ALL-TIME TELEVISION RANKINGS
ALL-TIME TOP 75 SHOWS ON TV
RANKED BY PERCENTAGE OF POPULATION VIEWING
Including All Sports Broadcasts
RANK | DATE | SHOW/EPISODE | RATING | SHARE | TV HOMES | ESTIMATED | % OF U.S. POP AT TIME | | | | (per Nielsen Media Research) | TV VIEWERS | (per U.S. Census Bureau) | 01 | 02/28/83 | M*A*S*H (150 min. finale movie) | 60.2 | 77 | 50,150,000 | 105,970,000 | 46.95% |
02 | 02/09/64 | Ed Sullivan - Beatles' 1st | 45.3 | 60 | 23,240,000 | 73,000,000 | 40.56% |
03 | 02/16/64 | Ed Sullivan - Beatles' 2nd | 43.8 | 60 | 22,445,000 | 70,701,000 | 39.29% |
04 | 01/24/82 | Super Bowl XVI | 49.1 | 73 | 40,020,000 | 85,243,000 | 38.13% |
05 | 11/21/80 | Dallas ("Who Shot J.R.?") | 53.3 | 76 | 41,470,000 | 83,064,000 | 37.78% |
06 | 05/20/93 | Cheers (100 min. finale special) | 45.5 | 64 | 42,360,500 | 93,050,000 | 37.45% |
07 | 01/25/87 | Super Bowl XXI | 45.8 | 66 | 40,030,000 | 87,185,000 | 37.24% |
08 | 01/28/96 | Super Bowl XXX | 46.0 | 68 | 44,114,400 | 94,100,000 | 36.72% |
09 | 01/30/83 | Super Bowl XVII | 48.6 | 69 | 40,480,000 | 80,960,000 | 35.87% |
10 | 01/26/86 | Super Bowl XX | 48.3 | 70 | 41,490,000 | 82,980,000 | 35.78% |
11 | 01/20/85 | Super Bowl XIX | 46.4 | 63 | 39,390,000 | 78,780,000 | 34.27% |
12 | 01/29/94 | Super Bowl XXVIII | 45.5 | 66 | 42,860,000 | 85,720,000 | 34.13% |
13 | 01/22/84 | Super Bowl XVIII | 46.4 | 71 | 38,800,000 | 77,604,000 | 34.07% |
14 | 01/31/93 | Super Bowl XXVII | 45.1 | 66 | 41,988,100 | 83,976,200 | 33.80% |
15 | 01/25/98 | Super Bowl XXXII | 44.5 | 67 | 43,630,000 | 87,260,000 | 33.37% |
16 | 02/23/64 | Ed Sullivan - Beatles' 3rd | 38.9 | 56 | 19,960,000 | 59,280,000 | 33.27% |
17 | 01/22/89 | Super Bowl XXIII | 43.5 | 68 | 39,320,000 | 78,640,000 | 33.04% |
18 | 01/26/97 | Super Bowl XXXI | 43.3 | 65 | 42,000,000 | 84,000,000 | 32.44% |
19 | 01/30/77 | Roots (mini-series - 2 hrs finale) | 51.1 | 71 | 36,380,000 | 69,122,000 | 32.29% |
20 | 01/27/91 | Super Bowl XXV | 41.9 | 63 | 39,010,000 | 78,020,000 | 32.15% |
21 | 01/20/80 | Super Bowl XIV | 46.3 | 67 | 35,330,000 | 70,660,000 | 32.14% |
22 | 01/21/79 | Super Bowl XIII | 47.1 | 74 | 35,090,000 | 70,180,000 | 32.12% |
23 | 01/30/00 | Super Bowl XXXIV | 43.3 | 63 | 43,618,000 | 87,236,000 | 31.89% |
24 | 01/15/78 | Super Bowl XII | 47.2 | 67 | 34,410,000 | 68,820,000 | 31.50% |
25 | 02/01/04 | Super Bowl XXXVIII | 41.3 | 63 | 44,604,000 | 89,608,000 | 31.49% |
26 | 01/31/88 | Super Bowl XXII | 41.9 | 62 | 37,120,000 | 74,240,000 | 31.46% |
27 | 02/23/94 | 1994 Olympics Women's Skating | 48.5 | 64 | 45,690,000 | 78,775,000 | 31.36% |
28 | 01/25/81 | Super Bowl XV | 44.4 | 63 | 34,540,000 | 69,080,000 | 31.20% |
29 | 01/29/95 | Super Bowl XXIX | 41.3 | 62 | 39,400,000 | 78,800,000 | 31.07% |
30 | 11/20/83 | The Day After (145 min. TV movie) | 46.0 | 62 | 38,550,000 | 69,984,000 | 31.00% |
31 | 01/26/03 | Super Bowl XXXVII | 40.7 | 61 | 43,433,000 | 86,866,000 | 30.86% |
32 | 01/10/82 | NFC Championship | 42.9 | 62 | 34,940,000 | 68,696,000 | 30.73% |
33 | 02/03/02 | Super Bowl XXXVI | 40.4 | 61 | 42,664,000 | 85,328,000 | 30.59% |
34 | 11/07/76 | Gone With the Wind (TV premiere) | 47.7 | 65 | 33,960,000 | 64,524,000 | 30.45% |
35 | 01/31/99 | Super Bowl XXXIII | 40.2 | 61 | 39,992,000 | 79,984,000 | 30.32% |
36 | 11/08/76 | Gone with the Wind (Part 2) | 47.4 | 64 | 33,750,000 | 64,125,000 | 30.27% |
37 | 01/26/92 | Super Bowl XXVI | 40.3 | 61 | 37,120,000 | 74,240,000 | 30.25% |
38 | 01/28/01 | Super Bowl XXXV | 40.4 | 61 | 41,270,000 | 82,540,000 | 29.92% |
39 | 01/28/90 | Super Bowl XXIV | 39.0 | 63 | 35,920,000 | 71,840,000 | 29.90% |
40 | 01/09/77 | Super Bowl XI | 44.4 | 73 | 31,610,000 | 63,220,000 | 29.53% |
41 | 02/25/94 | 1994 Olympics Women's Skating | 44.1 | 64 | 41,540,000 | 73,473,000 | 29.25% |
42 | 01/28/77 | Roots (Part 6) | 45.9 | 66 | 32,680,000 | 62,092,000 | 29.00% |
43 | 01/27/77 | Roots (Part 5) | 45.7 | 71 | 32,540,000 | 61,826,000 | 28.85% |
44 | 03/29/83 | The Thorn Birds (Part 3) | 43.2 | 62 | 35,990,000 | 64,782,000 | 28.70% |
45 | 03/30/83 | The Thorn Birds (Part 4) | 43.1 | 62 | 35,900,000 | 64,620,000 | 28.63% |
46 | 01/25/77 | Roots (Part 3) | 44.8 | 68 | 31,900,000 | 60,610,000 | 28.31% |
47 | 03/28/83 | The Thorn Birds (Part 2) | 42.5 | 59 | 35,400,000 | 63,720,000 | 28.23% |
48 | 01/24/77 | Roots (Part 2) | 44.1 | 62 | 31,400,000 | 59,660,000 | 27.87% |
49 | 01/18/76 | Super Bowl X | 42.3 | 78 | 29,440,000 | 58,880,000 | 27.79% |
50 | 01/22/87 | Cosby (episode) | 41.3 | 56 | 36,100,000 | 64,980,000 | 27.76% |
51 | 01/12/75 | Super Bowl IX | 42.4 | 72 | 29,040,000 | 58,080,000 | 27.68% |
52 | 01/26/77 | Roots (Part 4) | 43.8 | 66 | 31,190,000 | 59,261,000 | 27.68% |
53 | 01/16/72 | Super Bowl VI | 44.2 | 74 | 27,450,000 | 55,340,000 | 27.30% |
54 | 02/13/83 | The Winds of War (Part 7) | 41.0 | 56 | 34,150,000 | 61,470,000 | 27.23% |
55 | 08/29/67 | The Fugitive (Final episode) | 45.9 | 72 | 25,700,000 | 51,400,000 | 27.05% |
56 | 01/14/73 | Super Bowl VII | 42.7 | 72 | 27,670,000 | 55,340,000 | 26.98% |
57 | 02/07/83 | The Winds of War (Part 2) | 40.2 | 54 | 33,490,000 | 60,282,000 | 26.70% |
58 | 01/13/74 | Super Bowl VIII | 41.6 | 73 | 27,540,000 | 55,080,000 | 26.53% |
59 | 09/12/65 | Ed Sullivan - Beatles' 4th | 31.0 | 50 | 16,650,000 | 47,452,000 | 26.37% |
60 | 05/14/98 | Seinfeld (Series Finale) | 40.1 | 58 | 40,510,000 | 68,867,000 | 26.34% |
61 | 11/11/73 | Airport (TV premiere) | 42.3 | 63 | 28,000,000 | 53,200,000 | 25.93% |
62 | 10/01/72 | Love Story (TV premiere) | 42.3 | 62 | 27,410,000 | 52,079,000 | 25.69% |
63 | 01/14/71 | Bob Hope Christmas Special | 45.0 | 61 | 27,050,000 | 51,395,000 | 25.65% |
64 | 01/23/77 | Roots (Part 1) | 40.5 | 61 | 28,840,000 | 54,796,000 | 25.60% |
65 | 11/09/80 | Dallas | 40.0 | 59 | 31,120,000 | 56,016,000 | 25.47% |
66 | 10/21/80 | 1980 World Series (6th Game) | 40.0 | 60 | 31,120,000 | 56,016,000 | 25.47% |
67 | 02/10/93 | Oprah - Michael Jackson | 39.3 | 56 | 36,590,000 | 62,203,000 | 25.03% |
68 | 01/25/98 | Super Bowl Post-Game Show | 33.4 | 50 | 32,680,000 | 65,360,000 | 25.00% |
69 | 10/22/75 | 1975 World Series (7th Game) | 39.6 | 60 | 27,560,000 | 52,364,000 | 24.96% |
70 | 01/08/64 | Beverly Hillbillies (episode) | 44.0 | 65 | 22,570,000 | 45,140,000 | 24.69% |
71 | 01/17/71 | Super Bowl V | 39.9 | 75 | 23,980,000 | 47,960,000 | 23.93% |
72 | 01/15/67 | Super Bowl I | 41.1 | 79 | 22,570,000 | 45,140,000 | 23.76% |
73 | 01/11/70 | Super Bowl IV | 39.4 | 69 | 23,050,000 | 46,100,000 | 23.28% |
74 | 11/07/80 | Dallas | 38.2 | 61 | 29,720,000 | 50,524,000 | 22.98% |
75 | 03/23/98 | 1998 Academy Awards | 34.9 | 55 | 34,160,000 | 58,072,000 | 22.21% |
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