http://1000words1000days.com/2012/09/day-250-the-big-spoiler/
List of the most 100 most watched finales in order, with descriptions in 10 words.
[SPOILER:fa8b4c0723]#100 – NewsRadio – 8.6 million: Jimmy James buys a radio station in New Hampshire. Bye!
#99 – Martin – 8.6 million: Martin and Gina both promoted, move to L.A; lazy writing.
#98 – Star Trek: Voyager – 8.8 million: They get home. Of course they get home! Come on!
#97 – 24 – 8.9 million: Jack is a fugitive (again). On the run (again). Movie?
#96 – Third Watch – 9.0 million: Grenade burns down station, third watch disbanded. Monroe, Cruz… dead?
#95 – The Pretender – 9.0 million: Creators have seriously been promising series finale since May, 2000.
#94 – Nash Bridges – 9.1 million: Canceled, no ending. Hey! Hunter Thompson was in the pilot!
#93 – A Different World – 9.3 million: Dwayne moves to Japan; Kim and Spencer engaged; Whitley pregnant.
#92 – Monk – 9.4 million: Wife’s killer commits suicide, Monk discovers he has a step-daughter.
#91 – The Unit – 9.6 million: One couple marries, another divorces. Could have lasted another season.
#90 – The District – 9.7 million: Cancelled; Craig T. Nelson waits five minutes, finds new work.
#89 – The Closer – 9.8 million: Brenda retires, spin-off airs right after. Kyra Sedgwick wanted out.
#88 – The Wizards Of Waverly Place – 9.8 million: Max runs shop, Justin declared Headmaster, Alex becomes family wizard.
#87 – Ellen – 9.9 million: Ellen came out, show became too serious. Cancelled – no finale.
#86 – Boston Legal – 9.9 million: Alan and Denny get sued, Paul gets promoted, wedding episode!
#85 – Cold Case – 10.0 million: Valens and Rush find sister, another case closed. Boom! Cancelled.
#84 – Boy Meets World – 10.0 million: Jack and Rachel join peace corps. The rest? New York!
#83 – That 70’s Show – 10.0 million: Kelso and Eric return, the gang counts down to 1980.
#82 – The West Wing – 10.1 million: Santos sworn in; Toby pardoned; Josh, Sam, Donna still Wing-ers.
#81 – Sisters – 10.1 million: Beatrice has a stroke and dies, Teddy is pregnant. Hugs!
#80 – Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman – 10.2 million: Colleen goes to medical school, Andrew proposes. Two movies ensue.
#79 – Melrose Place – 10.4 million: Eve’s in jail, Amanda and Peter fake dying and wed.
#78 – Highway To Heaven – 10.5 million: No real ending, Jonathan never ascends. A nation mourns deeply.
#77 – Grace Under Fire – 10.5 million: Bev moves in with Grace, hijinks ensue. No real closer.
#76 – Becker – 10.6 million: Becker complains, Jake plans on spending an inheritance. CBS cancels.
#75 – Sex And The City – 10.6 million: Charlotte adopts, Miranda matures, Big and Carrie: love in Paris.
#74 – Judging Amy – 10.8 million: Sick of judging, Amy quits and runs for US Senator.
#73 – Walker, Texas Ranger – 10.8 million: Walker becomes daddy, Trivette gets engaged, Chuck Norris whoops ass.
#72 – The Practice – 10.9 million: Firm closes; Eugene, a judge; Ellanor quits; cue the spin-off.
#71 – Picket Fences – 11.1 million: Three couples marry, Jimmy and Jill make up, hook up.
#70 – The Nanny – 11.1 million: CC and Niles marry, Fran gives birth amid nasally screams.
#69 – Without A Trace – 11.2 million: Jack and Sam are done; she’s with Brian. Another wedding!
#68 – Homicide: Life On The Street – 11.4 million: Bayliss quits, may have killed Ryland. Jesus, another finale wedding???
#67 – Ally McBeal – 11.5 million: Maddie has a breakdown; Ally moves on to New York.
#66 – Empty Nest – 11.6 million: Barbara returns and… seriously? They ended with a clip show?
#65 – The Sopranos – 11.9 million: Tony and family sit down for a meal. Don’t stop –
#64 – 3rd Rock From The Sun – 11.9 million: Dick reveals truth to Mary; family returns home without her.
#63 – Desperate Housewives – 11.9 million: Lynette to NYC; Gaby California; Bree Kentucky; Susan to somewhere.
#62 – Falcon Crest – 12.3 million: Another friggin’ wedding; Angela gives a speech, toasts ‘the land’.
#61 – Amen – 12.9 million: No episode summary, but I bet last word was: “Amen!”
#60 – Touched By An Angel – 12.9 million: Zack was Jesus, Monica gets promoted; Tess heads to God.
#59 – Coach – 13.1 million: Hayden retires, Dauber coaches Breakers; Jerry Van Dyke won’t leave.
#58 – The X-Files – 13.2 million: Mulder returns, goes to trial. Smoking man dead? Movie’s next.
#57 – Life Goes On – 13.2 million: Corky gets married, Becca has a kid, dog finally eats.
#56 – Providence – 13.3 million: Wedding episode (surprise!). Another season was expected, but never happened.
#55 – Doogie Howser, M.D. – 13.4 million: Doogie resigns, leaves for Rome with probably loads of cash.
#54 – The King of Queens – 13.5 million: Doug and Carrie adopt baby, get pregnant. Arthur weds. (sigh)
#53 – Evening Shade – 13.5 million: Willie Nelson! Buzz Aldrin! Big shoot-out! Beats another damn wedding.
#52 – Lost – 13.6 million: They were dead (maybe). So confusing. Hurley protects the island.
#51 – Mr. Belvedere – 13.8 million: Mr. Belvedere weds, leaves Owenses to be British in Africa.
#50 – JAG – 14.0 million: Harm, Mac (guess what?) get married! Another fade to black.
#49 – Wings – 14.2 million: Joe to Vienna for a year; Brian stays. They’re rich.
#48 – Beverly Hills, 90210 – 14.4 million: Everyone returns to Peach Pit except Brenda. Dougherty was… busy?
#47 – ABC’s Monday Night Football – 14.4 million: Flutie takes a knee, sets up ESPN era. Fucking Patriots.
#46 – Dynasty – 14.7 million: Blake, Alexis and Dex might die! Wait for the mini-series…
#45 – Kate & Allie – 14.8 million: Nothing special; should have ended a year earlier with wedding.
#44 – In The Heat Of The Night – 15.0 million: Just another episode; O’Connor’s son died shortly before finale aired.
#43 – Married… With Children – 15.2 million: Another wedding? Yes!!! Al saves Kelly from marrying a man-slut.
#42 – NYPD Blue – 16.1 million: Sipowicz runs the precinct. No gratuitous nudity though, thank God.
#41 – ER – 16.4 million: Another day at work – pilot is mirrored, clever bookending abounds.
#40 – Murder, She Wrote – 16.5 million: Radio murder in San Francisco! Jessica returns in TV movies.
#39 – Murphy Brown – 17.5 million: Murphy interviews God and Edward R. Murrow; Eldin paints stuff.
#38 – Major Dad – 17.9 million: No big ending. Why so high on this list? Really?
#37 – Jake And The Fatman – 18.1 million: No big ending; they probably get married. McCabe eats dessert.
#36 – The Facts Of Life – 18.2 million: Blair buys the school, becomes the new Mrs. Garrett lady.
#35 – Will & Grace – 18.4 million: Grace marries Leo, Will has a kid; their kids marry.
#34 – Matlock – 18.7 million: Just another episode; Andy Griffith had enough. Can’t blame him.
#33 – Designing Women – 18.8 million: Gone With The Wind fantasy episode. No formal finale, ladies.
#32 – Bonanza – 19.3 million: Joe fights for his life and wins. Yeehaw! Show’s cancelled.
#31 – Knots Landing – 19.6 million: Val –Gary; Karen – Mack; Greg – Paige; everyone’s back together again.
#30 – Mad About You – 19.8 million: Mabel ages 21 years, catches us up: Happily Ever After!
#29 – The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air – 19.9 million: House gets sold; Will has nowhere to go. Too bad!
#28 – Who’s The Boss? – 20.5 million: They move to Iowa. Nope! They move back to Connecticut.
#27 – Quantum Leap – 20.6 million: Al and wife reunite; Sam could go home – never does.
#26 – The Wonder Years – 21.0 million: Kevin: writer; Winnie: runs furniture store; Paul: lawyer; Dad: dead.
#25 – Growing Pains – 21.1 million: Mike proposes, reminisces about family. Sounds like a clip show.
#24 – ALF – 21.7 million: ALF is captured, probably gutted and dissected by heartless government.
#23 – L.A. Law – 22.1 million: Leland retires; everyone must find work elsewhere until TV movie.
#22 – Miami Vice – 22.2 million: Crockett, Tubbs quit to protect some dictator for government? Seriously?
#21 – MacGyver – 22.3 million: MacGyver meets his son; they build something together. MacGyver retires.
#20 – St. Elsewhere – 22.5 million: St. Eligius is in snowglobe; series was autistic kid’s dream???
#19 – Full House – 24.3 million: Michelle falls off a horse, wakes up with amnesia. Seriously.
#18 – The Golden Girls – 27.2 million: Dorothy marries Leslie Nielsen; other girls ready for lousy spin-off.
#17 – Star Trek: The Next Generation – 27.8 million: Three timelines, Q brings Picard full circle, to humanity’s trial.
#16 – Newhart – 29.5 million: Whole town rich? Nope, it was all Bob Hartley’s dream.
#15 – The Fugitive – 30.0 million: Kimble finally catches up with the elusive one-armed man. Justice!
#14 – Gunsmoke – 30.9 million: Twenty seasons and they end with a non-finale about crops???
#13 – Everybody Loves Raymond – 32.9 million: Ray almost dies in a tonsil operation. He’s fine. Fade-out.
#12 – Dallas – 33.3 million: Suicidal JR has a George Bailey experience. Shoots himself (maybe).
#11 – Frasier – 33.7 million: Martin’s marriage,Niles and Daphne’s baby, Frasier moves to Chicago.
#10 – Home Improvement – 35.5 million: Final “Tool Time” episode; Al gets married. Fuck this show.
#9 – Family Ties – 36.3 million: Alex gets his dream job in New York; Elyse grieves.
#8 – All In The Family – 40.2 million: Edith sick, doesn’t tell Archie; Archie professes his devotion… spin-off!
#7 – The Cosby Show – 44.4 million: Denise pregnant; Theo graduates NYU; Cliff finally fixes the doorbell.
#6 – The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson – 50.0 million: No guests, friends and family audience, Johnny reflects, gets emotional.
#5 – Roseanne – 16.6 million: It was all fiction; Dan’s dead; screw you, loyal audience!
#4 – Friends – 52.5 million: No more apartment, Ross, Rachel together (of course!). Ugh. Joey.
#3 – Seinfeld – 76.3 million: Gang arrested for being assholes; many cameos; off to jail.
#2 – Cheers – 84.4 million: Diane returns! Another wedding? Sam chooses his love: the bar.
#1 – M*A*S*H – 105.9 million: Klinger stays, Mulcahey deaf, Hawkeye hallucinates a chicken. Peace! Goodbye.[/SPOILER:fa8b4c0723]
