on advertising and related products (such as movie tickets.) Consequently, the plot lines of films and shows have often highlighted younger people. This was certainly the case for Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max and other streamers when they started producing original programming.

However, The Hollywood Reporter has just published a fascinating article detailing how the streaming audience has gotten older as more older Americans have embraced the new technology. And, along with the audience shift, streaming shows now often feature lead characters 50 years or older.

“Having an audience that skews toward viewers 50 and older is pretty commonplace now,” The Hollywood Reporter writes. “The median streaming viewer is still 15 to 20 years younger than the median network or cable viewer, but the gap has started to narrow some.”

The 10 streaming shows with the largest number of viewing minutes of viewers 50 and older are:

1. The Pitt (HBO Max) – (6.4 billion minutes)
2. Landman (Paramount Plus) – 5.97 billion minutes)
3. Bridgerton (Netflix) – 5.82 billion minutes)
4. Stranger Things (Netflix) – 5.65 billion minutes
5. The Lincoln Lawyer (Netflix) – 5.61 billion minutes
6. The Night Agent (Netflix) – 4.62 billion minutes)
7. His & Hers (Netflix) – 3.42 billion minutes)
8. Virgin River (Netflix) – 2.94 billion minutes
9. The Traitors (Peacock) – 2.39 billion minutes
10. Fallout (Amazon Prime Video) – 2.27 billion minutes

The numbers are based on Nielsen data.

Also interesting: Landman, The Lincoln Lawyer, The Night Agent and Virgin River all had 50plus audiences representing more than 60 percent of their total audience. The Lincoln Lawyer led the way with 64 percent of its audience being 50 or older.

These 10 shows have obviously found a sweet spot with older Americans. So as you search for a new streaming obsession tonight, you might start with one of these.

Christy, I hope that helps. Happy viewing and stay safe!