15 Most-Watched Finales Of All Time

[caj]

I'm kind of surprised Newhart didn't make the list. I guess it became more popular after it aired.

IMO, the all-time best finales as far as quality goes was Mary Tyler Moore, Newhart, and Everybody Loves Raymond.

But this is a great list based on viewership. The 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, and 00s are all represented.

[Jokerz79]

Honestly outside of TNG which was in Syndication the list is a testament to Broadcast television vs paid channels given shows like Sopranos, Game of Thrones, and Breaking Bad aren't on there.

But the shocking one is Dallas I think someone mistook the ratings for Who Shot JR and not the final episode. Because it was a death of a thousand cuts for Dallas the ratings were in the dumpster hence why it was cancelled, and the final episode wasn't promoted as a " Series Finale" when it aired just the normal season finale.

[Jim Kelly]

Once everyone had video cassette recorders, you didn't need to be home to watch the show. But I guess that wouldn't affect the figures--it just means there were a bunch of machines recording the broadcasts--not people all actually watching the show as it aired.

And, of course, you couldn't trust that the machine would actually record the show you wanted. Setting the timer was difficult. The tape could run out (especially if you set it at the wrong speed). You might end up taping over it with something else. Funny that I still continue have dreams about this all these years later--such is the stuff of nightmares.

[Powerboy]

Once everyone had video cassette recorders, you didn't need to be home to watch the show. But I guess that wouldn't affect the figures--it just means there were a bunch of machines recording the broadcasts--not people all actually watching the show as it aired.

And, of course, you couldn't trust that the machine would actually record the show you wanted. Setting the timer was difficult. The tape could run out (especially if you set it at the wrong speed). You might end up taping over it with something else. Funny that I still continue have dreams about this all these years later--such is the stuff of nightmares.

I remember those, where it didn't tape at the time or channel it was set to tape or when the machine ate the tape.

All of my VHS's (and Betas, which were ironically better) became obsolete when DVDs came along. They went obsolete and they now sit in boxes and rot thanks to streaming since even DVDs can develop glitches.

[kcekada]

Didn't make the list, but Newhart was one of the best finales on TV.

I watched the finale of Mash in my dorm room on a 10-inch b&wTV with a large group of people. It was the end of an era, but I think the ending of Cheers has more resonance with me. So glad they brought back Shelly Long -- even if Diane and Sam didn't end up together.

Seinfeld is probably the worst of all finales. I think the creators had kinda lost sight of what the show was about. Most of the characters became unlikable when they were so ambivalent about Susan's death. The penultimate show with flashbacks is so much more enjoyable.

Don't remember anything about the end of 'Frazier'. 'Friends' had a great finale, but the last two of three seasons of that show were really finding ways to keep Ross and Rachel apart that made no sense. Honestly, the last really good season was the one where Monical and Chandler were dating in secret.

I did watch 'Dallas' up until the end, but it went down in quality when most of the cast had left -- and only J.R. and Bobby remained. Yeah, they were the core characters, but they needed the other family members, especially Sue Ellen, Pam, and Miss Ellie to add interest. The finale was pretty much retconned when when Dallas returned, but the finale was as bad as the rest of the later seasons.