This Is Netflix's Most Marathon-Watched Show Of The Year & It's Totally Unexpected

While 2017 might have disappointed people in a lot of ways, the film and TV shows that came out this year exceeded expectations. Netflix's end of year report reveals that, worldwide, people watched a over 140 million hours per day in total. More shockingly, though, was Netflix's most marathon-watched show of the year, which was the true crime parody, American Vandal. Yes, according to the streaming site's press release, the number one show that people marathoned over two hours of in a day was the high school crime mystery about a case of graffitied d*cks.

American Vandal came out in mid-September, but it didn't have a highly publicized release. Instead, it came out silently in the night, like a graffiti artist spray-painting penises onto cars in the high school parking lot. Just as that rogue vandal disrupted the lives of everyone at Hanover High School, American Vandal had everyone wondering "whodunnit" while watching the satirical saga.

In a way, it's not surprising that Netflix's true crime parody series was the most marathoned of 2017, even though shows like Stranger Things 2 had such highly-anticipated releases. The popularity of Making a Murderer clearly proved that people loved to watch mysteries being solved in real time, and the parody of an investigation in American Vandal both captures the murder-mystery's intrigue and the zaniness of high school.

American Vandal is actually a perfect combination of the other TV shows that Netflix users marathoned the most in 2017. The others include other high school dramas, Riverdale and 13 Reasons Why, as well as the crime shows Ingobernable, The Keepers, and The Confession Tapes. It seems that, in order to captivate an audience (for multiple hours in a day, at least), all you need to do is create a show that combines high school antics with hardcore crime investigation.

The other shows most marathoned this year also include the sci-fi shows, 3%, Travelers, and The OA, so perhaps Season 2 of American Vandal should include a sci-fi element in order to maintain its spot. The only other show that people watched more than two hours a day of was Anne with an E, which you might just chalk up to as the wild-card, even if American Vandal came as a surprising win.

Crime investigation ruled this year's TV releases in general, too, as shows like Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders, Mindhunter, and the return of Twin Peaks were among the year's most popular. But that's not the only reason that American Vandal was likely the most highly "devoured" show — as Netflix puts it — of the year. After all, each episode of high school parody ends with a cliffhanger, so it was practically made for marathon-viewing. The irresistible Superbad-esque humor didn't hurt, either.

While Netflix's year-end report mostly otherwise confirms everyone's suspicions that Narcos was so good that people watched it before their significant other got a chance to, it had a few other surprises. For instance, apparently someone watched Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl 365 days in a row. If you're surprised that Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life didn't actually win the most marathoned show of the year, don't worry, it still ranked highly in a different category called The Shows That Brought Us Together. That means that the Gilmore Girls revival was one of the most-watched shows by families in 2017 — even though it technically came out in 2016. If by "families", they mean single 20-somethings desperately trying to relive their glory days ruled by Lorelai Gilmore, then yes, that tracks.

Of all the amazing shows that came out in 2017, graffitied d*cks clearly stole everyone's hearts. Luckily for fans of the first season of American Vandal, the show will come back for a second season, so people marathon even more.

Correction: A previous headline misrepresented Netflix’s Most Devoured Shows list. It has been updated to accurately represent the spirit of the list.