Hi everybody.

I'm new to this website, and I especially enjoy checking out the old Nielsen ratings, so I'd thought I'd post one from an old season myself.

I found this list from an old TV Guide(it was on Google books, but I was able to write down the complete list using the snippet view and write it down).

Here are the complete ratings list from the 1984-85 TV season
(Note: I was only able to see the snippet view from the TV Guide, so there may be some errors. This list also is in my opinion, incomplete, as there is none of the movies included, but it is the list that TV Guide has published).

1984-85 TV season - 9/24/84 to 4/21/85


1. Dynasty – ABC- 25.0/37
2. Dallas – CBS – 24.7/39
3. The Cosby Show – NBC - 24.1/37
4. 60 Minutes – CBS – 22.2/35
5. Family Ties – NBC – 22.0/33
6. The A-Team – NBC – 21.9/33
7. Simon & Simon – CBS – 21.8/33
8. Murder, She Wrote– CBS – 20.1/30
9. Knots Landing– CBS – 20.0/33
10. Falcon Crest – CBS – 19.9/34
Crazy Like a Fox – CBS – 19.9/29
12. Hotel – ABC – 19.7/33
13. Cheers – NBC – 19.6/29
14. Riptide – NBC – 19.2/29
15. Magnum, P.I – CBS – 19.1/29
16. Newhart – CBS – 18.4/28
17. Kate & Allie – CBS – 18.3/27
18. Highway to Heaven – NBC – 17.7/27
19. Night Court – NBC – 17.6/27
20. Scarecrow and Mrs. King – CBS – 17.1/26
TV’s Bloopers & Practical Jokes – NBC – 17.1/26
The Fall Guy – ABC – 17.1/26
23. Remington Steele – NBC – 17.0/29
Monday Night Football – ABC – 17.0/28
Webster – ABC – 17.0/28
26. Cagney & Lacey – CBS – 16.9/28
27. Trapper John, M.D – CBS – 16.8/28
28. Hill Street Blues – NBC – 16.6/27
Knight Rider – NBC – 16.6/24
30. The Facts of Life – NBC – 16.2/24
31. Who’s The Boss – ABC – 15.8/24
32. Hardcastle & McCormick – ABC – 15.7/23
33. Benson – ABC – 15.5/25
34. The Love Boat – ABC – 15.3/26
35. Mr. Belvedere – ABC – 15.1/25
36. MacGruder & Loud – ABC – 14.9/23
37. Diff’rent Strokes – NBC – 14.7/25
38. Sara – NBC – 14.5/22
Three’s a Crowd – ABC – 14.5/22
40. Miami Vice – NBC – 14.4/24
41. Gimme a Break! – NBC – 14.2/24
42. 20/20 – ABC – 14.1/23
43. Double Trouble – NBC – 13.8/23
T.J. Hooker – ABC – 13.8/23
The Dukes of Hazzard – CBS – 13.8/22
46. Finder of Lost Loves – ABC – 13.7/25
Street Hawk – ABC – 13.7/21
48. Foul Ups, Bleeps, Blunders – ABC – 13.6/22
49. St. Elsewhere – NBC – 13.4/22
50. Cover Up – CBS – 13.3/24
Airwolf – CBS – 13.3/22
52. Moonlighting – ABC – 13.2/23
It’s Your Move – NBC – 13.2/21
The Jeffersons – CBS – 13.2/20
55. Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer – CBS – 13.1/22
Charles in Charge – CBS – 13.1/21
57. V – NBC – 12.8/20
58. Alice – CBS – 12.5/18
59. Matt Houston – ABC – 12.4/21
60. E/R – CBS – 12.2/19
61. Codename: Foxfire – NBC – 12.1/20
62. Off the Rack – ABC – 12.0/19
63. Detective in the House – CBS – 11.8/20
Spencer – NBC -11.8/20
Paper Dolls – ABC -11.8/19
66. Call to Glory – ABC – 11.7/18
67. Hunter – NBC – 11.6/19
68. Ripley’s Believe it or Not – ABC – 11.5/18
69. Punky Brewster – NBC – 11.3/18
70. Partners in Crime – NBC – 11.2/20
Jessie – ABC – 11.2/19
72. AfterMASH – CBS – 11.1/18
73. Hawaiian Heat – ABC – 10.6/17
74. Otherworld – CBS – 10.4/17
Silver Spoons – NBC – 10.4/17
76. Hot Pursuit – NBC – 9.7/18
77. Berrenger’s – NBC – 9.3/16

I've never understood how they can figure out exactly how many people watch certain shows. The only way that would be possible is if they had a box in every single home. I had a family member that was part of the 'Nelson family' as she called it years ago. She didn't understand either and like myself believed the numbers couldn't have been accurate. She said she felt it was more of a hypothesis.

But there is no doubt that TV was better years ago. My husband and I find it almost impossible to find things to watch today and we give new shows a chance out of pure desperation. We are down to 4 shows per week right now.

Look at all those classics. TV was great back then.

Only 6 sitcoms were in the top 20.

Look at all those classics. TV was great back then.
Yes it was.

Thanks for the list, back then TV Guide didn't include movie nights, can you find full ratings list for 1980-81, 1981-82, 1982-83, 1983-84, 1987-88 and 1988-89 TV seasons?

My god, any show on TV producer today would literally be thrilled to have ratings anywhere near what those shows were getting. Hell even the lowest rated show in 1984 gets higher ratings than the highest rated shows today.

My god, any show on TV producer today would literally be thrilled to have ratings anywhere near what those shows were getting. Hell even the lowest rated show in 1984 gets higher ratings than the highest rated shows today.

TBBT and NCIS would have been in Top 50 with DVR numbers, little higher with streaming, also people meters came in 1987, so we don't know how many viewers these show had back then.

I remember that edition of TV Guide, but no longer have it. Thanks for posting. :)

I've never understood how they can figure out exactly how many people watch certain shows. The only way that would be possible is if they had a box in every single home. I had a family member that was part of the 'Nelson family' as she called it years ago. She didn't understand either and like myself believed the numbers couldn't have been accurate. She said she felt it was more of a hypothesis.

But there is no doubt that TV was better years ago. My husband and I find it almost impossible to find things to watch today and we give new shows a chance out of pure desperation. We are down to 4 shows per week right now.


It is based on averages with each Neilsen Box representing a certain number of viewers. That is my best understanding of how it works.