List of most watched television broadcasts in the United States

Super Bowl XLIX is the most watched U.S. television broadcast.

The following is a list of most watched television broadcasts in the United States based on average viewership of the broadcasts by Nielsen. The Super Bowl has frequently been the most watched American television broadcast of the year. Super Bowl XLIX is currently the most watched U.S. television broadcast with 115.2 million viewers.[1]

Most watched broadcasts

The following is a list of the twenty most watched TV broadcasts in the United States according to Nielsen.[2][3][4]

     Indicates broadcast unrelated to sports.

No. Show Viewership (Millions) Date Network
1 Super Bowl XLIX 115.2 February 1, 2015 NBC
2 Super Bowl XLVIII 112.2 February 2, 2014 FOX
3 Super Bowl 50 111.9 February 7, 2016 CBS
4 Super Bowl XLVI 111.3 February 5, 2012 NBC
5 Super Bowl XLV 111.0 February 6, 2011 FOX
6 Super Bowl XLVII 108.7 February 3, 2013 CBS
7 Super Bowl XLIV 106.5 February 7, 2010 CBS
8 M*A*S*H (Finale) 105.9 February 28, 1983 CBS
9 Super Bowl XLIII 98.7 February 1, 2009 NBC
10 Super Bowl XLII 97.4 February 3, 2008 FOX
11 Super Bowl XXX 94.1 January 28, 1996 NBC
12 Super Bowl XLI 93.2 February 4, 2007 FOX
13 Super Bowl XX 92.6 January 26, 1986 ABC
14 Super Bowl XXVII 91.0 January 31, 1993 NBC
15 Super Bowl XL 90.7 February 5, 2006 ABC
16 Super Bowl XXVIII 90.0 January 30, 1994 NBC
16 Super Bowl XXXII 90.0 January 25, 1998 NBC
18 Super Bowl XXXVIII 89.8 February 1, 2004 CBS
19 Super Bowl XXXVII 88.6 January 26, 2003 ABC
20 Super Bowl XXXIV 88.5 January 30, 2000 ABC

2016

The following is a list of the ten most watched TV broadcasts in the United States in 2016 according to Nielsen.[5][6][7][8][9][10]

     Indicates broadcast unrelated to the 2016 election.

No. Show Viewership
(in millions)
Date Network(s)
1 Super Bowl 50 111.9 February 7, 2016 CBS
2 First presidential debate 84.0 September 26, 2016 CPD
3 Third presidential debate 71.6 October 19, 2016 CPD
4 Super Bowl 50 post-game show 70.0 February 7, 2016 CBS
5 Second presidential debate 60.3 October 9, 2016 VOA
6 World Series Game 7: Cubs vs. Indians 40.5 November 2, 2016 FOX
7 Donald Trump RNC acceptance speech 34.9 July 21, 2016 VOA
8 Vice presidential debate 37.0 October 4, 2016 CPD
9 88th Academy Awards 34.4 February 28, 2016 ABC
10 Hillary Clinton DNC acceptance speech 33.8 July 28, 2016 VOA

2015

The following is a list of the ten most watched TV broadcasts in the United States in 2015 according to Nielsen.[11]

     Indicates broadcast unrelated to sports.

No. Show Viewership
(in millions)
Date Network
1 Super Bowl XLIX 115.2 February 1, 2015 NBC
2 Super Bowl XLIX post-game show 73.2 February 1, 2015 NBC
3 Colts vs. Patriots 42.3 January 18, 2015 CBS
4 87th Academy Awards 38.6 February 22, 2015 ABC
5 College Football Playoff National Championship 33.7 January 12, 2015 ESPN
6 Lions vs. Cowboys post-game show 33.1 January 4, 2015 ESPN
7 Panthers vs. Seahawks 31.1 January 10, 2015 FOX
8 The Blacklist (Episode #21) 30.5 February 1, 2015 NBC
9 Colts vs. Broncos post-game show 28.6 January 11, 2015 NBC
10 Alabama vs. Ohio State 28.5 January 1, 2015 ESPN

Most watched TV series

Most watched by year

Nielsen began compiling ratings for television beginning in 1950. Prior to that year, television ratings were compiled by a number of other sources, including C. E. Hooper (which was bought out by Nielsen in February 1950) and Variety.

American Idol holds the record for most consecutive seasons at No. 1 (also its total), with eight. Note however that American Idol usually airs two episodes a week; for the 2003–2004 season, only the Tuesday show was ranked No. 1, overall American Idol was ranked No. 2 that season. For the show taken as a whole, it was No. 1 for seven consecutive seasons.[12] All in the Family, and The Cosby Show share second place for most consecutive (and total) seasons at No. 1, with five each. Counting in for total seasons at No. 1, 60 Minutes also holds a share of a three-way second place, and is the first (and currently only) U.S. primetime television show to lead the annual Nielsen ratings in at least 3 separate decades - 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.

Season Show Network
1950–1951 Texaco Star Theater NBC
1951–1952 Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts CBS
1952–1953 I Love Lucy
1953–1954
1954–1955
1955–1956 The $64,000 Question
1956–1957 I Love Lucy
1957–1958 Gunsmoke
1958–1959
1959–1960
1960–1961
1961–1962 Wagon Train NBC
1962–1963 The Beverly Hillbillies CBS
1963–1964
1964–1965 Bonanza NBC
1965–1966
1966–1967
1967–1968 The Andy Griffith Show CBS
1968–1969 Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In NBC
1969–1970
1970–1971 Marcus Welby, M.D. ABC
1971–1972 All in the Family CBS
1972–1973
1973–1974
1974–1975
1975–1976
1976–1977 Happy Days ABC
1977–1978 Laverne & Shirley
1978–1979
1979–1980 60 Minutes CBS
1980–1981 Dallas
1981–1982
1982–1983 60 Minutes
1983–1984 Dallas
1984–1985 Dynasty ABC
1985–1986 The Cosby Show NBC
1986–1987
1987–1988
1988–1989
1989–1990 (tie) The Cosby Show
(tie) Roseanne ABC
1990–1991 Cheers NBC
1991–1992 60 Minutes CBS
1992–1993
1993–1994
1994–1995 Seinfeld NBC
1995–1996 ER
1996–1997
1997–1998 Seinfeld
1998–1999 ER
1999–2000 Who Wants to Be a Millionaire ABC
2000–2001 Survivor: The Australian Outback CBS
2001–2002 Friends NBC
2002–2003 (tie) CSI: Crime Scene Investigation CBS
2002-2003 (tie) Friends NBC
2003–2004 American Idol Fox
2004–2005
2005–2006
2006–2007
2007–2008
2008–2009
2009–2010
2010–2011
2011–2012 NBC Sunday Night Football NBC[13]
2012–2013 NCIS CBS
2013–2014 NBC Sunday Night Football NBC[14]
2014–2015
2015–2016

Most watched series finales

The number of viewers for M*A*S*H (105.9 million) and Cheers (84.4 million) are the numbers most commonly reported. M*A*S*H has also been reported at 121.6 million viewers and Cheers has been reported at 93.5 million viewers.[18][19] For M*A*S*H and Cheers, 121.6 million and 93.5 million represent the total audience who watched at least six minutes and the 105.9 million and 84.4 million represent the viewers who watched the average minute.[3] Regular episodes of M*A*S*H were thirty minutes long, but the final episode was a television movie of running length of two hours and thirty minutes, which reached a peak audience of 125 million by the primetime telecast conclusion of the 1983 M*A*S*H series finale.

The M*A*S*H finale was notorious in that after the episode finished, water flow in New York City increased by 6.7 million gallons, representing about 1 million people using the bathroom. While contributing to the CD-ROM computer game Blast from the Past, in association with TV Land, Loretta Swit commented on the event, stating she thought it was due to the fact viewers stayed glued to the screens for the whole show, and then rushed to the facilities. The 2004 finale of Friends had overtook the record of Seinfeld in 1998 since in its last 6 minutes were seen by almost 80 million people, but viewership remained at 65.9 million because it was the audience for most of the episode. Part one of the Friends finale had 52.47 million viewers and part 2 had 65.9 million viewers and both parts were broadcast on May 6, 2004 on NBC from 21:00 to 22:06.[20]

Series Viewership
(in millions)
Household rating Share Date Network
M*A*S*H 105.9[3] 60.2%[3] 77%[3] February 28, 1983[3] CBS[3]
Cheers 84.4[21] 45.5% 64%[18] May 20, 1993 NBC
Seinfeld 76.3[21] 41.3% 58% May 14, 1998 NBC
Friends 65.9[20] 35.6% 52% May 6, 2004 NBC
Magnum, P.I. 50.7 32.0% 48% May 1, 1988 CBS
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson 50.0[21] 30.0% 46% May 22, 1992 NBC
The Cosby Show 44.4[21] 28.0% 45% April 30, 1992 NBC
All in the Family 40.2[21][22] 26.6% 43% April 8, 1979 CBS
Family Ties 36.3 20.8% 35% May 14, 1989 NBC
Home Improvement 35.5[23] 21.6%[24] 43%[23] May 25, 1999 ABC
Frasier 33.7[25] 16.3% 25% May 13, 2004 NBC
Dallas 33.3 22.0% 38% May 3, 1991 CBS
Everybody Loves Raymond 32.9[25] 20.2% 29% May 16, 2005 CBS
Star Trek: The Next Generation 31.0[26] 17.4% 34% May 23, 1994 Syndication
Gunsmoke 30.9[22] N/A N/A March 31, 1975 CBS
Happy Days 30.5 20.5% 31% September 24, 1984 ABC
The Golden Girls 27.2 18.9% 38% May 9, 1992 NBC
Full House 24.3 14.6% 25% May 23, 1995 ABC
St. Elsewhere 22.5[22] 17% 29% May 25, 1988 NBC[27]
MacGyver 22.3 13.8% 26% May 21, 1992 ABC
L.A. Law 22.1 15.9% 27% May 19, 1994 NBC
ALF 21.7 13.1% 24% March 24, 1990 NBC
The Mary Tyler Moore Show 21.16 16.5% 28% March 19, 1977 CBS
The Wonder Years 21.0 13.9% 23% May 12, 1993 ABC
Quantum Leap 20.6 13.7% 23% May 5, 1993 NBC
Who's the Boss? 20.5 12.7% 24% April 25, 1992 ABC
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air 19.9 13.1% 22% May 20, 1996 NBC
Mad About You 19.8 13.6% 20% May 24, 1999 NBC
Knots Landing 19.6 13.9% 22% May 13, 1993 CBS
Bonanza 19.3[22] ? ? January 16, 1973 NBC
Designing Women 18.8 14.2% 22% May 24, 1993 CBS
Matlock 18.7 13.2% 20% May 7, 1995 ABC
Will & Grace 18.6 12.9% 20% May 18, 2006 NBC
The Facts of Life 18.2 13.2% 29% May 7, 1988 NBC
Jake and the Fatman 18.1 12.9% 20% May 6, 1992 CBS
Major Dad 17.9 12.6% 20% April 16, 1993 CBS
Murphy Brown 17.5 12.3% 19% May 18, 1998 CBS
Beverly Hills, 90210 16.8 11.9% 21% May 17, 2000 Fox
Roseanne 16.6 11.6% 19% May 20, 1997 ABC
Murder, She Wrote 16.5 12.3% 21% May 19, 1996 CBS
The Oprah Winfrey Show 16.404 11.5% N/A May 25, 2011 Syndication
ER 16.4 10.4% 17% April 2, 2009 NBC
NYPD Blue 16.1 10.4% 17% March 1, 2005 ABC
Miami Vice 16.1 11.0% 21% June 28, 1989 NBC
Perfect Strangers 15.8 11.8% 16% August 6, 1993 ABC
Married... with Children 15.2 10.0% 16% May 5, 1997 Fox
In the Heat of the Night 15.0 10.9% 17% May 16, 1995 CBS
Kate & Allie 14.9 11.9% 20% May 22, 1989 CBS
Dynasty 14.7 10.8% 17% May 11, 1989 ABC
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno 14.6 -% -% February 6, 2014 NBC
Monday Night Football 14.4[28] 9.2% 16% December 26, 2005 ABC
Wings 14.2 10.2% 16% May 21, 1997 NBC
JAG 14.0[29] 9.0% 15% April 29, 2005 CBS
Mr. Belvedere 13.8 8.5% 16% July 8, 1990 ABC
The Late Show with David Letterman 13.76 9.3% -% May 20, 2015 CBS
Lost 13.6 7.5% 13% May 23, 2010 ABC
Evening Shade 13.5 9.6% 15% May 23, 1994 CBS
Two and a Half Men 13.5 -% N/A February 19, 2015 CBS
The King of Queens 13.5 8.8% 13% May 14, 2007 CBS
Doogie Howser, M.D. 13.4 9.2% 14% March 24, 1993 ABC
American Idol 13.3[30] 9.6% 15% April 7, 2016 Fox
Providence 13.3 9.0% 16% December 20, 2002 NBC
Life Goes On 13.2 8.9% 17% May 23, 1993 ABC
The X-Files 13.2[31] 7.9% 12% May 19, 2002 Fox
How I Met Your Mother 13.13 8.6% 13% March 31, 2014 CBS
Coach 13.1 9.3% 16% May 14, 1997 ABC
Touched by an Angel 12.9[32] 8.9% 15% April 27, 2003 CBS
Amen 12.9 8.3% 19% May 11, 1991 NBC
Falcon Crest 12.3 9.3% 15% May 17, 1990 CBS
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation 12.2 N/A N/A September 27, 2015 CBS
Desperate Housewives 11.9 9.0% 14% May 13, 2012 ABC
3rd Rock from the Sun 11.9 7.9% 13% May 22, 2001 NBC
The Sopranos 11.9 6.5% 11% June 10, 2007 HBO
Empty Nest 11.6 8.7% 17% April 29, 1995 NBC
Ally McBeal 11.5 7.5% 11% May 20, 2002 Fox
Homicide: Life on the Street 11.4 8.4% 15% May 21, 1999 NBC
Without a Trace 11.2 7.3% 12% May 19, 2009 CBS
The Nanny 11.1 8.1% 14% May 12, 1999 CBS
Picket Fences 11.1 8.2% 14% April 24, 1996 CBS
The Practice 10.9 7.5% 13% May 16, 2004 ABC
Walker, Texas Ranger 10.8 6.8% 13% May 19, 2001 CBS
Judging Amy 10.8 7.6% 12% May 3, 2005 CBS
Sex and the City 10.6[33] ? ? February 22, 2004 HBO
Becker 10.6 7.3% 11% January 28, 2004 CBS
The Good Wife 10.6 TBA TBA May 8, 2016 CBS
Grace Under Fire 10.5 7.4% 11% February 17, 1998 ABC
Highway to Heaven 10.5 7.1% 16% August 4, 1989 NBC
Melrose Place 10.4 7.3% 12% May 24, 1999 Fox
Twin Peaks 10.4 N/A N/A June 10, 1991 ABC
Breaking Bad 10.28 September 29, 2013 AMC
Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman 10.2 6.7% 15% May 16, 1998 CBS
Sisters 10.1 7.1% 14% May 4, 1996 NBC
The West Wing 10.1 6.2% 10% May 14, 2006 NBC
The Mentalist 10.1 % % February 18, 2015 CBS
That '70s Show 10.0 6.0% 10% May 18, 2006 Fox
Boy Meets World 10.0 6.1% 12% May 5, 2000 ABC
Cold Case 10.0 6.4% 11% May 2, 2010 CBS

References

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  7. Stelter, Brian (September 27, 2016). "Debate breaks record as most-watched in U.S. history". CNN.
  8. "U.S. vice presidential debate watched by 37 million on TV". Reuters. October 5, 2016.
  9. de Moraes, Lisa (October 10, 2016). "Viewership of the second presidential debate dropped by a lot". Deadline.com.
  10. Associated Press (October 20, 2016). "Final debate is third most-watched presidential match ever". Fox News.
  11. The 10 biggest television events of 2015
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  14. [15][16][17]
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Most Watched TV Shows Total Viewers

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