What Makes Viewers Flock to Certain TV Shows and Keep Coming Back?

01/06/2017

The short answer: Like, or even love. The more complicated answer: TV shows that make an emotional connection.

What kind of emotional connection? The answer to that can be even more complicated - but also, paradoxically, dead simple. Because while our favorite shows might take us on an emotional roller coaster (nuanced writing and great acting can do that), chances are there is one predominant emotion that a given show consistently triggers in a given viewer. And that emotion translates into devotion - and repeat viewership.

In the wake of the broadcast upfronts, we turned to Canvs, the emotion analytics company, for an analysis of viewers' Emotional Reactions (ERs), as expressed on social media, to 10 of TV's most notable hit shows that have been renewed.

Related: Canvs Analyzing Instagram for Emotional Responses to TV Shows

For each show, we've listed some of the top emotions that viewers have expressed while watching. (Note: Given the nearly ubiquitous expressions of love and excitement for shows on TV - people are, simply, excited to watch the shows they love - we've excluded those two emotions in order dive a little deeper into the real DNA of each series.)

(Canvs analyzed tweets about TV and streaming programming from Jan. 1 through May 24 using Twitter data from Nielsen. For the purposes of this analysis, sports and tentpole programs such as the Super Bowl and the Oscars were excluded.)

ABC - Dancing With the Stars

For many viewers, DWTS is about cheering on their favorites. In fact, while judgment calls (about crazy dances, beautiful dance moves, etc.) loom large, congratulatory expressions notably edge out other ERs.

- 9% congrats

#DWTS congrats to Rashad and Emma!!

- Jennifer Walker (@LadyJ_73) May 24, 2017

- 7.6% crazy

NORMANI WAS ROBBED OMG #DWTSFinals

- Samantha (@cookiechip13) May 24, 2017

- 7.2% enjoy

that was SO GOOD #TeamValMani

- natalie (@allyspoems) May 23, 2017

- 4% beautiful

Dwts has the cutest couples

- Dwts Forever (@dwtsforever_) January 24, 2017

ABC - The Bachelor

ABC's reality franchise is theoretically all about love and romance, but plenty of viewers sure seem to enjoy hate-watching it and commenting endlessly about the crazy antics of its participants.

- 9.5% crazy

#thebachelor HAS ME SHOOK

- Chey (@Cheyenne_Rain_) February 14, 2017

- 6.7% enjoy

The bachelor is soo good rn

- V (@_plurprincess) March 7, 2017

- 6.5% hate

Wow. Corinne sucks. #TheBachelor

- Haley Sipes (@hbrook17) January 10, 2017

- 3.4% happy

IM SO FREAKIN HAPPY #TeamVanessa

- Mar Mar (@MarrahTroutman_) March 14, 2017

Now take a look at the dramas below. A common thread? A lot of craziness - as in, viewers reacting to crazy characters and crazy plot twists. Think of crazy (and similar words that Canvs puts into the crazy ER bucket) as code for narratives that keep viewers guessing. Which, it turns out, is great for keeping fans engaged and tuning in week after week.

ABC - Scandal

- 14.2% crazy

Omg I screamed too! #Scandal

- Tanica Davis (@TanicaDavis) March 10, 2017

- 7.7% enjoy

#ScandalABC is SOOOO Good

- Miss Gorgeous!! (@iforeverpretty_) February 10, 2017

- 5% dislike

Youre worthless, Abby #Scandal

- (@LeoInStilettos) April 7, 2017

- 3.8% funny

Mellie is hilarious!! #Scandal

- Shantel (@STLflygirl) February 3, 2017

CBS - Survivor

- 12.5% crazy

THIS TRIBAL IS NUTS! #Survivor

- I Reality TV (@RealityTeVi) March 23, 2017

- 6.8% enjoy

Omg #survivor was so good tonight

- Social Introvert (@tracydawn83) April 27, 2017

- 5.5% dislike

Brad is a bully #survivorfinale

- Betty Rohan (@bettyrohan) May 25, 2017

- 5.4% congrats

Nice job Andrea! #Survivor

- Wendy (@RunLoveDogs) March 23, 2017

CBS - Criminal Minds

- 9.6% crazy

Criminal minds is so trippy lol

- Carlos Coleman (@trentorr40) January 25, 2017

- 8.4% enjoy

Criminal minds is soooo good

- Vic (@victorriabailey) February 28, 2017

- 4.3% beautiful

REID LOOKS SO HOT #CriminalMinds

- kayla(@rlykayla) May 11, 2017

- 3.1% dislike

Not cool, #CriminalMinds, not cool.

- Rach (@RachBabyGirl) February 16, 2017

Fox - Empire

- 11% crazy

Wasnt ready for that! #Empire

- RJ (@SweetLdyRJ) May 18, 2017

- 8.2% funny

Cookie so hilarious #Empire

- Marlene (@twinkle_star_11) May 18, 2017

- 7.8% enjoy

This episode of #Empire is dope.

- Nickesha (@Pretty_Keesh) April 6, 2017

- 7.1% dislike

Im sick of Andre seriously #empire

- Shawnn (@shanti__0) May 18, 2017

Fox - Star

- 11.8% crazy

Whaaaaaaaaaatt.... mind blown #STAR

- Trace Lysette (@tracelysette) March 2, 2017

- 7.4% enjoy

Every week @STAR is just so good

- MAX$O (@MaxwellDaniel20) January 26, 2017

- 4.7% dislike

I do not like Eva #STAR

- Caramel_xoxoxo (@_Anndrreeaa18) March 16, 2017

- 3.4% beautiful

Alexs voice is so beautiful #STAR

- J (@jayelindsey721) January 19, 2017

And finally, we're grouping three shows together for which sheer enjoyment is a top ER trigger - for reasons ranging from deft character development to life-affirming storylines to the simple pleasure of watching talent in action. At the heart of enjoyment, of course, there is joy - so think of these as shows that are, for a lot of viewers, a joy to watch.

Fox - Gotham

- 8.4% enjoy

I like Nygma as a villain #Gotham

- (@gordis82rosada) May 9, 2017

- 7.5% crazy

hIS FACE FLEW OFF OMG #Gotham

- G.O (@_ramylesig) January 31, 2017

- 4.1% happy

IVY SAVED SELINA IM SO HAPPY

- sab (@Iordtaylors) May 16, 2017

- 3.4% funny

HARVEY IS SO FUNNY #Gotham

- Joker (@NJHbabydaddy) May 23, 2017

NBC - This Is Us

- 7.3% enjoy

@NBCThisisUs makes you feel so good

- allison (@daviesallison1) January 7, 2017

- 6.3% cried

Ive already cried twice. #ThisIsUs

- Brandon. (@Barbadelic) February 22, 2017

- 5.7% crazy

Ex husband! Mind blown! #ThisIsUs

- mick (@mick271) January 25, 2017

- 3.9% beautiful

#ThisIsUs is suc

LINK:	http://www.broadcastingcable.com/news/programming/what-makes-viewers-f...
	See more stories from bandc

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026

January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026 Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...

02/05/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Search, Faster Editing, and an AI-Ready Foundation for Modern Media

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

01/05/2026

NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to Integrate Dolby's Full Suite of Premium Picture and Sound Innovations

January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...

01/04/2026

DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION

January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...

18/03/2026

Net Insight Names Larissa GrnerMeeus CPO

Newly named chief product officer (CPO), Larissa G rner Meeus will return to Net Insight on May 4. Larissa G rner Meeus will become CPO of Net Insight on May 4...

18/03/2026

SVG Europe's The Football Summit 2026: Select Sessions Now Available to Watch on SVG PLAY

SVG Europe's The Football Summit 2026 explored how the sports broadcasting i...

18/03/2026

SVG's SportsTech@NABShow Blog Goes Live as Countdown to Vegas Heats Up

The 2026 NAB Show kicks off one month from today and SVG is once again set to cover the show from every angle. SVG's SportsTech@NAB Show Blog is now live - ...

18/03/2026

The Premiere of Dead Lover Showcases Grave Robbing and Sex With a Giant Finger

(L-R) The cast and crew of Dead Lover at The Ray Theater for its premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. (Photo by Robin Marshall/Shutterstock for Sundan...

18/03/2026

Music Row Piano from Wiltone Productions

Yamaha C7 captured in Nashville Wiltone Productions have announced the release of Music Row Piano, a deeply sampled Yamaha C7 piano library that's been ...

18/03/2026

Techivation introduce T-Warmer Mk2

Bass-enhancement plug-in upgraded Along with a steady stream of new releases, Techivation have recently been revisiting some of the older plug-ins in their ...

18/03/2026

Tonal Balance Control 3 from iZotope

Mix-reference plug-in overhauled iZotope's powerful mix-referencing plug-in has just reached its third major version, and now boasts a new capture proce...

18/03/2026

Toontrack Transistor Organ EKX

Latest EZKeys 2 expansion arrives Toontrack's staggering collection of EZKeys 2 expansions has grown once again, and the latest instalment delivers a on...

18/03/2026

Jess Ho explores the politics of food in new SBS Audio podcast For The Culture

Jess Ho explores the politics of food in new SBS Audio podcast For The Culture 18 March, 2026 Media releases New SBS Audio podcast For The Culture, hosted ...

18/03/2026

Future-ready broadcasts with ATSC 3.0 and enhanced services from Rohde & Schwarz at NAB 2026

Future-ready broadcasts with ATSC 3.0 and enhanced services from Rohde & Schwarz...

18/03/2026

LCTWS 2026

London Calling - When The Industry Convened to Help Streaming Find its MoJo In this blog, Laura Rognoni reflects on key discussions from the Connected TV World...

18/03/2026

SMPTE Unveils 2026 NAB Show Educational Presentations

SMPTE Unveils 2026 NAB Show Educational Presentations Brie Clayton March 18, 2026 0 Comments SMPTE , the home of media professionals, technologists, a...

18/03/2026

Auditel Ad Campaign Shot on Blackmagic PYXIS 12K

Auditel Ad Campaign Shot on Blackmagic PYXIS 12K Brie Clayton March 18, 2026 0 Comments LED wall virtual production blends 12K open gate acquisition w...

18/03/2026