By Zach Seemayer
11:15 PM PDT, March 31, 2014
Season 4 of The Walking Dead, which aired on Sunday, was viewed by 15.7 million people, making it one of the highest rated episodes of a television show ever aired on a cable channel. On Monday, the popular CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother aired its emotional series finale on Monday night, and while the show's ratings have not yet been announced, it's likely that neither of those broadcasts will make it onto this list of the 10 highest-rated TV series finales of all time.
So, check out this countdown of the scripted television series finales that captivated America, at a time when there weren't nearly as many channels and, in the case of most of these finales, the internet did not yet exist.
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Will 'HIMYM' Make The TV Finale Top 10?
CBS
Season 4 of The Walking Dead, which aired on Sunday, was viewed by 15.7 million people, making it one of the highest rated episodes of a television show ever aired on a cable channel. On Monday, the popular CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother aired its emotional series finale on Monday night, and while the show's ratings have not yet been announced, it's likely that neither of those broadcasts will make it onto this list of the 10 highest-rated TV series finales of all time.
So, check out this countdown of the scripted television series finales that captivated America, at a time when there weren't nearly as many channels and, in the case of most of these finales, the internet did not yet exist.
So, check out this countdown of the scripted television series finales that captivated America, at a time when there weren't nearly as many channels and, in the case of most of these finales, the internet did not yet exist.
#10. 'Home Improvement'
ABC
Episode Name: The Long And Winding Road
Air Date: May 25, 1999 (ABC)
Number Of Viewers: 35.5 million
Starring Tim Allen as the patriarch of the Taylor Family, and the host of a show called Tool Time, Home Improvement lasted eight seasons, with 204 episodes. At one time, Tim Allen was the highest-paid actor on television for his role in the beloved ABC series.
Air Date: May 25, 1999 (ABC)
Number Of Viewers: 35.5 million
Starring Tim Allen as the patriarch of the Taylor Family, and the host of a show called Tool Time, Home Improvement lasted eight seasons, with 204 episodes. At one time, Tim Allen was the highest-paid actor on television for his role in the beloved ABC series.
#9. 'Family Ties'
NBC
Episode Name: Alex Doesn't Live Here Anymore
Air Date: May 14, 1989 (NBC)
Number Of Viewers: 36.3 million
Family Ties was a family-dynamic sitcom that explored the political shift in American culture from 1960's free-love liberalism into the rise of 1980s fiscal conservatism. The show lasted seven seasons, with 176 episodes, and earned Michael J. Fox three consecutive Emmys.
Air Date: May 14, 1989 (NBC)
Number Of Viewers: 36.3 million
Family Ties was a family-dynamic sitcom that explored the political shift in American culture from 1960's free-love liberalism into the rise of 1980s fiscal conservatism. The show lasted seven seasons, with 176 episodes, and earned Michael J. Fox three consecutive Emmys.
#8. 'All In The Family'
CBS
Episode Name: Too Good Edith
Air Date: April 8, 1979 (CBS)
Number Of Viewers: 40.2 million
All in the Family was another sitcom that served as a platform to explore political issues in a humorous way. Through its revolutionary presentation and exploration of taboo cultural topics such as racism, sexual assault, Vietnam, homosexuality, abortion, and many other issues, the show cemented itself in the public consciousness. All in the Family was on for nine seasons with a total of 208 episodes.
Air Date: April 8, 1979 (CBS)
Number Of Viewers: 40.2 million
All in the Family was another sitcom that served as a platform to explore political issues in a humorous way. Through its revolutionary presentation and exploration of taboo cultural topics such as racism, sexual assault, Vietnam, homosexuality, abortion, and many other issues, the show cemented itself in the public consciousness. All in the Family was on for nine seasons with a total of 208 episodes.
#7. 'The Cosby Show'
NBC
Episode Name: And So We Commence
Air Date: April 30, 1992 (NBC)
Number Of Viewers: 44.4 million
Bill Cosby starred as Heathcliff Huxtable, the father of an upper middle-class family in New York who loves his family, and imparts his wisdom on his children in a constant effort to make their lives better. The heartwarming series lasted eight seasons with 202 episodes.
Air Date: April 30, 1992 (NBC)
Number Of Viewers: 44.4 million
Bill Cosby starred as Heathcliff Huxtable, the father of an upper middle-class family in New York who loves his family, and imparts his wisdom on his children in a constant effort to make their lives better. The heartwarming series lasted eight seasons with 202 episodes.
#6. 'Magnum, P.I.'
NBC
Episode Name: Resolutions
Air Date: May 8, 1988 (CBS)
Number Of Viewers: 50.7 million
'80s star Tom Selleck starred as Thomas Magnum, a private investigator who worked cases in Hawaii. The show, with its wacky cases and fun, adventurous tone, had some of the consistently highest ratings during its eight seasons, 162 episode run.
Air Date: May 8, 1988 (CBS)
Number Of Viewers: 50.7 million
'80s star Tom Selleck starred as Thomas Magnum, a private investigator who worked cases in Hawaii. The show, with its wacky cases and fun, adventurous tone, had some of the consistently highest ratings during its eight seasons, 162 episode run.
#5. 'Friends'
NBC
Episode Name: The Last One
Air Date: May 6, 2004 (NBC)
Number Of Viewers: 52.5 million
Everyone knows Friends. But on the off chance you spent 1994 to 2004 in a hermit shack in the woods, Friends was about six young friends finding love and success in New York City. The massively-popular show lasted a whopping 10 seasons with 236 episodes.
Air Date: May 6, 2004 (NBC)
Number Of Viewers: 52.5 million
Everyone knows Friends. But on the off chance you spent 1994 to 2004 in a hermit shack in the woods, Friends was about six young friends finding love and success in New York City. The massively-popular show lasted a whopping 10 seasons with 236 episodes.
#4. 'Seinfeld'
NBC
Episode Name: The Finale
Air Date: May 14, 1998 (NBC)
Number Of Viewers: 76.3 million
Created by comedian Jerry Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm creator Larry David, Seinfeld was a fictionalized version of their lives and focused on the day-to-day trials and tribulations of Seinfeld and his eccentric friends. The celebrated comedy lasted nine seasons with 180 episodes.
Air Date: May 14, 1998 (NBC)
Number Of Viewers: 76.3 million
Created by comedian Jerry Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm creator Larry David, Seinfeld was a fictionalized version of their lives and focused on the day-to-day trials and tribulations of Seinfeld and his eccentric friends. The celebrated comedy lasted nine seasons with 180 episodes.
#3. 'The Fugitive'
ABC
Episode Name: The Judgment Day Part 2
Air Date: August 29, 1967 (ABC)
Number Of Viewers: 78 million
The television show that inspired the 1993 action drama of the same name starring Tommy Lee Jones and Harrison Ford, The Fugitive followed Richard Kimble, a man wrongly-convicted of his wife's murder. He escapes from prison right before being executed, and sets out to find the real killer. Meanwhile, Police Lieutenant Philip Gerard hunts him the entire time. The show only lasted four seasons, but during that time aired 120 hour-long episodes.
Air Date: August 29, 1967 (ABC)
Number Of Viewers: 78 million
The television show that inspired the 1993 action drama of the same name starring Tommy Lee Jones and Harrison Ford, The Fugitive followed Richard Kimble, a man wrongly-convicted of his wife's murder. He escapes from prison right before being executed, and sets out to find the real killer. Meanwhile, Police Lieutenant Philip Gerard hunts him the entire time. The show only lasted four seasons, but during that time aired 120 hour-long episodes.
#2. 'Cheers'
NBC
Episode Name: One For The Road
Air Date: May 20, 1993 (NBC)
Number Of Viewers: 84.4 million
Set in a bar in Boston, Cheers follows the intersecting and fascinating lives of a group of bar regulars, including psychiatrist Frasier Crane, played by Kelsey Grammer who later starred in the spinoff series Frasier. Cheers lasted 11 seasons with 270 episodes.
Air Date: May 20, 1993 (NBC)
Number Of Viewers: 84.4 million
Set in a bar in Boston, Cheers follows the intersecting and fascinating lives of a group of bar regulars, including psychiatrist Frasier Crane, played by Kelsey Grammer who later starred in the spinoff series Frasier. Cheers lasted 11 seasons with 270 episodes.
#1. 'M*A*S*H'
CBS
Episode Name: Goodbye, Farewell and Amen
Air Date: February 28, 1983 (CBS)
Number Of Viewers: 105.9
Based on the Robert Altman film, M*A*S*H was an edgy dramedy set in a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital in South Korea during the Korean War. Many have pointed out the strange fact that the show about the Korean War, which lasted three years, was on the air for over a decade. The show lasted 11 seasons with 256 episodes.
Air Date: February 28, 1983 (CBS)
Number Of Viewers: 105.9
Based on the Robert Altman film, M*A*S*H was an edgy dramedy set in a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital in South Korea during the Korean War. Many have pointed out the strange fact that the show about the Korean War, which lasted three years, was on the air for over a decade. The show lasted 11 seasons with 256 episodes.