“Succession” and “Ted Lasso” are both popular comedy-drama hybrids that run the table in their respective Emmy categories, and they’re both halfway through their (potentially) final seasons, which conclude later this month. Yet for two shows that seem to have a lot in common, they couldn’t be more different in their appeal. The former’s a rapid-fire HBO satire about a ruthless media magnate’s incompetent adult children jostling for the company reins, while the latter Apple TV series takes a more feel-good, charming route in its story of a college football coach plucked to lead an English Premier League team.

You could consider preference for one show over the other a crude personality test, so CivicScience sought to find more insight into what separates “Succession” fans from “Ted Lasso” fans. According to the latest data – only among U.S. adults who have watched both series – “Ted Lasso” is preferred by nearly twice as many viewers as “Succession” (50% to 27%).

Demographically speaking, viewers of each show break down fairly similarly in age, income, and race. But “Lasso” underperforms with women, while urban residents are more likely to opt for “Succession” than the Gen Pop. Republicans are more likely than Democrats to opt for “Ted Lasso,” which might be connected to “Succession” sending up a right-leaning media empire akin to the Murdochs and Fox Corporation.

But the shows reveal striking emotional and psychographic differences between viewers. “Succession” generally presents a more cynical, thornier outlook on the world than “Lasso,” and the data among fans of each back up the correlation. “Succession” fans are much more likely than “Lasso” fans to say they’ve felt ‘very strongly’ sad over the past week, twice as likely to say they’ve felt ‘very strongly’ stressed, and more likely to self-report they suffer from anxiety or depression.

Some other ways to tell “Succession” and “Ted Lasso” fans apart:

  • A near-majority (48%) of “Succession” fans say they’re more physically attractive than their peers, compared to just 40% of “Lasso” fans. Conversely, “Succession” heads are twice as likely to say they’re less physically attractive than peers than Lassos. 
  • “Ted Lasso” fans are slightly more likely to be electric vehicle intenders than “Succession” fans, but at least one-third of each camp intends to buy an EV.
  • Despite the soccer connection, “Succession” fans are drastically more likely than “Lasso” fans to follow MLS ‘very closely.’ But “Lasso” fans are slightly more likely to follow the English Premier League, in keeping with the show’s subject matter.
  • “Succession” fans are slightly more likely to splurge on themselves with a purchase than “Lasso” fans.
  • “Succession” fans are more likely to hold a ‘very favorable’ opinion of Elon Musk than “Ted Lasso” fans (21% compared to 14%).
  • Fans of the HBO series are slightly more likely to say they’re ‘definitely’ addicted to their digital device, and they’re much more likely to be daily Twitter users.
  • Compared to “Ted Lasso” fans, “Succession” fans are twice as likely to say they use cannabis products daily.
  • “Succession” fans are slightly more likely than “Lasso” fans to be afraid of speaking in public and to feel comfortable being alone, and less likely than “Lasso” fans to like being around people ‘a lot.’
  • “Ted Lasso” fans are slightly more likely to own a gun, consider themselves dog people (instead of cat people), and text while watching TV.
  • “Succession” fans are more likely to watch 2-4 hours of streaming TV on a daily basis.

Want to know more specific insights about fans of a given TV series? Let’s chat.