43 Years Later, The Most-Viewed TV Episode Ever Is Still The Greatest Finale

Series finales have come under increasing scrutiny in recent years. The move to streaming has completely normalized the concept of series as major events, meaning that last episodes of big series are getting talked about, dissected, and reviewed more than ever. Though there have been more than a few times where a series has stuck the landing and produced something that made general audiences happy, it’s easy to feel like that’s becoming more and more rare as the years go by.

While a TV series can survive a bad episode or even a bad season, a bad finale has the potential to taint a legacy. Recently, high-profile series like Stranger Things and Game of Thrones produced last episodes so poorly received that they actually had fans going back to ask whether either series was ever good in the first place.

Though modern writers struggle to wrap up mountains of character arcs and lore, one retro TV series is still the blueprint for what a perfect TV finale looks like.

MASH’s Finale Is Still The Gold Standard For TV Finales Even 43 Years Later

The goodbye message written with stones on the ground in the MASH finale, “Goodbye, Farewell and Amen.” — Goodbye in the MASH finale

First released in 1972 as a spin-off of the 1970 film of the same name (which itself was based on a 1968 book by Richard Hooker), M*A*S*H* was nothing short of a pop-culture phenomenon. The series follows a group of medical professionals during the Korean War. Stationed at the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital in South Korea, the protagonists are forced to juggle trying to stay optimistic while still dealing with the grim reality of life in a war zone.

The series was a huge hit at the time and is still regarded as one of the best TV shows of all time. In addition to the solid writing, great cast, and immaculate balance of the silly and serious, M*A*S*H* is a classic case of right place and right time. America was still dealing with the fallout from the War in Vietnam when the series aired, meaning that the darker aspects of war were something at the forefront of American minds. In this light, M*A*S*H*’s balance of comedy and drama was cathartic for many.

After 11 seasons and endless accolades, M*A*S*H* ended in 1983 with its 256th episode, Goodbye, Farewell and Amen. The 2-hour episode is a masterclass in TV writing, effectively wrapping up character arcs and leaving fans across the nation with a lot to chew on. More than just fan service, the episode truly dove deep into its characters and explored the psychological effects of living life as a doctor in an active combat zone.

While the episode was a critical success and is worth talking about in its own right, the bigger story with M*A*S*H*’s finale is just how massive it truly was.

MASH’s Finale Will Never Be Topped

Radar, Henry, Margaret, Hawkeye, Trapper in MASH

M*A*S*H*’s finale is still the most-viewed episode of any TV series ever. It is estimated that a staggering 106 million people watched the series’ finale when it aired on February 28th 1983. That’s more than the entire population of both North and South Korea combined. The next most-viewed TV series broadcast, Dallas’ infamous Who Done It, didn’t even crack 100 million.

Series	Episode	Year	View Count In Millions
MASH	Goodbye, Farewell and Amen	1983	106
Dallas	Who Done It	1980	83.6
Cheers	One for the Road	1993	80.5
Roots	Part VIII	1977	76.7
Seinfeld	The Finale	1998	76.3

For nearly 3 decades, M*A*S*H*’s finale wasn’t just the most-viewed TV episode ever; it was the most-viewed broadcast period. That was eventually surpassed in 2010 by Super Bowl XLIV. Subsequent Super Bowls have also surpassed it, leaving M*A*S*H* as the 13th most-viewed TV broadcast at the time of writing.

Unfortunately, despite M*A*S*H*’s enduring legacy, it can’t quite compete with the streaming era’s juggernauts. Netflix reports that the first season of Wednesday received 252 million views. While that’s certainly impressive and an achievement worth being proud of, it’s important to put that into perspective. Those 252 million views are made up of people who watched the series over the course of months, if not years. That is also 252 million views across the whole series.

In contrast, M*A*S*H*’s 106 million viewers are just from the episode’s debut alone and don’t take into account reruns or other airings. There was a point in time when 106 million people, all at the same time, sat down to watch the same show. 43 years later, no series on TV or streaming has really been able to replicate that.

With critical acclaim and viewer numbers that still haven’t been beaten 43 years later, M*A*S*H* has truly cemented its place in pop-culture history, making sure that fans will still be looking back on the series with fondness for decades to come.