FanSided 250: Stranger Things named third-best TV fandom in 2020

FanSided 250: Stranger Things named third-best TV fandom in 2020

Stranger Things ranks No. 3 on the FanSided 250 TV fandoms

Stranger Things fans, we have some good news. No, it has nothing to do with the Stranger Things season 4 release date. This time, the news is about you!

Stranger Things was named the third-best TV fandom in the annual FanSided 250, a ranking of the hottest fandoms across sports and entertainment.

Stranger Things trailed only Schitt’s Creek and Bachelor Nation, which ranked No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, on the FanSided 250.

The most popular Netflix original series ranked No. 62, among the other 250 fandoms selected.

Overall, I think that ranking is pretty accurate. While some fans might be disappointed that Stranger Things wasn’t named the top TV fandom of 2020, it’s actually quite impressive that Stranger Things made the top five. We didn’t get to see a new season of Stranger Things in 2020, and the show still made the top three? That’s pretty crazy, and I think it shows how strong this fandom actually is.

Even though we have to wait for a long time between seasons, the fandom is always waiting and ready to throw their support behind the show and its stars.

In 2021, and after we see Stranger Things season 4, I fully expect Stranger Things to be the top TV fandom, and I think we’ll see the fandom in the top 10 overall. The show is only getting more popular, and the fans are getting more passionate.

Stranger Things is the top Netflix original show in the ranking, although Schitt’s Creek is on Netflix. I’d argue that the series is No. 1 ONLY because the show streams on Netflix. Without Netflix, this show is only going to be seen by a couple of millions of fans around the world. With Netflix’s reach, Schitt’s Creek could be watched by hundreds of millions of viewers.

The Crown, Riverdale, GLOW, The Witcher, Supernatural, Tiger King, The Office, Ozark, The Walking Dead, and Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad are the other TV fandoms associated with Netflix that made the FanSided 250.

FanSided250: The Los Angeles Lakers and this year in fandom

FanSided250: The Los Angeles Lakers and this year in fandom We are not all Los Angeles Lakers’ fans, but their journey in 2020 is one we can all understand. At FanSided, we like to point out that we’re all fans of something and the yearly FanSided250 project is the clearest reflection of that. It’s a celebration of the year in fandom, the things that inspired us, that moved us, that brought us together. It’s an enormous project and filling 250 slots gives us a chance to blend tens of thousands of votes from our readers with our own personal obsessions. The FanSided250 is not just about size or legacy, it’s about moments. It’s why you’ll find a 138-year-old Premier League titan like Tottenham Hotspur (No. 227) grouped just a few spots away from San Diego Loyal (No. 246), a first-year expansion team in a second-tier American soccer league that just completed it’s 10th season. Or a 23-year-old tennis phenom like Naomi Osaka (No. 8) several spots ahead of Tom Brady (No. 24), a 43-year-old legend and the greatest quarterback of all time. And it’s why you’ll find the Los Angeles Lakers at the top of our list this year.

The Los Angeles Lakers hold the No. 1 spot in the 2020 FanSided250 The Los Angeles Lakers began 2020 in first place in the NBA’s Western Conference. They were 26-7 but had lost four of their last six games, held just a slight edge in the standings over the Nuggets and Clippers and didn’t yet look like the juggernaut that would eventually bully its way through the NBA bubble. Between New Year’s Day and their crowning as NBA champions on Oct. 11, they lost a legend, persevered through a twice-interrupted season and, like the rest of us, endured a worldwide pandemic and a surge of protest and unrest around the ongoing plague of police violence and racial injustice. Kobe Bryant, along with his daughter, Gigi, and seven others died in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26. Even for those with no specific emotional connection to Bryant, it was a visceral tragedy — random and violent, large enough to feel catastrophic and close enough to feel personal. The celebration of Kobe’s life and legacy was enormous but complicated, appreciating his contributions in the NBA and to women’s basketball, while publicly wrestling with some of the darker aspects of his character, both on and off the court. FanSided 250 Fansided250 Logo Where does your fandom rank? See 2020 Rankings Then, on March 11, Rudy Gobert tested positive for coronavirus, leading to a suspension of the NBA season and a ripple effect that eventually took the rest of the professional sports world with it. As fans around the world waited out the pandemic at home, video of George Floyd’s murder circulated and neighborhoods around the country erupted with outrage and protest. Lakers’ star LeBron James (No. 4) was not the first or the loudest athlete voice to speak out (thank you WNBA stars). But his fame and reputation put him front and center — in the NBA players’ calls for justice, in motivating buy-in for the league’s plans to restart the season and in blending the messages of basketball and Black Lives Matter. In the bubble, Los Angeles was magnificent. LeBron James did what he always does but he was scaffolded and supported by Anthony Davis, just as the Lakers’ front office and their fans had planned and hoped. Cast-offs like Rajon Rondo, Markieff Morris and Dwight Howard contributed and were redeemed. Kyle Kuzma, bless his heart, played some meaningful defense. And, in the end, they celebrated a joyous and cathartic victory. To be fair, we are not all Lakers’ fans. We are not even all sports fans and those of us who are can’t all claim devotion to a franchise that has had far more success than failure — 17 titles and a legacy of winning to which a nine-year title drought feels significant. Most of our favorite teams, regardless of the sport, have never had a player as good as Kobe Bryant, let alone had the greatest player of all time arrive a few years later, determined to win in his memory. But being a Lakers’ fan this year is as good and as optimistic a metaphor as we could find for being a fan of anything this year.

Tumblr’s Top Fandoms of 2020

That evolved also into nostalgia. I think this year’s really big theme is nostalgia and comfort. We saw huge returns to fandoms like Twilight and Avatar: The Last Airbender. Avatar going on Netflix was such a world-breaking moment. Not only did it introduce a new, younger fandom to the show, there’s a lot of Avatar content once you get into it, but it brought people back to a younger time in their lives. Remembering and rewatching. The Avatar fandom, as you see, it’s all over all of the lists. Zuko is number 20 on all of the things on Tumblr this year. Avatar was able to redefine people’s year. Because you know what, we’re all at home, I’m going to binge Avatar. Reignite my love for this fandom.

A lot of TV too, because TV is episodic, you get lost in it. Movies had a really rough year. When we look at the movies, movies like Megamind were trending this year. That comfort movie that you go back and watch 17 times.

Yeah. I was curious about that too. The balance or proportions between older fandoms and newer fandoms, like the Avatar example. I was curious how much that changed this year? How much you thought it was tied to the pandemic? How much is tied to accessibility and things, like Avatar coming to Netflix? Do you think that is an interest in older fandoms? Or that it’s going to continue past the pandemic?

Yeah. I think another high-level theme of this year is the rejection of cringe culture. I’m getting a little ahead of myself, but I’ll tie it all back in. I think people are realizing what their values are and not being afraid to admit that they like a thing. Not caring what other people think of the things they like. Unabashedly loving the things they love. That’s why I think we do see a resurgence in these older fandoms.

Because people who may have loved them their whole lives, or may have been nervous to share that they liked it when they were younger they’re not afraid anymore. They’re like, “You know what? Twilight, it’s not that great, but I love it. This is my emotional support vampire.” Recognizing that you can be critical of something. You can see where its flaws are, but you can still love it. That duality of fandom is something that is going to persist into next year. That freedom to just like a thing, because you like it. Be able to see its flaws, but still be like, “You know what? Overall, this brings me joy and the world is melting down.”