Top TV: 2016's Biggest Winners

What were the biggest, most popular TV series during 2016? The answer to that question depends largely on how old you are and what TV channels you watch.

TV ratings are generally broken down into demographic groups by the age of viewers. The demographic group that advertisers care the most about - and, hence, the group that you hear about the most - is the group of viewers between 18 and 49 years of age. The shows that are most watched by that group are the shows that get the most buzz and respect, even if they're not the most-watched shows overall.

Among the 18-49 group, the most popular shows of 2016 were the headliners that everyone talked about; The Walking Dead, The Big Bang Theory, Empire, Game of Thrones, and The X-Files revival were the top five highest-rated series of the year. Note that two of those series, TWD and GoT, are on cable networks. The highest-rated new series was NBC's This Is Us, which edged into sixth place ahead of Modern Family.

If, however, you look at total viewership without regard to age, things change dramatically. The Walking Dead drops to third place, barely ahead of Bull on CBS, and Game of Thrones falls out of the top 20 entirely. The X-Files falls to number 9 and Empire to number 10. Notably, This Is Us stays in sixth place.

In terms of total viewership, The Big Bang Theory is number one, and NCIS is number two, both of them well ahead of TWD. Then comes Bull, which doesn't make the 18-49 top 20, followed by NCIS: New Orleans. Note that TWD is the only cable series in the top five.

If you're looking for consistency across all age groups, Big Bang Theory is clearly the highest-rated series on television, and This Is Us is the hottest new series. If it weren't for viewers under the age of 50, however, Game of Thrones wouldn't be a big deal, and if it weren't for viewers over 50, no one would be watching Bull.