I just wanted to hear Smelly Cat one more time.

I know I'm off (but still close) in these numbers, but on the radio
they said the finale of other shows ranked-
MASH-105 million
Cheers-80
Seinfeld-76
Friends-51-52 (actual numbers not released)

Please correct these if you heard it too.

Phoebe was singing it during the retrospective hour.

Probably not far off.

But a few things have to be remembered: When M*A*S*H ran, and when the finale aired, there were only three broadcast networks (four if you count PBS) and relatively few cable networks. The same was still somewhat true when Cheers began its run. Now, there are scores of channel options on most TV sets, so it is not surprising that newer shows and finales, however big, garner smaller audiences.

Also, when the M*A*SH finale ran, there were no VCRs or Tivos. People made plans to be at home (or at a party, like I was) watching TV, where the Nielson folks could count them. Perhaps a more apt comparison for now would be to try to guage not only how many people watched the Friends finale when it was actually airing, but how many others (like Ms. MysticCat and me) recorded it to watch later.

Apparently, I was too busy wiping my tears when the credits were rolling ~ my boyfriend says that the final episode of Friends is being released on DVD tomorrow (Tuesday). Is this true?

that is correct.

Thanks :)

MysticCat81 I thought of that too a bit later, (except the VCR part) and it really does seem logical. Either way, 50 million ANYthing is a LOT!

I don't hold on to this kind of info for too long. Anyone remember how many people watched the Super Bowl? How does this compare to other big TV events?

CBS reported around 140 million viewers, which if accurate made it the most watched Super Bowl in history, and one of the most watched shows ever.

Again, we have to factor in VCRs and Tivos though. Few people are going to record the Super Bowl, unless they know they can watch it before they hear who won. So, it's more like the M*A*S*H finale -- if you're going to watch it at all, you're going to watch it live.

140m million! WOW! Thanks!

Yeah the finale was the second higest rated broadcast this year, behind the Super Bowl.

http://www.eonline.com/News/Items/0,1,14056,00.html

lol! My bf just loves Jennifer and wants her for himself. :rolleyes:
Anyway, he was yelling at the tv, "Stay on the plane! Do not get off the plane!" It was funny!

Your boyfriend is obviously a man of taste, Peaches-n-Cream. But we already knew that, didn't we? ;)

I guess I can understand why she didn't play a big role - because they wanted to try to keep it to the original 6. But I definitely agree with the people who said that it was weird that neither Rachel nor Ross said anything about the fact that Ross would not be able to see his daughter. :rolleyes:

What about his son, Ben?