YEAR, TITLE, NETWORK, ESTIMATED AUDIENCE

[50-51] Texaco Star Theatre NBC 6,283,200
[51-52] Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts CBS 8,231,400
[52-53] I Love Lucy CBS 13,729,200
[53-54] I Love Lucy CBS 15,288,000
[54-55] I Love Lucy CBS 15,135,100
[55-56] The $64,000 Question CBS 16,577,500
[56-57] I Love Lucy CBS 16,999,300
[57-58] Gunsmoke CBS 18,067,520
[58-59] Gunsmoke CBS 17,404,200
[59-60] Gunsmoke CBS 18,437,250
[60-61] Gunsmoke CBS 17,605,600
[61-62] Wagon Train NBC 15,586,155
[62-63] The Beverly Hillbillies CBS 18,108,000
[63-64] The Beverly Hillbillies CBS 20,175,600
[64-65] Bonanza NBC 19,130,100
[65-66] Bonanza NBC 17,124,300
[66-67] Bonanza NBC 16,042,830
[67-68] The Andy Griffith Show CBS 15,640,920
[68-69] Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In NBC 18,523,500
[69-70] Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In NBC 15,385,500
[70-71] Marcus Welby, M.D. ABC 17,789,600
[71-72] All in the Family CBS 21,114,000
[72-73] All in the Family CBS 21,578,400
[73-74] All in the Family CBS 20,654,400
[74-75] All in the Family CBS 20,687,000
[75-76] All in the Family CBS 20,949,600
[76-77] Happy Days ABC 22,428,000
[77-78] Laverne & Shirley ABC 23,036,400
[78-79] Laverne & Shirley ABC 22,722,500
[79-80] 60 Minutes CBS 21,669,200
[80-81] Dallas CBS 27,565,500
[81-82] Dallas CBS 23,146,000
[82-83] 60 Minutes CBS 21,241,500
[83-84] Dallas CBS 21,536,600
[84-85] Dynasty ABC 21,225,000
[85-86] The Cosby Show NBC 28,948,300
[86-87] The Cosby Show NBC 30,502,600 *one of these is the wrong number
[87-88] The Cosby Show NBC 30,502,600 *one of these is the wrong number
[88-89] The Cosby Show NBC 23,142,400
[89-90] The Cosby Show NBC 21,275,100
[90-91] Cheers NBC 19,830,300
[91-92] 60 Minutes CBS 20,169,900
[92-93] 60 Minutes CBS 20,388,900
[93-94] 60 Minutes CBS 19,687,800
[94-95] Seinfeld NBC 19,652,400
[95-96] ER NBC 21,098,000
[96-97] ER NBC 20,564,000
[97-98] Seinfeld NBC 21,266,000
[98-99] ER NBC 17,693,200
[99-00] Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? (Tue.) ABC ??
[00-01] ??
[01-02] ??
[02-03] ??
[03-04] ??
[04-05] American Idol (Tue.) FOX 27,322,000

ugh, that is just sick that American Idol is the most-watched #1 series since Cosby's peak.

Some of those shows were tied with oher shows for #1. Overall, pretty accurate.

so no one knows the highest rated shows from 01-04?

It's a toss up between CSI and American Idol. Though 'Friends' was #1 during the 2001-2002 season.

ugh, that is just sick that American Idol is the most-watched #1 series since Cosby's peak.

I don't think the others are total viewers. AI's 27 million are for total viewers, while the rest of that list is the number of households I believe.

I don't think the others are total viewers. AI's 27 million are for total viewers, while the rest of that list is the number of households I believe.

You are quite correct. If you adjust for the total number of households in each year and the overall household rating, The Cosby Show comes out as the most watched tv show of all time, which was right before network tv ratings really started to go south.

And Roseanne was number one in 87-88 and 88-89 with a 25.3 and a 23.3 rating, respectively.

This list does address an interesting thing though- actual household ratings continue to decrease because the total number of households is continually increasing. For instance, CSI finished the season with a 16.5 rating, give or take, out of 109.3 million households. In 1990, that would have been a 19.8 rating because there were 91.3 million households at that time. In 1980, that would have been a 23 rating.

Man Bill Cosby owns TV! :lol:

American Idol was number one for '03-'04 also, according to the Entertainment Weekly list I mentioned in this thread (http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=112051) though I think some other place mentioned it might have been C.S.I.

Man Bill Cosby owns TV! :lol:

And Mr Cosby and his show were a phenomenal international success to!

I read somewhere that more people have seen The Cosby Show than any other show, ever.

I believe 00-01 was Friends and 02-03 and 03-04 were CSI, but I have no idea what was 01-02.

Please explain how Idol can be #1 when it only airs half the season??? :confused:

Please explain how Idol can be #1 when it only airs half the season??? :confused:


Based on average audience share per episode, no matter how many episodes of a particular series aired during the season. That's why you'll see, if you check the Directory to Prime Time book, ABC's Chicken Soup tied as that season's #13 show for the '89-'90 season when it only aired from September to November '89. It's based on how the show did when it aired, not by the number of episodes, though that does figure into the averages.

By the way the Directory to Prime Time book lists these as the top shows (by ratings, as opposed to estimated audience numbers)

[00-01] Survivor CBS 17.4 rating
[01-02] Friends NBC 15.0 rating
[02-03] C.S.I. Crime Scene Investigation CBS 16.3 rating

By the way the Directory to Prime Time book lists these as the top shows (by ratings, as opposed to estimated audience numbers)

[00-01] Survivor CBS 17.4 rating
[01-02] Friends NBC 15.0 rating
[02-03] C.S.I. Crime Scene Investigation CBS 16.3 rating


That's the important thing to remember- household ratings and overall audience numbers can be a very, very different thing depending on how many people per household watch a show. "CSI" was the number on show last season in HH, but AI was number 1 in viewers. At 27.3mil and a 15.7 rating, Idol averaged 1.57 viewers pero household, while CSI, at a 16.3 rating and 26.6 million viewers, averaged 1.49 viewers per household. This is why HH ratings are such an archaic measure- they really don't tell much about how many viewers are actually watching.