Here are 5 television parodies that have more views than the shows they spoof

Some shows were made to be parodied (and sometimes that’s an improvement), but rarely does the parody outstrip the success of the show itself. Here are five examples of television parodies that received more views than the average episode of that show.

1. Hell’s Kitchen (15 million views)

Hell’s Kitchen may have been a short-lived affair in the UK, peaking at 5.15m viewers in its final season, but it’s really taken off in the US with fifteen seasons and counting. However, neither series can match the views of American comedy duo Key and Peele’s parody of the tense cooking competition. 15 million people have tuned in to see an astonishingly accurate depiction of Gordon Ramsay’s mannerisms and round-about speech when talking to contestants – and it’s hilarious.

2. Game of Thrones & House of Cards (2 million views)

On first sight, Game of Thrones and House of Cards seem pretty different, but as this parody shows – there’s not much between them. Frank Underwood explains how he would claim the Iron Throne for himself in his typically ruthless manner, destroying opponents far more easily than Cersei has ever done. While Game of Thrones may be one of the most talked about shows in the world, its Sky Atlantic ratings are pretty low – the best ever episode only broadcasting to 1.6 million. Netflix doesn’t release ratings information on the other hand, so we have no idea how many have watched House of Cards.

3. The Walking Dead (36 million views)

The Walking Dead might be the most-watched show in the world, but its ratings of 14 million in the US dim in comparison to the 36 million views of its biggest YouTube parody. Introducing ‘Dancing Dead‘ – a good idea for future episodes of the Walking Dead to amp up the fun factor. Forget Michonne’s mouthless zombie servants, this is the best way to get zombies to do whatever you want.

4. Breaking Bad (10 million views)

Breaking Bad didn’t even air in the UK on traditional TV, and even in its country of origin averaged only 4 million viewers in its final, jaw-dropping season. This Breaking Bad and Frozen mash-up is laugh-out-loud funny yet wonderfully dark, perfectly demonstrating Walt and Jesse’s dangerous (for the latter) relationship and magnetism. Unlike Anna and Elsa, this partnership can only go badly wrong.

5. Game of Thrones (8 million views)

Another Game of Thrones parody – for the simple fact it’s easy to find videos with more views than Game of Thrones in the UK. In this parody of Game of Thrones to Maroon 5’s “Payphone”, Adam Levine discovers a familiar obsessive love of Game of Thrones and decides to give up Maroon 5 and his big seat on The Voice US. A particular highlight is the Wiz Khalifa parody.