What is Iowa's Favorite Crime Show?

Crime TV is among the most popular breed of TV. Every new season or series captivates millions whether it's the slowburn mystery or a program about a grisly homicide. The cruelest yet the most tantalizing are the shows about unsolved mysteries. Some of them are so arresting, they get us playing armchair detective, scouring the internet for morsels of information, sometimes leading us to believe we've outsmarted the FBI and other top organizations in the process.

Clearly, I speak from experience.

The website E-Conolight has done the dirty of work of trying to pinpoint the most popular crime TV show in every state over the past year. They've analyzed the search volume of the top 75 most popular crime shows of all time, and even examined Google Trends data for a 12-month span starting in January 2021.

So, let's see what Iowans have been binge-watching.

Idris Elba took home awards for Male Actor in a Supporting Role for "Beasts of No Nation" and Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries for "Luther" at the 22nd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards. Photo Credit: Jason Merritt, Getty Images

The British program Luther is billed as the most popular crime TV show among Iowans over this yearlong span. Despite only boasting 20 episodes, the BBC miniseries has five seasons and ran from 2010 to 2019, all streaming on HBO Max (and the free streaming service, Pluto TV, which also helps). Further aiding the show is the star power of Idris Elba, who plays the titular detective, John Luther.

In Illinois, the show You came out on top. The psychological thriller based on the novel by Caroline Kepnes has amassed a substantial following thanks to its accessibility on Netflix. The show has run for three seasons and was renewed for a fourth just last year.

Asher Grodman from "Ozark." Photo Credit: Mike Coppola, Getty Images

Finally, in Wisconsin, Ozark was ranked as the most popular crime TV show. The Netflix show just concluded its four-season, 44-episode run on April 29th, 2022. Wisconsin might have to resort to rewatching the program. Or finding a new show to binge entirely.

Some of the top-ranked shows on this list are not surprising in terms of what captivates certain states the most. In New Jersey, The Sopranos is still top-dog. Breaking Bad dominates in New Mexico. Washington still loves them some Twin Peaks.

But then you have Chicago Fire being incredibly popular in Arizona, which begs an explanation. And Michiganders apparently like their crime on the lighter side, with the Andy Samberg comedy series Brooklyn Nine-Nine coming in at #1.

Lastly, the top five most popular crime TV shows are as follows: Criminal Minds, Sons of Anarchy, The Boys, Twin Peaks, and Law and Order: Special Victims Unit.

You can see the full study by E-Conolight on their website.