When a TV show gets a big rating, you know that America is watching. It’s rare that our fractious populace can unite behind one thing, but in the case of these five top-rated TV shows, they did:
- M.A.S.H. was one of the most popular TV shows of all time, but that doesn’t explain the incredible turnout for the show’s finale in 1983. 50 million households tuned in for the show, a staggering 60% of homes that had a TV set.
- Dallas was one of the landmark nighttime soap operas ever aired, and the “Who Shot J.R.” storyline was its peak. The episode that solved the mystery of the Texas oil baron’s assailant aired in 1980 and was watched by 41 million people.
- Roots, Alex Haley’s epic story of slavery and redemption, was one of the most popular television miniseries of all time. The finale of the story aired in January of 1977 and, buoyed by strong word of mouth from the prior episodes, drew an audience of 36 million.
- Super Bowl XVI is one of many football games that rank high on this list. The contest between the San Francisco 49ers and the Cincinnati Bengals in 1982 was watched by 40 million people.
- 1983’s Super Bowl XVII was also seen live by 40 million people.
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