One farewell, M*A*S*H in 1983, drew more than 100 million viewers, and only three other finales, Cheers, The Fugitive and Seinfeld, topped 75 million. Ranked by total US viewers of the series finale broadcast.
Pictured: the final scene of Friends from the show’s official channel; the finale is #5 with 52.5 million viewers, while #1 is M*A*S*H with 105.9 million.
| Rank | Series | Viewers (millions) | Finale air date | Network | Finale episode | Series run |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | M*A*S*H | 105.9 | February 28, 1983 | CBS | “Goodbye, Farewell and Amen” | 1972–1983 |
| 2 | Cheers | 80.4 | May 20, 1993 | NBC | “One for the Road” | 1982–1993 |
| 3 | The Fugitive | 78.0 | August 29, 1967 | ABC | “The Judgment: Part 2” | 1963–1967 |
| 4 | Seinfeld | 76.3 | May 14, 1998 | NBC | “The Finale” | 1989–1998 |
| 5 | Friends | 52.5 | May 6, 2004 | NBC | “The Last One” | 1994–2004 |
| 6 | Magnum, P.I. | 50.7 | May 1, 1988 | CBS | – | 1980–1988 |
| 7 | The Cosby Show | 44.4 | April 30, 1992 | NBC | – | 1984–1992 |
| 8 | All in the Family | 40.2 | April 8, 1979 | CBS | – | 1971–1979 |
| 9 | Family Ties | 36.3 | May 14, 1989 | NBC | – | 1982–1989 |
| 10 | Home Improvement | 35.5 | May 25, 1999 | ABC | “The Long and Winding Road” | 1991–1999 |
| 11 | Frasier | 33.7 | May 13, 2004 | NBC | “Goodnight, Seattle” | 1993–2004 |
| 12 | Dallas | 33.3 | May 3, 1991 | CBS | “Conundrum” | 1978–1991 |
| 13 | Everybody Loves Raymond | 32.9 | May 16, 2005 | CBS | “The Finale” | 1996–2005 |
| 14 | Star Trek: The Next Generation | 31.0 | May 23, 1994 | Syndication | “All Good Things…” | 1987–1994 |
| 15 | Gunsmoke | 30.9 | 1975 | CBS | – | 1955–1975 |
No matching rows.
Method and caveats: every viewer figure comes from one reference, Wikipedia’s list of the most-watched American series finales, which draws on Nielsen audience estimates, with one exception: the Cheers figure is the 80.4 million Nielsen average audience rather than the table’s rounded 93 million, because estimates for that episode range from 80.4 to 93.5 million and 80.4 matches how the Nielsen-based rows around it were measured; the order is the same either way. Nielsen’s method changed over the decades (people meters from 1987, later time-shifted viewing), so audiences from the 1960s and 1970s are less precise than later ones, and the oldest figure, The Fugitive’s 78 million, is an estimate derived from its 72 percent share rather than a counted audience. These are total viewers of the broadcast, not households, and a dash means no episode title was confirmed. Streaming-era finales are not comparable and none reaches this list.[1]
The war comedy’s farewell, “Goodbye, Farewell and Amen,” ran as a 2½-hour CBS special on February 28, 1983, and drew about 105.9 million viewers and 77 percent of everyone watching television. It is the most-watched series finale ever and, for decades, the most-watched broadcast of any kind; only Super Bowls have passed it since 2010, which leaves it the most-watched scripted episode in American history.[2]
“One for the Road” aired on NBC on May 20, 1993, in a 98-minute version and took a 64 share. Estimates for its audience run from 80.4 to 93.5 million; this ranking uses the lower, Nielsen average-audience figure, which is also the one the other Nielsen-based rows use. It remains the most-watched finale of the cable era.[2]
The oldest entry. The two-part “The Judgment” ended with its second half on ABC on August 29, 1967, and drew a 72 percent audience share, a record that stood until Roots in 1977. The 78 million figure is the reference estimate of viewers; the Nielsen household rating was 45.9, so this is the least precise number in the table.[1][2]
“The Finale” aired on NBC on May 14, 1998, to 76.3 million viewers and about two-thirds of all televisions in use, which the New York Times described as “grazing Super Bowl country.” Critics and fans were divided over the courtroom ending, but nearly everyone watched.[2]
“The Last One” aired on NBC on May 6, 2004, with 52.5 million viewers. There is a large gap behind the first four: this is the biggest finale audience since Seinfeld and larger than any other finale of the 2000s, despite far more channels to choose from.[1]
The CBS detective show ended on May 1, 1988, after eight seasons that began in December 1980, with a 50.7 million audience, the sixth-largest on this list.[1]
The finale was taped on March 6, 1992, and aired on NBC on April 30, 1992, ending an eight-season run for what had been the dominant sitcom of the 1980s. It drew 44.4 million viewers.[1]
The CBS series ended its nine-season run on April 8, 1979, with 40.2 million viewers; the story continued in the spin-off Archie Bunker’s Place, so some counts treat this as a transition rather than an ending.[1]
Family Ties concluded on NBC on May 14, 1989, after seven seasons, with an audience of 36.3 million.[1]
ABC’s tool-time sitcom ended its eight-season run on May 25, 1999, with an audience of 35.5 million for the multi-part finale.[1]