What TV Shows Republicans And Democrats Really Watch.

By: Don Caldwell


Are what you think of yourself and what you do (or watch) say the same thing?


We like to think of ourselves in a certain way (spiritual, progressive, conservative, honorable, honest, etc.), but do our actions speak louder than our words? That may seem a little much considering that we are talking about what television shows we may watch, but the principle is the same.


Excerpts italicized:


First, "NCIS" — investigating military crimes on CBS. Safe bet conservatives love it, right?
How about ABC's "Desperate Housewives" — a racy soap, female audience? Little more tricky.
Now things get tough: CBS's geeky, atheist-friendly "The Big Bang Theory," Fox's megarated "American Idol," ABC's progressive Emmy winner "Modern Family."
Which of these shows is favored more by Republicans?


All of them.


Liberals appreciate many of the same shows, mind you. But their devotion typically is not quite as strong as right-wingers, and Dems are more likely to prefer modestly rated titles.


Like "Mad Men."


The Emmy favorite has struggled to get a broad audience on AMC. It scores through the roof with Democrats (does anyone in Santa Monica or on Manhattan's Upper West Side not watch it?), but it has one of the weakest scores among Republicans. The same is true for FX's "Damages," Showtime's "Dexter," HBO's "Entourage" and AMC's "Breaking Bad."


"The big shows with mass appeal tend to have above-average scores from Democrats and Republicans but with higher concentrations of Republicans," says John Fetto, senior marketing manager at Experian Simmons. "Looking at the Democrats' side, I don't mean to make light of it, but they seem to like shows about damaged people. Those are the kind of shows Republicans just stay away from."


All this isn't to suggest Republicans are a perfect oracle of ratings success. Age certainly is a factor: Younger shows are more likely to be popular with Democrats, as is just about everything on The CW, as well as animated comedies like the Fox hit "Family Guy." Republicans vote strongly for reality-competition hits, but such popular youthful docusoaps as "Jersey Shore" and "Kourtney & Khloe Take Miami" are best appreciated by Dems. Likewise, left-wingers have a stronger affinity for certain veteran crime procedurals, including "The Closer" and "Law & Order," as well as anything that appeals strongly to women.


We've learned Republicans like winners. The shows might be considered fluffy, but they're generally programs that make people feel good. If you're a broadcast network executive weighing whether to buy a show, you might ask your uncle who voted twice for George W. Bush if he likes the idea. We've learned Democrats are, depending on your perspective, discriminating viewers who prefer highly original, well-written series or are cynics who enjoy watching jerks.

Have you found that some of the shows you like fall on the other side of the fence? Could this say something about you that you do not know of yourself?


I is interesting to note that the 2v“Sci-Fi” shows fell on the Republican side of the fence.
Also interesting, is Republican seems to have a greater interest in reality TV shows, while shows favored by Democrats seem to focus on characters that are somewhat morally lacking (i.e. Dexter, Madmen).


Once is a coincidence, twice is a trend, but what does this study seem to indicate?


You are what you watch...

(ORIGINAL LINK) The Reign of Right-Wing Primetime - Yahoo! TV Blog