@Leon Said
Pretty sure the May 19 finale will crack the top 20 most watched series finales in history...
1. M*A*S*H 105.9 million viewers February 28, 1983 CBS
2. Roots 100.0 million viewers Jan 30, 1977 ABC
3. Cheers 84.4 million viewers May 20, 1993 NBC
4. The Fugitive 78.0 million viewers Aug 29, 1967 ABC
5. Seinfeld 76.3 million viewers May 14, 1998 NBC
6. Friends 52.5 million viewers May 6, 2004 NBC
7. Magnum, P.I. 50.7 million viewers May 1, 1988 CBS
8. The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson 50.0 million viewers May 22, 1992 NBC
9. The Cosby Show 44.4 million viewers April 30, 1992 NBC
10. All in the Family 40.2 million viewers April 9, 1979 CBS
11. Family Ties 36.2 million viewers May 14, 1989 NBC
12. Home Improvement 35.5 million viewers May 25, 1999 ABC
13. Frasier 33.7 million viewers May 13, 2004 NBC
14. Dallas 33.3 million viewers May 3, 1991 CBS
15. Everybody Loves Raymond 32.9 million viewers May 16, 2005 CBS
16. Star Trek: The Next Generation 31.0 million viewers May 23, 1994 Syndication
17. Gunsmoke 30.9 million viewers March 31, 1975 CBS
18. Happy Days 30.5 million viewers September 24, 1984 ABC
19. The Golden Girls 27.2 million viewers May 9, 1992 NBC
20. Full House 24.3 million viewers May 23, 1995 ABC
Note, several Super Bowls and Presidential debates have either topped M*A*S*H’s finale or come close to it.
So I asked someone if the cable carriers report metadata to the providers. He said they're actually not allowed to collect that info. (he worked at one)