Thought Breaking Bad's finale rated off the charts? Top TV finales proves differently
Posted: Tuesday, October 1, 2013 by Tyler Durden in Labels: entertainment
The series finale of Breaking Bad had audiences in a social media spin, but it failed to rate in the Top 10 most watched of all time.
AS THE world ran rampant agonising over the finale of Breaking Bad overnight, one would imagine its millions of adoring fans would gather together to break viewing records in a fitting final farewell to Walter White.
But with only 10 million viewers tuning in, it didn't even come close to breaking the Top 10 most watched series finales in history.
In fact, it was almost on par with the September 9 season premiere of Judge Judy.
So which shows cracked the Top 10 most watched series finales of all time?
10. Frasier
Kelsey Grammar's successful Cheers spin-off became one of the most critically acclaimed shows of all time, so it's only fitting that 33 million people tuned in to watch Dr Frasier Crane say "Goodnight, Seattle" for the final time.
9. Home Improvement
Oh, Tim "the Toolman" Taylor. One of the most watched sitcoms, the show was responsible for launching the careers of Tim Allen and Pamela Anderson. And who could forget spunks Zachery Ty Bryan and JTT, otherwise known as Jonthan Taylor Thomas. Drool fest. 35.5 million viewers waved goodbye in 1999.
8. Family Ties
Ah, the Keatons, everbody's favourite '80s family. And more importantly, the television show that thrust Michael J. Fox into the spotlight. Airing for seven seasons from 1982-1989, its finale scored 36 million viewers.
7. All in the Family
You might not recognise the name, but sitcom All in the Family was the prime TV show of its time, raking in 40 million viewers for its season finale in 1979.
6. The Cosby Show
The series finale of The Cosby Show aired during a particularly sketchy time for race relations in America. Screened in 1992 during the Los Angeles race riots, Cosby was a key voice during the time, pleading for peace. The episode pulled in more than 44 million viewers.
5. Magnum, P.I.
Magnum P.I. was resurrected for an eighth season after fans complained over what was supposed to be its final episode in season seven. Magnum, played by the ever-handsome Tom Selleck, was killed off, with the final scenes showing him walking into Heaven. However, fans demanded a better ending, and an eighth season was produced to better farewell the man with the mo. The final episode raked in an impressive 50 million viewers in 1988.
4. Friends
Aired in 2004, 52 million people tuned in to farewell their favourite group of friends, with advertising rates averaging a whopping $2 million for 30 seconds of airtime. It's the largest advertising rate ever for a sitcom.
The episode, which saw Ross and Rachel finally figure it out (remember "we were on a break!") was nominated for two Emmys, but lost to rival finale Frasier.
3. Seinfeld
The finale of Jerry Seinfeld's classic comedy show dubbed, "the greatest television program of all time", copped criticism from reviewers who felt the show mocked its loyal audience. Entertainment Weekly's Ken Tucker described it as "off-key and bloated ... Ultimately, Seinfeld and David's kiss-off to their fans was a loud, hearty, 'So long, suckers!'"
Still, it pulled in 76.3 million viewers, with a price tag of $1 million for a 30-second commercial during its broadcast in 1998.
2. Cheers
Broadcast in 1993, Cheers capped off an incredible 11 seasons with 84.4 million viewers tuning into its finale, 28 Emmy Awards from a record 117 nominations under its belt. NBC dedicated the entire night's television programming to the show, because as the theme song admits, it was the show where "everybody knows your name".
1. M*A*S*H
The series finale of this Korean War comedy classic scored a whopping 125 million viewers for its finale back in 1983. The show, adapted from the feature film of the same name, ran for a decade between 1972-1983.
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