most viewers..EVER

[RobertScorpio]

What scifi TV show had the largest audience ever? Is it oldBSG's 30 million for its pilot episode in the late 70s? If not I can't think of any scif tv show, except maybe that first V miniseries in the 80s, that comes close..

even GALACTICA 1980 got 15 million that first episode (numbers RDM would have given his left nut for)...

Tv's biggest scifi TV RATINGS winner...who was it??? (and no, the FOXNEWS network is not eligible)

Rob

(I am posting this in TV/MEDIA since we are not talking about the science fiction element of the show, but its actual TV viewership)...

Rob

 

[Temis the Vorta]

30 million for sci fi, wow. That number sure sounds like science fiction now.

 

[nx1701g]

30 million seems like science fiction for any show now.

 

[Dorian Thompson]

I thought it was the finale of MASH.

 

[T'Baio]

To compare ratings for anything from back then to now is completely ridiculous. Television is a completely different landscape.

 

[Starbreaker]

I thought it was the finale of MASH.

MASH isn't sci-fi.

 

[RobertScorpio]

To compare ratings for anything from back then to now is completely ridiculous. Television is a completely different landscape.

I understand TV is different now..doesn't change the question. I'm just asking which scifi tv event had the biggest viewership of all time..

Rob

 

[FreezeC77]

The original V mini-series had a 25.8 rating which was over 40mil viewers.

More recently Lost has had a lot of episodes during its ratings peak score over 20mil viewers which is probably a bigger accomplishment in the fractured TV landscape of today.

 

[RobertScorpio]

I thought it was the finale of MASH.

MASH isn't sci-fi.

I read somewhere that BSG's pilot episode got 30 million. Thats a lot of people no matter what era we are talking about, and it be number one...ironic.

Rob

 

[FreezeC77]

The X-files had just under 30mil viewers for an episode Fox aired after the Super Bowl in '97

 

[Temis the Vorta]

The X-files had just under 30mil viewers for an episode Fox aired after the Super Bowl in '97

Didn't the Kill Switch episode, written by William Gibson, also get big numbers?

 

[AdmiralGarak]

It's harder to gauge syndicated shows, but TNG pulled in some pretty impressive viewership during its heyday. Its probably the winner in the largest consistent audience.

 

[FordSVT]

For most of its run TNG was the most viewed syndicated television show in the USA, only Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy were more popular, and those shows were shown in every market in America five days a week. About 9-10 million a week on average during its heyday. That would be a top 20 network TV show now.

http://www.trektoday.com/articles/ratings_history.shtml

 

[The Boy Who Cried Worf]

I thought it was the finale of MASH.

MASH isn't sci-fi.

And it isn't number one anymore. New Orleans vs. Indianapolis topped it.

 

[Supervisor 194]

At one point, The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman were both top-ten shows in the mid-70s so I imagine their season premieres during those times got pretty good numbers.

 

[Angel4576]

In terms of Star Trek, isn't the highest-rated episode actually an episode of DS9?

Edit: Emissary got an 18.8 making it one of the most watched episodes in syndicated tv history. Don't know how this ranks against the highest-rated TNG episodes though, and even then I'd imagine it falls short of the numbers that the original series got, given that it was network TV at that point.

 

[RobertScorpio]

At one point, The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman were both top-ten shows in the mid-70s so I imagine their season premieres during those times got pretty good numbers.

And I do remember those days..especially their once a year crossovers...can you say BIGFOOT??? FEMBOTS???

Rob

 

[SmoothieX]

I thought it was the finale of MASH.

MASH isn't sci-fi.

And it isn't number one anymore. New Orleans vs. Indianapolis topped it.

Bingo. All of America got to see Manning's sour puss at the end of that game. That's must see TV right there.

 

[23skidoo]

I think Alias - which was a SF series - scored some pretty huge ratings with a post-Superbowl episode, too (the one with the famous opening shot of Sidney in lingerie).

Although we're mostly talking TV series here, it's probably worth factoring in movies as well. When Star Wars: A New Hope first aired on network TV, I think it scored gigantic ratings, too.

Alex

 

[Hober Mallow]

In terms of Star Trek, isn't the highest-rated episode actually an episode of DS9?

Edit: Emissary got an 18.8 making it one of the most watched episodes in syndicated tv history. Don't know how this ranks against the highest-rated TNG episodes though, and even then I'd imagine it falls short of the numbers that the original series got, given that it was network TV at that point.

TNG never beat DS9's ratings for "Emissary."