August 17, 2009

Top 15 Most-Watched TV Series Finales

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It's always a sad day when a great TV show goes off the air. Tuning in each week to watch our favorite show has truly become a favorite past-time time for many. We've grown to love the characters just like they are apart of our own family and we tune in just to find out what happens next. When it's announced a show is going to end and there will be no more "next", it feels like we'll have a void that won't ever be filled. Although we never want our favorite show to end, we've waited patiently (in many cases) for the culmination of a series to reveal something we always wanted to know. "Will they get married?" "What's going to happen?" "How will they tie everything together?" These are common questions we ask ourselves once we find out an ending is in sight. How I Met Your Mother, for instance, was created just so we could find out what happens in the very last episode. However, as it goes, all good things must come to and end.

So what are of the most-watched of these "finales" that millions of viewers tuned in to see how it all ends? Below is a list of the Top 15 most-watched series finale episodes. What are some of the best that didn't make the list?

Rank Title Episode Date Network
1 M*A*S*H "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen" 2/28/1983 CBS
2 Roots (miniseries) "Part VIII" 1/30/1977 ABC
3 Cheers "One for the Road" 5/20/1993 NBC
4 The Fugitive "The Judgment" Part 2 8/29/1967 ABC
5 Seinfeld "The Finale" 5/14/1998 NBC
6 Friends "The Last One" 5/6/2004 NBC
7 Magnum, P.I. "Resolutions" 5/8/1988 CBS
8 The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson "Finale" 5/22/1992 NBC
9 The Cosby Show "And So We Commence" 4/1/1992 NBC
10 All in the Family "Too Good Edith" 4/8/1979 CBS
11 Family Ties "Alex Doesn't Live Here Anymore" 5/14/1989 NBC
12 Home Improvement "The Long and Winding Road" 5/25/1999 ABC
13 Frasier "Goodnight, Seattle" 5/13/2004 NBC
14 Dallas "Conundrum" 5/3/1991 CBS
15 Everybody Loves Raymond "The Finale" 5/16/2005 CBS

The most-watched finale episode of a show is not necessarily the show's most-watched episode.

(Sources: Reuters, Variety, Nielsen Media Research, USA Today)
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