‘Stranger Things’ is a uniquely popular TV show in Maine, researchers find

So, to be totally up-front here, we’re not saying there aren’t people in other states who like “Stranger Things.” The retro-style horror television show on Netflix is a bona fide hit all over the place.

But recent research by CableTV.com into IMDb.com popularity numbers and each state’s Google trends found that “Stranger Things” is the most uniquely popular show in Maine.

That doesn’t mean it’s the most-watched show in the state of Maine. Rather, it means “Stranger Things” is more popular per capita in Maine than it is in any other state.

So, relative to the number of people here, there’s a disproportionately high interest in the show. Does that make sense?

The show centers around a band of 1980s kids who befriend a girl with psychokinetic powers and battle monsters from an alternate dimension. It’s been picked up for a third season by Netflix and will be the subject of a summertime fan convention in the Chicago area — although maybe they should have considered holding Stranger Con in Maine.

Why do we love “Stranger Things” so much here? Well, it bears a striking similarity to the work of our most famous resident, bestselling horror writer Stephen King, who has indicated he’s a fan of the show himself.

One of the characters in the show’s second season even said he grew up in King’s fictional Maine town of Derry, and one of the show’s writers is from the real Maine town of Newburgh, so there’s that.

In neighboring New Hampshire, the most uniquely popular television show is family drama “The Fosters,” while people in Massachusetts most like the crime drama “Ray Donovan.”

If you’re curious, folks in Michigan prefer “Dexter,” the show about a vigilante serial killer who also works for the Miami police, while the people in California, perhaps unsurprisingly, like “Silicon Valley.” You can see the full list of states and which shows are the most disproportionately popular in each by clicking here.

CableTV.com ran through similar research to figure out which reality shows are most popular (not uniquely popular, just regularly popular) in each state as well, and Mainers gravitated toward “America’s Got Talent,” despite the fact that some of our own have had success on “Survivor” (which is big in Vermont) and “The Bachelorette.”

What do you think about “Stranger Things”? Is it among your favorite shows? What about “America’s Got Talent”? Leave us your comments below or on Facebook.