Stacy Conradt
The Quick 10: Most-Watched Series Finales Ever
by Stacy Conradt - May 11, 2010 - 5:44 PM

q10

I know we have some pretty serious Lost fans out there (are you reading Allison’s Televangelist column? I highly recommend). With the series finale just around the corner, things are starting to get pretty exciting. At least, I think they are – I know there’s a contingent of Losties out there who have been unimpressed with the season just far. I happen to think the series finale is going to go down in history as one of the most-watched ever, joining the ranks of these 10 popular shows.

10. Family Ties, 1989. 36.3 million viewers tuned in to see if Alex would take his dream job in New York and leave the Keaton fam.
9. All in the Family, 1979. 40.2 million viewers watched as Archie professed his love for an ailing Edith.
8. The Cosby Show, 1992. Theo graduated from NYU in front of 44.4 million viewers and Denise returned via phone to reveal her pregnancy. But the real shocker was when Cliff finally got the doorbell to work properly after he had been trying to fix it all season.

7. The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, 1992. Bette Midler and Robin Williams were the last to sit in Johnny’s chair, but the finale didn’t come until the following night. That was just Johnny and Ed, sitting back and reminiscing through clips and memories. 50 million viewers switched on their sets to hear Johnny deliver this heartfelt goodbye:

And so it has come to this: I, uh… am one of the lucky people in the world; I found something I always wanted to do and I have enjoyed every single minute of it. I want to thank the gentlemen who’ve shared this stage with me for thirty years. Mr. Ed McMahon, Mr. Doc Severinsen, and you people watching. I can only tell you that it has been an honor and a privilege to come into your homes all these years and entertain you. And I hope when I find something that I want to do and I think you would like and come back that you’ll be as gracious in inviting me into your home as you have been. I bid you a very heartfelt good night.

6. Magnum, P.I., 1988. Is Higgins really Robin Masters? What really happened to Lily? Will Rick get married? At least 50.7 million other people wanted to know the answers to those questions too.

5. Survivor Season 1, 2000. 51.7 million viewers, including me, wanted to see if the Snake or the Rat would win.

4. Friends, 2004, 52.5 million viewers. I wasn’t a big Friends fan, but this is another one I tuned in to see. What would happen with Rachel and Ross? Monica and Chandler? Phoebe and Smelly Cat? No shockers here: everyone lived happily ever after
3. Seinfeld, 1998, 76.3 million viewers. And at least half of those viewers were sorely disappointed with what they saw. One critic deemed it a big “So long, suckers!” farewell to the audience who had made the show about nothing such a big hit.

2. Cheers, 1993. “One for the Road” featured the Return of Diane, of course! Everyone who wondered what had become of Shelley Long’s character found out when she returned with a phony husband. But the best part, for me, was finding out that Woody’s real name was “Huckleberry.” 80.4 million viewers might disagree with me, though – there were a lot of classic moments on that final show.

1. M*A*S*H, 1983. 105.9 million viewers watched the Alan Alda-directed “Goodbye, Farewell and Amen” episode of M*A*S*H, which was not only the most-watched series finale ever, but the most-watched television event ever… until this year’s Super Bowl topped it with 106 million viewers.

Any surprises on the list for you? Any you thought would be there? I thought Dallas would make the top 10, but it just falls shy at 33.3 million viewers. More people tuned in to see who shot J.R. (that would be 41.47 million people).

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Comments (36)

  1. Newhart Show when it turned out it was all a dream.

    posted by Rick on 5-11-2010 at 6:45 pm

  2. No surprises here. I absolutely hated the “Seinfeld” finale. Ugh!

    What I *wanted* on the list? Call me a geek, but I watched both the “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Angel” series finales with big, sad, googly eyes wondering how on earth Joss Whedon could be so cruel to take away two of the best shows I ever watched. ::sigh::

    “Ally McBeal” was a fun show that was ruined after Robert Downey, Jr. left. The finale left something to be desired, but wasn’t horrible. A little too tidy in my opinion. I loved that show, too.

    posted by tambalina on 5-11-2010 at 6:53 pm

  3. I wonder how many people will tune in to see the LOST series finale. I know I’ll be glued to the screen.

    posted by Cam on 5-11-2010 at 7:26 pm

  4. I miss The Wonder Years.

    posted by DJ Dave on 5-11-2010 at 8:46 pm

  5. I thought the Mary Tyler Moore Show finale, with the famous “group hug” would have made it…

    posted by Joyce on 5-11-2010 at 8:53 pm

  6. Roseanne? Monk? Guiding Light?

    I wonder what Oprah’s number will be for her final show?

    posted by lisaj6112 on 5-11-2010 at 9:45 pm

  7. the finale of big bang theory .

    posted by dirk alan on 5-11-2010 at 11:11 pm

  8. I recall that the finale for The Fugitive was well watched when it went off back around ’70.

    posted by Steve C on 5-11-2010 at 11:14 pm

  9. I know I’ll be watching both the “Lost” and “24″ series finales. I imagine “Lost” would make it on this list if it was reposted next month but I doubt “24″ will have a huge turn-out as I have not seen them billing this as the final season.

    posted by Sean P on 5-12-2010 at 1:16 am

  10. People will line up to watch a house fire or rubberneck at a crash scene, too — but just because a large quantity of viewers watched something doesn’t automatically mean they were watching something of high quality.

    Let’s have a list of the “best” series finale episodes rather than a list of the ones that drew the most viewers.

    -”BB”-

    posted by Bicycle Bill on 5-12-2010 at 5:00 am

  11. To all those who hated the Seinfeld final episode, I say To Each His Own. Personally, I loved seeing all the people return for the courtroom stuff; reminding me why I loved that show with all the zany characters. I guess everyone is entitled to their opinion, even a hateful one after such an awesome series.

    Honestly, I am most proud to say that I saw every single one of these shows at their first airing – even the All In the Family series finaly when I was only 8 and the Survivor series 1 finale (even though I didn’t watch 1 episode from that season, and have only seen spot shows since).

    posted by Ian From Baltimore on 5-12-2010 at 8:03 am

  12. In college, I worked up the nerve to ask my crush to watch a movie with me – inadvertently for the exact same time as the Friends finale. There was not a single free tv on campus. We wound up making awkward conversation for an hour before we could watch the movie. Oops.

    posted by Kristin on 5-12-2010 at 8:40 am

  13. @Bicycle Bill: I think that would be just a hair too subjective.

    posted by Heather on 5-12-2010 at 8:55 am

  14. @DJ Dave. I miss The Wonder Years too. They need to put it on DVD. I heard rumors of music copywright issues though. Anyone have details?

    posted by Eric on 5-12-2010 at 9:08 am

  15. what about the “salute your shorts” finale?

    posted by dre on 5-12-2010 at 9:27 am

  16. I never want to see The Big Bang finale, because I never want it to end… although I know it will someday!

    posted by Hyacinth on 5-12-2010 at 9:28 am

  17. I will definitely be glued to the tv for the Lost Finale “Event”. At this point I’m only watching it because I’ve invested so much time in watching the first few seasons! I borrowed a friends dvd sets while I was sick/ injured and had nothing else to do. I’ll actually be happy when its over. Lets hope the finale is better than the last 2 seasons.

    As for everything else on this list, I haven’t seen any of them. I wasn’t born yet for a couple of them and I can’t remember having that NEED to see a series finale… I inadvertently saw the finale of Pushing Daisies but really hoped it wasn’t the end. :-( I’m still sad about that.

    Why is Survivor on this list though? It’s a series finale list right? That was just season 1.

    posted by Shawn on 5-12-2010 at 9:49 am

  18. Sean P – I have only heard them mention once that this was “24″‘s last season. Even if they did bill it more often, I still don’t think viewers will watch in droves. I am personally bored by this season and can’t wait for it to end. I feel like I have to watch because I have been watching “24″ for so long.

    Dirk Alan – “Big Bang Theory” is not over.

    I agree with Ian from Baltimore. I think bringing back all the past characters was a great way of going about ending the “Seinfeld” series. But what did I know? I was only 11 at the time of the finale and only watched the show because my parents loved it. Of course, now it is one of my favs!

    posted by Katie Rose on 5-12-2010 at 9:52 am

  19. Did I miss it or has no one referenced the Soprano’s finale? Or does it not ocunt since it was on HBO?

    Either way, it was a great finale. I didn’t watch the show, so I can’t fairly assess it as a component part of the whole series, but I thought they left the characters fittingly. Can Tony Soprano EVER feel comfortable, even doing something as mundane as having dinner with his family? He has to watch everyone around him to protect his family, and that is his life. Great finale, but, like I said, I didn’t tune in to the series.

    posted by Darren on 5-12-2010 at 9:52 am

  20. That many people cared about the finale of Magnum PI? Really? Wow!

    I mean . . . . really?

    posted by EMStoveken on 5-12-2010 at 10:16 am

  21. @tambalina Joss Whedon had nothing to do with WB canceling Angel and SMG quitting Buffy.

    posted by Patten on 5-12-2010 at 10:50 am

  22. Darren – I’m guessing it had nowhere near these numbers due to it being on HBO. Still a fantastic finale.

    As for Seinfeld, I remember being somewhat disappointed when the finale first aired, but the more I watch it in reruns, the more I’m convinced that it was the perfect way to end the series. I mean, after a decade of watching these four people lie and manipulate people for their own gain, was there anything more appropriate than them going to prison for it?

    I always enjoy the fact that the last line spoken in the finale is identical to the fist line spoken in the premiere.

    posted by Bert on 5-12-2010 at 10:56 am

  23. Oops, I meant the FIRST line in the premiere.

    posted by Bert on 5-12-2010 at 10:57 am

  24. I thought that the Seinfeld Finale was good, an appropriate send-off to the series. The show itself was a “hey, remember this guy” parade. There’s no problem with that, except that the hour before the Finale itself was an hour of greatest moments from the series. So, when it first aired, it seemed very self-important and redundant. Viewers asked (rightfully) “didn’t I just see this?”

    posted by Jonathan on 5-12-2010 at 11:13 am

  25. The more I thought about the Sopranos ending, the more I eventually grew to think it was the perfect way to end the series. A lot of it had to do with the song choice of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” and the lyrics stating ‘the movie never ends, it goes on and on and on…’.
    Tony is still out there – will he get whacked or go out with a heart attack in the orange groves of Miami like Vito Corleone? Many questions that are best left to individual imaginations.
    On the other end of the scale, the WORST ending of all time was St. Elsewhere’s copout ending that it all existed in the mind of a 12 year old autistic boy. I mean – really? All of the medical jargon and complex adult interpersonal relationships and odd events? Sorry, never bought it, never will.

    posted by Jonathan on 5-12-2010 at 12:20 pm

  26. @Eric That’s the exact issue. One of the many reasons what made the show so great, the soundtrack, is inevitably what is causing the delay because of the expenses of royalties. As far as I’ve heard, there’s no new updates, but I believe there’s a “Best of” dvd out there…

    posted by DJ Dave on 5-12-2010 at 12:28 pm

  27. I wonder what the Simpsons will do, I mean if they ever stop making new episodes that is

    posted by Billy on 5-12-2010 at 12:54 pm

  28. I am a bit surprised that this year’s Super Bowl is now the most watched TV event ever. I didn’t think it was that much of a marquee match-up. I thought more people would have tuned in for the Patriots-Giants game to see if it would be a perfect season for New England. Is it because more people are staying home now as opposed to a couple of years ago, for financial reasons?

    I am a huge Lost fan and will be glued to my seat for the entire Lost series finale event and also the Jimmy Kimmel special that will be on after the news. Airing on a Sunday, I am sure it will have more viewers than if it was on a Tuesday like the rest of this season. I’m sure some fans will be planning Lost viewing parties though I personally prefer to watch in private. And I’m sure some fans who abandoned the show after the first or second season will tune in just to see how it all ends. But I’m not sure how much will make sense to them.

    After that, my only question will be, how long do I wait before I watch the whole series again from the beginning. The complete box set comes out on 8/24. Also a Lost “encyclopedia” comes out on the same day. I plan to read or reread all the books mentioned on the series before I watch it all again. It seems like a fun little project. Might take a while.

    posted by Kedar on 5-12-2010 at 5:29 pm

  29. Watch the wording on #1. I can’t say for sure, but I think more people watched the moon landing – just one example.

    posted by Michael on 5-12-2010 at 6:26 pm

  30. I watched the Friends series finale I still cry when I watch it in syndication.

    posted by Kari on 5-12-2010 at 7:00 pm

  31. Wasn’t it in a mental_floss publication where I read that the M*A*S*H finale caused some sort of mass water usage in New York City because everyone collectively went to the bathroom after the finale, not wanting to miss anything?

    posted by Jennifer on 5-13-2010 at 2:18 am

  32. Jennifer: Couldn’t tell you for sure, but it wouldn’t surprise me based on this: http://www.behindthenethockey.com/2010/3/9/1364368/edmonton-water-usage-during-the

    As for the list, I always thought that Star Trek: The Next Generation finale was in or near the top 10, but it turns out “All Good Things…” had a “mere” 17-ish million viewers.

    posted by Dave M. on 5-13-2010 at 2:44 pm

  33. Is anyone else shocked of Magnum’s placement on this list?? I first encountered these numbers a couple of months ago and had a friend who works in tv ratings verify them. The rest of the list is filled with iconic, legendary shows. Was Magnum ever an event show? I always felt it was something better suited for re-run watching on a Tuesday afternoon than appointment viewing to be discussed at the water cooler the next day.

    posted by Jim D on 5-14-2010 at 4:44 pm

  34. I’m surprised Frasier wasn’t on the list. I watched the Cheers finale at the time but only saw the final episode of Frasier last week on DVD. I thought it was a great episode.
    Haven’t seen the final Seinfeld yet – I’m still working my way through the DVDs.

    posted by Mike on 5-14-2010 at 5:40 pm

  35. I find it funny considering that I wasn’t even alive for either but I loved the finale to Cheers and especially M*A*S*H*. I can’t tell you how many time I have watch all the episodes of that show.

    posted by Matt on 5-17-2010 at 9:16 am

  36. I don’t understand the disappointment over the last Seinfeld. Really- how else were they going to end it? Those characters elsewise would have just gone on talking about nothing forever. SOMEbody clearly had to put a stop to them. :D Really, just Seinfeld, continuing to do standup in the prison, is funny enough on its own.

    And the M*A*S*H finale… ohh, the M*A*S*H finale… *Sigh*

    posted by Araxie on 7-5-2010 at 3:29 am

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