Each State’s Favorite 1990s Sitcom, Mapped

Between all the TV reboots currently happening and the nostalgia being drummed up by the anniversaries of hit shows like Seinfeld and Friends, the television experts at USDish, an authorized DISH Network retailer, had a simple question: Which 1990s sitcoms does each state love the most? For example: Does Oklahoma prefer Friends over Full House? (Nope, they like Frasier.)

To compile their data, the site used Ranker's top 15 shows and analyzed Google search traffic from 2004 to the present to see which TV shows each state has been searching for the most. Which means that, from the outset, the data was slightly skewed because it only looked at the shows that made the top of Ranker's list, which changes periodically—and, amazingly, doesn't include Seinfeld. Still, even when limited to just the 15 shows on Ranker's list, it's a fun exercise in nostalgia.

It’s no surprise that Friends ranks as the favorite sitcom in 12 states—the most states on the survey—but not New York state; they picked King of Queens. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Saved by the Bell each have six states, the second biggest majority. Some of the states’ preferences are scattered and aren’t concentrated in one region. For instance, California, Virginia, and Oregon went with The Simpsons, which is the only ‘90s sitcom on the survey that’s still producing episodes from its original run. (In 2018, it became the longest-running primetime scripted show ever.)

East Coast states New Hampshire and Connecticut love Everybody Loves Raymond, and Florida and Alabama adore The Nanny. Roseanne, Full House, and Boy Meets World are the only shows that appear in just one state: West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island, respectively. Four of the 15 sitcoms have been rebooted: Roseanne, Sabrina, Boy Meets World, and Full House.

Of all the sitcoms on the list, though, Friends has proven to be the most unstoppable. On September 22, it turns 25 years old and will be the subject of all sorts of fun celebrations. In September and October, more than 1000 theaters will screen episodes of Friends over three different nights. If you want Friends memorabilia, consider the LEGO Central Perk studio set (out September 1), ordering Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf’s Central Perk Coffee, or buying some of Pottery Barn’s Friends-inspired furniture (Rachel's apothecary table included).

You might be over Friends after the fall, but remember that Friends will leave Netflix for WarnerMedia-owned streaming service HBO Max in early 2020. Even still, Friends will be there for you.