Every year Google Trends spotlights what people across the world have been searching for online. This includes the top 10 movies and TV shows. What this tells us is pretty obvious: these are the movies and TV shows that people are most interested in.

Break these down by region and it tells an interesting story about which titles have genuine buzz and audience engagement. Both key considerations as the industry moves towards subscription streaming (they indicate interest in sign-ups and retention). Because most streaming services aren't yet global, it's a good indicator about the health and long-term viability of streaming platforms in each market.

The global top 10 movies:

  1. Eternals
  2. Black Widow
  3. Dune
  4. Shang-Chi and the Legend of The Ten Rings
  5. Red Notice
  6. Mortal Kombat
  7. Cruella
  8. Halloween Kills
  9. Godzilla vs Kong
  10. Army of The Dead

The global top 10 TV shows:

  1. Squid Game
  2. Bridgerton
  3. WandaVision
  4. Cobra Kai
  5. Loki
  6. Sweet Tooth
  7. Lupin
  8. Ginny and Georgia
  9. True Beauty
  10. BBB21

Readers to a newsletter like Always Be Watching likely don't need to be told what most of these titles are. But if you're curious about True Beauty, that is a South Korean show about a teenage girl who becomes popular after learning better make-up techniques. And BBB21? Big Brother Brasil 2021.

You can check out the metrics via Google Trends for individual regions. Annoyingly, it doesn't provide a top 10 for film/TV in Australia - but it does tell us gnocchi recipes were popular down under this year.

In the US, we do know that of the top 10 searched films, it was a 3/6 split between Disney+ Marvel titles (Black Widow, Eternals, Shang Chi) and day and date theatrical films released to HBO Max (Mortal Kombat, Dune, Godzilla vs Kong, The Suicide Squad, Space Jam, In The Heights). The one outlier was Halloween Kills, streamed on Peacock.

TV-wise, Netflix and Squid Game dominates the list. The most interesting takeaway there is the inclusion of Ginny & Georgia and Firefly Lane. Neither show gets much attention in terms of cultural conversation driven by the media, but the audience has found both titles and is clearly interested. Maybe less of a focus is needed on titles like Kevin Can F**k Himself, and more on shows like Ginny & Georgia should be a goal for 2022.

Google’s Year in Search
Explore the searches that shaped 2021, from Google Trends. #yearinsearch
Google Trends

TeeVee Snacks

  • The dual-host Jeopardy! experiment continues on into 2022 with Mayim Bialik and rightful heir Ken Jennings sharing hosting duties until the end of the season mid-year. If Bialik's sitcom Call me Kat gets cancelled by Fox, she'll likely become the full-time host. Read: TV Insider
  • YouTube has signed a deal with Roku to bring its app back to the platform. Read: THR
  • Adam McKay's Lakers drama Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty will debut in March on HBO. The show was previously titled Showtime. Read: The Wrap
  • Hayu has acquired the rights to The Circus in the UK, Ireland, Benelux, Canada and Australia. Not the political reality show The Circus, but a reality show about a family of NZ-based circus performers. I'm sure health care is an important issue in both shows, however. Read: TBI Vision
  • Apple TV+ drama Invasion has been renewed for a second season. Read: THR
  • Walker: Independence is an 1800s set prequel series to Walker that is currently in development. Read: TV Insider
  • South Park: Post COVID: The Return of COVID debuts on Paramount+ Dec 16. Read: THR

Trailer Park

The Woman in the House Across the Street From the Girl in the Window debuts Jan 28.

The Book of Boba Fett debuts Dec 29 on Disney+.

Dragons: The Nine Realms debuts on Peacock AND Hulu Dec 23.

Superman & Lois returns Jan 11 for season 2.

Hotel Transylvania: Transformia debuts Jan 14 on Amazon Prime Video.

Gold debuts on Stan Jan 26.

What's next? Tomorrow.