The Great Sitcom Goodbyes

Last call at the bar

When Cheers closed its doors in 1993, about 80.4 million people came to say goodbye, according to Nielsen figures reported by the Associated Press. That puts it second on the all-time list of most-watched series finales in the United States, behind only M*A*S*H.

It was the end of a comfortable habit for millions of viewers, who had spent years visiting the same Boston bar every week. A finale like that is less like an episode and more like a farewell party.

Cheers had run for 11 seasons on NBC, so for many fans the finale felt like closing time at a real neighbourhood hangout. The network gave it the full event treatment, and the audience turned up in force.

The show about nothing says goodbye

On May 14, 1998, Seinfeld wrapped up its nine-season run on NBC. Around 76 million people tuned in. The hype was enormous, and the finale has been debated ever since: some fans loved it, plenty did not, and entertainment writers still list it among television's most talked-about endings.

That is the delicious part of any big finale, darling. Everybody watches, and then everybody has an opinion.

Friends, one last time

In May 2004, Friends ended after ten seasons. Preliminary Nielsen numbers released the next day estimated 51.1 million viewers, and the commonly cited final figure is about 52.5 million. Just under 36 million people also watched a highlights special in the hour before the finale.

The AP noted that the Friends goodbye was the second most-watched show of that year, behind only the Super Bowl. Fans finally got the romantic ending they had waited a decade for.

Why the numbers keep shrinking

Look at the trend: about 106 million for M*A*S*H in 1983, about 80 million for Cheers, about 76 million for Seinfeld and about 52 million for Friends. The shows were all massive hits, but audiences were spreading out across more channels, and later across streaming. A modern finale can be just as beloved and still never touch those totals.

For Drama Momma, that is what makes these goodbyes so special. Each one marked the end of a show people had welcomed into their homes every week for close to a decade, and each became a shared night that fans still talk about. The ratings tell you how many people watched, but the reaction the next morning tells you how much they cared.

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