As long tv been around there also been hit shows. Some shows end while on top in the ratings (Cheers,M*A*S*H).But this thread is for hit shows that ended so bad in the ratings. An example would be The Jeffersons last season ranking 78th in the ratings.

LEGIONS of shows have finished with a "Whimper". When a TV Series is past it's peak, it is said to have "Jumped the Shark" in referance to an episode of Happy Days where Fonzie (Henry Winkler) Jumps over a Shark while waterskiing.

finished its' seventh and last season out of the Top 30. I believe it finished in 35th place.

The Drew Carey Show finished bad. It had gotten an early 2 season renewal and ABC ran those episodes off during the summer twice. Some of the shows weren't even in order.

The Original Hawaii Five-O finished with it's ratings going down the drain. The fact that CBS would frequently pre-empt the show for as long as a month for some kind of "Special" didn't help either. I'm certain there where those who, not seeing the show on it's scheduled slot, decided the show was already cancelled and went on to watch something else.

Scrubs. Its second season saw an average of close to 15 million. Season 9's average was in the 3-4 million range.

Roseanne

From season one to seven, it ranked anywhere from #1 to #9.

Season eight - 16th place
Season nine - 32nd place

It basically went from an average of 21 million in season one to an average of 9.80 million in season nine.

Roseanne

From season one to seven, it ranked anywhere from #1 to #9.

Season eight - 16th place
Season nine - 32nd place

It basically went from an average of 21 million in season one to an average of 9.80 million in season nine.

Where did you find these rankings at? Just wondering :) I believe Roseanne was hitting 30-35 million viewers for some episodes in its first 3 seasons, and peaked a couple times at 40 million. From ratings I've seen, it was really all over the place from week to week back in the day; one week it would hit 35 million, the next it would be down to 25 million.

But in the years between season 2 and 9 was when people stopped watching as much network tv. 4 mil is what good sitcoms get now if they're lucky.

Um what?

Yes, network tv has declined but the sitcoms that get more than "4 mil" are:

ABC: The Middle, Better With You, Modern Family, Mr. Sunshine, Cougar Town
CBS: How I Met Your Mother, Rules of Engagement, Two and a Half Men, Mike & Molly, The Big Bang Theory, $#*! My Dad Says, Mad Love
NBC: Community (usually), 30 Rock, The Office, Parks and Recreation
FOX: Raising Hope

Please note that's pretty much all the current sitcoms on broadcast networks except for a few that are cancelled or nearly cancelled....

Where did you find these rankings at? Just wondering :) I believe Roseanne was hitting 30-35 million viewers for some episodes in its first 3 seasons, and peaked a couple times at 40 million. From ratings I've seen, it was really all over the place from week to week back in the day; one week it would hit 35 million, the next it would be down to 25 million.
Sorry, I misread the wikipedia article, those were households.

Heres a source for ratings (in viewers): http://www.tv.com/roseanne/roseanne-nielsen-ratings/topic/170-1044769/msgs.html

The Facts Of Life. By the time season 8 rolled around the series was starting to decline in the ratings and it's averages were shrinking; it was pulling down averages for all of NBC's other Saturday night shows. It's a miracle really they lived to even see a season 9.

Ditto with 227, I'll never understand how it wasn't canceled after season 3.

Season 2: #14 18.90 Rating
Season 3: #28 16.44 Rating
Season 4: #60 11.53 rating

Look how dramatically it declined.

The western drama Bonanza was a Top 20 show from 1960 until 1972. In the final season, it was moved from Sundays to Tuesdays. The schedule change (as well as the death of one of its stars, Dan Blocker) resulted in a ratings burial for the show, and in January 1973, it became the longest-running series to be cancelled at midseason.

I was going to cite "Melrose Place" because i thought it was an example of this, but looking at the ratings, It was actually didn't lose that many viewers. It still had more than 8 million viewers its last season (8.40 million), down from 10.something at it's peak. Not a huge decline. Although it's season ranking did drop to 95 from 50-something at it's peak.

Dallas for sure. From 1980 to 1985 it never dropped lower than #2 in the ratings. Then things changed, and in 1991 in its last season, the show finished around the #60's in the ratings.

Dynasty, too. I believe it was #1 in season 5, then started to drop after that. By season 9, (despite being one of the best, IMHO), it had dropped into the 50's and was canceled.

Beverly Hills, 90210 was very clear experiencing audience erosion during it's run. At it's peak the show as seen by 21.7 million viewers and ranked #41 for the season; But by the last season ratings dropped to 8.33 million viewers and finished 82nd for the season.

You can really see the ratings start dropping with season 5:

Season 4: 21.7 million viewers; #41 for season
Season 5: 14.7 million viewers; #46 for season
Season 6: 14.5 million viewers; #53 for season
Season 7: 13.2 million viewers; #61 for season
Season 8: 11.4 million viewers; # 59 for season ----they lost almost two million viewers season to season!
Season 9: 9.7 million viewers; #75 for season
Season 10: 8.33 million viewers; #82 for season--- they lost more than half the audience that had watched during season 5 and 6...

Although at the time of it's cancellation most publications cited not ratings; but high production costs and the expected mass exodus of the cast as the primary reason for it's getting the axe. At this point Jason Priestly had left; Luke Perry twice; Tiffani Thissen; Gabrielle Cateries and it was expected that Brian Austin Green, Tori Spelling and Jennie Garth were going to leave as well by seasons end. All their contracts were up for renewal and most had expressed desire to move on from the project. Plus, FOX was changing their programming style and replacing old shows with newer, younger fare. The Aaron Spelling soaps that once held the schedule together were being replaced by crisper, hipper, more gritty fare.

Diff'rent Strokes - was a Top 30 show in at least 3 of its early seasons fell to its new HIGH-low ratings when it moved to ABC in its 8th and final season, ranking as low as 76 out of 106 shows.

I have a good one.
Empty Nest
1988–89 Season: 19.2 rating 17.35 million households: #9
1989–90 Season: 18.9 rating 17.40 million households: #9
1990–91 Season: 16.7 rating 15.54 million households: #7
1991–92 Season: 14.3 rating 14.17 million households: #23
1992-93 Season: 10.96 million viewer: #45
1993-94 Season: 9.46 million viewers: #62
1994-95 Season: 6.90 miillion viewers: #118

The midseason replacements Angie and the Ropers started out very strong in the Nielsen Ratings, but after timeslot changes to a day other than Tuesday, the shows were buried in the Nielsen ratings and as a result, the shows were released from their contracts by the end of their second season.

If a burial from #9 in Season 6 to #39 by its 14th and final season were to count, Knots Landing would be the type of show.

I have a good one.
Empty Nest
1988–89 Season: 19.2 rating 17.35 million households: #9
1989–90 Season: 18.9 rating 17.40 million households: #9
1990–91 Season: 16.7 rating 15.54 million households: #7
1991–92 Season: 14.3 rating 14.17 million households: #23
1992-93 Season: 10.96 million viewer: #45
1993-94 Season: 9.46 million viewers: #62
1994-95 Season: 6.90 miillion viewers: #118also in the last 2 seasons of empty nest the writing quality plumeted along with the ratings i predict massive channel changing if hallmark ever show ep from seasons 6 and 7

also in the last 2 seasons of empty nest the writing quality plumeted along with the ratings i predict massive channel changing if hallmark ever show ep from seasons 6 and 7

I liked the first 5 seasons of Empty Nest, but they ruined the show by moving Harry to that Canal St. Clinic and adding Maxine to the cast.

I liked the first 5 seasons of Empty Nest, but they ruined the show by moving Harry to that Canal St. Clinic and adding Maxine to the cast.

I think the last two seasons were great. I loved the addition of Maxine. It was great.