TV Shows About Cryptocurrency – There Are More Than You’d Think

You might not think there have been many TV shows about cryptocurrency. After all, most crypto coins do the majority of their advertising online. But as bitcoin becomes more famous, the mainstream media is starting to give cryptocurrencies some time in the spotlight.

We’ve put together a list of some of the biggest TV shows that have talked about cryptocurrency and/or blockchain. You might be surprised at which major series are included.

 

Importance of TV coverage for cryptocurrency

Before we start looking into TV shows about crypto, it’s important to recognize the power of television as a medium. In 2017, the total advertising spend in TV was almost $182.2 billion worldwide. Although digital marketing is slowly taking over some of TV’s market share, that number is still staggering, don’t you think? All up, TV companies make about $1.9 trillion in revenue, including ads and shows.

This is a substantial industry for digital coins to get into. Indeed, TV shows about cryptocurrency could bring an entirely new level of mainstream appeal to the market. Crypto could reach billions of people all around the world, especially if acclaimed shows endorse them.

Let’s not forget that crypto is still largely unknown – and misunderstood – in mainstream markets. Many people have heard about bitcoin but don’t understand what it brings, either to the financial sector or to other industries. Even a split-second mention of bitcoin on a popular TV show, however, might encourage potential market participants to look into blockchain, especially if it casts crypto in a positive light.

 

All publicity is good publicity

At this point we need to stress that any sort of mention on TV could be good for the crypto industry. That’s purely because the blockchain world remains pretty much unknown to mainstream markets, especially the general population. Even if a famous show jokes about bitcoin in a negative way, that can still be a good thing for the industry. Coverage and mass recognition are more important than anything else while we remain at the early adopters’ stage.

Most of the time, TV shows don’t talk about blockchain solutions, technical specifications, or smart contracts. Instead, they go for easier targets: price volatility and market hype. Thus, any kind of publicity could encourage viewers to invest in the crypto market.

 

Top TV shows about cryptocurrency

Let’s look at four popular TV shows that have mentioned cryptocurrency in one way or another. None of these shows go particularly deep into the market or the major coins, but most of them give a shout out to bitcoin as an investment proposition. Nevertheless, they’re all good shows to watch – crypto-related or not – so check them out.

 

The Good Wife

For a large chunk of S03E13 of The Good Wife – entitled “Bitcoin for Dummies” – the show’s three main characters delve into bitcoin’s ecosystem at length.  During the episode, the trio discusses trading, mining, and the price of BTC (which was $3 in 2012!). It sure brings back memories of the good old days when BTC was affordable.

The episode itself is about Alicia Florrick (played by Julianna Margulies) acting as a defense attorney for a man who “created a new online currency against the Treasury Department.” Suffice to say the show is now a household name and a must-see for those interested in crypto.

 

Silicon Valley

This is probably the most in-depth example we’ve found of crypto making its way into a mainstream TV show. In S01E03 – entitled “Articles of Incorporation” – Richard Hendricks (played by Thomas Middleditch) discusses his business idea to launch a cryptocurrency. The gang would create a new digital coin and market it by printing out T-shirts with logos. However, the idea quickly spirals out of control when the team discovers a Midwest farmer already holds the rights to that name. Hilarity ensues.

After many hardships, antics, and funny encounters, season 5 of Silicon Valley is all about the new crypto business that Richard has now managed to launch. If you want a hilarious comedic take on the crypto industry, this is the show for you.

 

The Big Bang Theory

There’s never been a more popular geek-friendly show than The Big Bang Theory. In S11E09 – “The Bitcoin Entanglement” – the friends remember how they mined a bunch of BTC in 2010. Of course, back in the day that was worth nothing. But at the time of the episode’s release, each of those bitcoins is worth $5000, and the boys could potentially have a fortune on their hands. If only they could remember where they put their BTC.

We’d recommend watching not just this episode but the entire show, as it’s consistently funny, especially for tech geeks. And if you ever want to use your hard-earned crypto profits to buy a tiger, well, The Big Bang Theory has you covered.

 

The Simpsons

If there’s one unwritten rule in the universe, it’s this: Once you appear on The Simpsons, you’ve “made it.” In S26E01, bitcoin did just that. You might not have caught it; the episode’s intro featured a brief but memorable ad that read: “Accepting Bitcoin.” The year before – in S25E07 – Krusty the Clown talked about his atrocious luck in the bitcoin market.

Although these mentions were quite short, they introduced many people to cryptocurrency for the first time. After all, The Simpsons’ audience consists of pretty much everybody, everywhere.

 

Some final thoughts

There are many other good shows that have featured digital coins in one way or another. Most of these cameos are fairly brief, but there are others that dedicate entire episodes and even seasons to crypto. Check out hit shows like House Of Cards, Supernatural, Family Guy, and Almost Human to see if you can spot the crypto references.

The more TV shows about cryptocurrency we see, the faster we can expect the adoption rate to grow. And if we can somehow slip bitcoin into the final season of Game of Thrones, well, the crypto industry will never be the same again.