While 2016 has been a stress-inducing year for many, there is little question that the last twelve months have been great for fans of television. In addition to hot new shows like Westworld, Stranger Things, The People v O.J. Simpson, and more, 2016 saw the return of no shortage of beloved series. With so many fantastic shows on television, it is hard to believe we are able to get anything else done.

Determining the top television shows of 2016 is a rather difficult task. With the emergence of original programming on streaming platforms, and premium networks like Showtime and HBO continuing to take more risks, there are just too many quality shows that appeal to a variety of demographics. An easier endeavor may just be trying to determine which television series were the most popular. Utilizing quantitative data like ratings, social media presence, and more allows for a more precise determination of 2016's most buzzed series.

According to Business Insider, this is exactly what Parrot Analytics has done in determining which television shows were the most popular of the year. The report pinpoints analysis done using ratings, peer-to-peer sharing, social media chatter, and other variables in order to estimate viewer demand for a series. It probably comes as no surprise that Game of Thrones (7.2 million demand expressions per day) and The Walking Dead (4.7 million demand expressions per day) were the two most popular television series from 2016. But what else made the list?

Game of Thrones season 8 is the last

The top ten was rounded out by Pretty Little Liars, Westworld, The Flash, The Big Bang Theory, The OA, Stranger Things, Running Man (a Korean variety show), and Suits. In the top 20, animes and comic adaptations had a rather large presence. One Piece and Naruto both represented their genre, while Arrow, Gotham, and Luke Cage rounded out the list's superhero presence. When you extend the list to 30, both Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and DC's Legends of Tomorrow earn a spot, though, surprisingly, Supergirl didn't generate enough buzz to place.

Most of the shows' popularity on this list probably comes as no surprise. After all, the use of data analytics takes away much of the flaws associated with subjectivity. It is also not terribly shocking that comic adaptations remain so popular. Not only do they tend to dominate social media (just search on Twitter while a given show is airing), but with more superhero series continuing to be announced, obviously there is considerable demand. Let's just hope 2017 is as good a year for TV fanatics as 2016.

Source: Business Insider