Harris Poll Finds NCIS is America's Favorite Current TV Show

Second Favorite is The Big Bang Theory and Third Favorite is The Walking Dead

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Feb 10, 2015, 05:00 ET

NEW YORK, Feb. 10, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- As February nears its midpoint, many of America's top television shows have returned from hiatus and are back on the air with fresh episodes. But as we all start tuning back into our stories, what are the ones we're most excited to have back? It's easy enough to find out which shows are watched by the most people – but which are the most loved? As it turns out, popularity and passion follow similar trends as most of the top 10 for Americans' favorite current TV shows are also among those most watched overall, starting with NCIS, featuring America's second-favorite TV personality, Marc Harmon. NCIS finds itself in a distant first place, followed by the sitcom The Big Bang Theory (whose cast includes Jim Parsons, another of Americans' top ten favorite TV personalities) in a strong second-place finish.

Back this past weekend from a midseason break, zombie drama (Zo-rama? Drambie?) The Walking Dead is alive and well in Americans' hearts, scoring the No. 3 spot, followed by political thriller Scandal at No. 4 and fantasy epic Game of Thrones at No. 5.

These are some of the results of The Harris Poll® of 2,232 U.S. adults surveyed online, in English, between January 14 and 20, 2015. Full results of the study, including data tables, can be viewed here.

The remainder of the top 10 list represents a mix of genres:

Legal and political drama The Good Wife and espionage thriller The Blacklist are tied in the No. 6 spot.
The multigenerational comedy Modern Family lands in the No. 8 position.
Two more procedurals round out the top 10, with Blue Bloods (featuring a third top-ten finisher in our annual "Favorite TV Personality" poll, Tom Selleck) in the No. 9 spot and Criminal Minds coming in at No. 10.

Three's Company
Top three, that is. Breaking out the top three "favorite" current shows, most groups of Americans report the same three names: NCIS (most often the No. 1 pick), The Big Bang Theory and The Walking Dead.

NCIS is the top pick across gender lines. For men the No. 2 and 3 picks are The Walking Dead and The Big Bang Theory, respectively, while among women these spots are held by The Big Bang Theory and Scandal.
NCIS is also the No. 1 response across all regions. The Walking Dead and The Big Bang Theory occupy the No. 2 and 3 positions, respectively, among both Easterners and Southerners; among their Midwestern and Western counterparts these same two shows swap positions.
Looking across generations, Baby Boomers and Matures both identify NCIS as their favorite current TV show; Baby Boomers' top three is rounded out by The Big Bang Theory and The Blacklist, while Blue Bloods and The Good Wife complete Matures' top three. Among both Millennials and Gen Xers, The Walking Dead is the top pick with The Big Bang Theory and NCIS holding the No. 2 and 3 spots, respectively.
Urbanites' top pick is The Walking Dead, followed by NCIS and The Big Bang Theory, while suburbanites and rurals' top three starts with NCIS, continues through The Big Bang Theory and ends with The Walking Dead.

Note – While The Harris Poll is owned by Nielsen, it should be noted that the methodology utilized for this Harris Poll is independent and distinct from the methodology employed for the delivery Nielsen's television ratings.

To see other recent Harris Polls, please visit the Harris Poll News Room.

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Methodology
This Harris Poll was conducted online, in English, within the United States between January 14 and 20, 2015 among 2,232 adults (aged 18 and over). Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online.

All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore, The Harris Poll avoids the words "margin of error" as they are misleading. All that can be calculated are different possible sampling errors with different probabilities for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response rates. These are only theoretical because no published polls come close to this ideal.

Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in Harris Poll surveys. The data have been weighted to reflect the composition of the adult population. Because the sample is based on those who agreed to participate in our panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the National Council on Public Polls.

The results of this Harris Poll may not be used in advertising, marketing or promotion without the prior written permission of The Harris Poll.

Product and brand names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

The Harris Poll^® #10, February 10, 2015
By Larry Shannon-Missal, Managing Editor, The Harris Poll

About The Harris Poll®
Begun in 1963, The Harris Poll is one of the longest running surveys measuring public opinion in the U.S. and is highly regarded throughout the world. The nationally representative polls, conducted primarily online, measure the knowledge, opinions, behaviors and motivations of the general public. New and trended polls on a wide variety of subjects including politics, the economy, healthcare, foreign affairs, science and technology, sports and entertainment, and lifestyles are published weekly. For more information, or to see other recent polls, visit the Harris Poll News Room.

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SOURCE The Harris Poll