The 15 Most Watched Television Series Finales of All Time

#1 'STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION' – 31 MILLION VIEWERS

It was a spin-off of the 60's series Star Trek, and there was little hope that it would actually make a mark. But after seven seasons, the finale aired in 1994 to a huge audience. The episode is considered one of the series best ever, featuring Captain Picard doing a lot of time jumping to wrap up the story.

#2 'EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND' – 32.9 MILLION VIEWERS

It remained one of the top shows after its very first season and won countless Emmy Awards for the show and its stars. When the finale aired in 2005 after nine seasons on CBS, the numbers showed that everybody did love Raymond. The closer featured Raymond on his deathbed with the entire dysfunctional family sitting around recalling their fondest, and funniest moments with Ramond, who didn't die, by the way.

#3 'DALLAS' – 33.3 MILLION VIEWERS

Widely considered one of the worst series finale episodes ever, there wasn't much left for the Ewing clan to go through after so much drama in this long-running CBS drama. The finale aired in 1991, but the show's ratings had dropped below expectations, which is why the number of viewers tuned in even shocked the network and production company. The story featured Joel Grey taking JR on a virtual tour of what life what might have been like if JR Ewing had never been born.

#4 'FRASIER' – 33.7 MILLION VIEWERS

Another spin-off series, Frasier aired for 11 seasons on NBC, long after the bar had closed down in Boston and bid adieu to its fans. The sophisticated comedy ended in 2004 and Niles and Daphne had their baby, Martin married sitcom queen Wendie Mallik, and Frasier quit his live radio job and moved to Chicago to chase down the love of his life. Reviewers, though the people tuned in to watch, say it was a poorly scripted finale to a critically acclaimed show.

#5 'HOME IMPROVEMENT' – 35.5 MILLION VIEWERS

Tim Taylor’s Tool Time ran out in 1999 when Home Improvement went off the air after eight seasons. While Tim Allen and his family were the heart of the show, the teen star who played his son (Jonathan Taylor Thomas) didn’t return for the finale. The big reveal was a face – the face of the family’s neighbor Wilson (Earl Hindman), which had never been shown on TV until the last moments of the final episode.

#6 'FAMILY TIES' – 36.3 MILLION VIEWERS

After seven seasons on NBC, Family Ties, one of the most iconic 80s shows, ended in 1989. Alex P. Keaton, Michael J. Fox, the Young Republican, got a dream job and left his hometown for the big city to make things happen. But family ties will always be strong, so after he leaves by shaking everybody’s hands, he returns in the final moments of the episode for teary goodbye hugs. It's rated as one of the better finale's ever, and people actually missed the family when it went off the air.

#7 'ALL IN THE FAMILY' – 40.2 MILLION VIEWERS

It's no wonder it was one of the most watched finales of all time since All In The Family was the number one show for most of its run on CBS from 1971 to 1979. After nine seasons of watching Bunker go after every politically correct notion in the book and mercilessly make fun of his family, America said goodbye to All in The Family by watching Bunker profess his love and apologies to his wife Edith (Jean Stapleton) while she lay sick in bed. He proved that he really did have a heart of gold under that gruff exterior, but sadly the writers left the finale as one of the saddest for a sitcom when Edith passed away at the end. Archie got his own spin-off as did daughter Gloria.

#8 'THE COSBY SHOW' – 44.4 MILLION VIEWERS

The number one show for close to eight seasons on NBC from 1984 until 1992, the finale is not one of the best episodes of The Cosby Show. With most of the children married, away, and ratings dropping, one of the biggest laughs in the series finale was that Dr. Huxtable finally fixed his doorbell, which had been broken for the entire 8-year run. NBC ran an hour-long special episode for the series finale that was centered on lone son, “Theo Huxtable,” graduating from New York University.

#9 'THE TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JOHNNY CARSON' – 50.0 MILLION VIEWERS

For thirty, yes THIRTY, years, from 1962 to 1992, Johnny Carson was the king of late night television on NBC's The Tonight Show. Viewers considered Johnny and sidekick Ed McMahon part of the family as they welcomed the two into their bedrooms four nights every week with humor, gossip, skits, music, and interviews that have never been matched. Johnny took over a few weeks after Jack Parr was fired for remarks about communism and other things. Johnny's final show had no guests, and was a retrospective thank you to his collaborators, friends, and audience. Then, NBC chose Leno to take over, causing an uproar with David Letterman, Joan Rivers, and eventually Conan O'Brien. The show hasn't been the same since.

#10 'MAGNUM P.I.' – 50.7 MILLION VIEWERS

This one might surprise you, but people loved Magnum and his crew, and the people viewing the series finale in 1988 after eight seasons proves that. The show was supposed to end after the seventh season, so Thomas Magnum (Tom Selleck) dies at the end of it. But then, several factors (money) conspired to create an eighth season. The eighth season started by clarifying Magnum’s death was actually a dream. The arc of the show was completely broken, but there were enough loose ends to keep the audience tuning in until the bitter end.

#11 'FRIENDS' – 52.5 MILLION VIEWERS

It’s hard to believe that this finale aired 13 years ago in 2004. It’s not hard to believe that Friends’ ending allows everybody to live happily ever after. After all, it was a very upbeat, romantic comedy, unlike anything seen on television before. Fans ranged from young adults to those in retirement because the writing was purely spot on funny every episode. Many fans wanted more from the finale or didn't want it to end at all, but the simple ending had Ross and Rachel finally getting back together again, Chandler and Monica adopting twins, Joey planning to relocate to his own spinoff, and Pheobe causing hijinks as usual. Pheobe, Lisa Kudrow, was supposed to have a spin-off as well but she refused. 'Joey' was very short lived.

#12 'SEINFELD' – 76.3 MILLION VIEWERS

For nine seasons on NBC, people tuned in by the millions to watch a show about nothing. TV Guide rates 'Seinfeld' as one of the best-written comedy shows of al time, and viewers approved in big numbers. When Jerry decided to end the show while it was still number one in the ratings, fans were very disheartened. The 1998 series end is one of the most controversial finales on the list. Mostly because it wasn't as funny as viewers had hoped, though it did bring back just about every single character that the gang had interactions with over the years. The gang ends up in a surreal kafkaesque trial because they made fun of a fat man as he was robbed. The story takes place in a courtroom where everyone comes forward to testify to the craziness of the gang of four.

#13 'THE FUGITIVE' – 78 MILLION VIEWERS

Before it was a hit film starring Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones, it was a four-season series that ended in 1967. It starred David Janssen and Bill Raisch. The finale was the most watched television event ever when it aired, and it did not disappoint. The final chapter of Richard Kimble’s search for the One-Armed Man while being searched for by Lt. Philip Gerard (Barry Morse) is ranked as one of the 100 greatest television episodes of all time. 78 million viewers agreed!

#14 'CHEERS' – 80.4 MILLION VIEWERS

The place where everybody knows your name, Cheers. If America loves anything more than bars, it's television shows about bars, and Cheers did not disappoint. After 11 years on NBC, and several cast departures and arrivals, the show was always well written and on a different level than most sitcoms of the time when it ended in 1993. The show gave up Frasier as a spin-off and remains one of the best comedy series of all time. As Diane (Shelley Long) returned to the show after six years, and Sam (Ted Danson) turned off the bar lights one last time, the nation watched to see if they would end up together after all.

#15 'M*A*S*H' – 105.9 MILLION VIEWERS

Considered the greatest television comedy of all time, it's no wonder that it had viewers tune in to say goodbye. Over 100 million people watched the finale of this comedic look at a medical camp in the Korean War in 1983. That number has not been reached since and probably never will now with people getting their shows on different platforms than standard TV.

The series lasted 11 seasons, seven years longer than the actual Korean War, and was a commentary on the Vietnam War, which was going on when the show started in 1972. This was one of the first 'Must See TV' shows, as viewers tuned in weekly by the millions to watch the antics of the CBS cast, and die-hard fans still enjoy the series today in repeats and on DVD. Alan Alda, who played the lead character, Hawkeye, directed the finale episode, which serves as a moving goodbye to all the characters. It also shares final thoughts on the violence and hypocrisy of war.