The 20 most-watched TV episodes ever, ranked
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In today's streaming age, initial airings of important TV episodes are no longer the cultural events they once were.
According to Nielsen's measurements of the top network telecasts of all time, the top 20 most-watched TV episodes ever all date back at least a decade.
For example, the "Seinfeld" series finale, in 1998 — which had a very mixed reaction — was the most recent episode to crack the top 100.
Decades-old miniseries like "Roots" and "The Thorn Birds" and finale episodes of the most popular shows in TV history dominate the list.
We compiled the data from Nielsen on the most-watched broadcasts ever to create this list of the top episodes of TV.
Note: We've excluded all live broadcasts, including Super Bowls and award shows, as well as movies broadcast on TV, all of which appear prominently in Nielsen's top 100.
Check out the top 20 most-watched episodes of TV ever:
20. "All In The Family" — "Edith's Problem"
CBSRatings: 25.2 million viewers*
Date aired: January 8, 1972
Plot (from IMDb): "Edith's irritability as of late may be a sign of her going through menopause. Archie is frustrated when he finds out she can't possibly have her 'change of life' in 30 seconds."
*Nielsen's viewer ratings are determined by measuring the average audience in each minute of a program as a representation of the total number of people who watched the show.
19. "The Fugitive" — "The Judgment: Part 2" (Series Finale)
ABCRatings: 25.7 million viewers
Date aired: August 29, 1967
Plot: "Lt. Gerard agrees to work with Kimble for 24 hours to prove his innocence, because someone who may have been there when his wife was killed, posted bail for the one-armed man."
18. "Roots" — Part 1
ABCRatings: 28.8 million viewers
Date aired: January 23, 1977
Plot: "A dramatization of author Alex Haley's family line from ancestor Kunta Kinte's enslavement to his descendants' liberation."
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