‘Squid Game’ and ‘Bridgerton’ among most searched shows of the year

Google is the most visited website in the world. In fact, every month, the search engine gets over 86 billion visits. Because of this, Google’s trends are a fantastic way of tracking what people are thinking about. And now, with the release of Google’s Year in Search report 2021, we can see the shows and movies that have dominated the world’s search history this year. 

2021 Most Searched TV Shows (Global)

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

Netflix holds positions one and two on the global most searched television chart, with Squid Game and Bridgerton being searched frequently during 2021. However, it doesn’t stop there, as Netflix shows account for 60% of the shows on the most searched list, showing that the streaming platform is making a name for itself as a producer of original content. 

The highest placing non-Netflix property was WandaVision from Disney. The first MCU television series, WandaVision, entranced Marvel fans and newcomers alike with its mix of sitcom parody and horror, leading to many people searching for episode summaries and fan theories. Loki, another Marvel TV series, also had a good showing. Taking the fifth position in the table. 

2021 Most Searched Movies (Global)

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

When it comes to cinema, Marvel continues to dominate. With Eternals and Black Widow being the world’s most searched movies of 2021, showing that the MCU isn’t going away any time soon. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings also appears on the chart, sitting comfortably at number 4, showing that even more obscure Marvel characters can make bank at the box office. 

Dune takes the third position on the most searched movies table, which isn’t surprising considering the amount of hype it generated. It really is a testament to Frank Herbert’s skill as a writer that a novel that was first released in 1965 can still command such a large audience and fanbase today. 

However, this table does feature a few surprises. Most notably, Netflix’s Red Notice is the fifth most-searched movie. The film divided critics and viewers, but it seems that the all-star cast that includes Dwayne Johnson and Ryan Reynolds caused a lot of people to look the movie up. 

2021 Most Searched TV Shows (America)

1) Squid Game
2) Bridgerton
3) WandaVision
4) Ginny and Georgia
5) Cobra Kai
6) Firefly Lane
7) Manifest
8) Mare of Easttown
9) Loki
10) Midnight Mass

Google also produces tables showing the most searched things in each country, and the American search trends are utterly fascinating. While Squid Game and Bridgerton still top the most searched TV charts, Ginny & Georgia, Netflix’s cult-favorite comedy-drama, sits in position 4. This is a fantastic example of how word of mouth can cause people to search and stream shows they would usually overlook or miss. This table also sees good performances from shows like Midnight Mass and highly-memed drama Manifest, showing that American audiences haven’t been afraid to leave their comfort zones this year. 

2021 Most Searched Movies (America)

1) Black Widow
2) Eternals
3) Halloween Kills
4) Mortal Kombat
5) Dune
6) Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
7) Godzilla vs. Kong
8) The Suicide Squad
9) Space Jam
10) In the Heights

America’s list of most-searched movies has an inverted top two, with Black Widow beating out Eternals. Though this might be due to the Scarlett Johansson lawsuit. This highly-reported lawsuit saw Johansson sue Disney over the movie’s streaming royalties. Which likely contributed to a spike in searches. 

One of the most considerable changes between the global and American movies chart is Halloween Kills. The latest entry in the famous horror franchise is eighth in the global chart but third in the American chart, showing just how dominant the franchise is and how iconic Michael Myers remains, even after all these years. Other surprises in this list include a stunning performance by Mortal Kombat, which sits in fourth, and Jon M. Chu’s musical In The Heights taking the tenth position. 

Google’s year in search presents a fascinating picture of the current entertainment industry. Squid Game and Bridgerton topping the global chart shows how interconnected world pop culture is becoming. However, the amount of variety in the American chart shows that, while some things are globally popular, different countries still have vastly different tastes.