Game of thrones finale hits alltime high and edges. The highest rated broadcast of alltime is the final episode of mash in 1983, with 60. The americans quietly became one of the best shows on tv before finally winning a bunch of awards for its final season, and with good reason. According to nielsens measurements of the top network telecasts of all time, the top 20 mostwatched tv episodes ever all date back at least a decade. So to honor the best in television, we present to you the 20 greatest tv finales of all time. The 20 mostwatched tv show finales of all time, ranked. The highest rated broadcast of all time is the final episode of. How do the big bang theory series finale ratings rank. These are not the top 100 with the greatest viewership, but the top 100 ratings. Its a tricky needle to thread, and some series have undoubtedly done it better than others. The series finale of six feet under inverted the classic format of the show. The highest rated episode of sons of anarchy is the season 3 finale, sitting at 9. However, mashs final episode remains the alltime mostwatched u.
This list of the best series finales in television is a somber reminder that no matter how much you love a tv character or a show, in time, they all will end. Its hard to watch friends go, especially when they stop by weekly. List of most watched television broadcasts in the united. By the end of the episode, the war has drawn to an exhausted close, and. The game of thrones series finale on sunday delivered the shows biggest audience of all time, capping a record final season in the ratings for the hbo show. For a writer to say it was all a dream at the end of a story an audience invested a lot of time and emotion in is. Made in america is, infamously, the episode of television that made millions of viewers briefly. Showtime shows have a reputation for starting strong and the fizzling out. Top 100 rated tv shows of all time tv by the numbers by.
Spock, and the rest of the original series for the best star trek show to date. Best series finales of tv shows of the 21st century. The series follows the title character, dexter, who lives a double life as a blood analyst and a killer who only targets other killers. They started out strong, but these shows ended with the worst series finales ever. Shows with the best freakin series finales of all time. By the end of the episode, the war has drawn to an exhausted close, and the residents. The best and worst tv series finales of all time ranked. A series finale refers to the last installment of an episodic entertainment series, most often the final episode of a television series. The 15 most controversial tv series finales of all time. With hbos game of thrones being the most recent show to deliver a controversial coda, nows a good time to look at some of the worst tv series finales of all time. Were taking a look at popular tv shows that failed to stick the landing w. With once upon a time set come to an end, it is the perfect time to take a look back at the series and rank the seasons from worst to best. In a poignant, emotional and still toprated finale, the 11year run ofmasheight years longer than the korean war it depicted came to an end ashawkeye pierce alan alda and most of the.
That is, those with the highest percentage of the us tv households at the time that watched them. Showtimes dexter is the next highest rated nonhbo premium cable show, with the last season averaging 2. After 11 seasons of hilarity and heartbreak, the korean war comedy ended with a twoand a half hour tv movie that aired feb. Check out the top 250 tv shows as rated by imdb users. Here are time s picks for the best tv shows of the 2010s, presented chronologically based on the year of their series debuts. The 25 mostwatched tv series finales of all time newsweek. Ratings game of thrones series finale viewership burns hbo records with all time high. The 15 best tv series finales of all time mental floss. The first episode of that season is titled so, and the finale is ns, spelling out sons. In household ratings, which measures how many households tuned into the show, bang averaged a 12.
The wire anyone whos watched hbos the wire knows its an addicting series, and its finale has fittingly been universally lauded as one of the best of its era. Most watched tv series finales of all time stacker. If fans wanted to get closure for their favorite characters, they had to be there when it happened. In honor of the americans, new girl and the middle signing off for good, weve ranked the 10 best and five worst tv finales of all time, from six feet under to how i met your mother. Mashs series finale pulled in more than 125 million viewers in 1983. From lost to the sopranos, here are the best and worst tv series finales of all time. These tv show finales remain among the most watched ever, with one being the highestrated episode of any television series in u. It may also refer to a final theatrical sequel, the last part of a television miniseries, the last installment of a literary series, or any final episode. A series finale refers to the last installment of an episodic entertainment series, most often the. According to nielsens measurements of the top network telecasts of all time, the top 20 mostwatched tv episodes ever all date back at least a decade for example, the seinfeld series finale. Walter white bryan cranston had good motivations, but for five seasons he did some very bad things. Here are the best showtime original series of all time. Tv writers have a tough enough job keeping demanding audiences interested in an increasingly competitive landscape, and creating a great series finale is perhaps the most difficult task of all. Most controversial tv finales of all time best and worst.
Its only appropriate that a show set in space landed stellar ratings for its series finale, which aired on may 23, 1994, after seven. For the previous season, cbs introduced nine new scripted shows during the regular 201819 season. Unsure the mini series would work with white viewers based on the topic. See which series our survey respondents chose, ranked by popularity, below. What actually happened in the finale was that the inhabitants of the island reunited in purgatory. However, mashs final episode remains the alltime most watched u. While we can bid farewell to characters who have consumed our lives for hourseven yearsnot all final episodes succeed in tying up loose storylines, settling longheld questions or showing us a glimpse of what the. Looking at nielsen ratings, the primary source of tv audience measurement since 1950, weve compiled the top 25 mostwatched series finales.
Looking at nielsen ratings, the primary source of tv audience measurement since 1950, weve compiled the top 25 mostwatched series finales of all time. The 10 mostwatched tv series finales ever mental floss. The 1990 series finale of alien comedy alf brought 21. In honor of the americans, new girl and the middle signing off for good, weve ranked the 10 best and five worst tv finales of all time, from. Its not easy to close out a tv show thats meant so many different things to so many people. Check out photos from tvline s list of the best tv series finales of all time, ranked. The real reason the lost series finale was so controversial. The best tv shows of all time, according to fans insider. The highest rated series finale to air in the 21st century is still. In honor of both series saying goodbye, we ranked the 10 best and five worst finales of all time, from golden classics mash to recent travesties how i met your mother, and yes, thrones. Neither the subject matter or strategy hurt them, and the roots finale is still ranked the 3rd highest rated programepisode of all time. Read more the best and worst tv series finales of all time. The best tv series finales in history include those of er, the wire, breaking bad, and more. Not only is the last one one of the mostviewed series finales of all time, but when it aired, it was the most viewed.
The 20 mostwatched tv episodes of all time the independent. The fourth season finale of wkrp wasnt supposed to be the series finale, but cbs canceled the show, so. Some of them had died on the island early on in the show. To see which series had the biggest turnout, stacker took a look back at the top 50 mostwatched tv series finales, ranked by nielsen ratings. Game of thrones ratings hit alltime viewership high.
Its far from the mostviewed series finale of all time. Also read time s list of the best movies, movie performances. Game of thrones series finale sets alltime hbo ratings. The best series finales of the 21st century, ranked. Nearly 40 years after the series went off the air, mashs final episode still holds the record for the most watched television finale of all time. The title to the wire s series finale is a reference to a journalist term often used as shorthand to signify the end of a press release. The 10 best ever episodes of tv according to imdb joe is. Below are some of the best and worst tv series finales that have graced viewers tv. The network cancelled five of them and renewed just four. The following table shows the all time highest rating television shows in mega manila as. The 20 mostwatched tv show finales of all time, ranked business. The shows later seasons dropped in ratings on metacritic. List of mostwatched television broadcasts wikipedia.
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