In 2015, the only thing on television short of breaking news that can guarantee a massive viewing audience is, of course, the Super Bowl. But, as the astute pop cultural observers here are sure to remember, this was not always the case. In the earlier years of television, before the internet and channel saturation began to increasingly pull viewers away from the major broadcast networks, there were programs that became so popular that they, on some special occasions, could garner viewing audiences unfathomable in today's TV landscape.

This was especially true in the '80s and '90s. I mean, the numbers on some of these are incredible. In 1980, 90 million people watched the "Who Shot J.R.?" episode of Dallas; in 1983, a staggering 120 million people watched the last episode of M*A*S*H; Johnny Carson's last Tonight Show in 1992 was seen by over 50 million; and, in 1993, the finale of Cheers pulled in 93 million viewers. Heck, even The Cosby Show finale in '92 pulled in close to 50 million viewers, and that show was well past it's peak by that point.

It would seem, in hindsight, that the Seinfeld finale in 1998 (which was seen by somewhere around 80 million people) marked the end of this era in television. The last episode of Friends in 2004 did get huge numbers to be sure (52 million estimated), but it's ultimate rating actually came in a bit lower than expected by NBC. As we advance deeper into the 21st century, it seems to me that there are just too many entertainment options out there for a modern TV show to gain anywhere close to the kind of mass "cultural currency" that shows could pre-2000. Does anybody think that there could ever be another scripted television series that could obtain a singular enough place in the public conciseness to pull in more than 50 million viewers for a single episode again?  Or, are ratings numbers like that a thing of the past?

Unfortunately yes. Everything on television is too fragmented to reach mass appeal anymore. This has resulted in some great shows getting cancelled due to low ratings.

Unfortunately yes. Everything on television is too fragmented to reach mass appeal anymore. This has resulted in some great shows getting cancelled due to low ratings.

And also a lot of the actors and actresses have grown up so a lot of people weren't interested in watching them anymore.

Yup, there are so many channels on TV now also. It's ridiculous. The best shows on TV are mainly on cable; AMC,FX,HBO, and Showtime to be exact.  Network TV has not been the same since the strike. IMO

IMO once the Internet and mobile phones began to provide equivalent TV quality, the TV age was over (around the time Friends ended IMO), but the transition really began in the late '80s around the time cable and VCRs became owned by the majority and cable started to produce original programming as opposed to service/catalog programming. With so much choice, the networks in the '90s were eroding as the decade progressed. It only got worse with the spread of digital cable and satellite, with the final dagger being the rise of online streaming services. We'll still have the traditional networks around for at least the forseeable future, but in the long run, they may disappear and TV will be like satellite radio with most channels having a special focus but not created with a big company in mind. Local stations will still have their functions (news, lottery, talk, and some local programming), but since network TV is designed sorely with ratings in mind and not actual story (along with basic cable to a lesser degree), it will be less likely than ever to have a flagship series that wins over tens of millions and local stations will still be owned by a network of some sort (think Clear Channel/Cumulus for radio), but traditional network daytime stuff like talk shows, soap operas, and game shows will become even more niche. That said, it still is possible if a new breakthrough comes along much like movies and some video games still can do today as there will still be some demand for primetime entertainment on the small screen. Finally, TV will be less fixated on a schedule in terms of scripted and taped programming meaning that certain shows will be watchable on a certain timeframe before being pulled back into the archives.

Yup, there are so many channels on TV now also. It's ridiculous. The best shows on TV are mainly on cable; AMC,FX,HBO, and Showtime to be exact.  Network TV has not been the same since the strike. IMO

and many people are switching to Netflix and Hulu.

IMO once the Internet and mobile phones began to provide equivalent TV quality, the TV age was over (around the time Friends ended IMO), but the transition really began in the late '80s around the time cable and VCRs became owned by the majority and cable started to produce original programming as opposed to service/catalog programming. With so much choice, the networks in the '90s were eroding as the decade progressed. It only got worse with the spread of digital cable and satellite, with the final dagger being the rise of online streaming services.

This is a good point. Even though it wasn't really until the 2000's that network ratings took their ultimate nosedive, the writing was definitely on the wall as early as the late '80s/early '90s. At that time cable channels began to offer more variety, and (in a few cases like The Larry Sanders Show on HBO for example) were actually producing better programming than the networks were. The proliferation of VCR's, which gave people the ability to record programming and watch it later for the first time, obviously hurt network ratings as well. The signs really became apparent though in the late '90s. The last show to average more than a 20 rating for an entire season was Seinfeld in 1997-98 (21.7). The next year, Friends and ER tied for first with just a 17.8 rating.

Just to show how bad it's gotten, last season (2013-14) the top rated show of the year, Sunday Night Football, averaged only a 12.8. That's compared to thirty years ago when The Cosby Show, in it's first season at number one, averaged a 33.7! :o

Pretty much. But it could make a comeback but highly unlikely.

Wasn't American Idol and Lost one of the biggest things in the 00s?

Wasn't American Idol and Lost one of the biggest things in the 00s?


American Idol and Fear Factor started the Reality TV era.

American Idol and Fear Factor started the Reality TV era.

Don't forget The Real World and The challenge!!

Don't forget The Real World and The challenge!!


Big Brother.

Wasn't American Idol and Lost one of the biggest things in the 00s?


Yes. In fact, American Idol shattered the record formerly held by All in the Family for the most consecutive seasons at number one in the Nielsen ratings (8 seasons for American Idol to 5 seasons for All in the Family). Unfortunately for American Idol, thanks to the general decrease in the television viewership over the years, it's best recorded rating of 17.6 in 2005-06 is a full 17 points lower than All in the Family's best rating of 34.0 in 1971-72.

Unfortunately for American Idol, thanks to the general decrease in the television viewership over the years, it's best recorded rating of 17.6 in 2005-06 is a full 17 points lower than All in the Family's best rating of 34.0 in 1971-72.

I'm guessing a lot of people lost interest in American Idol. I got interested during the first and second seasons.

In 2015, the only thing on television short of breaking news that can guarantee a massive viewing audience is, of course, the Super Bowl. But, as the astute pop cultural observers here are sure to remember, this was not always the case. In the earlier years of television, before the internet and channel saturation began to increasingly pull viewers away from the major broadcast networks, there were programs that became so popular that they, on some special occasions, could garner viewing audiences unfathomable in today's TV landscape.

This was especially true in the '80s and '90s. I mean, the numbers on some of these are incredible. In 1980, 90 million people watched the "Who Shot J.R.?" episode of Dallas; in 1983, a staggering 120 million people watched the last episode of M*A*S*H; Johnny Carson's last Tonight Show in 1992 was seen by over 50 million; and, in 1993, the finale of Cheers pulled in 93 million viewers. Heck, even The Cosby Show finale in '92 pulled in close to 50 million viewers, and that show was well past it's peak by that point.

It would seem, in hindsight, that the Seinfeld finale in 1998 (which was seen by somewhere around 80 million people) marked the end of this era in television. The last episode of Friends in 2004 did get huge numbers to be sure (52 million estimated), but it's ultimate rating actually came in a bit lower than expected by NBC. As we advance deeper into the 21st century, it seems to me that there are just too many entertainment options out there for a modern TV show to gain anywhere close to the kind of mass "cultural currency" that shows could pre-2000. Does anybody think that there could ever be another scripted television series that could obtain a singular enough place in the public conciseness to pull in more than 50 million viewers for a single episode again?  Or, are ratings numbers like that a thing of the past?
Yeah True. I do wonder if Super Bowl Ratings will fade at some point but I doubt it since Super Bowl Ratings have been a ratings juggernot for awhile now.

Do I think there will ever be a TV Series that can pull 50 million viewers in for a single episode again? For the moment my answer would be no but its not impossible that it could happen again. 

I'm guessing a lot of people lost interest in American Idol. I got interested during the first and second seasons.
Yeah I was just looking at the ratings history or rank of American Idol in terms of most watched TV shows on Wikipedia. The show started to show signs in fall off in the 2012-2013 season in the rankings falling from #3 in 2011-2012 to to #6 in 2012-2013.

Do I think there will ever be a TV Series that can pull 50 million viewers in for a single episode again? For the moment my answer would be no but its not impossible that it could happen again.


You never know, there could be a TV series that could capture someone's interests within the next couple of years.

Do I think there will ever be a TV Series that can pull 50 million viewers in for a single episode again? For the moment my answer would be no but its not impossible that it could happen again.


The only way 50 million people would ever watch a single television episode again would be if a show came along that could penetrate the culture in the same way that shows like Cheers, Dallas, Seinfeld, Cosby, All in the Family, etc. have in the past. In this current age, with a heavily splintered television landscape that presents countless viewing choices (not to even mention the internet) I just can't see any program reaching that level of widespread popularity.

Hell, I don't even know if a show today could attain the same level of cultural prevalence that stuff like Survivor and American Idol did in the early '00s.

The only way 50 million people would ever watch a single television episode again would be if a show came along that could penetrate the culture in the same way that shows like Cheers, Dallas, Seinfeld, Cosby, All in the Family, etc. have in the past. In this current age, with a heavily splintered television landscape that presents countless viewing choices (not to even mention the internet) I just can't see any program reaching that level of widespread popularity.

Hell, I don't even know if a show today could attain the same level of cultural prevalence that stuff like Survivor and American Idol did in the early '00s.


I don't think it's possible in today's day and age.

You never know, there could be a TV series that could capture someone's interests within the next couple of years.


Well, nobody really knows if any show is going to get 50 million viewers in just one episode. We live in a time where Netflix and Hulu are available to everybody in the U.S., while network and cable ratings are trying to do their best.

LOST anyone?

Well, nobody really knows if any show is going to get 50 million viewers in just one episode. We live in a time where Netflix and Hulu are available to everybody in the U.S., while network and cable ratings are trying to do their best.


You have to get viewers invested in the show in order to get big ratings.

You have to get viewers invested in the show in order to get big ratings.


Yeah, but the majority of Americans don't care about cable anymore. All they care about related to TV is subscription services like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime.

The 2010s will be known as the "distribution revolution "in television since while there hasn't been a big change in new TV-type shows in about a decade when the level of sensationalism became about what it is today along with the rise of HD, it is certainly still possible with a series finale provided it can be on par with the shows mentioned above. Of course, the Super Bowl remains a "TV event", along with perhaps the Grammys and Oscars since all three of these occur in February when the holidays are a distant memory but before spring allows people back outdoors (it also being a sweeps month). In a way though, the 2010s are sort of having a revival of the portable TVs popular in the '70s/'80s, but via smartphone and with a different streaming method. Still, we still have major networks/"flagship" channels (ABC/NBC/CBS/FOX, CBC/CTV/Global, BBC1/2/ITV, etc. that have the heritage of being the primary channels and are still big enough companies to promote heavily, similar to the biggest movie studios/record labels. There is plenty of talent out there, the problem is that its harder to find the greats stacked against the many more mediocres, and with so many decades of archives available for past TV, there will be more people (like myself) stuck in the past with regards to whats on TV, similar to music in that you stick with the oldies and not the current artists/new styles.

Yeah, but the majority of Americans don't care about cable anymore. All they care about related to TV is subscription services like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime.


I don't watch a lot of cable as much as I used to myself, I watch it occasionally.

LOST anyone?


I guess the 2000s were the last decade of the Television Event, since everybody back then had cable. So, they could be hyped on the latest episodes of Lost, Law and Order and if you had HBO, The Sopranos.

I was thinking the other day how big will "The Finale" of "American Idol" be in the ratings.

I was thinking the other day how big will "The Finale" of "American Idol" be in the ratings.


American Idol is actually ending? Holy crap, I never knew it was ending after 13 years of being on the air.

American Idol is actually ending? Holy crap, I never knew it was ending after 13 years of being on the air.
Well....when "The Finale" actually happens...whatever year that is.

Well....when "The Finale" actually happens...whatever year that is.


Wait, it's not being aired this year.

American Idol is actually ending? Holy crap, I never knew it was ending after 13 years of being on the air.


The ratings were crap after the past couple of years.

The ratings were crap after the past couple of years.


I guess people prefer watching something else than Fox. Besides, they aren't doing good with their audiences nowadays.